Fortress Drausthal
Carved into the unforgiving face of the Ironhorn Mountains, Karhold Drausthal stands as a brutal monument to endurance, discipline, and martial might. Its origins trace back to the closing years of the Age of Ash, when Varric Drausthal, warlord of the highland tribes, united the fractured mountain clans under a banner of survival and strength. Rather than build in the valleys, Varric chose to raise his hold directly into the bones of the mountains, where enemies would have to fight for every blood-soaked step. Using the labor of his own warriors and captured foes, Karhold’s blackstone walls were hewn from the cliffs themselves, ringed with narrow kill-zones and built without ornament or indulgence. The first tower held only a war chamber, barracks, and the Iron Throne Hall — a dark room of stone and echo, where Varric ruled in silence beside a cracked drake skull.
Through the centuries, Drausthal expanded inward and downward, its halls boring deeper into the mountainside like the roots of an iron tree. With each war, a new wing or armory was dug. Its vaults contain centuries of House Drausthal’s martial history — from the war-banners of defeated raiders to the chained remnants of cursed weapons. No ballroom or theatre graces its grounds; this is not a castle for courtship, but a citadel for campaign.
Under the current Lord-General, Balthar von Drausthal, the fortress remains one of the most disciplined strongholds inDrania. It houses not just the Drausthal household, but also the command center of The Ironhorn Marches’s standing army — complete with training yards, tactical chambers, and bonded wyvern stables dug into sheer cliffside perches. Though stark and cold, the hold is not lifeless; flickering torchlight, echoing drills, and the ever-present ringing of steel lend it a steady heartbeat of preparation. The people here are grim, pragmatic, and loyal to their core — traits encouraged by The Lord-General’s own severe example.
Visitors to Drausthal are few, and rarely welcome unless bearing military purpose. Yet those who endure the climb to its gate and survive the scrutiny of the Ironhorn guards often find themselves changed by the hold’s silent intensity. The phrase “To walk the halls of Drausthal is to leave the softness of the world behind” is often whispered by soldiers returning from campaigns — a quiet tribute to the fortress where iron is not only forged, but expected of all.
Founding Date
18
Founders
Alternative Name(s)
Hornhold, The Unyielding Keep
Type
Citadel
Population
600 Soldiers, 120 Household Staff
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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