Storms Keep

https://battlemaster.org/dynamicmap_mini.php?SetWorld=8&ShowRegion=226
Region Details
Continent	Dwilight
Region Type	Stronghold
Geographic Area	North Shore
Population	1
Economy	N/A
Politics
Realm	(rogue)

Storms Keep is a black Stronghold, with a Central keep that juts out of cliff that faces east, with two other lesser keeps at the "entrance" of the Stronghold, equipped with a deepening wall between them. To the west is an open plain that has been made nearly impassable with barricades, walls and archer towers. Though most recently it has become filled with Catherine Wheels on pikes, containing the bodies of heretics, so that one would have to walk through a field of the dead. For miles around the place looks as a foreboding dark series of structures. The sky is always roiling with storm, the sky is dark and chaotic. The people of Thulsoma find comfort and escape from the dreary landscape by eating a hallucinogenic fruit that they call the 'Bloodmoon' fruit. There are massive stick and wicker sculptures and wind screamer and howler constructions all over, so if one was to attack they would see what appeared to be monsters and their nights filled with odd noises and phantasm like things.

The Storms Keep tower in older days was little more than a fortified Lighthouse, though it was soon renevated into a great Stronghold and keep. There isn't any real thing nice about the keep, but it is home. People walk and go where they please and do what they like artistically. The sky is always filled with strange kites and stiltwalkers make their way around the courtyard. People sing and dance naked, drink and make strange art. It is a circus of dreams. Everyone is with a painted white face or mask. Coloured smoke fills the air and spices float everywhere.

Storms keep is always bustling with soldiers, everyone is either a soldier or doing something to help other soldiers. At night the land is filled with bonfires and the soldiers can be heard to be howling and dancing under the moon if it is full. The soldiers dress in the armour of their service, the Knights Of Holy Iron Chain's wearing ornately designed steel, the Goeguth wearing chainmail, the Duguth wearing perhaps the leather armour of their youth. Their weapons are a mixture of swords (All free men are required by law to bear a sword) a spear called a Gar and a Bow (All young men are required by law to practice archery) all the soldiers are fanatic in their loyalty to the Queen and Thulsoma, whenever the Keep is in danger they rise in arms and anger and will fight to the death against any enemy. Libero fiefdom is hated, nay loathed here, with King Sejieda viewed as an evil pariah.

The Fortress

Upon Queen Haruka's rule of the Stronghold, she oversaw the increase of the defences by three levels, where once it was a crude motte and bailey of sorts, it is now a great fortress and defensive position. The fortress consists of two Outer Keeps, connected by a deepening wall, with an inner Keep at the far back of the cliff, also surrounded by an inner wall. Outside the keep is a series of trenches, iron spikes, moats and, as of recent, a field of Catherine wheels, where the bodies of thousands of Star worshippers have been placed. It is a great symbol to any foreigner or heretic of the fate that awaits them. To further back this up Queen Haruka ordered the creation of a wall entirely of Liberite dead, held together by mortar, to show the Liberite's that they will have to clamber over thousands of their dead to ever take her fortress from her.

The Religious Uprising

In mid June of the first year of Queen Haruka's rule, a Priestess by the name of Eslebeth, a strongly disliked Liberite noble entered the Stronghold under the pretences of peace. Previously Queen Haruka had ordered her arrest, but due to talks with the Archon of Xinhai, she consented to allow her presence in the Stronghold. A grave mistake. Up until this point Thulsoma had been easily deflecting Liberite invasion and seemed set to hold out for months with ease, when the Torenist, Sejieda, realised this, he manipulated the Priestess into filling the hearts and minds of the Thulsoman peasantry with corruption and hatred, using the hallucinogenic Bloodmoon fruit to further infect them with madness. The Priestess then demanded the Star worshippers charge the palace and try to throw Queen Haruka out, the soldiers of Thulsoman quickly rallied in defence of their beloeved Queen, when the first wave failed, slaughtered, Priestess Elsebeth called for another wave of crazed peasants to attack, when this failed, she raised another, only to be captured. Because of her more than Two Thousand peasants lay dead, a majority of the populous of Storms Keep with many soldiers also dead. Storms Keep, which had been set to hold out for months now seemed ruined at the hands of this single Priestess, doing the bidding of a greedy Torenist (Torenism, ironically being the arch enemy of Sanguis Astroism) Queen Haruka had agreed to keep the Astroist temples intact previously, though now it was clear that they could not be allowed to. When she spoke of this mass slaughter of Star Worshippers under the orders of a Torenist they closed their eyes and held hands over their ears, to see no evil, hear no evil and refused to believe such a slaughter happened. The Priestess is now in the hands of the Ministry Of Torture where she is being tortured repeatedly, everyday.

Maps

(Maps and pictures will be made here)

Buildings and Structures

• The Ministry of Torture. Perhaps the most infamous part of the Stronghold, located deep in the depths of the final and main Keep, it is only reachable through a single, wrought Iron door. Screams can regularly be heard echoing throughout the keep, a deeply haunting sound.

• The Witenagamot. The chambers of the Witenagamot are also located within the bowels of the central keep.

• Hrēdmōnath Temple. The first and main temple of the Hrēdmōnath faith, the construction was ordered by Queen Haruka to be a centre of worship for the new state religion of Thulsoma.

• The palace. The construction of which was ordered by Queen Haruka in the first days she took over the Keep, using a large amount of her own gold she created "The peoples palace", it is located within the inner walls at the foot of the main keep. It is mainly used as a the residence of all the knights and nobility, though it has many extra areas reserved for royal visits. Queen Haruka herself declines to sleep in such grandeur.