Rootspire Keep
"A fortress entwined with the roots of history, where echoes of fallen empires whisper through gilded halls."
Rootspire Keep is the beating heart of Middleglade, a towering pagoda-fortress built directly into the side of the legendary Motherbark Tree. Once the throne of the Elfese Empire for thousands of years until the reign of Musashi Odo during their final, hardest days. Rootspire Keep now serves as a symbol of conquest, compromise, and cohabitation. Its blackwood walls and gold-laced ivory roofs shimmer between centuries, bearing the weight of both Elfese reverence and Everwealthy ambition. Governed today by David Cane under the reign of King Duncan Valmore, Rootspire stands as both a seat of power and a museum of vanquished glory.
Purpose / Function
Originally erected as the royal seat of the Elfese emperor, Rootspire Keep embodied the harmonious synthesis of natural sanctity and imperial luxury. After Middleglade fell during the Battle of Red Petals in the early Schism, the structure was repurposed as a stronghold for Everwealthy rule, an administrative and defensive hub now tethered to the monarchy.
Alterations
Everwealthy Modifications:
- Stone reinforcements were added to the lower tiers to resist siege weaponry.
- The throne room was reworked to reflect Everwealth’s regalia, replacing ancestral Elfese iconography with crimson Ram's Head banners.
- Iron-barred gates and torch sconces now flank the halls once lit only by magickal, ever-burning lanterns
- Meditative sanctums were converted into war rooms, barracks, and record halls.
- The Rootspire Pagoda itself, untouched and still grown seamlessly into the Motherbark Tree.
- The Sky Balcony, a sweeping terrace above the canopy that retains enchanted ivory tiles once reserved for imperial stargazing.
- The Elder Grove, an inner sanctum of luminous bark-script that glows with dormant magicks at night.
Architecture
Rootspire Keep exemplifies high Elfese pagoda design, multi-tiered, curved structures assembled without nails, instead fastened by fitted joints and hidden enchantments. Its black-stained wooden walls are fused with arcane sigils, while the layered ivory-and-gold roof tiles glint beneath sun and moon alike. Intricately carved wooden lattices, decorated with silverleaf and draping flora, mingle with the more practical Everwealthian stained-glass windows installed during reconstruction. Inside, sweeping stairwells and long marbled corridors give way to a surreal coexistence: nature-grown pillars bearing Everwealthian war banners, throne-room archways adorned with both sacred tree-motifs and conquest etchings.
Defenses
Naturally defended by its elevation in the Motherbark Tree and the steep cliffs of the Iris Plateau, Rootspire Keep is a difficult bastion to assail. Its outer shell features blackwood barricades strengthened with steel plating, while multiple layers of wooden and stone bastions guard each approach. Old Elfese enchantments tied to the keep’s inner roots remain active, allegedly capable of deflecting or disrupting hostile magick. Ballista towers line the upper terraces, manned by Everwealth soldiers equipped with crossbows and longbows. The presence of nature-bound traps, rumored to have been laid by ancient druidic allies, has never been confirmed, but few who’ve tested the inner gardens return.
History
Constructed in 211 LA, Rootspire Keep served as the primary seat of the Elfese Emperor Musashi Odo and later his successors. With the onset of The Great Schism, Middleglade became one of the first and most symbolic casualties of the refugee Humans' and Dwarfish' alliance marching through Elfese lands to make way for Everwealth to be born. After the siege and partial burning of the city, the keep was salvaged and fortified by human generals who admired its beauty yet sought to erase its cultural memory. Over the next five centuries, it has endured as the capital fortress of Middleglade’s ruling governor, withstanding skirmishes, political sabotage, and the ever-present tension between Everwealth and returning Elfese forces.
Tourism
Despite its nature as a seat of governance and a military installation, Rootspire Keep draws artists, pilgrims, and curious travelers. Curious minds from The Scholar's Guild often request access to the Elder Grove, where ancient tree-script glimmers in forgotten dialects they hope to unravel the secrets of; Whispers of great caches and forgotten lore for those that do. Some Elfese and Half-Elf pilgrims, descendants of those who once called the palace home, sneak offerings into the garden groves by moonlight. Occasional dignitaries attend lavish feasts or quiet negotiations in its upper chambers, and rare balloon rides from the Sky Balcony offer visitors an unobstructed view of Middleglade’s jade eye-like shape.
RUINED STRUCTURE
Although never officially falling into ruin, it suffered severe damage during the Schism when Everwealth's forces stormed Middleglade and claimed the region. Many of its original structures were burned or defaced., though the primary keep remained intact.
Although never officially falling into ruin, it suffered severe damage during the Schism when Everwealth's forces stormed Middleglade and claimed the region. Many of its original structures were burned or defaced., though the primary keep remained intact.
Founding Date
211 LA
Alternative Names
'The Ironwood Keep', 'The Black Pagoda'', 'The Hollowed Spire'.
Type
Fortress
Owning Organization
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