Torlynn Castle was an ancient stone stucture and the focal point from which human rulers governed the country of Torlynn. The castle had enjoyed at least eleven different rulers during its four hundred years.
The construction of the castle was commissioned in unctual year 3484. It was erected in honor of Cyrus Althalos Torlynn, who had discovered the country and for whom the realm was eventually named. The castle was constructed by goblin slaves, with whom Cyrus Torlynn had been at war, and whose lives he agreed to spare in exchange for their manual labor. The castle was completed four years later. All told, the grounds measured approximately 400,000 square feet.
The castle had, at one time, been intended to be the stronghold from which the Circle of the Thirteen would flourish and prosper, until their elite guild of wizards was disbanded.
Though not known to the general populace, the castle was constructed on top of a piece of the World-Breaker, with a secret door leading to a hidden chamber containing the artifact. The main keep had also been built on top of a secret, hidden airship of stone.
The castle was built as a stronghold, capable of repelling most known forms of invasion. It boasted five flights of stairs. A large moat surrounded the perimiter of the castle, at least 33 feet in depth, and there were long-standing rumors of a moat monster living within its depths (though in truth, this was an unsubstantiated fabrication; its only inhabitants were goldfish). A stone outer curtain protected the inner ward and courtyard, equipped with battlements for soldiers to traverse and arrow slits for archers to repel invaders. The castle was also equipped with a limited number of mobile defenses, such as a wheeled trebuchet. An alarm bell was fastened inside one of the turrets to alert the castle's denizens to emergency situations.
The castle was equipped with a dungeon, located at its lowest level in the sub-basement. The library archive was also at sub-basement level, boasting one of the largest collection of ancient texts in existence.
Other facilities included the throne room, the Hall of Relics, the royal bath house, the King's private chambers, guest quarters, the galley, and stables for the knights' horses.
The town of Torlynn was directly adjacent to the castle; the tournament arena, repurposed from an old gladitorial combat arena, was also close by.
The Lost Treasure of Torlynn[]
Berenger Papillon ascended to the throne in unctual year 3867, and would rule the castle for the next 20 years. His royal court advisors included constable Leofrick Littleford, majordomo Woodward Campbell Babblebrook, and chamberlain Deorwynn Fletcher. His defense force included a company of at least ten Royal Knights, under the command of Captain of the Guards Brian Devonhyre.
The centuries-old castle would become the site of an important struggle, known to history as the Battle of Torlynn, in 3887 when a company of moth warriors, accompanied by the butterfly princess Mariposa and the humans "Four" Wheeler and Christabel Miller, attacked the castle in an attempt to free several butterfly people who were being held captive in the dungeon. The battle resulted in the inadvertant death of King Papillon. At Deorwynn's suggestion, Four would be named the next ruler of Torlynn Castle; Christabel briefly served as Mistress of Science, while Mariposa later joined Four as his Queen.
The Quest for the World-Breaker[]
Four resided in the castle during his rule, though Mariposa found its stone cold walls to be largely inhospitable. Due to manipulation by Lady Deorwynn, Four and Mariposa were eventually dethroned in 3889.
The castle was later attacked by goblins aboard the airship Xanthippe, seeking retribution for their ancestors who had been forced to build it. They bombarded the castle with cannon fire, demolishing the outer curtain. It was during this attack that pirate captain Mirabel Miller entered the castle and removed the piece of the World-Breaker that had been hidden beneath the castle. After Forever the dragon attacked the crew on board Xanthippe, the unmanned airship crashed into Torlynn Castle, effectively destroying it.
Brian Devonhyre briefly worked for the clean-up crew that had tried to mitigate the disaster, but this did not last for long.
Embarrassment of Riches[]
The ruins of the castle remained by 3892, some three years after its destruction. Looters occasionally scavenged the remains, and there were reports of poultrygeists. The Torlynn Township Committee was undecided whether to complete the castle's demolition or attempt to restore it; the point was moot, as they lacked the funding to attempt either.
The Veil of Souls[]
In 3894, Jenna Saiquois ventured into the castle debris, along with the head of Syzygy, to explore its remains and try to find the castle library archive. Her friends were trapped within an ancient facility in the middle of the Badlands, and only an airship could rescue them. It was her hope that she could discover an airship manifest and determine where the closest one might be.
After coming close to the remains of the sub-basement library, Syzygy was able to absorb the contents of the remaining books and texts. He discovered the existence of the ancient castle-ship beneath the main keep. After encountering a scavenging goblin named Guzzler, they recruited him to help them operate the airship and launch it in order to recover their friends from the Badlands.
Behind the Scenes[]
Torlynn was a fictional concept that predated the publication of the Butterfly Princess series. The author briefly flirted with the idea of writing stories based on the adventures of the characters he created for a tabletop role-playing game, and would have called the stories Tales of Torlynn, named after the fictional country in which the stories took place.
The square footage of the castle grounds was intended to be approximately twice the size of an average Walmart shopping center.