Auberium
The court of Lord Auberon. The realm of Auberium appears when visited by mortals from the Material plane to be a large, ancient oaken forest. A shining white castle set in the deepest part of the forest serves as the capital, and home of the realm's Lord. The castle is a large and sprawling complex of open-air courtyards and enclosed halls with a large multi-story tower in the very middle. The castle is usually populated by well over a hundred to 150 fey at any given point in time, servants, soldiers and administrators, as well as those who have come to the capital on official business.
Very few of the Fey actually dwell in the Castle, aside from the royal family and those serving in the barracks for tours of duty. Most of the folk of the Auberium dwell in forest homes in the environ of the castle, under its Lord's protection. By his will, the homes of the Fair Folk of the Auberium cannot be seen by outsider eyes, unless the one who dwells in the home wills it, or the Lord retract his protection. This sheltering illusion even applies to other of the Fey from other courts who enter Auberium Forest, it would take a concentrated effort of an ArchFey to break this spell. Any ArchFey who tried this would (correctly) assume that Lord Auberon would consider than a personal attack, and a declaration of war.
Those who enter the Auberium Wood with proper preparation will inevitably be drawn to the Castle Gate. All paths lead the the Gate, even if you try to go back the way you came. Once at the Gate, you are challenged by the Guards of Auberium. Failing their challenge is not recommended, unless one wishes to move on to their next life.
On the eastern side of the outermost courtyards of the Castle consists of a maze of cages and outdoor exhibit areas containing various beasts from the Feywild, the material plane, and several other locations. This is the Menagerie, where Lord Auberon's daughter Liusale of Auberium keeps her "pets". The beasts of the Menagerie dwell in peace with each other, even those that are natural enemies, per their Lady's wishes. It can be deadly to walk the Menagerie, if Lady Liusale is not nearby. All of the beasts of the Managerie either lover Liusale, or believe they love her. I would not advise trying to tell which is which, or convincing a beast otherwise.
The Lord and the Lady his daughter dwell in the centermost tower, along with favored servants and the elite guard. The tower does not have any especial defenses so far as the eye can tell looking at the Tower, but as one approaches the Tower one naturally senses the Powers that dwell there, like a thunderstorm forming on the horizon. Even the most dull Mortal can still perceive the weight of Glamour magick that infuses the very stones around them. The true defenses of the Tower and its Castle are only revealed to an attacker; who do not usually survive to benefit from the knowledge.
Visitors to the Auberium from the Material Plane can expect a cool, but polite encounter. They are not trully welcome, but they would be tolerated. Presuming the pass the Guard's Challenge at the Gate, they would be encouraged to get whatever business brought them to the castle done with as quickly as possible. The Castle's Lord is willing to use mortals as his agents, and even shows generosity to those mortals that please him or render great service. But he does not trust mortals in general. In Auberium they uphold the Ancient Laws of Hospitality, but sightseeing is not encouraged in this realm.
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