Castle Tarengael

The great River of Crystal Waters nurtures the Duchy’s crops and protects its greatest bastion: Castle Tarengael whose nine domed towers were built by Duke Ulthar the Loved himself on a rocky island (16.16) so that the flowing waters would keep the Lords Sanguine at bay. Bridges connect it to the two halves of Tarengael Town: Eastbridge and Westbridge. Ruler: The Duke of Thring
Mounts: At Castle Tarengael the mounts are enormous bad-tempered boars. They are faithful to strong owners, but may unexpectedly devour a rider who does not take them in hand. Recently The Foolish Sages (20.18) attempted an experiment to transmute the Duke’s cattle into ‘cowhorses’, promising a new age of easy riding. The results were less than satisfactory.

Residents

Details

Connections

Hooks

The Mirror Throne

Hex 16.16.09

Connects to: 01.03 and 13.10.

An ancient keep predates Castle Tarengael by many long centuries, built there on that rocky promontory by the long-dead ancestors of Duke Ulthar the Loved. When Ulthar tore it down to build his nine domed towers all that remained of the original keep were the foundations, and the Mirror Throne. The Mirror Throne, a throne of cunningly shaped silver crystals growing out of the living rock beneath the foundations, is nearly as ancient as the original castle.

The legend of how the throne came to be is well known. Hundreds of years ago, a haggard traveler in a ragged robe and a wide brimmed hat arrived at the keep’s doors. The gatekeeper refused him entry, though the man begged and pleaded. The lord of the keep came to see what the commotion was, and saw the stooped figure of the poor traveler. The lord of the keep was an old man and knew his stories and legends well - one does not turn mysterious travelers away from the door. The master of the castle invited the traveler in to enjoy the hospitality of his banquet and stay through the night.

As they entered the great hall to be seated for the banquet, the lord of the castle offered to take the traveler’s cloak. The traveler thanked him but refused, stepped back, and transformed, turning into a frighteningly tall man, his robes and hat becoming pristine and greyer than grey. The Lord of the Keep had acted wisely, for this was none-other than Vilenius Arkhaus (01.03), Arch-Mage of Everdark and magic-mason, and he was greatly pleased by the lord’s hospitality and humility. The mighty wizard inquired as to what the lord’s greatest desire was, for he would grant him one wish.

The lord was very old, and his only heir was his young grandson. He despaired that he would not live to train his grandson in the art of statesmanship. He asked then for his throne to be secure for his line for all time. The wizard nodded and summoned great and terrifying power that shook the earth itself. From beneath the stones of the foundation rose the Mirror Throne, glorious to behold. Wish granted, the magus exploded into shadows and was never seen again by the lord or his ancestors, all the way through the Dukes of Thring.

Many a peasant will tell you that the moral of the story is, that one should word wishes to wizards very, very carefully, else they are want to interpret them quite literally. This might be true, but the rest of the story, almost completely forgot by everyone, is this: the Archmage Arkhaus explained, before he left, that the throne was a soul-stone of tremendous size. Through a ritual, the lord could bind his soul to the Throne so that when he died, his spirit would inhabit it, and be able to pass advice and knowledge to his heir. His heir would also bind his spirit to the stone as part of a secret rite of coronation, so that when he finally passed, his soul would displace that of his predecessor, allowing the first lord to go on to the afterlife while the second advised the third with all that he had been taught, plus his own experience, each lord growing more experienced and wise with the tutelage of their ancestors.

For many generations the throne served nobly, each lord passing knowledge unto the next, a more trusted advisor than could be ever hoped for. Sadly, it happened that one lord’s son, having not yet been educated in the secret rites of the Throne by his then reigning father used the Mirror Throne as a foci for sorcerous dabblings that were popular in Thring at that time. In a profane ritual, a dark spirit from the Hells was summoned up, and seizing the opportunity, took hold of the Throne and evicted the then resident soul, though not before tearing his secrets from him.

The shadowy spirit in the Throne whispered to the son lies that his father planned to pass him over in favor of another relative. Incised, the son murdered his father, and with this assassination the secret rites were lost. Since then the Hell-born spirit has whispered darkly into the minds of all who have sat upon it. It cannot directly control, but it knows the fears, weaknesses and insecurities of those who sit upon it, and masks its telepathic voice as that of the lord who sits upon the Throne, and so leads them to believe its lies and dark suggestions are their own thoughts.

Lords of strong character, such as Duke Ulthar, easily resisted its insidious influence. Some with weaker minds, or simply deeper, more profound fears, such as Duke Theloc, were not so lucky. The fourth Duke was lead erroneously to believe that his children conspired against him. In his fear he entrusted the succession to Sweitbor the Roarer (13.10), leading to much war and bloodshed upon his death.

To this day the spirit in the Mirror Throne uses its position to slowly twist the Duchy of Thring whenever possible, in hopes that one day a Duke of dark mind and soul will sit upon the Throne to work its evil devices across the land.

Hooks:

The Doomsday Book

Hex 16.16.11

Connects to: to be added.

The Doomsday Book, kept under tight guard at Castle Tarangael, is a record of all land and personal property - not as it is held now, but as it will be held at the end of the world.

The book is kept in chains - allegedly the same chains that the Duke used to bludgeon the previous Duke of Thring to death. Each of his knights - the Chain Gang - wears a link of it around his neck, while the Duke himself wears the key.

The Duke discovered the book when he was a squire, and what it taught him about power and longevity has driven his burning ambition.

The Duke has not read the book in years. If he had, we would find that the ledger looks very different to how it once did.

Hooks:

Categories: Castles , Ducal family of Thring , River of Crystal Waters , Tarengael , Duchy of Thring


Original: https://shrouded-lands.fandom.com/wiki/Castle_Tarengael