Bradstowe Castle
The ruins of a magnificent castle, now reclaimed by nature and turned into a sanctuary.
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.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.
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!
514 2A
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.
Thank you! Your comment inspired me to add a quote from the town crier to this article :D