Bradstowe Castle Building / Landmark in Melior | World Anvil

Bradstowe Castle

The ruins of a magnificent castle, now reclaimed by nature and turned into a sanctuary.

Bradstowe Castle was constructed in 108 1A and was the home of nobility and aristocracy for the rulers of Bradstowe and The Isles of Orlend. The castle had withstood many sieges in its time and had protected the people from wars, civil unrest, and its walls even served as a safeguard from plague.  

Downfall

Bradstowe Castle stood for 406 years before sustaining irreparable damage during The Rupture on Thirday, 10th of Darkfall 514 2A. It was a catastrophic and unforeseen event that wrought havoc upon the world, plunging it into complete and utter chaos on an unfathomable scale - many sections of the castle wall crumbled, and its great towers could not withstand the tremors that shook the world.   Urgent repairs were needed across the entire city and the scale of damage done to the castle was so large that it made little sense to waste resources where they were needed more elsewhere. As repairs were carried out across the rest of the city, nature began to slowly reclaim the crumbled castle ruins for its own.  

Rebirth

Now, the castle keep is a small pocket of nature at the heart of a capital city. The highest part of the ruin is home to a nest of crows, and maisha vines have woven their way through the cracks and up the brickwork of what remains, leaving beautiful and vibrant blooms to flower over the castle's corpse during spring.   Half of the moat became filled with rubble, but the other half became a crescent pond full of newts, moorhens and other remarkable sights that you'd not expect to see within the heart of the capital.   There are plans to protect the inner castle walls and turn it into a sacred nature reserve, though other ideas have also been put forward for a public garden or allotment space for people to grow vegetables under the protection of the remaining old walls.  
Bradstowe
 
Encouraging nature to thrive at the heart of our capital is a sign of our stubborn determination to overcome the horrors that The Rupture cast upon our soil. Let it become a garden that will feed folks, flora, and fauna in harmony.
— Town crier
It's so nice to be able to come here and feed the crows at the end of the day. I chop up the waste scraps and any spoiled meats real small for 'em and go hiding bits in the castle walls. One time, they even ate from the palm of my hand!
— Local butcher
RUINED STRUCTURE
514 2A
Founding Date
108 1A
Type
Castle
Parent Location
Bradstowe
Settlement | Apr 11, 2023

The bustling tradeport capital of The Isles of Orlend.

The Rupture
Military Conflict | Jan 15, 2023

The catastrophic and unforeseen event that wrought havoc upon the world, plunging it into complete and utter chaos on an unfathomable scale.



Cover image: Map of Bradstowe cover image by TJ Trewin

Comments

Please Login in order to comment!
Dec 27, 2020 19:20 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

I really love how they decided that the resources that would be needed to repair the castle would be better used elsewhere. Sounds like it's turned into a place of beauty, despite the terrible events that ruined it.

Emy x   Etrea | Vazdimet
Aug 15, 2021 15:32 by TJ Trewin

Thank you! Your comment inspired me to add a quote from the town crier to this article :D


Journals of Yesteryear

Please consider voting for me in the 2024 Worldbuilding Awards!
Dec 30, 2020 02:57

A family of crows settled on the highest part of the ruin. A tiny detail that I just love. Now I'm just picturing mr. or mrs. protagonist going up there on the regular to feed and hang with them.

Aug 15, 2021 15:33 by TJ Trewin

Thank you! Your comment inspired me to add a quote from the local butcher to this article :D


Journals of Yesteryear

Please consider voting for me in the 2024 Worldbuilding Awards!
Jun 6, 2021 14:45

Crow nest, crow nest! This one doesn't look like a turd to me, it is a nice sweet smol article, I really like it :3 It COULD be expanded, but I don't think it needs to be.

Aug 15, 2021 15:33 by TJ Trewin

I've now tidied it up with some nice formatting and added a couple of quotes! :D


Journals of Yesteryear

Please consider voting for me in the 2024 Worldbuilding Awards!
Powered by World Anvil