Castle Krag

Castle Krag was a ruined castle located in Shadowdale in the Dalelands, which changed hands many times over its history. It most prominently served as an outpost of Zhentil Keep as they attempted to dominate Shadowdale in the 14 century DR.

Structure
By 1375 DR, only the large round tower, adjoining curtain wall, and entry causeway remained partially intact. The rest of the castle had fallen completely into rubble, with construction efforts first going towards making the site habitable. The older constructions were made of rough, poorly-fitted masonry blocks, while the new structures were made from uniform and smooth stone via wall of stone and stone shape spells. The rest of the castle lay in ruin, with the rubble being gathered up to build further extensions to the construction.

Interior
The old and new structures primarily served as living quarters for the forces of Bane, consisting of barracks, kitchens, stables, and kennels. The underground level of the castle contained the armory, dungeons, and the temple of Bane, as well as the portal chamber that connected to Zhentil Keep. The portal was normally kept blocked from the opposite side to prevent unwanted incursions by hostile forces from Shadowdale.

History
Castle Krag was originally built by the drow, but fell into ruin and was used as a rural hideout for bandits in the region, serving as a home for any who used the nearby Watcher's Knoll or Old Skull Tor as a watchpost. When the Zhentarim agent Jyordhan became Lord of Shadowdale in 1339 DR, he intended for it to be reconstructed into a fortress to rival Darkhold and to rule the Dale from it. Due to a lack of resources and constant resistance by Syluné and Mane's Band, the castle was rebuilt on a much smaller scale, though he still used it as a secret base for Zhent operations. Jyordhan perished when he foolishly ambushed Khelben Arunsun and Shadowdale was freed from his rule, and Castle Krag fell shortly after and became another unclaimed semi-ruin after being set alight and razed by followers of Mane's Band.

In 1357 DR, the priest of Gond Gharri left Tilverton and worked with the Knights of Myth Drannor, who helped set him up in Castle Krag with a group of loyal Gondar acolytes. He administered it as the local priesthood of the faith, while also using these acolytes as a spy network in the region.

As of 1367 DR the site lay in ruins except for a single tower, with the surrounding area having become overgrown by briar and other undergrowth. Around 1372 DR, the folk of Shadowdale were once again reminded of Castle Krag's existence when an unknown party repaired the fort's old siege engines and began launching boulders randomly into the nearby farmer's fields.

During the Zhentarim invasion of Shadowdale in 1375 DR, the church of Bane enthusiastically took part and began restoring Castle Krag, intending to make it a center of worship for Bane. Led by Dark Doom Malathon, they began rebuilding the ruins and making it habitable, while also being responsible for protecting a long-forgotten portal in the lower levels that connected directly to Zhentil Keep, making it a supply line for the invading army. These operations were made more difficult by the Sharran Weave-suppressing ritual performed by Alokkair and Esvele Greycastle, preventing their own allies' divine magic from functioning. Malaton began laying extensive foundations for the raising of a much larger fortress and temple, though these plans never came to fruition before the Zhentarim were once again driven out of the Dale.

Inhabitants
During its brief period under the control of the Church of Bane in 1375 DR, the site was home to a number of unusual individuals.
 * Dark Doom Malathon, leader of the Banites and master of Castle Krag.
 * Jyordhan, as a dread wraith.
 * Nazrym, a cleric of Bane.
 * Tolar, an officer who commanded a squad of gnoll mercenaries.
 * Kurn Blackrage, an ogre blackguard.
 * A number of extraplanar creatures, including a pair of maug guardians, a pair of fiendish ettin slavemasters, a pair of amnizu devil jailers and torturers, and a pack of shadow mastiffs of Bane.
 * A number of undead dread warriors, human skeletons, and shadowslain basilisks.
 * The ranger Azalar Falconhand was kept prisoner in the jail of the Castle, along with eight other prisoners used as slave labor in the rebuilding efforts.