Almondsey

Bobeddan Castle, Estalia

This mysterious castle is located in a remote section of Linzonia, built on the side of a cliff overlooking the River Lin. It was constructed in the mid 17th Century by Chieftain Morali-'n-Salia, who was the son of a Linzonian prince who eloped with a favorite daughter of Baron Tarbonkh. For some unaccountable reason, he forgave his daughter and settled a large amount of money on his son-in-law. Salia became famous as a wizard and lived to be 103, never leaving his castle for the last 40 years of his life. He spent his entire fortune building this remarkable castle. The architect was Ralph Roberto of Djerslam fame. In later times, when the Linzonians (some of them) became more civilized, this became the prime fortress for the kings of Linzonia, who are descended from Salia. A town, also called Bobeddan, is tucked away up the hillside and is now the de facto capital of the province, if it can be so called.

(Move the mouse over the diagrams to see labels for the various features.)

cistern up cellar cellar cellar River Lin kitchen up Great Hall up Guard Room Inner Gatehouse cellar Watch Tower tunnel Garrison up cistern up up Outer Gate guard room drawbridge wc guard room Keep Tower Kitchen Dining Room closet up Parlor wc down upper part of great hall guard room portcullis room guard room wc Barracks Guards' Hall wc Armory down Guard Room Inner Ward Outer Ward Barbican Library balcony Withdrawing Room wc wall walk Officers' Quarters Barracks wc Castellan's Quarters
Milord's Study Master Bedroom Bathroom Officers' Quarters Map Room Fighting Top Armory wooden bridge Captain's Room upper part of gatehouse Watch Room top of gatehouse tower Milady's Chamber down bathroom Turret Muniments Room Study Turret Garrett Terrace down machicolation Parapet machicolation Turret Garrett Muniments Room Milady's Chamber Milord's Chamber Study Drawing Room Library Dining Room Kitchen Cellar Cistern Room Great Hall

The castle is noteworthy for its very high keep tower, seven stories. Another oddity is the fact that while there was an original ridge on which its outer walls are constructed, the cliffside above it was quarried out, both to provide the stone and to enlarge the narrow space. The entrance to the outer ward from the barbican is actually tunnelled through the rock. There are three gateways to pass through before the keep is reached, and the garrison quarters span the area between the barbican and outer ward. The castle is vulnerable to attack from above, on the hilltop, but that itself is nearly unreachable. Apart from the keep and garrison quarters, however, there is very little accommodation or comfort for a royal family -- in the Linzonian case, this does not matter much, as they do not have a unified nuclear family tradition, but rather a society where everybody is related to everybody else and marriage is a matter of convenience and habit rather than law. (Most of the garrison consists of bastard sons of the king, and quite a few bastard daughters too.)

Estalia