The Court at the Forked Castle

Travelers along the road are surprised by how abruptly this castle’s twin spires appear above the surrounding pine groves. It is the home of the House Tyhon, a family with a history of astonishing pride. Mounts: **At the Forked Castle, they ride on enormous lizards captured from the **Devil’s Fingers. These beasts are swift over rough terrain and can even climb steep slopes; however they are notorious cowards.

The most famous Tyhon tale is of Count Tyhon the Stubborn. His brief affair with a Duchess ended with the streets of Eastbridge being paved by stones from the shores of the Bitter Sea (16.16.03). After his trysts were discovered by Wrafton, one of the Duke’s sycophants, he was blackmailed. Wrafton chose to test the count’s stubbornness. Tyhon was told that he must send every stone from his personal quarry to the Duke until every street in Eastbridge was paved, or bring enough stone from the shores of the Sea of Bitter Regrets to pave the road from outskirts of town to the East Bridge.

The stubborn Tyhon chose the latter. With the help of gnome guides, he used the tributaries of the Sunless Sea ('[18.10](/wiki/18-10/)'.01) to float raft-loads of foreign stone to a nearby cave and then hauled it into Eastbridge. Wrafton became so furious that he told the Duke of the affair. Tyhon was exiled, and his name vanished from history. His son dueled the dishonorable Wrafton in the Swamp of Champions (16.16.02) and won. Wrafton rotted in the swamp without vigil.

The last count, Tyhon Hotspur, is presumed dead after not returning from a quest to slay the Peryton (11.15). The widowed Lady Tyhon believes he died trying to slay the beast, meaning there is hope that she can hear his voice once again. She refuses to speak to any suitors until she can listen to the Peryton.

Connections

• Sister Nadela (18.19) is an ally of Lady Tyhon and helps to chase off the suitors who are beginning to gather around the Forked Castle.
• With the (near) extinction of horses, the knights of the Forked Castle have taken to riding great lizards (16.16.05) captured in the Devil’s Fingers.
• The lizards that the local knights ride into battle can be found some distance to the south (16.23).

Hooks:

• Where did Tyhon the Stubborn end up? Is another branch (or fork, if the metaphor isn’t blunt enough) of the bloodline continuing somewhere far away from the Forked Castle?
• What entrance to the Sunless Sea did Tyhon the Stubborn use? Was it a known portal, or a secret location?
• Does the Tyhon family still have connections with the gnomes of the Sunless Sea? If so, what forms the basis of their relationship?
• Why did Tyhon Hotspur embark on the quest to hunt the Peryton? What was his fate?