Treehold Castle

The former home of King Peter Chase, Treehold Castle now serves as the prestigious school Treehold University.

Purpose / Function

Originally built as the castle for King Peter, today the building serves as the campus for Treehold University.

Alterations

The first major alterations to Treehold Castle were made when it still functioned as a house for the Chase dynasty. Hailith Chase, great-granddaughter of Peter, commissioned them so the castle would have more room for storage in its cellar complex. She also, memorably, hated the diorite floor in the grand ballroom and had it replaced with Nether quartz. Subsequent Chase royals had minor changes made to windows, wall carvings, and other cosmetic details.
Regular maintenance is done as well. Historically, there have been no major fires or other accidents to warrant serious renovation, but minor touch-ups are necessary to keep the castle clean and orderly. Plumbing issues have occurred in the past, from the very old system of pipes used to carry hot water through the castle and remove waste. Such issues usually ended up with a flooded cellar. Fortunately, plumbing accidents have not yet resulted in the loss of important or valuable artifacts.
Modernisation of the Treehold castle was carried out in the Redstone Age, when it was converted from a castle to a college. Rooms that were private for the royal family or held special historical significance were sealed from public access. Most notably, the royal bedchambers were closed off, and cannot even be viewed by the officials at Treehold University. The castle was wired for redstone when the technology became available, the plumbing system was updated, and many old rooms were converted into offices and classrooms.

Architecture

The base construction of Treehold Castle relies on late Iron Age and early Netherite Age architectural styles. Stone bricks comprise most of the external wall structure. Wooden and iron beams form a support network within the walls and inside the roof structures. Terra cotta tiles (dyed in a variety of fun colours) were used as shingles for the roofs. Large, showy windows use stained glass, whereas the smaller and more utilitarian ones are made from simple leaded glass panes. Some towers are capped with spires, whereas others were built with battlements to be used as defence points in case of an attack.

History

Construction of the Treehold Castle actually begun before the Blight of Bones and Peter's reign. It had been commissioned by the previous ruler of Treehold, who wanted it to be a powerful citadel. The war forced builders to stop construction on the castle and refocus their efforts. When Peter Chase was named king following the war, he took up the project to finish the construction. He did, however, want the castle to be built according to his ideas instead. Instead of a heavily armed citadel, he had the pre-existing foundation adapted into a suitable home for royalty. Construction took seven years in all; in the meantime, Peter and his family lived in a manor-house. Once the castle was completed, they moved in and made it their seat of power for the whole kingdom of Treehold.
Following the decline of the Chase dynasty in the early Redstone Age, the people of Treehold were at a loss for what to do with the castle. Destroying an important landmark was out of the question, and it would not be practical to make it a museum. There was talk, and some rudimentary plans, to use the castle as a democratic government building. Those plans were overridden, however, when the Board of Trustees for the University of Treehold offered the purchase the property. With help from wealthy benefactors, the college bought the property from the Treehold government and incorporated it as the centre of campus. It was soon thereafter converted from a castle to the college's Main Hall, the role it serves to this day.

Alternative Names

Treehold U

Type

Castle

Included Locations

• Hall of Portraits

Owner

Peter Chase

Owning Organization

Treehold University