Valjevo Castle

Valjevo Castle was the central seat of government in the Moonsea city-state of Phlan. While it had changed hands several times over the course of its existence, it served as the seat of power each time.

Description
The castle itself stood within the Old City district of Phlan, and consisted of three major layers of defense. The first was an exterior wall approximately 30 feet (9 meters) tall with corner towers and multiple gates for entry into the outer ring. The second was a bailey wall only approximately 10 feet (3 meters) tall with only two gateway points of entry and small watchtowers at each corner. The third and final defensive feature was the keep itself, sometimes referred to as the central tower.

The outer ring between the exterior wall and the Bailey was filled with service buildings that leaned against the exterior wall. Some of the buildings in this ring included barracks, officers' quarters, lavatories, armories, a kitchen, a mess hall, a records room, a scribes' office, a launderer, a smithy, a charcoal storehouse, a smokehouse, a chapel, a well, a jail, and numerous guard-posts.

Inside the bailey wall was a complex hedge maze created in the days when the castle was occupied by the Lord of the Ruins in 1340 DR. In those days, the hedges were filled with razor-leaved plants that could instantaneously kill anyone who was cut by them. Somewhere within the hedge maze was a secret door leading to a subterranean passage that held a teleportation circle linked to the Valhingen Graveyard outside Phlan. It was through this teleportation circle that the Heroes of Phlan gained access to the castle in 1340 DR.

The keep, or central tower, stood at the center of the hedge maze and the center of the castle as a whole. As of 1340 DR, a large hole had been smashed into one corner of the roof of the keep as well as the floors below, leading down into a large subterranean chamber beneath the keep itself.

This large subterranean chamber served as the lair of Srossar, an ancient bronze dragon dominated by the possessing spirit of Tyranthraxus. In the center of Srossar's lair was the crescent-shaped pool of glimmering liquid known as the Pool of Radiance. The pool was drained of its power after the Heroes of Phlan defeated Tyranthraxus, leaving it as nothing more than a normal pool of water. Beside the pool was a stone pedestal known as the Figure of Power, which somehow allowed Tyranthraxus to better control the powers of the pool by setting ioun stones into it. Adjoining the large chamber was a smaller subchamber separated from the rest, which was where Porphyrys Cadorna retreated during the battle between Tyranthraxus and the Heroes of Phlan.

History
The castle was built some time around the city's founding, and acted as the predominant feature of the Old City district. From the ancient days of Phlan's past, it was clear that the castle and the Old City behind Stojanow Gate were the first major establishments for the city, and that expansion branched out from there.

At some point, a Pool of Radiance appeared beneath the castle, and Tyranthraxus managed to convince the ancient bronze dragon, Srossar, to enter the pool, thus allowing the malignant entity to possess the dragon's body. With this powerful draconic form, Tyranthraxus proceeded to claim most of the city and amassed a powerful monstrous army that he intended to unleash in a campaign of conquest across Faerûn.

In 1340 DR, the Heroes of Phlan worked together to drive Tyranthraxus and his forces out of the castle and reclaim the city. In the process, the power of the Pool of Radiance beneath the castle was extinguished. From there, the castle was reoccupied by the human residents of Phlan.

Appearances

 * Novels:
 * Pool of Radiance
 * Sourcebooks:
 * Ruins of Adventure