Castle Sullencross
While the Axe Bite and Grey Lady passes are the best-known routes over the Sither Expanse, they are not the only ways through the range. The Crooked Corridor is a narrow gorge through the mountains not far from the border that leads further eastward into Hammerlung Pass. It is useless to most merchants, being far too tight for wagons or horses, and dangerous to boot as much of the path is perched precariously on the edge of steep cliffs, meaning the slightest slip of a foot could lead to a painfully inglorious end. Completely impassable in the winter and perilous at all other times, the Crooked Corridor was known only to goat herders and smugglers until a spate of Orc raids brought the pass to the attention of the authorities. Several decades ago, The Parliament of Idland ordered the construction of a fortress to watch over the Crooked Corridor after repeated invasion. Nine years later, Castle Sullencross was completed, drawing its name from the bleak sullen landscapes. Its position high above the Crooked Corridor offered the Republics sharpshooters an excellent perch from which to employ their lethal skills; however, its status as a Idlander bastion was short-lived. An oversight at the planning stage resulted in the tower being built on lands claimed by the Dwarfs of Khaz Morgris. Not wanting to upset the Dwarfs, Parliament gave up control the castle, much to the annoyance of the Margrave of Ferrormoor who had helped finance it. Today, the Dwarfs generously allow a garrison to live alongside their own troops at Sullencross, a largely rebuilt structure. With the Idlanders brumbling under the Dwarfs’ leadership, and the Dwarfs constantly belittling the shoddy human stonework they’ve yet to replace, the Castle is a powder keg of grievances and resentment, generating a tense and some would say unsustainable atmosphere. This shared control has stressed the once solid relations between Idland and Khaz Morgrin.
Type
Castle
Parent Location
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