Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild

The Grand Castle

"Ever since its construction in the earliest days of The Gratic Empire, the Grand Castle has been a shining example of the Empire's power and prestige. Built of a white iridescent marble and towering over even the Great Gratic City Temple of Etheric, this structure has, it is believed, never been sacked or conquered successfully. Inside its tall walls, one can find the apartments and chambers of the Emperor and his family, the central chambers of the Imperial Council, the main headquarters of both The Imperial Army and The College of Mages, and the storied wonder of The Library of Records ." ~ The City of Cities

Purpose / Function

The Grand Castle is both home and stronghold, being the personal home of the Emperor/Empress of the Gratic Empire as well as the strongest fortress in the realm. It is meant to be very sturdy in the face of attack, but also approachable in peacetime.

Alterations

Perhaps surprisingly, the fortress has changed very little on the complete scale of things, with only the arrangement and usage of the interior buildings changing significantly since its construction three-and-a-half centuries ago.

Architecture

The complex has six major towers that rise to 150 feet tall and are connected by battlemented walls fifty feet tall and ten feet thick. These walls and towers are made of Plainér Marble, which gives them a bright and shining look. The central keep stands in the north end of the keep. It is taller than even the exterior towers, nearly standing 200 feet tall. The three outlying buildings of the central courtyard are to the south. The interior of the exterior towers are rotund and have interior columns to for support. The floors of most of these structures are wooden and they contain very few furnishings. The levels of the towers are connected by ladders and trapdoors, and torches provide light. The central keep is much wider at the base than the other towers and uses buttresses and its fifteen-foot thick walls for support. The floors of the higher levels are wooden and the lower levels are stone, and wooden steps connect the various floors together. The council chambers are on the first floor, the storage rooms and the vault below those levels, and the apartments of the Emperor and his family in the rooms and chambers above. Tapestries decorate the walls, and torches provide the main lighting.

Type

Castle

Parent Location

Gratic City

Included Locations