Castle Summerland
Castle Summerland is the site of a devastating explosion and fire. The area around it has grown to be a fortune hunter's camp, filled with elves, humans, and gnomes looking for the secret technologies which destroyed the castle and the surrounding areas.
Residents Argindintinius Veloktigordipas Architect and philosopher from the Thaumaturgical College of Constructs in Tyr-in-the-Thistle-by-the-Sea Dorwanstillstik Elevandernor A philosopher from the Machinations Institute of Technology in Tyr-in-the-Thistle-by-the-Sea Traveler Serene A Traveler cleric living in the village surrounding Castle Summerland History Castle Summerland was one of the strongholds in the western Kingdom of Aen. It is the scene of one of the greatest battles between Aen and the elves of Eryn Dur. The castle stood ready, with a thousand men surrounding it. Gnomes from the County of Tyr also came to help with some of their newest technologies.
From the forest, through the mists of the waters of the Grey Lake came the elven troops. They also numbered a thousand, though they fought like three thousand with their stealth and cunning. They had already come through Clawhill, crossed the lake, and ransacked Tarnwic. Now, they approached Castle Summerland.
As the elves approached through the morning stillness, they could see a thick, black smoke rising from the castle. Not knowing what this could possibly be, they advanced from the edge of Lake Grey and through to the forest's edge. Tall towers belched these black plumes of smoke, with catapults sitting below them. The elven forces advanced from the forest, intent on softening the enemy with wave upon wave of arrows shot to rain down on everything in the castle. As the first few waves fell from the sky, the catapults began firing. The first ball of flame was flung high into the air and came crashing down north of the elven position. Fire, the elves had seen before. But the loud, massive explosion that seemed to suck the air out of the forest was new. The trees erupted into flame just as soon as the blast occured. As the elves watched the forest burn, another ball of flame fell closer to them this time. It exploded into the forest, sending flames high into the air as everything organic - tree, bush, fern, wildlife, and elf - were set ablaze. Elves fled, some spreading the flames further as a third ball descended into the midst of the main force. Before the ball landed, one of the towers could be seen swaying. It creaked and twisted as its own weight seemed to pull it down. Flames shot out along with the black smoke, and the liquid from the tower drained out and rained over the humans and gnomes in the castle. Fires spread, screams filled the air, and a convulsive blast shattered the castle in a blink of an eye, sending firey liquid, wall fragments, and body parts through the air. The forest the elves were stationed in erupted in flames as great pieces of stone wall also came crashing down on them.
The stories tell that only a couple of elves survived that day, those who had stayed back with the boats. Nobody knows what gnomish technology it was that tore Castle Summerland apart and sent a raging fire burning through the countryside. It was the end of the Elven advancement for some time, and the retreat of the Kingdom of Aen's northern buttress against the elven forces for years to come.
