Sun Castle: History and Rumors
This castle is unequivocally the best built and protected castle in all of western Layonara. Strategically positioned it is easily defended from all but attacks from within.
Work on the castle was actually begun pre Great Cataclysm by Edmund. It is composed of many wings and tiers that have been added by successive generations of Sun kings and queens.
There are two main gates to the castle. The western gate lays low on the steppes of the Taraxian Plains and marks the entrance to the castle grounds but not the castle proper. This gate is in a substantial wall of white and bluish cast stones. Standing at least five times the height of a well grown man, the wall encircles the entire conclave of the castle grounds. At its top, it is wide enough for several men to walk abreast each other and there are at least a dozen guard posts placed along its perimeter.
Some sections of the Solami Dakma, as the locals call it, actually contain rooms to house personnel and equipment. The equivalent of small hamlets can be found at roughly 5 league intervals as there are supports for the castle guard stationed there. These support stations often include a blacksmith, rough tavern/inn and crude huts of soldier's wives and families.
The main gate is impressive in its own right. It is constructed of stone, wood and metal. On the outermost section is a row of massive adamantium spikes. Each spike is the diameter of man's arm and tipped in a deadly serrated point. The wall of spikes or Dakma Fangs is raised and lowered on massive chains attached to a pulley system. This gate is rumored to have been salvaged at the time of the Great Cataclysm by one of Edmund's Dragon ships from a dead and long forgotten island city east of Belinara. There exists only the vast ocean east of the continent now, therefore it is difficult to either prove or disprove this supposition. The hanging system by all appearances is dwarven in nature. Due to its horrendous bulk the gate's chains are manned by a pair of trained giants and their masters. The giants have been magically altered to make them docile to their keeper's commands. The Dakma's Fangs are raised from sun up to sundown, but closed in the evening hours.
Behind the giant spikes lays the impressive mahogany and ironstone door. It takes a team of five men to swing this door open. The relief on the west face of the door is that of King Edmund, the Mountain and a rising sun. Standing in support of the king is a court of beautiful men and women all in the manner of the various Keife. The inner relief of the door was carved in the likeness of a later King. It details the battles on the Taraxian steppes and the subsequent defeat of the dwarven clans. In contrast to the glorified image on the front, the image on the back is quite bold and brutal.
A road of perfectly interlocking pale yellow stone pavers marks the path to the castle proper. This road climbs upward for a few leagues before passing through yet another magnificent wall. The castle gate is more artistic than its outer companion but for its gentle curves and graceful architecture, it is every bit as impressive. It is in effect a series of towers connected by pale grey stone walls. Each of the eight towers makes up the perimeter mark the corners of an octagon castle yard. The space between the castle wall and the Taraxain wall houses the workers and support for the castle and the surrounding inhabitants. The grounds behind the castle wall are all the domain of the Sun monarchs and their court.
These towers are not purely decorative. They are all temples to the only kingdom recognized gods and goddesses. Of course these deities are all human as no self respecting Sunese noble would worship a lesser being than themselves. Facing the main entrance to the castle grounds and Mount Tarax to the west are the towers dedicated to Toran and to the memory of King Edward. On the northward portion of the wall facing the sea stands the temple tower of Mist and watching over the mysterious river valley is the temple to Corath. Peering east to the city of Katherian is Xeen's feast hall and watching over the forest canopy is Katia's tower carved in semblance to a huge tree in the wall. On the southern perimeter are the towers dedicated to knowledge and magic. Lucinda turns her eye to both the crevasses of the central forest and the mysterious Kringard tower in Erilyn, while Aragen's lofty tower watches the pass to Taur'en kingdom.
Perfectly manicured lawns, gardens and terraces grace the castle grounds as do small ponds of fish and aviaries of birds. The cobblestone main path is flanked by arched branches of the native Sun cherry trees and leads to a courtyard of polished marble. The main steps to the castle flank the gargantuan statue of King Edward and the smaller graceful statuettes of his favorite courtesans and wives dot the front terrace. The inside of the castle is equally impressive. Gnomish machinations control the light and temperature of the rooms. Each room is awash with the very best that True can provide in materials and artistry. The family collection of antiquities is prominently displayed throughout the interior.
The public chambers are located at the periphery of the structure, while space occupied by the court to the interior. The family wings of the castle stand in the very center and extend both upward and downward from there. The center spire of the castle is the height of eight average buildings and one can see a perfect view of the entire kingdom from its balconies. Extending an equal depth into the earth is the ruler's private chambers and the chambers that house the original Journal du Keife.
There are rumors that like the dwarven fortress in the Brech Mountains, the Sun Castle has a subterranean port as part of the castle complex. Given the relatively large number of gnomes that reside in the castle and the general overall acceptance of gnome society in the courts of the Sun, this is not surprising. Sun has a long sea faring tradition and it would make sense that even its land locked castle have access to the sea. Caverns similar to those that mark the shores of the Barony of Elmspath in Erilyn can be seen in the cliffs of northern Sun.
