Heartland Castle

## Basic Information

The seat of royal power within the Norad Empire, Castle Selphia is the
residence of the Drake of Light,

current Emperor, and that of his wife Umi and
any members of the royal household who have decided to reside there. Despite
the name implying a singular complex, there are actually two Castle Selphias,
each identical in terms of exterior design and somewhat similiar interior
design. One is located on the western side of the lake, on what used to be the
outskirts of Heartland City, but now is a large wide open space within one of
the city’s numerous boroughs, and the other is located on the eastern side of
the lake, beside the vast forest of Yokmir.

The former is the winter palace,
and the latter is the summer palace. While unclear why two castles exist, it's
more than likely a sense of redundancy, to be prepared in case one is attacked.
In terms of exterior, Castle Selphia, regardless of variant, has a very
straightforward layout. There are decorative walls that enclose the compound,
located roughly two miles out from the center, thus resulting in a four mile
diameter space on average, and while seemingly only for decoration, can be
replaced by actual defensive walls found beneath the ground. Gardens and water
features line the main cobblestone path that leads up a nicely sized plaza
right in front of the Central Keep, which resembles a fine victorian style
castle, complete with numerous turrets and ornate stone work that show off the
skill of the Empire’s craftsman, as well as an immense pair of oak doors, which
rarely open entirely, and instead use smaller doors cut into the main pair to
allow people inside, preceded by a few stone steps that lead up to the doors.

The Central Keep is divided into numerous sections, starting with the lobby,
which is circular in design, tiles lead from the main doors to a smaller circle
in the middle of the lobby, which curve around a central point, which at times
has been a statue of stone or bronze, to water features, to even simply a glass
display case. On the left side is a place for people to sit and relax, paintings
from numerous worlds hang on the walls, framing an ornate and fully functional
fireplace, ideal for those seeking to warm themselves on cold nights. To the
right is a checkin or information desk, often staffed by Goblins or Xiaolongs,
and the occasional non-Runemon, the counter of which is as tall as where the
average human male’s elbows are, allowing for one to rest limbs on the desk.

This often produces comedic reactions, given most staff are shorter than the
desk, and often give the impression no one is home. Behind the desk is also
more paintings, as well as a massive aquarium, housing numerous exotic and
common species of aquatic life, collected by the Emperor or members of the
royal family on adventures. Notably, the Aquarium connects to others in the
entire complex via a series of tubes and aqueducts, making it possible for the
aquatic members of the staff or royal family to easily navigate without having
to leave the water. To finish the chamber off, a trio of hallways lie at the
back, one central corridor, with two more at roughly forty-five degree angles,
however, the trio do not touch corners, a pair of grand central staircases
curve up to an upper level, and are located between the trio of corridors, each
one flanking the central corridor, which leads back to the Throne Room.

After
leaving the lobby, one can take the central corridor, which leads one past a
series of electrical lights disguised as torches, passing suits of armor and
various valuable paintings. Reaching the end drops one off in an intersection,
with two more corridors splitting off to the left and right, while directly in
front are a pair of ornate doors, made from an unknown material, and inlaid
with masterwork carvings depicting the four Native Dragons around the coat of arms
for House Selphia, which functions as the “seal” for the twin doors. Passing
through this leads one into a cross shaped room, the Throne Room, where the
Emperor holds court. The area nearest the entranceway holds pew style seating,
for those who might want to simply visit or listen to ongoing matters.

All are
welcome to come and present their cases to the Drake of Light, in hopes of
being given wisdom to bolster their daily lives. Located in the precise middle
of this space is the Dragon’s Throne, a marble and alabaster design atop a
dais, the throne itself resembles a dragon, with its wings acting as the back
of the throne, and two carved dragon heads function as arm rests, a rather
simple cushion functions as a seat, and hidden inside the throne are a variety
of high tech equipment, ranging from holoprojectors for business, to weapons,
or ways to monitor the entire castle. In terms of actual decoration, the Throne
Room is known for ornate and richly designed tapestries, depicting historical
events, or banners displaying the Emperor’s Coat of Arms, along with stained
glass windows located well above the ground, which also depict more events of
history.

The throne room is actually multiple levels, a second and third level
act as galleries for tour groups or extra seating, and a fourth level located
well above the ground acts as a place for security forces to lie in wait for
anyone foolish enough to attack the castle. Notably, the area above the throne
itself goes up numerous stories, reaching an open to the air point, which not
visible from outside, is located in the rough middle of the entire castle, and
is a design choice left over from the original castle lived in by Ventuswill.
The rest of the space can be used for more seating, but in general acts as a sort
of history center, for those wanting to learn more about famous events in
either castle’s history.

Leaving the throne room, or if one bypasses it and
takes either the left or right corridors that lead from the central, or even
the two at the start, one will find themselves at a pair of intersections,
going left on the leftmost leads one to a covered walkway and to the housing
areas, while the rightmost leads to the Great Hall and various chambers used
for social gatherings and the like. However, ignoring those two, going back
past all of that, are a series of rooms, including spaces that lead down to the
various kitchens, and the castle basement, which depending on which castle, is
either a simple basement with a wine cellar, or hides the entrance to the Royal
Arsenal, and we’re not telling which one.

The castle itself is several stories,
and various meeting areas can be found, along with supply closets, and even a
few workshops for inventors and magic users. Following the right corridor or
the left from the lobby, and not taking any turns off the main path leads one
through armor and art galleries, and into another space akin to the area in
front of the throne room, but instead facing a massive set of dark oak doors,
passing through leads one to the Grand Library, which houses millions of tomes,
ranging from pulp fiction and books on magic, to the Emperor’s own personal
journals and field guides to various subjects, along with display cases holding
rare first editions of various historical books, including a Gutenberg Bible,
and a copy of the Magna Carta.

Something important to note is that the Grand
Library is the Emperor’s “horde,” and is regularly cycled, as not all of his
books are on display at any given time. The space seems to be bigger on the
inside, given measurements show the floor area is simply too big to fit the
space allocated on floor plans. On the right hand side of the vast space, one
can make their way through an opening the bookcases, and find themselves inside
the Emperor’s personal study, where books he’s actually penned, or have had
signed by their authors are kept. This space functions as a more intimate
location for the Emperor to hold conversations with various parties.

In the
back of the library, a pair of windows look out over the backyard of the
castle, notably a massive pool that rivals the ones used in major sporting
events, and comes with a diving section, and slides for people to enjoy.
Leaving the Central Keep and going to the Housing Area is like stepping into a
more modernesque space. Stepping through the double doors on the other end of
the small plaza from the Central Keep, one finds themselves in a dormitory like
entranceway, complete with a small recreation area. The complex is divided into
four major wings, with a central arcade style area, where parties and events
can be held. Each wing functions for a different group, the first is for
visiting officials or tourists, the second for staff, the third for friends of
the royal family, or members of the military, and the fourth for the actual
royal family. Rooms are set up like apartments, but with the feature of
changing the interior to a style that best suits the owners, ranging from
Victorian to even futuristic.

Each room comes equipped with bathrooms and
kitchens if people want them, otherwise communal bathrooms and kitchens exist
on each level, a larger kitchen is located in the basement for those wanting to
cook up a storm. Recreational rooms dot the compound, and several security
offices exist for well, security reasons. However, there is a fifth “wing” of
the Housing Complex, which is the personal apartments of the Drake of Light.
Much like the Grand Library, it's bigger on the inside than the outside,
covering as many floors and as much space as the Emperor needs at any given
moments, but generally seems to resemble an overly roomy anime style dorm room,
with a living room, kitchen, foyer, bedrooms, and of course, places to work.
Located at the top most point of the housing section, the facility is reached
via stairs or an elevator, and also happens to look out over the gardens
located around the outwardly victorian style housing area.

Another pool can be
found here, along with rumors of a movie theater and bowling alley, possibly
even a place for go-kart racing. One way or another, one’s stay at the Castle
is bound to be full of excitement. Going the opposite way from the Housing Area
leads one into the Great Hall, a structure that functions as a place of
enjoyment for those seeking social gatherings or parties. The main Great Hall
is a vast indoor space, with rich maple and birch making up the floors, and
well carved mahogany forming the tables and parts of the walls and ceilings.

A
lovely stone fireplace provides extra warmth, and glass chandeliers light up
the space, an area to one side is a small chapel for those wanting to be
married, or simply to hold services. This space is also known for valuable
paintings and rich tapestries. Leaving this area leads one to a medical bay for
those needing treatment, and various conference rooms. There’s also a moon
pool, which unlike the tech styled one, is a magical area allowing for the
Drake of Light to perform various types of viewing magic, transport people, or
simply relax.

There’s also a spa like area, and barracks for the on site army
forces. In short, if the Central Keep is where politics occur, and the Housing
is where life goes on, then the Great Hall is where the social life is, and
where everything else occurs. Leaving all of that behind, despite both Castles
being almost the exact same in terms of landscaping and designs, there are a
few notable differences between Castle Selphia(Heartland City), and Castle
Selphia(Yokmir Forest). The Castle Selphia by the city has its own train
station, located underground, as well as a tube to the main prison complex in
the city, and a direct link to Silent Hope for medical emergencies. And in the
event of an attack, a protective dome can be erected around the facility,
ranging from the walls to a point just over top of the highest tower in the
castle.

The field generators appear to be located underground, and even if they
fall, there’s always a couple thousand battle hardened dragons ready to kick
some tail. The City version also happens to be used the most for parties and
the like, and is generally used more often than not for tours, though Yokmir’s
Castle Selphia features more art of past events before the rise of the Empire,
whereas the one by the city features most historical events of the Empire’s
tenure in some form or another. The Summer Palace features an above ground
train station, and a foot path from the southern gates lead to one of the ferry
docks that regularly service the immense lake.

It should also be noted that the
Summer Palace(Yokmir), is actually located on a flat plane, whereas the Winter
Palace is built atop a slight hill, its unknown if the hill is natural or
artificial. Its there that the differences end, otherwise the entire layout is
the same for both structures, at least above ground. In terms of popular folk
tales, the entrance to the Royal Arsenal is believed to reside inside of the
Winter Palace, due to an incident where the Eldrazi attacked the now inactive
Rune Reactor, which used to be located deep beneath the city.

Ultimately, its
unknown, as both castles feature an underground passageway that leads to the
entrance of the Royal Arsenal, but whether one is real and the other a dummy,
or if both are real is classified. Or at least not public knowledge…And just
like Heartland City, both castles are capable of self-repair through a constant
stream of nanites, though where they come from is a mystery for another time.
Regardless of one’s own personal views on the world, the sight of Castle
Selphia in all of its grandeur is more than enough to take away the breath of
most, as each compound rises well above most of the landscape around them, a
testament to the skilled workers who built each one, or at least to whoever
designed the layouts. And while perhaps not the most opulent of royal seats,
Castle Selphia will always be a symbol of the nation, standing fast against all
who dare to lay siege or attempt to bring ruin to the land...