Strot's Castle-Fortress

Strot's castle-fortress (real name unknown) was a building in the Northern Reaches built and maintained by Strot. It was carved from a mountainside that a waterfall ran down of and possessed potent cloaking charms. Even when standing only a few feet beyond its borders, it became difficult to distinguish the castle in the mountain. Due to the close proximity to the waterfall, sound barriers were used to dampen its roar. After Risto took custody of it he heavily warded all of the entryways and most of the windows to prevent anyone from entering.

## Description

The castle-fortress had seven floors and three turrets that rose two stories above the seventh floor. It was split into two distinct wings: one for entertainment and one for the functionality. The castle was decorated with tapestries and carpets. There was a third wing Strot, the master of the castle-fortress, had to himself.

The entertainment wing had a grand ballroom that took up all of that wing's first floor and included a raised platform for an orchestra. There were servant stations, elaborate dining rooms, elegant soiree chambers, drawing rooms, salons, music rooms, and grand halls for entertaining hundreds of guests. There was also a storage basement beneath, but it stored little more then spare furniture.

The back half of the castle contained the functional needs of the castle. It included kitchens, wine cellar, herb room, armory, library, and many different craft rooms that would have produced "everything from linen and leather, garments and furniture, cheese and jerky, to horseshoes and armor." They also found bedrooms and servant's quarters.

Strot's wing included personal bedchambers, a study and library, a solarium, a hothouse, and smaller parlors. It occupied three floors. Presumably it also had his labs where he experimented with the various aspects of life.

There were also gardens outside, which had at least one statue of three dragons, benches, and later Fenworth as a tree. Grawligs used the gardens as their playground after Strot's death, though it was later secured by Bardon and the Allerions. It also had a vegetable and herb garden, stables, and pastures, as well as multiple terraces.

## History

Strot inhabited the castle between eight and nine thousand years ago along with many servants. He made the mistake of trusting Risto and was eventually killed by him.

It was believed that his castle-fortress was destroyed by the other wizards after his murder, though it was revealed in DragonKnight that the castle survived under Risto's guardianship. Risto imprisoned a dozen of Paladin's knights and the hundreds of servants in a magical sleep within it. After Risto's death, Pretender used the castle as a base and Crim Cropper and Burner Stox bred armies to send against Pretender, hoping to defeat him so they could claim the castle.

Before this could happen, a questing party led by Bardon found the castle and awoke the knights. Paladin forced Pretender to flee and appointed Lyll and Kemry Allerion the new guardians of the castle. He knew if it remained empty, evil would return. Wizard Fenworth died in *DragonKnight* and turned into a tree for a final time. His tree-form was replanted to a sunny spot in the castle's gardens.