Bright Castle

**Bright Castle** is a magnificent castle, standing on a hill in the middle of the ruins of Dark City. It looks like something out of a legend. Its walls were built from radiant white stone, with tall towers and majestic spires piercing the sky. It stands above the city like a symbol of hope, the only thing that seems to be untouched by the darkness.

## Background

There are areas in the ruins that many Nightmare Creatures tend to avoid for some reason. The castle is one of these places. Back when the original group of Sleepers came here hoping to carve a foothold in the city, there was only a single Spire Messenger nesting in the throne room, with no other monsters around and they managed to kill it.

## Structure

Built from the same pristine marble as the arch at the base of the hill, it stretched into the sky like a white mountain made by human hands. The front tower was wide and imposing, with a tall decorated gate and a grandiose staircase leading down from it to a vast stone platform that the road ended with. On both sides of the front-most tower, brought slightly forth, two others stood as bastions, connected to it with arched aerial bridges and accompanied by smaller companion towers of their own.

Behind them, the main keep soared even higher, as though trying to challenge the menacing Crimson Spire that loomed above the world far in the distance. Smaller towers, spires, and wings stood here and there, forming a complex and strangely harmonious formation. The whole structure was incredibly beautiful and striking while radiating a feeling of unassailable firmness. It was as though the castle was built for gods, not mortals.

## Inhabitants of the castle

* Most of the inhabitants of the castle were directly serving Gunlaug. They were Guards, Hunters, Pathfinders, Artisans, and Handmaidens. Ruling over them were five lieutenants who answered directly to the lord himself, each responsible for their own aspect of the day-to-day life of the fortress.

* Host
* Other Groups
* Tenants
* Memory Market

#### Host

* They were in charge of guarding the stronghold and enforcing Gunlaug's laws.
* They were near the bottom of the totem pole in terms of power and status.
* It was their duty to either kill or chase the monster away.
* The elites of Gunlaug's forces, each possessing a powerful combat Aspect, rich battle experience, and sharp wit, make use of both.
* There were around fifty of them, divided into seven hunting parties.
* It was through their efforts that people in the ancient stronghold had food on their plates.
* They track the Awakened monsters without leading the pack of Hunters into the jaws of Fallen abominations.

Together, these three groups — Guards, Hunters, and Pathfinders — formed Gunlaug's army, which was simply known as the Host.

#### Other Groups

* They were responsible for creating and maintaining various items that were either vital to survival or made existing on the Forgotten shore less unbearable, such as clothes, tools, equipment, utensils, and various gear.
* There were around a hundred of them.

There were two other groups of people that belonged to Gunlaug.

The fifth lieutenant had no official duties in the Bright Castle, but everyone feared him the most. His name was Harus, and he was Bright Lord's hidden blade and executioner.

#### Tenants

The last hundred people in the castle were those who paid tribute but didn't serve Gunlaug directly. There was no real name for this group, so Sunny simply called them "tenants". There were two types of tenants: a smaller number of them were those who were able to make a decent living by providing Gunlaug's men with various services, mostly having to do with craftsmanship and entertainment. For example, the was a man who created something akin to a music lounge, another one who operated a small theatre troupe, and even an entrepreneurial girl who owned a gambling den named Aiko.

#### Memory Market

It's a place where you can peruse various Memories and purchase them for an acceptable price. The Guards and Hunters needed this place to exchange Memories that didn't fit their Aspects, for either shards or memories that fit them. It's located in one of the forbidden areas of the castle. Inside a medium-sized hall that had no windows. It was illuminated by a strange lantern that levitated in its center, radiating a bright and stable glow. Along the walls of the room stood various weapon racks, wooden mannequins dressed in full suits of armor, and tables with a wide assortment of beautiful and intriguing objects placed upon them. All of it — the weapons, the armor, the objects, even the levitating lantern — were Memories. Memory Market was managed by fat guy named Stev.
## References

1. ↑ Chapter 314 Leaving the Dark City
2. ↑ Chapter 39 Journey to the West
3. ↑ Chapter 124 Desolation
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chapter 132 End of the Line
5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 Chapter 141 Golden Serpent
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Chapter 142 Behind the Scenes
7. ↑ Chapter 143 Gunlaug
8. ↑ Chapter 150 Hunting Party
9. ↑ Chapter 171 Tether
10. ↑ Chapter 172 Memory Market