Taranis

Taranis was the castle and House Seat of House Drakmarien.The castle itself is the largest in the Highlands, and, indeed, is much larger than many of the castles in the rest of Hastyria. It was established and built following the War of the Dragon's Fire and the subsequent 'exile' of House Drakmarien. It is located in the central Highlands, along the Rogue River.

History House Drakmarien had ruled Hastyria for over 300 years. It was overthrown by Lord Raenor Thaene and his supporters during the War of the Dragon's Fire. King Haryn, his wife and children, as well as much of the house were killed when House Calordian, one the King's most 'loyal' houses, betrayed their sovereign and sacked the castle at Regalis.The House was not completely destroyed, though. Haryn's younger brother, Jaenus, requested that, in exchange for peace, his House would not contest the throne and offered to use his remaining men-at-arms to conquer the Highlands and add it to the kingdom. Raenor, seeing that justice had been done, agreed.Jaenus, with the support of the few houses who had remained loyal to him, marched into the Highlands.

Layout
Taranis is huge castle complex. The large central keep is built on top of a squat flat top granite hill. The keep is surrounded by a wall, also built on the hill. A wide stairway was carved into the rock to allow access to the hilltop. The stairway is protected by a gatehouse. The hill is protected on three sides by massive curtain walls.

The Keep
The keep itself is large enough to house all the living quarters, the great hall, the kitchens and the armoury. It is made of granite, like the rest of the complex, taken from the nearby quarry. It has four towers, one on each corner, as well as three defensive balconies situated halfway up. A stone bridge at the rear of the keep connects the upper levels with the granary tower, which is part of the Inner Wall.

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