Gulvaire Keep
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A large, stone structure to the east of Yondar’s capital. Surrounded by sturdy walls and towering over the hilltops and grasslands. Though the keep itself was originally designed as a measure of protection, it has since been used for various other activities, such as hosting festivals, acting as a training grounds for knights, and more recently a headquarters for the Bloodsworn Rebellion.
History
When the royal family were forced to relocate and make Tiraven their home, they knew that they would need to fortify the city with some additional defenses. Of course, they built walls to protect people’s homes and livelihoods, and the area that would eventually house the castle. But they needed more.
That is where Gulvaire Keep came in.
Little more than a watch tower presiding over the grasslands, just 5 days east of Tiraven itself. At that point, it didn’t even have a name - people just referred to it as ‘the watchtower’. It was in the perfect location whereby the royal family could garrison troops. They would be outside of the city, not interfering with the day to day ongoings of the citizens who lived there, but they would be close enough to act as reinforcements should anyone attack Tiraven.
V,
I need you to attain the deed to the watchtower east of Tiraven. Hopefully Lord Carsonne has it locked away somewhere, since he is the current Lord of County Tirav. If so, good! Carsonne is a reasonable man and we hold favour with him. He’ll likely propose a deal - accept whatever he offers.
On the off chance that he doesn’t want to let go of the deed, then I offer you my blessing to resort to violence. Just make sure he survives whatever you throw at him. Or steal it from under his crooked nose. I don’t really care, so long as you bring the deed back to me.
If he doesn’t have it - which I would say is highly unlikely - then find it. Use any means you can. And I do mean any means.
D.
Yondar’s royal family hired an architect to design the keep. The architect - Anton Gulvaire - had already worked for them before (and would later go on to redesign Castle Tirav) so he seemed to be the obvious choice. King Denholm would be so impressed by the time the design was finalised and built that he decided to name the keep after Gulvaire.
Overall, the keep took three long years to build. Its construction was hampered by two particularly harsh winter seasons. The first winter claimed the lives of eleven people working on the keep before construction was shut down by King Denholm. Having learnt from their first lesson, by the time the second winter turned to a raging snow storm, construction had already ceased.
Once the keep was finished in late 642 LF, the royal family ordered that a stone monolith be created, decorated, and placed in the center of the keeps courtyard as a way to honour those whose lives were lost during the keeps construction. It lists the names of all eleven people who died in the first winter season, and a following five names of people who died from unfortunate accidents.
Many years later, in 968 AL, the keep stopped being a general training ground and became something catered to the elite. Instead of housing regular knights, it would hold the newly created Shields of Yondar. To accommodate its new residents, the facilities were upgraded and Queen Raelle made sure that it started to undergo regular maintenance to prevent it from falling into disrepair.
You stare up at the entrance. A mighty arch, its old oak gates barely hanging on at the hinges, set into great stone walls. Just past that, you can see figures moving to and fro, all shapes and sizes. Perhaps most shocking are the silhouettes towering over the regular, run of the mill humans; dotted in between the crowds are ox-kryn.
Curiosity buzzes from that fact alone, but still you cannot find the strength to step beneath the arch. Your companions, you note offhandedly, have already forged ahead. Only Sariel glances back, but distance makes it impossible to decipher the meaning behind her shadowy look.
My history, you think. How long has it been?
Your gaze draws across the courtyard. Ghosts flitter between the very real, very solid bodies that somehow seem so out of place in comparison. Regular folk in mismatched armour are nothing in your eyes compared to the memories of real knights in shining steel. Training in tandem, perfectly synched, and there across the way is your mother beaming a proud, sunny smile.
A shake of your head. Eyes screwed shut and fists clenched tight and blood souring the tip of your tongue–
“Hey,” Sariel says, tearing you away from your thoughts. Her hand cups your cheek, but you shake her off, offering her a withering smile.
“I’m okay,” you say. But I’m not. I’m not, I’m not, I’m not...
Gulvaire Keep would act as the training grounds and headquarters for the Shields of Yondar up until 1299 AL. At this point, King Henrick Carver decided that it would be better for the Shields to live and train closer to Castle Tirav. Despite its disuse from 1299 AL onwards the kings and queens of Yondar have ensured that the keep continues to be maintained, should the Shields ever need to house themselves there again.
Since King Carver’s decision the keep has been used for various events. In particular, the Shields of Yondar often use their former training grounds to house tournaments and sometimes, when there are quite a few Shield Wards ready to undertake the Rite of Aegis, they will hold the ceremony there. Occasionally, Yondar’s royal family has also hosted festivals at the keep, opening up its gates to individuals from around the world. During these festivals, only the great hall and the courtyard of the keep were open to everyone.
With King Percival Greymount's recent coup, Gulvaire Keep has been forgotten. His lack of Shields and the Church of Van-Hael's refusal to perform the Rite of Aegis on his orders means that he hasn’t really had need of the keep at all. There was a brief time where he thought about housing the Valissan soldiers there temporarily whilst he dealt with his father and the growing rebellion, but eventually decided against it because of the poor reception he knew such an act would receive.
This left the gates wide open for the Bloodsworn Rebellion. They moved their troops into the keep 3 months ago, in Blooming Moon, 1477 AL.
What Lies Within Gulvaire Keep?
The wall encloses the courtyard, the main keep, the storage building and the stables. Within the main keep there are fifty private rooms, a great hall (immediately as you walk through the door), an indoor training area, armoury, kitchens, and washrooms. The stables are detached from the main keep and can house up to twenty horses, with proper shelter to protect them from extreme weather. The storage building is also detached and is where extra food (for both the knights and the horses) and supplies are stored. No weaponry is stored here as it all gets securely locked away in the armoury inside the main keep.
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