Hillcrest Castle

Hillcrest Castle is a castle developed from a wooden fort, originally built by Emperor Tarquinto I of Nerath during 719 and rebuilt into a stone castle in 811. It is situated in the city of Lionburh, Galefridus and is the current residence of Emperor Borys, though it historically belonged to the Lowe family, Earls of Liunbar.

The castle is enormous in size and situated on the crest of a hill. It is built of creamy marble, and its interior fortress contains a great many stained glass windows with religious imagery related to Pelor.

## History

In 565, the town of Liunbar was turned into a fortified outpost by Anfled, daughter of Eadfrig the Great, to defend against invaders. Its position allowed it to dominate what is known in modern times as the Valley of the Lion.

In 719, Emperor Tarquinto I of Nerath established a motte-and-bailey castle at Liunbar to maintain control of the region. Pre-existing properties were demolished to make way for the castle, which was built on the crest of a hill. Tarquinto I appointed Elred Lowe, the son of a powerful family, as constable of the castle. In 739, Elred Lowe was made the first Earl of Liunbar. By 770, he founded the Solarium, a grand church to Pelor, within the castle walls, but in 779, the Lucis Sol of Pelor requested it be moved to its own location, believing a castle was an inappropriate location for a church.

In 811, Aerdic Lowe, 2nd Earl of Liunbar, pledged his loyalty to the newly-crowned King Abelot of Galefridus by offering his castle as the seat of his power. King Abelot accepted on a temporary basis while he had the Castle of the Lion built, then returned the castle to the Earls of Liunbar. In subsequent years, the motte-and-bailey castle was replaced with a stone keep castle and remained from Liunbar Castle to Hillcrest Castle; however, the stained glass windows that were installed in 770 were preserved and installed in the new castle.

During the Duke's Rebellion of 824-825, the Earl of Liunbar remained loyal to King Abelot, and Hillcrest Castle was used to store provisions.

When Dragos the Red became the first Gavric King of Galefridus in 897, he had Sperling Lowe, 7th Earl of Liunbar, executed due to his family's long-standing support of the crown. Dragos seized the castle and ousted the Lowe family so that he could use it as his military command center, while retaining the Castle of the Lion as his legislative office.

In 916, the castle was taken in a surprise attack staged by Duke Thiadulf II of Folkhard, whose forces slipped in and killed Dragos. Petros Lightfoot, son of Dragos and heir to the throne, laid siege to Hillcrest Castle in order to oust the occupiers. After four days, King Petros' forces had demolished enough of the castle's outer defenses that they were able to pour in and eliminate the occupiers. The extent of the damage done to Hillcrest rendered it obsolete as a defensive structure, which marked an end to its use by any king.

Once the Gavric occupation of Galefridus ended in 922, King Eustace I returned Hillcrest to the Lowe family and instated Laurence Lowe as the 8th Earl of Liunbar - a mostly symbolic gesture to denote a return to normalcy within the kingdom.

In 957, during the Gavric War of Restitution, Baron Orekh of Kain, son of Marek II, was captured by Truda Lowe, 9th Viscountess of Liunbar, and imprisoned in Hillcrest Castle until the baron's execution later that year.

In 981, Anabel Lowe, 11th Viscountess of Liunbar, began a project to rebuild and improve the defenses of the castle. When the Empire of Solis formed in 1005, Emperor Borys took Hillcrest Castle as his seat of power and moved the young Isabelle Lowe, 12th Viscountess of Liunbar and last of the Lowe bloodline, to accommodations better suited for a young noble lady. By 1010, Borys had completed the renovations and upgrades to the castle.

1360 equals 1011

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