In the decades since the Eldritch War, the Seasons Calendar has become the communal way to mark the days, no matter the race or origin of those that call the world of Isekai their home.
Centuries before even the Divine Races of Isekai would set foot upon the land, the gods found themselves divided by their tenets, choosing to fall in line with those others that shared their thoughts.
The large Kingdoms of Isekai agreed upon a standard trade for the value of metals. This allowed each area to mint their own coins with images and historical icons but still have them be useful during trade during travels to far off lands.
On midnight of the 29th of Winter's Morning, jet black runes inlaid into the floor of the cavern begin glowing with an ethereal light. The circle of runes that mark the veil between Káto and the Lost Paths are invisible to the normal eye.
On the Eve of Harrowing, a mass of black stalagmites bubble from the cavern floor brought forth from a ring of ancient runes carved into the stone.
A great iron door swings open as you pass, revealing blood, more than you thought could ever come from a creature. The oaken floors are painted with it, as if some demented painter had taken a brush to the puddle.
The Frozen Soul seems to be something that is tied to the Harrowing, but no one can be sure as others in Káto, far deeper than the light reachers, have been struck with it.
Another door with cryptic carvings in words of warning await those that enter the Castle of the Damned. An oaken door falls open, creaking on broken hinges to reveal a bloody room, parts of humanoids and monsters alike resting in piles.
Blackened dire wolves are an anomaly of Káto, an undead creature that does not make sense being in the depths of the underground when its living counterpart is only found in the forests and hills of the surface world.
Elegant Sylvan script is inlaid into an oak door that rests in a golden archway. Few can read the language of the fey, & fewer still can be to comprehend the warning that the castle gives to its visitors. But this door is unlike any others in the Castle.
The Map of the Damned is meant to be a map of the intricate pattern of rooms that exist in the Castle of the Damned. Unfortunately, due to the twisted magic of the castle and the creator of the map itself, the map often tends to serve as more of a trap.
The Knights of Yggdrasil have many duties, but nothing seems more important than the preparations for the winter and the Snowfell. The war with the Giants had happened in the depth of winter, when the Elves were huddled and weak.
The ashen winds of the Harrowing are odd even by Káto standards. It does not rain or snow in Káto, making the phenomena of the ash-like snow so curious. Many assume it's a trick of the light, causing snow like that on the surface to look black.
The Castle of the Damned has grown its armor, the vines strengthening and tightening around the stone structure as the bell tolls and the Eve of Harrowing becomes the Harrowing once more.
Eldrin Ylyndar swore an oath, to the King, to his people, to all who wished for the safety of the walls of Yllvalion. The name Ylyndar and the Knights of Yggdrasil would stand as a beacon of hope on the dark edge of the Neither Tundra.
From a time far before the northern part of the Elven Forest was settled, before the Knights of Yggdrasil & the Northern Outposts were established, the Llanowars served as mercenaries, traveling the Spine and providing their services to whoever could pay.
A child of the Underdark, Miz'ri finds herself one that looks more towards the light instead of deeper into the abyss of her home. Possibly forsaking her homeland, she steps into the light, a self-imposed exile to the surface.
A large gem, clearer than the sky above the frost-bitten tundra, rests on a pedestal, in the center of a courtyard of the snow-covered Ylmaris Citadel. This great gem, colorless under the sun, crystal-like, is the treasure of Yllvalion.
The story that the Bard begins to tell in song is one only heard once a year, but it is the reason that all can stand fearless within the walls of Yllvalion.
Another bell tolls as the clock strikes midnight, marking the beginning of the Harrowing. The yawning mouth of the Castle of the Damned slowly begins to open, spilling light into the darkness, beckoning all who dare to enter.
Instead, the Matrons and others of the houses hire the faceless, those that roam in black cloaks with shadowed faces, to do the deeds none wish to do. It is an odd life for those that are in the Black Cloak.
Giant lizards in shades of blacks and greens step deftly through the cragged and rocky floors of Káto tunnels. Their tails swish quietly behind them as these behemoths move silently along the paths.
Broken and shattered, the cragged peaks of the Castle of the Damned slowly begin to descend, slipping their way through the stone floor of Káto back to their resting place.
The Giant Koi of the lake was released as a tiny fish, growing to a great size over her decades, possibly centuries in the lake. Early on, once she had grown larger than any koi before, fisherman and many others attempted to catch her.
Sunset falls on a warm autumn day, the crisp air holding excitement as the orange orb of the moon rises above the horizon, alighting the forest in the colors of a blaze.
Rooms of the Castle of the Damned play upon the fear of those who dare to enter, but some rooms choose to play on other emotions, such as greed or pride. Only the greediest of adventurers will find the hidden door tucked away under the Skeletal Staircase.
Comments