Whitestone Castle is a small castle built on a hill to the north of the city-state of Whitestone. Originally owned by the de Rolo family, the Briarwoods claimed the castle for themselves once the city fell under their rule. After the success of the Whitestone Rebellion, Cassandra de Rolo and (in absentia) Percival de Rolo regained ownership.
Description[]
On the west side of the Whitestone castle is a secret passage leading to the dungeons beneath the castle.[3] It was notably used by Cassandra and Percy de Rolo to escape the Briarwood's assault. A set of wooden stairs led to an undercroft where the bodies of previous rulers were entombed.[4] A more recent long tunnel was dug through the back wall of the mausoleum leading outside the castle toward the Sun Tree to an ancient subterranean ziggurat, formerly a temple to Ioun.[5]
Prior to the Briarwoods' occupation, there was a circle of teleportation in the castle; however, it appeared to have been destroyed as part of the Briarwoods' efforts to further isolate Whitestone from the rest of the world.[6] Another circle was created during Vox Machina's year-long break from adventuring.[7]
Points of interest[]
Gardens[]
The gardens are open to all, extending to the east and northeast of the castle itself.[1] From there, stained glass windows can be admired, each of them representing scenes such as the foundation of Whitestone. In 843, these windows were seriously damaged when Fearne, Chetney, and a gleeful Gwendolyn de Rolo threw rocks through them following Ashton's failed attempt to absorb the shard of Rau'shan.[8]
Widow's Garden[]
A poisonous plant garden was planted around 730 PD by Lady Melanie de Rolo, in order to covertly poison her husband. During the Briarwoods' rule, the gardens were left untended and withered. In 836 PD, the garden, now renamed the Widow's Garden, has been reestablished and maintained in part by Keyleth,[9][10] although it is still walled and not everyone can access it.[11]
Percival's workshop[]
The workshop is on a lower floor or basement directly beneath Lord de Rolo's office, and although it lacks windows, it has glowing and shimmering lights that could be magical.[12]
War room[]
Located on the second floor, in 843 PD the room had a large central chandelier, a great round table, and several tapestries portraying Vox Machina in multiple historical events.[13]
The Lord and Lady's old chambers[]
These used to be the chambers of Percy's parents, Lord Frederick de Rolo and Lady Johanna von Musel, although they were abandoned after the conflict with the Briarwoods. In addition to the bed, the room has a family portrait and a bookshelf on which the second to last book to the right in the third shelf, which lacks a title on the spine, activates a mechanism that gives access to a passage.[14]
The tunnels[]
The entrance to the secret stairs was eventually walled up, and written on it was a message for curious de Rolo children: "Clever as you are, there is nothing for you here. Now go find your mother and apologize." It used to open on downward stairs leading to several rooms, including Delilah Briarwood's haunted workroom/laboratory[15] and a luxurious room where Sylas Briarwood's coffin used to be. These tunnels extended below Whitestone and at least one of them connected with a well in the Parchwood Timberlands.[16] Everything that had been left in the chambers of the tunnels was destroyed after the de Rolo family reclaimed their home, and in 843 PD Fearne Calloway set the rest on fire.[17]
Staff[]
In 843 PD:
- Simon, a cook
- Jeanine, a nice woman in her forties[18]
In 812 PD:
- Varon, the chef
During the Briarwood occupation:
- Alexander, a handsome man in his twenties, killed as a subject of Lord and Lady Briarwood, returned as a specter[19]
- Tethany, a woman in her late teens, killed as a subject of Lord and Lady Briarwood, returned as a specter[20]
- Vincent, an older man, killed as a subject of Lord and Lady Briarwood, returned as a specter[21]
Trivia[]
- The castle has magical protections that prevent its occupants from being spied on from afar by magical means.[22]
- It is possible that as of 843 PD, the castle has electrical power since at least two rooms (Percy's workshop and the War Room) are described as having unusual lighting that could be magical.
- Right after Vox Machina returned from Pandemonium after rescuing Grog and Shanak the githzerai, the latter, after recovering his sanity thanks to Pike's magic, offered the gnome cleric a gift, and when she expressed how important her friends were for her, the anarch used his powers to create metal statues of the adventurers and Lieve'tel Toluse in the courtyard where they had been speaking.[23] It is unknown if this improvised monument stayed there as it was, or if, as of 843 PD, it has been moved or modified in any way.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 79.
- ↑ See "A Desperate Call" (3x36) at 13:53.
- ↑ See "Against the Tide of Bone" (1x32) at 3:08:25.
- ↑ See "Race to the Ziggurat" (1x34) at 0:11:24.
- ↑ See "Race to the Ziggurat" (1x34) at 2:13:58.
- ↑ See "Winter's Crest in Whitestone" (1x36) at 0:32:43.
- ↑ See "One Year Later..." (1x95) at 31:52. See also the completion of the circle at at 2:35:27.
- ↑ See "Fractures" (3x78) at 1:11:49.
- ↑ See "The Legend of Vox Machina Episodes 10-12 Q&A" at 47:50
- ↑ See "Family Matters" (1x96) at 0:41:02.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 77.
- ↑ See "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76) at 0:24:04.
- ↑ See "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76) at 1:44:21.
- ↑ See "The Promise and the Price" (3x77) from 0:35:57 through 0:47:02.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Shard Candy" (4SDx19) at 2:17:26. Delilah's laboratory was haunted by the spirits of those servants and others she killed there.
- ↑ See "Fractures" (3x78) at 1:26:20.
- ↑ See "The Promise and the Price" (3x77) from 0:46:34 through 1:48:19.
- ↑ See "The Promise and the Price" (3x77) at 0:34:18.
- ↑ See "The Promise and the Price" (3x77) at 1:25:37.
- ↑ See "The Promise and the Price" (3x77) at 1:25:37.
- ↑ See "The Promise and the Price" (3x77) at 1:25:37.
- ↑ See "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76) at 0:29:06.
- ↑ See "The Search For Bob" (Sx45) at 3:45:59.
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of Whitestone Castle, by Alika Gupta (source). Used with permission.
| |||||
| |||||||||||||||||||