Castle Exeltis

Castle Exeltis was the Exeltis family keep and a winery, located in the Blade Cliffs of Sword Coast North.

Location
The castle was a small and rugged stone keep, nestled on the very edge of Blade Cliffs, south of the Lizard Marsh, north from the Crab's Claw Coast, and to the west from hamlets of Liam's Hold and Gillian's Hill. By the late 14 century DR, Castle Exeltis was in dire need of repairs and loving maintenance, despite being inhabited and employing a small army of servants and guards.

The keep was surrounded by rolling farmlands and vineyards that grew small grey grapes that were used in the creation of good quality red wine&mdash;Exeltis Ice Wine.

Exterior
The entirety of Castle Exeltis was constructed on a cliff that rose high up above the Sea of Swords. The cliff was separated from the rest of the coast by a deadly chasm, making the keep well-defended. The only entrance to the castle was through a long stone bridge that ended in a chasm drop and a thick wooden drawbridge. The guard towers of Castle Exeltis offered vantage points for archer defenders.

Past the drawbridge and a metal gate laid a spacious courtyard with one main gate that led into the keep. The castle grounds grew fragrant roses.

Interior
The main castle gates led to a hall that veered to the left and right from the large center banquet hall. The corridors hugged the hall on both sides. The left and right hall passages led to the castle guard barracks. The right hall eventually led to a spiral staircase to the castle's second floor and passed a smaller meeting hall, library, and two smaller chambers.

The second floor of the castle held another sizable banquet hall, with a master bedroom door and the door that led into a series of hallways that had several smaller rooms connected to it. One of these smaller rooms was an alchemical laboratory that was used as a vintners' workroom as well as for wine pressing.

A spacious basement of Castle Exeltis was used to store food supplies, barrels of aging ice wine, and barrels of the flammable lamp oil.

Several hidden secret passages could be found in the castle. One of them was a stair hidden behind a bookcase in the basement that led to the second floor's banquet hall. The secret passage could be opened by pulling a book titled Assassination: The Complete Guidebook.

Another access point was through the complex series of natural caves under the castle that stretched from the basement to the water level at the bottom of the castle's cliff. Servants used these tunnels to dispose of waste and chamber pots' contents every morning.

History
Until 1372, the castle was in the hands of the noble Exeltis clan. The family patiently cared for the vineyards&mdash;the main source of income for the Exeltis family. The Lord of the castle, a kind and just man, died from an infected would when his son, Feldran Exeltis, was a child. The mistress of the castle, Lady Exeltis, died under mysterious circumstances, leaving the family business and castle to her only heir&mdash;then a young and ambitious Lordling Feldran.

In reality, Feldran Exeltis was the reason for the castle's decline, and the death of his mother. Some of the hushed bard songs of the Sword Coast told the tale of the young Lordling accompanying his old mother on her late night walks along the cliffs and plunging the Exeltis Blade in her back and claiming the Lady fell to her death.

Inhabitants
The Exeltis family employed a small army of men-at-arms, dressed in garish richly embroidered jerkins, covered with polished glistening armor, topped with expensive cloaks, fluffed to perfection.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford