Castle Obarskyr, also known as the King's Castle, was the royal palace located in Suzail, Cormyr.
Geography
The castle was located on a dominating hillock[1], separated from the rest of the city by Lake Azoun, the Royal Gardens, and several castles of lesser nobility.[2]
Structure
The royal wing of the castle was decorated with purple carpets.[3] The castle's court was renowned for the small savoury pastries that were made in its kitchens.[4]
History
Faerlthann's Keep
Faerlthann's Keep was the original stone tower on the hillside in Suzail and the historical seat of power in Cormyr. It was named after Faerlthann Obarskyr, the first king of Cormyr.[5] It was built up from the original house that stood on the spot.[6] During the reign of Boldovar Obarskyr, the windows of the keep were turned into barred slits.[5]
Noble Court
Over the years up to 376 DR, the aristocrats and bureaucrats had gradually been thrown out of the keep itself, and had formed a collection of stone buildings further down the hillside, known as the Noble Court, or simply the court.[1]
Attack by Thauglor
In 1018 DR, Thauglor, a huge black dragon, attacked the castle and demolished around a quarter of it, setting fire to the remaining structure and causing extensive damage. Thauglor withdrew before the military could launch a response to his attack.[7]
Notable locations
- Approach Chamber
- A room guarded with gates and crossbows, leading from the Processional to the throne room.[8]
- Argent Robing Room
- A room connected to the Hall of Heroes.[9] It contained a secret door which very few people knew about, Vangerdahast being one of them, and was guarded by an enchanted guardian[10] that lead to the Hidden Chambers.[11]
- Battlebanners Passage
- A passage that housed a large number of trophies.[12]
- Belnshor's Chamber
- A chamber next to Satharwood Hall. In 1369 DR it was used to store the remains of the abraxus involved in the abraxus affair,[13] but was usually used to store furniture when not in use. It was a high-vaulted room, magically lit.[14]
- Blackrood Chamber
- Located on the second floor of the royal palace.[15]
- Blue Banners Room
- A room with a secret passage to the outside of the castle.[16]
- Blue Maiden Room
- A secret room with a life-sized blue glass sculpture of a woman staring at the sky on a plinth at its center. There was a legend that she was looking for a dragon to come and eat her. The sculpture had oversized hands, feet and breasts, giving it an ugly, gaudy look. Although it had been disliked by many in the royal family over the years, it had been allowed to remain on the advice of sages who thought that it would bring bad fortune to destroy it. It was moved to its last position by Rhigaerd II, who took the opportunity to hide it away when a room in a turret became damaged, opening a hole. Because of the difficult access through a narrow ladder shaft, the phrase "go and polish the maiden" was sometimes used to mean "go away".[17]
- Brightsun Bower[18]
- Chamber of Crossed Dogs
- A meeting chamber.[4] Its name is derived from a gigantic carving of leaping hounds. It linked to Halantaver's Stair via a narrow passage.[19]
- Chamber of Wyrms Ascending
- A statue of a rearing dragon dominated the center of this chamber. A nearby passage lead to the Old Dwarf Tavern in Suzail.[20]
- Crown Bridge
- A bridge linking the main castle with the court buildings.[8]
- Duskene Chamber[8]
- Endevanor's Hall
- A stately hall linking Halantaver's Stair with the Salon of Six Scepters.[19]
- Gallant Gallery
- A gallery of shields of honor.[9]
- Grand Chamber
- The chamber where royal court occurred.[21]
- Great Hall[22]
- Gryphonsblade Hall[23]
- Halantaver's Stair
- A staircase.[19]
- Hall of Heroes
- A normally deserted, statue-lined hall with a royal purple carpet. At one end, there were three doors, the leftmost leading to the Argent Robing Room.[9]
- Hall of Justice[24]
- Hall of Victories[25]
- Hidden Chambers
- A secret room accessed from the Argent Robing Room, with a vaulted ceiling including a skylight, bookshelves lining the walls, and a huge table with various maps of Faerûn. Comfortable seating was at the center of the room.[11] There was also a fireplace.[26]
- Hornbow Bower
- One of a number of small sitting rooms. It contained potted plants and ornate screens.[27]
- Inner Ward[8]
- Lion Cellar
- A cellar with several large casks, the third of which was a secret exit and the fourth lead to a guardpost.[28]
- Marble Forehall
- A chamber of burial[10] in the court buildings.[8]
- Mirror Bower[9]
- Processional
- A long red-carpeted hallway leading from the Sword Portal to the Approach Chamber.[8]
- Redpetal Room
- A room with an ornately tiled floor.[29][30]
- Retiring Rooms[8]
- Roaring Dragon Stair
- A staircase leading down to the Trumpet Gate.[8]
- Rooms of State[8]
- Royal treasury
- Situated beneath the castle.[2]
- Salon of Six Scepters
- Joined to Endevanor's Hall. The eastern door lead to Satharwood Hall.[31]
- Satharwood Hall
- A banqueting hall also known as the Upper Eastern Hall whose doors were skirted by a line of Purple Dragon Knights in full armor.[31] It was used as a temporary infirmary in 1369 DR during the abraxus affair.[32]
- Secret vault
- There is no official name for this vault beneath the castle, but it was protected by several secret doors, magical wards, animated suits of armor and a door to which only the king, queen, Vangerdahast and the two princesses Tanalasta and Alusair had keys. The vault contained ornate suits of armor, a stuffed minotaur, dragon skulls inlaid with purple gems, a line of crowns and a wall of weapons, including the head of an ancient sledgehammer in a glass case. Against a wall was a magically protected armoire within which were samples of flesh from the royal family to be used to recreate them, should the need arise.[33]
- Shrine of the Four Swords[34]
- Sword Portal
- A huge set of armor-plated, thick wooden double doors onto which were welded the swords of those who betrayed the Crown. It lead to the Processional.[8] The high openings in its frame served as both guard niches and the entrances to secret passages and closets within the court.[35]
- Throne Room[34]
- Tapestries and banners adorned the walls and the throne has wide steps leading up to it.[6] The room was accessed from an antechamber with a smooth flagstone floor.[22]
- Trumpet Gate
- A gate leading to the court buildings, across the Crown Bridge.[8]
- Vangerdahast's private library
- A large anteroom with three walls covered in bookcases and containing Vangerdahast's favourite chair, upholstered in sahuagin skin.[36] There was also a magical bookholder shaped like a hand that would turn the pages of books at Vangerdahast's whim, and a secret hiding place in one of the bookcases, opened by touching the decorative knight's helm carved into it. A small statuette that could emit lightning acted as a door guard and opener.[3]
Rumors
It was rumored that the royal treasury contained great riches protected by magic, monsters and traps.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Eric Haddock (1994). Cormyr. (TSR, Inc), p. 10. ISBN 1-56076-818-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (2011). Bury Elminster Deep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 139. ISBN 0786958154.
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (June 2011). Elminster Must Die (Mass Market Paperback). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 268. ISBN 978-0786957996.
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (June 2011). Elminster Must Die (Mass Market Paperback). (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 98, 101. ISBN 978-0786957996.
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (2011). Bury Elminster Deep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 29. ISBN 0786958154.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (2011). Bury Elminster Deep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 149. ISBN 0786958154.
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Cormyr: A Novel/Paperback