Castle Perilous

Castle Perilous, also called the Citadel of the Witch-King, was the most significant fortification in Vaasa and the one-time seat of power for the lich Zhengyi, the Witch-King of Vaasa, for his attacks on Damara.

Description
It was a fortress of dark stone and bound in iron. The walls were covered in red streaks that gave the impression that the castle had been drenched in blood.

Prior to its destruction, Castle Perilous was a tall and narrow tower that rose high above the wasteland and could be seen for miles. The central keep housed Zhengyi's massive throne room (which took up the whole ground floor and first five stories) and then soared into the air, supporting two wide parapets on its way up and ending in an onion dome. Four smaller spiked-roof towers were supported in midair by flying buttresses on which were treacherous open-air staircases connecting them to the main citadel. The castle was surrounded by a perfectly circular 50-foot (15.25-meter) high stone wall, with no doors or gates at ground-level and a moat of acid running along the top.

After its destruction, the castle was little more than its bones and foundations standing amidst a pile of rubble. There was an extensive dungeon complex beneath the castle which remained a site of great danger long after the upper sections of the castle had crumbled. Prior to the castle's destruction, this subbasement housed a portal to the Abyss through which Zhengyi maintained contact with his patron and the source of his power, the demon prince Orcus.

After the castle was said to have rejuvenated in the late 15 century DR, the walls were sleek and black, and were inscribed with runes that absorbed light. There were no obvious means of gaining entry to the castle, and the lower dungeons were rumored to once again be teeming with horrors.

Geography
Castle Perilous was located on a rocky crag in the tundra of north-central Vaasa not far from the shores of the Sea of Tears, which was frozen beneath the Great Glacier at the time. The castle's immediate area was an utterly lifeless wasteland of crumbling dirt that was carved by steep and jagged miles-long ravines as deep as 100 feet (30.5 meters).

Prior to the castle's destruction, the surrounding region for several miles was contaminated by Abyssal energy seeping out of the portal in the dungeon beneath the castle. The area felt permanently on the verge of a huge rainstorm, with dark clouds overhead and heavy humidity in the air, but the land itself was devoid of any grass or water whatsoever

History
On a single night in the, the fortress called Castle Perilous was raised by Zhengyi with the aid of demons. Zhengyi then declared himself "the Witch-King," and gathered an army of giants, goblins, orcs, undead, and assassins to use in a conquest of Vaasa and Damara.

The castle served as Zhengyi's personal headquarters, although as a lich he needed few amenities and mostly just sat in his imposing throne room. The castle's primary purpose was to guard the Abyssal gate in the subbasement, so it was full of traps and monsters acting as guards, mostly in the forms of undead, demons, and elementals. Defense of the castle's exterior was handled by the ancient white dragon Arctigis, while defense of the interior was handled by the demon Klavikus and by Zhengyi himself.

The castle collapsed into ruins when Gareth Dragonsbane and his party of adventurers defeated Zhengyi in the.

Thereafter, Castle Perilous was a crumbling ruin, filled with lurking monsters, including giants, goblins, and bugbears, and frequented by adventurers looking for remnants of Zhengyi's magic. Almost immediately after its collapse, the ruins became popular lairing grounds for chromatic dragons, with reds claiming the ruins themselves while blacks, blues, and whites claimed the crag around the ruins. These dragons, in turn, attracted the attention of the Cult of the Dragon, who had garrisoned several dozen members in the ruin as of the late 1360s DR. During the 1370s DR, it appeared that the dragons were frequently being driven off or slain by either the adventurers or the even-worse monsters of Castle Perilous. However, in the dungeons beneath the ruin, a temple to Tiamat known as the Wings of the Queen Reborn had been established where dragonspawn were being created.

In the, an earthquake struck the region and the castle shed its crumbling exterior to reveal seemingly new sleek black stone underneath, inscribed with runes that absorbed light. Some Warlock Knights of Vaasa worried Zhengyi's demons had rebuilt the castle overnight. Vaasa's ruling Ironfell Council was concerned by the events and sent investigators, but none could pierce the defensive runes on the castle's exterior. At this same time, the self-styled heir to the Witch-King, Mansard Kanaoth, began amassing troops in secret near the castle, hoping to conquer Vaasa but likewise having to luck deciphering the castle's wards. As of the next year, chromatic dragons were once again being drawn inexplicably to the ruins. As of 1489 DR, this rejuvenation of Castle Perilous remained a mystery.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * The Throne of Bloodstone
 * The Bloodstone Wars • Dungeon #53: "Steelheart"
 * The Bloodstone Wars • Dungeon #53: "Steelheart"