I would write some high faluting poetic shit here that serves as a mood piece for this article.
— Author
 

Overview

In the frosty land of Ryul, situated deep within the icy forests and imperious mountain climbs, there is a massive structure half built into the face of the Miurmarju Mountains. This is Miurmar Castle, the seat of power in Ryul, and home of the House of Kodester... and, though it may be referred to as a "castle," once past the door you will find it has little in common with any castle known to man.

 

General Information

 

History

Mrawn, the first holder of Miurmar Castle, adviser of Ralora.

Miurmar Castle is an ancient construct created many millennia ago, very near to the beginning of Empirica Sin's known history. It was originally commissioned by the early Demon leader, Ralora, as a home for her Drereccas adviser, Mrawn Bissu.

After Ralora's murder during a diplomatic visit to Paradisa, Mrawn retreated from much of Incaendium's society, taking his family, the now extinct House of Bissus. Together, they mapped much of the cave system inside the Miurmarju Mountains. There they remained even through the Caelestise-Sura War sparked by Ralora's death. This drew significant criticism from the public of Incaendium and caused the House of Bissus to lose status and respect, which drove them further into Isolation.

Eventually, they lost control of the land in a territory dispute with the House of Kodester, whose matron Rarassa Kodester drove Mrawn into exile. She allowed any Bissus who preferred to remain to do so, provided they denounce their Family name and join the Kodester faction. Those who did not wish to do so followed Mrawn into exile.

Many of their bodies would be found centuries later, though the cause of their deaths is unknown, as is who specifically survived... if anyone.

Mrawn himself is presumed deceased, though his body has never been located.

We've been exploring the innards of Miurmarju for weeks now, seemingly without end. It could be that one mountain leads into another? I expect that's true, but I don't know how these things work. Why did I volunteer to be here?

Anyway, soon we will return home. I'm sure that, though we haven't found the "end" of the passages, the Lady will still be pleased, for one reason: We have found a deep well of multilevel caverns with easily jumped floating islands between each ledge! This will make an excellent location for The Great Lady's plans! I can imagine the holding even now: a home for our most precious things as we trade them among ourselves - only ourselves - away from the prying eyes of the Unkin!

We praise the Great Lady for her wisdom.
— Zrirek, spelunking Drereccas

Rarassa Kodester's Reign

During the reign of Rarassa Kodester, Miurmar continued to evolve, with additional outside structures forming waterfalls and pools. Prior to the Three Cycle War, there were few conflicts that involved the Drereccas, and Miurmar began to thrive and grow alongside Ryul as a whole. Movements into the cave systems of Miurmarju expanded as well, with the more shallow caverns being converted to halls for meetings, or sleeping chambers.

Rarassa also used her powerful affinity with the Earth element to strengthen the castle for longevity, preventing wear and tear over the long centuries to come.

In the interior of the Miurmarju, a fall was discovered with many levels of stone landings and floating "islands" to bridge them for the spry Drereccas. Their greatest treasures were placed on the other side of that fall, safe from the covetous eyes of other Demons.

Isolated, the Kodester faction remained withdrawn from the war as the outside world changed, and the power structure changed with it.

Eventually, the period of peace ended. At the mid-point of the Three Cycle War, Bellos Nykythan demanded the Drereccas join the war, and even the powerful Kodesters had no choice but to obey.

The Deep Fall in its primative state, before it was developed into a Holding.

During this time, the castle sat neglected and mostly unlived in. This continued for the many years of the war until the Kodesters returned to their home, this time without the Great Lady herself.

Under Maelis Kodester

New or heavily repaired sections can be identified by the use of brown-colored stone rather than the original grey.

Much of the Drereccas race were killed during the Three-Cycle War. With Rarassa gone, her strongest child, Maelis Kodester, rose to power. Under Maelis, the purpose of Miurmar changed. Rather than a home for the Kodester family, it became the sanctuary of all surviving Drereccas as Maelis opened the castle (and the name of Kodester) to any Drereccas who needed or desired protection, and so the residency numbers increased rapidly and, for a time, ceaselessly. This required substantial expansion of the castle, both internally and externally.

Using the power of Earth and Metal affinity Drereccas, the exterior of the castle was expanded to include additional levels and alcoves with towers and structures reaching higher into the mountains. Additionally, the cave system was tidied, refined, and expanded, creating a near-city sized settlement that runs from the external castle through the insides of the mountains.

Miurmar Castle is now the home of roughly 95% of Drereccas, which amounts to perhaps 2,000 - far fewer than at their height, as most were killed during the Three-Cycle War. Still, the number may not be entirely obvious to the eyes of a stranger, as it is their nature to easily disappear into the shadows and caves when cautious.

Miurmar's Exterior

A visitor approaching Miurmar Castle, deep in the most mountainous region of Ryul, might at first believe they are stumbling upon a mountain village - a series of multi-level buildings connected by slim stone bridges and staircases. Soon it becomes clear that some of the staircases lead nowhere in particular, or just to a ledge with no building attached and nowhere to go from there. The white stained glass windows stare down from the high towers, yes, but some of them are built directly into the face of the mountains.. and the buildings themselves, while seemingly metal or stone, are built with a mesh-like texture on the walls.

Something that might make the buildings easier to climb.

An outward facing section of Miurmar. It often hosts markets and festivals.

A closer look begins to reveal Miurmar's true nature: what seems to be a series of different buildings are actually connected at the base, forming an enormous single structure that emerges from and seems to merge with the mountain face.

A visitor with some familiarity with animals might then begin to notice that the more they look, the more the Castle's features come to resemble an artificial replication of natural formations... or an area designed for the enrichment of domesticated animals. Cats in particular. If the cats were incredibly large.

The ledges are designed to allow something to jump from place to place. There are hanging ornaments that swing when pushed like some gigantic dangling cat toy, as well as waterfalls, fountains and pools are scattered across the many surfaces... and some places are seemingly accessibly only by walking across a precariously narrow bridge. Something that comes quite naturally to many animals.

And that's before one even goes inside.

 

The Shallow Interior

Once past any of Miurmar's many external entrances, one enters the "shallow interior" - the most structured and constructed portion of the castle, which is accessible through any of the external entrances.

Drereccas in a larger form lounge in a balcony overlooking a main entrance.

The first room one enters from any external entrance will be one of many large chambers built from metal and stone and furnished with Drereccas equivalents of what one might consider normal furnishings - large cushions for seating, an elevated dais with a pavillion for a throne, etc. These chambers may be an attempt to bridge the expectations of potential diplomatic visitors and the preferences of the Drereccas themselves. For this reason, the architecture is often reminiscent of standard Incaendium designs.

At least for the most part. However there is a significant exception.

Many multi-storey areas are four sided mezzanines with no standard method of travel between them; instead, there are substantial stone ledges built into the walls which the Drereccas leap between to reach higher or lower levels. This makes the upper levels largely inaccessible to most visitors, which is by design.

The bottom levels are the most public portions of the Castle, and are where Maelis Kodester will meet the majority of visitors from outside Ryul, for example.

The mostly inaccessible to outsiders upper levels contain more constructed areas that suit the needs of the Drereccas, such as places to exercise or lounge.

Notable Locations in the Shallow Interior

Various Entry Halls
The largest rooms, and most accessible. Every external entrance leads to one of these massive chambers.

Hall of the Golden Pavillion
A large hall with constructed walls, and a golden pavillion toward the center of the room. This pavillion is something of a throne equivalent meant for Maelis Kodester to lounge in while addressing or simply spending time in the presence of the other Drereccas.

Company-Appropriate Dining Halls
Generally Drereccas do not eat at tables. However they have set aside rooms with tables and chairs for the use of any visitors.

The Hall of the Golden Pavilion - the Drereccas equivalent of a casual throne room.
The primary audience hall used to entertain themselves and others.

Audience Hall
A large chamber with multiple layers and the rare appearance of stairs. These are utilized for speeches, sports, large audiences, and theater. They can also host balls and other events, though the Drereccas do not hold dances for themselves.

Courtyard
An inside courtyard featuring magically creating lighting, fountains, pools and an infinite variety of mountain flowers and plants. Drereccas can often be found here gnawing on the plants.

The True Interior

The "true interior" inside of Miurmar Castle is cavernous and has few "rooms" in the traditional sense. Instead, a series of multi-level column-like structures litter the stony floor. Alcoves and ledges are built into the walls, and there are large fountains, waterfalls, streams and pools that flow through the flooring. Foliage covers many of the surfaces - thick grass and moss beds and ropey vines.

The naturalistic appearance of the immediate interior brings to mind a cave, and it would be easy enough to forget that this is the inside of a building were it not for the massive stained glass windows that line the stonewalls that encompass the area. Even so, the area leaves the impression that the castle itself is beginning to merge with the mountain and its environs, which it is.

The is what the Drereccas themselves consider to be the true interior of the castle - a place built for the convenience of the Drereccas rather than with outward facing concerns in mind.

Plants that would not normally survive inside or in the cold temperatures are supported by the magic of talented Drereccas groundskeepers.

A structure used for lounging or climbing from floor to floor.

The final doors of Miurmar are here, leading into stone walls that could be additional rooms, but aren't. At least not in a traditional sense.

Drereccas Home

What seem to be normal doors into a building interior actually lead into smaller caverns or, in some cases, passageways that branch in many directions like a cave system.

This is because it is a cave system. Miurmar Castle is built into the mountain itself, utilizing the caverns and passageways to create living quarters and other functional spaces that approximage "rooms." Many caverns feature large pools of water or rivers running through them,. making their way through the interior of the mountain towards the Lonely Sea.

There are large areas well-lit by lanterns and magic that serve as common areas and "town" squares as well. In these areas, the waters have been tamed and used for both decoration and function, providing hydration to any wandering Drereccas.

This is the true home of the Drereccas, who prefer natural environs to castles and towers, or rooms with walls built by "people."

The way any given cavern is prepared depends on the specific function that cavern has been put to, which depends on what the cavern was like before the arrival of its current residents. Caverns may be repurposed as living chambers, entertainment rooms, audience rooms such as theaters or sports arenas, bathing chambers where large pools of water have formed or more.

One of the well-lit common areas of Drereccas Home.
 

What Every Location Has

Consistent features of every part of Miurmar (natural or constructed) include climbable ledges and columns, alcoves, foliage, and occasional hanging balls or plants.

 

Defenses

Miurmar Castle's most obvious defense is the very nature of its location and its physical presence. Situated high in the difficult to traverse Miurmar Mountains without any roads or paths through those mountains, eternally locked in snow and flanked by waterfalls and mountainous rivers, the structure is challenging to find, challenging to reach, and challenging to approach even for those who know where it is.

It is also defended by the elite combatants present, including the majority of high powered Drereccas. These defenders, The Claw and Shield, are sworn to defend their weaker brethren in the event of danger.

That said, Miurmar's strongest defense by far is the presence of Maelis Kodester himself, who is among the most powerful beings in Incaendium.

A Drereccas Warrior of the Claw and Shield.

On the rare occasion that he leaves the Miurmar mountains, arrangements are made to increase the defenses in his absence, including increased patrols, calling on the reserve Claws, and the establishment of magical barriers and traps.

All of that said, a potential attacker would be wise not to understimate the effectiveness of even the weakest Drereccas in great numbers, and on their home ground.