The Royal Castle

Purpose / Function

The purpose has changed from its time as a watchtower, as it now acts as the royal family's permanent residence. It is also a welcoming building made for meetings, diplomacy and discussions.
The tall building is a show of power and strength. High towers and big walls to instill respect in the population, and fear in their foes.

Architecture

The castle is built of mostly stone. The walls are made of bricks in a creamy white, grey, beige and orange tint and the roofs are usually a darker orange and beige. The towers are round while the walls are all angular. Many details made on the stone are carved flora and fauna, stylized and simplified. This decoration is prominent around pillars, valves and rooftops.
Stone gargoyles portraying dire-ravens have been put up during the family Altari's ruling. Their spirit animals guard various doors and walls, looking ready to dive down on any unwanted visitors.
The main staircase up to the front gate is big and wide, angling out to the wide Horizon Boulevard. They may seem innocent and simple, but are in fact made as a first defense against enemy troops. The steps are uneven, making them hard to run up on and easy to stumble on. This small trick has hampered many sieges through the ages.

Defenses

Walls are the castles main visible defense. They are thick and made of durable stonework.
Towers are all covered with a roof in case of aerial attacks. Every tower is also equipped with an alarm horn.

History

One of the towers is still the original from the castle's watchtower times. It was built in 2178, and sat high on the Orebo hill beside the river to have a good outlook on the land and the bay out to the ocean. It was only a tower in the beginning as the person in charge lived down in the small village, but years later small living quarters were added to the building.
As the village grew with the trade, so did the tower. They needed somewhere to put the criminals and a small dungeon was built. Parts of it were dug underground, for the worst of the bunch, and some cells had windows out to a nice view of the village.
Years passed and the building became bigger and bigger. Many years it was used as a town hall. Mayors and their families came and went, the next one growing richer than the one before. The walls became larger, rooms added and artists hired for decorating everything from the walls to the smallest of doorsteps.
Trade routes grew busier at the junction of the Miller Run and the bay out to the ocean. Orebo quickly became a flourishing town with an ever growing population. Noble families got news about this growing settlement and started fighting over the chance to rule over this goldmine of a town. Through taxes on the trade routes they raked in money to use on luxury. They lived lavishly in the building that now looked almost like a fortress. They built big ballrooms for their parties and installed fountains in front of the gigant gates. In 2303 it was officially called a castle for the first time.
Many noble families fought over the castle and the chance to live in the big city. One woman, Jerin Isai, was a noble who became very paranoid shortly after her family made their home in the castle. She thought everyone was trying to assassinate her, even her wife. So she hired a team to make a couple of secret tunnels from different places in the castle. They all led underground and out of the castle in case she ever needed to flee.
Timgira loved gardens. He was very disappointed to find that Darta's capital did not have a royal garden in its castle. So he took the matter into his own hands and almost singlehandedly built the whole garden himself. Since he died in 2387 the garden was named after him, Timgira's Garden (though it is only called the royal garden among commoners).
In 2675 the royal family decided to move the capital from Surusus to Orebo, and the castle became the permanent settlement.
3168 the family of Altari took the throne and has helt it since, making them the longest ruling family in Darta.

Tourism

This is not a place to vacation to. Not all are allowed inside the castle, for the safety of the royal family. Though, the wing dedicated more towards the more common discussions and diplomatic endeavors are available through guided tours.
If you are of noble status and you know the royal family, then you are in luck! Housing friends and diplomatic targets are common and then you will be allowed inside the rest of the castle. Timgira's Garden and the Sunset Ballroom are yours to explore!

Founding Date

2178: first tower
2303: officially a castle

Alternative Names

Orebo castle

Type

Castle

Parent Location

Orebo

Owner

Edon

Additional Rulers/Owners

• Devian Altari
• Seline

Characters in Location

• Devian Altari
• Terin Altari

Related Tradition (Primary)

• Altarian Cloaking and Pre-Crowning Ceremony

Related Historical Events

• 3439 S.E
  Devian and Perilla's marriage
• 3439 S.E
  Devian's cloaking
• 3438 S.E
  Zeg becomes Devian's lifeguard
• 3418 S.E
  Iris' birth
• 3417 S.E
  Terin's birth
• 3416 S.E
  Devian's birth