Broad Arch

The ancestral home of House Staedmon, in the Dornish Marches in the Stormlands. The castle is very close to House Carons seat Nightsong.

## Layout

The initial spectacle is presented by eight slender, cylindrical towers, thrusting skyward in stoic unity. These towers, reaching towards the heavens, serve as the inaugural sentinels, their pointed tips etching a distinctive profile against the skyline. Connected by robust, grey stone walls of substantial thickness, the ensemble imparts an aura of impregnability.

The fortifications of Broad Arch are not mere architectural marvels; they are a symphony of defense. Scattered meticulously across the walls are small loopholes, aligned with meticulous precision to create an illusion of seamless symmetry. These apertures, strategically positioned, allow for vigilant observation and defensive posturing. Above, crenelations punctuate the skyline, providing archers with vantage points to rain arrows upon would-be assailants. The calculated design speaks to a deliberate and practical approach to the castle's defense.

As visitors traverse the bridge leading to the castle proper, they confront the imposing gate-building, a formidable structure safeguarded by grand wooden doors. Vigilant defense sentries, clad in the heraldry of House Staedmon, stand as custodians of this entrance, attesting to the castle's vigilant guardianship. The bridge itself is not merely a pathway but a journey through time, adorned with statues paying homage to the previous Lords of House Staedmon. These noble effigies, weathered by the elements yet resolute in their stony gaze, narrate the saga of Broad Arch's glorious past.

Within the castle's confines, a poignant duality of faith unfolds. Originally dedicated to the Faith of the Seven, the chapel within Broad Arch resonates with the echoes of centuries past. Yet, the winds of change swept through its sacred halls in 103 AC. Lord Nakario Staedmon, in a transformative act of devotion to R'hllor, rededicated the chapel to the fiery deity. The once serene and sacred underground garden, adorned with a venerable weirwood tree, bore witness to a fiery ritual, as it was torched as an offering to the Lord of Light. The juxtaposition of old and new faiths, etched within the stone walls, reflects the dynamic evolution of Broad Arch's spiritual landscape.

## History

In the annals of Westerosi history, the venerable fortress known as Broad Arch, ancestral seat of House Staedmon, emerges as an enigmatic testament to the capricious currents of time. Veiled in the mists of antiquity, the castle's origins remain obscured by the deliberate ambiguity cultivated by House Staedmon. A peculiar claim persists in their archives, suggesting that Broad Arch's initial foundations lay in proximity to the meandering river Wyl, an assertion tethered to the shadowy epoch of the First Men.

Across the eons, Broad Arch weathered the tempests of the Age of Heroes with a Stoic fortitude, its very foundations bearing witness to the vicissitudes of fortune. Thrice reduced to ashes during this epoch, the ancestral home of House Staedmon underwent a cyclical pattern of destruction and resurrection, an ostensibly deliberate stratagem manifesting in a gradual northward migration. This calculated relocation purportedly bolstered the fortress's defenses against unrelenting threats, a testament to the sagacity of House Staedmon throughout the ages.

While the castle's martial fortifications may have experienced an ebb in potency in comparison to its primal inception, successive iterations of Broad Arch witnessed an evolution in other facets. The sanctity of the castle's chapel and the refinement of entry points from lower precincts attested to a commitment to adaptability and refinement, mirroring the adaptive ethos of House Staedmon.

The crucible of time brought forth a defining chapter in Broad Arch's chronicles during the skirmishes spanning 100 AC to 103 AC. This period thrust the castle into the unforgiving theatre of conflict, where it bore witness to the ravages of warfare. Torched for the fourth time, Broad Arch sustained grievous wounds, with irreplaceable artifacts, such as statues venerating past Lords, suffering irreparable harm. The scars etched upon the castle's stones bear silent witness to the sacrifices endured in defense of its hallowed halls.