Castle Languard

The grim walls and towers of Castle Languard loom over the city like a ever-watchful guardian. The castle stands on the site of Arndul Nenonen’s first fort and is the oldest continuously occupied building in the city.

The centre of Ashlar’s governance, it is the most heavily fortified and protected place in the Duchy. The castle has evolved over the centuries and has undergone several distinct building phase under various dukes. (Even the castle, though, is dwarfed by the bulk of the Father’s Hall.) The oldest part of the castle—the central keep—stands high up on the bluffs with commanding views of both Languard and the Mottled Spire.

The ancient builders also discovered a network of caves riddling the bluffs and incorporated these into the castle’s original design. Thus, the castle incorporates extensive subterranean workings. Rumours of several long tunnels linking the castle to certain buildings in the city proper as well as a little-visited hidden level of oubliettes and cells wherein the Nenonen’s enemies languish refuse to die. Family Nenonen’s family burial crypt also lies deep under the central keep as do a well-stocked network of storage chambers and cisterns.

As well as housing the Nenonen family and their immediate servitors, the castle’s walls also protect Ashlar’s royal mint and serves as an armoury and barracks for Duke Armas’ personal household warriors.

Notable Folk

Castle Languard houses hundreds of people. A few of the most notable include:

• Duke Armas Nenonen (LN male half-elf fighter 4/wizard 8): Armas has held the title of duke for almost a century. Determined to keep his people safe, he believes in the rule of law over all else. Because of this, many of his subjects see him as harsh and inflexible and He is not beloved by many. A joyless man, duty and honour consume him.
• Chancellor Marja Pasanen (LN old female human): Learned and wise, Chancellor Marja oversees the mundane, day-to-day running of the duchy. Duke Armas implicitly trusts Marja, and she has his complete confidence. They have worked together for decades, but now Marja grows old. Her mortality troubles her greatly and she has begun searching for a worthy replacement.
• First Protector Elmo Rekunen (LN middle-aged male human fighter 7) First Protector Elmo leads and oversees house Nenonen’s household warriors. A skilled warrior in his own right, Elmo is steep in warcraft and has a reputation as being unbeatable on the field of battle.

Languard

Languard is the capital city of Ashlar and closest settlement of note to Gloamhold’s benighted halls. This is a first look at the location, which will appear in its final form in Town Backdrop: Languard which will be published by Raging Swan Press in early 2018.

For more Languard, check out the city’s main page!