The ruins known as Taurell's Tower are remarkably whole. This is a half finished castle, partially collapsed. What is left is a huge central round tower, a gate house, central hall and three curtain walls. Some sections are crumbling. Ivy and moss creep are creeping over many of the stones and walls. Scattered about the central ruin are jagged stones and a few odd piles of bricks.
Taurell's Tower is located in a large clearing in a valley in the northern stretches of the Grand Wood in Ithria.
Known HistoryThis great construction is nothing more than a half finished castle. It's construction began in 1282 CY for a half elven noble lord named Brisang Taurell. He was a military commander who had served as a Cyrellian ambassador to Arkalia and served the nobility of both nations. His success had made him quite wealthy. In his elder years, he was rewarded with titles and lands in the north Grandwood. Lord Taurell wished to build a great duchy on the borders of those two great nations and became obsessed with building a castle worthy of strengthening the ties between them.
However, the construction of the castle was plagued with problems and then abruptly halted in 1296 CY. Historical documents from the time conflict somewhat as to the exact cause of the problems. Lord Taurell vanished in 1297 CY. The north Grand Wood became a dangerous place for many years later with orcs, goblins, trolls and other foul races. Dark beasts began to prowl the woods and gangs of bloodthirsty bandits attacked caravans.
At least two attempts have been made to reclaim the valley and finish the construction of Taurell's Tower. Both failed. The first attempt in 1715 CY suffered problems. Several workers and leaders died under mysterious circumstances. Many of the workers began to leave. One month into the work, the entire construction crew vanished in the night. The workers' camp was destroyed. Only blood stains and wreckage were found.
The second attempt occurred in 2158 CY. The noble Lord Jonas Korrington and his entourage of henchman, men-at-arms and hirelings set up a camp and began to work on clearing the area. Lord Korrington had decided to claim the ruins for himself and make the castle his new home. Many common laborers from the region were hired and brought in to rebuild the ruin. During the work, the paladin lord's wife, the Lady Korrington, joined her husband at the camp. Some three weeks into the work, there were odd sightings - strange lights and sounds in the forest. One night, Lady Korrington was abducted by strange creatures who fled with their captive into the bowels of the ruined keep. Lord Korrington strapped on his armor and led his men in pursuit. All of them were promised a kingly reward. Almost all of them went - henchmen, workers, mercenaries - a veritable army poured down the stairs and into the dungeon levels beneath the keep. Not one of them returned. The few laborers who had remained on the surface to guard the camp soon fled, taking the story with them.
There have been no attempts to reclaim this ruin since.
The ruins of Taurell's Tower have stood unchanged for nearly 500 years. The elves of the Grand Wood and the villages in southwestern Arkalia both have various legends about the castle. Generally, the locals say its cursed and leave it alone. No one lives within a day's ride of the ruin.
This website was last updated February 29, 2024. Copyright 1990-2024 David M. Roomes.