Castle Morncloth

By order of House Morcloth's founder Oblitus Morncloth, the castle was designed to house his family, train them, and innovate the work of dungeoneering. It later expanded to have its training chambers accessible to any daring adventurer. Creating an honoring system among travellers for taking on the complex training in the castle. In addition to this central feature, the castle also hosts the meetings for the local government of Mountain's End. Establishing and safeguarding government practices such as holding elections, collecting taxes, gathering votes, debating legislation, and addressing national issues. By the law of the city, the castle's authority is divided by sections. The governemnt hold authority in the politically establshed areas while everything else is under the noble authority of House Morncloth. When imminent danger arrives at the city, the castle is located next to, defenses are raised to shelter the citizens and endure sieges that can last as long as 100 days.

The castle itself is a massive structure made of ashstone, a dark gray mineral that is difficult to carve due to its density, which is similar to forged iron. At its base is a keep that contains government gathering and training rooms. It is secured by a single entrance, extended by a stone bridge leading to the city of Mountain's End. At the entrance is a small lobby providing vetted access to the castle. This remote access, along with its geological location, makes outer wall construction unnecessary, as the castle's defenses are already formidable. The keep features an outlying balcony structure for recreational activities and political discussions. Above the keep stands a towering structure where House Morncloth resides, as well as a complex interior of dungeoncraft. Secret passageways, obstacles, dueling chambers, non-lethal traps, and steam-powered mechanisms fill those halls to hone the craft of dungeoneers. The castle, like that of the neighboring city, is regulated by a steam-power system that heats the walls during the bitter winter cold. Additionally, the steam vapors are collected for freshwater consumption or released into the air through exhaust systems.

The two critical features of the castle's defenses are its material and its residents. Ashtone, the rock from which the castle is made, is a dark gray mineral that exists only in the Ashtone Plains of the continent of Estenra. Its density and toughness, in comparison to its polar opposite, Palestone, enable it to withstand conventional siege weapons with ease. Once the gates are sealed, the castle can endure sieges for months at a time. While the castle does not have any anti-siege turrets, it makes up for its residents being the famous House Morncloth and a collective of adventurers with some degree of skill or another. The castle's storage of weapons, armor, potions, and artifacts gives it a unique advantage against invading parties who are poorly resourced in comparison. In addition, the interior dungeon serves as a practical obstacle against those storming the castle. While the dungeon is designed to prevent lethal effects, it can still slow down or even halt the progress of invaders.

Back when the Kingdom of Owenar took Mountain's End in 573 in the Dark Ages (DA), Oblitus Morncloth wanted to build a home for his family after they had been exiled from the Fuxenarian Empire. His family, once known as the Patricius Amantius, were removed from their homeland on the continent of Azenveld and left with nothing but their family heirloom and a perceived curse upon their bloodline. Since the family's founding, many of its members have been known to suffer from an unusual level of bad luck, which they later took as a family curse. Oblitus's contributions to the King's conquest of Westenra earned him the lordship of Mountain's End. Gathering debts from the fire paladins of Estenra, he managed to supply enough ashstone to build 2 castles. The first was Castle Ashcrown in the Kingdom's capital, and the second was a castle for his family called Castle Morncloth. What started as a wooden fortress slowly turned into a stone structure piece by piece. In the year 25 after the Dark Ages (ADA), Oblitus passed away from old age, leaving his daughter, Olira Morncloth, to complete his work and lead the family. A marvel of construction that took over a century to complete. Explicitly designed by Oblitus's engineers, Castle Morncloth was completed in 117 ADA.   In 180 ADA, A dispute on the ownership of the Silver Steel Ore mines between the Silver Fang Tribe and the Pale Stone Tribe led to a riot in the neighboring city. The ensuing chaos forced the house lord, Jiros Morncloth, to declare martial law and suppress the violence with the aid of the Kingdom's infantry and present adventurers. After the fighting had ceased, Maester Judge Crom Valceran came to the castle courtroom to review the case regarding the ownership of the mines.  

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"The Pale Stone Tribe was the first to discover this rare mineral. Its magical potential makes it a source for proficient weapons, transforming it into one of the most sought-after items on the continent, if not all of the known world. That grants them a natural right to the minerals themselves. The Silver Fang Tribe claimed ownership of those same veins of metal after their ancestral chief defeated the Pale Stone's chief in a Duel of Destiny. From this, they applied it in their crafting of weapons. Primitive in comparison to the Pale Stone forgery, but it has been their right for centuries. The case brought before us today concerns whether the right of conquest supersedes ownership by birthright. As Owenarians, we recognize our Kingdom was founded through conquest.   For every tribe we peacefully allied with, blood had been spilled on another. In either of these circumstances, we must recognize the traditions and faiths of the tribes we now govern, for we rule under the beliefs of the late king Utheos, who constantly desired a unification. A home for all of humanity, and hopefully, a coexistence with the rest of the mortal races. Any home, no matter the inner tribulation, must accommodate other perspectives of life or be doomed to never grow, to never change. A condition of hopelessness of sorts. If we seek to resolve this conflict we have here today, we must recognize that principle. We cannot relinquish the Silver Fang's ownership, for it would deny the tribal law of conquest given from the Dual of Destiny. However, we cannot abandon the Pale Stone right of birthplace and discovery by permitting the overreach of resources caused by the Silver Fangs. A compromise must be reached to satisfy both parties to the greatest extent possible.   I, Crom Valceran, Maester Judge of the Kingdom of Owenar, decree that the ownership of the Silver Steel Ore in the Northern Mountains is to be transferred to the Pale Stone Tribe as is their birthright. However, to honor the tribal law of conquest, the Silver Fang Tribe shall be provided all unclaimed weaponry of Silver Steel, and shall have exclusive rights to the sale of those weapons."

 

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Over the centuries, the castle became ominous as members of the noble family suffered gruesome fates. A mountain lion ate Xarian Morncloth in 231 ADA, 11-year-old Marcus Morncloth was crushed in 247 ADA by the house's grand chandelier. Diana Morncloth was killed by her fiancé, Rickon Calahad, in 309 ADA by an attempt to claim lordship of Mountain's End by marriage. Albert Morncloth was the heir to the castle until he disappeared, venturing past the Northern Mountains into the secret continent of Donham Rhunda in 493 ADA. His granddaughter, Alicia Morncloth, took on the journey to find remnants of her grandfather, Albert, in 547 ADA. She came back from the secret continent with riches and messages left behind by their lost grandfather. Months later, Alicia died from an incurable disease of unknown origin. The family's history of death made them appear to the world as a broken family. A group of cursed nobles whom no one else wanted to converse with. Through this, they were commonly referred to as "the House of the Scarred." All of that changed when adventurers came to their castle doors.   By 579 ADA. The Kingdom's Parliament, recognizing the need for stability and exploration, initiated a coalition of adventurers from the Horizon's Dawn Tribe. This strategic move led to the establishment of numerous adventurer guilds, transforming Mountain's End into a vibrant hub for those seeking fortune and glory. When House Morncloth witnessed this influx of growth, the once hopeless family became inspired to fight against their family curse. Offering adventurers the opportunity to test their skills in the castle's dungeon chambers. Using their nobility to exonerate those who succeed as Keybearers. A law-binding title that labels those as great adventurers. In return, House Morncloth would receive small tributes from these Keybearers for whatever was found in adventures. By 768, the castle would have the most extensive variety of dungeoneering and combat equipment in the world, even to this day. Despite not ridding themselves of the family curse yet, their newfound resolve and bountiful resources helped them strive forward to find a cure for it.