Castle Never

Castle Never, towering over the western end of the city, is impossible to miss. The castle sits on the rocky cliffs and outcroppings on the north side of the estuary where the Neverwinter River and the Sea of Swords meet. The castle has a circular rock around its main structure from which three bridges radiate out over the Neverwinter River: the Sleeping Dragon Bridge, the Winged Wyvern Bridge, and the Dolphin Bridge.

The castle straddles the boundaries between the Protectors Enclave, the Neverwinter Docks, and the Bluelake districts. Throughout history, Castle Never has been claimed as a part of many city districts, but it might be best to consider the Castle as its own district. The three bridges around the castle serve as an essential part of city infrastructure, providing a way of traversing the Neverwinter River and getting between the Protectors Enclave and Bluelake districts.

The castle's interior and exterior structure are both currently in disrepair, making the structure too dangerous for any inhabitation. The city's current de facto leader, Lord Dagult Neverember, is making inroads into restoring Castle Never.

Castle Never: Rise and Fall

A visitor to Neverwinter may note that its architecture differs a bit from that of other parts of the city. That is because Castle Never is actually over a millennium old, having been commissioned by the sun elf, Lord Halueth Never, who famously conquered the city of Illusk (of whose ruins modern-day Luskan now sits atop). Much of Castle Never was presumably built between -10 DR (Lord Never's conquest of Illusk) and 87 DR (the time Neverwinter was officially founded as a city).

Throughout Neverwinter's many attacks and disasters, Castle Never has stood tall as an imposing symbol of the city's resolve as well as a monument to the city's former glories. That isn't to say, however, that the Castle has been left unscathed. Perhaps the most-significant disaster for Castle Never was in 1451 DR when "the cataclysm" struck Neverwinter and left most of Castle Never in ruins and killed almost all of its inhabitants (including the ruling lineage). Castle Never now remains haunted with the spirits of those killed in the cataclysm.

Inside the Castle

Exploring the interior of Castle Never is currently a perilous activity. Adventurers looking to navigate the castle would find it inhospitable due to both its ghostly inhabitants as well as the simple dangers of exploring a building so severely damaged. The Castle is a massive structure with countless stories that both ascend toward the sky and descend to the depths. It has a number of well-documented areas of danger:

• The Atrium: The atrium, now boarded over to keep sunlight out and the heat of rot inside, contains an eerie display of exotic bird skeletons in gilded cages. The atrium is now home to territorial Myconids that will attack and feast on intruders.
• Hall of Mirrors: Previously a long hall of mirrors where nobility practiced gait and posture, any mortal intruder that enters this hall will find a magical recreation of the hall's destruction. Shards of flying mirror glass and fiery ruins will be launched at any that dwell in the hall for too long.
• Neverneath: The catacombs under the castle, referred to as the "Neverneath", feature an enchantment that cause the maze-like layout to change dynamically with a malevolent sentience. Structures will change to create dead ends, tunnels that lead back on themselves, or doors that lead to new locations each time they are opened. All of this serves to trap adventurers in until they meet their demise, likely at the claws of the catacomb's many gargoyles.
• The Vault of the Nine: This tomb is the resting place for the nine bodyguards of Neverwinter's royal lineage. The vault contains an outer chamber which features everburning torches that light the room when mortals enter. Undead lurk in the shadows of this outer chamber. The inner chamber, sealed away behind a giant stone door bearing the sigil of Neverwinter, has nine marble coffins that encircle a throne. Visitors that manage to make it to the inner chamber of the Vault of the Nine and take a rest may awaken to find the spirits the Nine standing vigil over them.

Restoring Castle Never

Lord Dagult Neverember has made it one of the city's priorities to see to the restoration of Castle Never. This is a tremendous undertaking that is likely to take years or decades. Neverember sees the endeavor as a worthwhile symbolic pursuit of the city's rejuvenation.

Grimly, one of the first portions of the castle that has been restored to functional use is its dungeons. Neverember has directed that those in Neverwinter convicted of high crimes be placed in castle dungeons, referred to as "The Holes" by the locals. Executions happen daily, at noon, in The Holes—generally two days from when the prisoner is sent to The Holes.