Ceril's Keep

Ceril's Keep

Location	The south-western tip of Eden above the Al'hadar deep in The Hadrian Empire
Built	1521
Races	Attian Humans
Nation	The Hadrian Empire
Stewards	House Vianden

Introduction

Cerils Keep. One of the major fortresses that guard Hadrianas borders against external threats and forces. The fortress is one of two fortresses that are within the County of Revedin. Cerils’ Keep is also the oldest. It was named after Cerilius De Augaussi, the Count who led the first great genocide against the Hinterland peoples, realistically ending the war. Its old walls protect the men inside from the harsh waves that break upon its black stone cliffs, as well as hold out against the strong winds. The southern part of the Keep boasts the beautiful view of the Sea and the mighty city of Al-Jabrid, while the northern part of the Keep faces the ominous Blackwood Forest, that covers the majority of the County of Revedin.

Location

Southwestern Hadriana. The Keep is located right across from the island that hosts the new Al-Khadiri city of Al-Jabrid. The region is called the County of Revedin. The County of Revedin has been under the control of the De Augaussi family ever since after the 90 years war. The County was founded over old Hinterland territory.

What it is in Present time

Cerils’ Keep is a fortress under the protection of the De Augaussi family of the Kingdom of Hadriana. It is a military stronghold for the Kingdom intended to protect its southern border and coastline from any naval threat from the south. It is also used as a trade hub between the Kingdom of Hadriana and the Sultanate of Al-Khadir.

History

The region where the Keep stands upon used to be called the Southward peak, for its geographical sharp edge southward. This region used to be a center of trade and commerce for the people of the Hinterlands, as well as a major population sector. At the Southward peak stood a great Hintish fortress that guarded the northern town near the heart of the Blackwood Forest. The name of the town and fortress both are forgotten, which was no incident. However, the region is still remembered. Its name in Hintish was once Ravensduyne, one of the largest and most militaristic regions of the Hinterlands. At the outbreak of the 90 years war, the Hinterlanders were able to stand strong against Attian forces for the first few years. Only until the battle at the peak were the Attians able to secure a first major victory against the Hinterlanders. The Count of the Augaussi family at the time was Cerilius De Augaussi. He was tasked to begin the invasion of Ravensduyne, to secure the region for further advancements Eastward into the heartland of the Hinterlands.

Within a mere fortnight, the entire North of Ravensduyne was overrun with Cerilius’s forces, as the bulk of their force was defending the East from Attian advancements. The advancement drove so far south that the Capital of Ravensduyne was even captured. In the capture of the Ravensduyne capital, the noble family of the Ravensduyne chieftain were captured. The head of their family held the Keep at the peak against Attian advancements. The siege of the peak lasted for a week until negotiations for peace and surrender had begun to occur. Although members from both sides began to despise these negotiations for peace, as the hatred was strong between both grounds, only the Hinterlanders acted upon this. During a night of peaceful discussions between the noble of Ravensduyne and Cerilius De Augaussi, a rogue archer had fired upon Cerilius, who was saved by his uncle who had lunged in front of him and died upon the arrow connecting with his neck. In rage and wrath, Cerilius at that moment had ordered the siege to continue without remorse and had put the noble of Ravensduyne to the sword then and there. Due to the keep being under the promise of peace at that time, the Keep was not well guarded and thus fell that night. A total of 3 000 Hinterland soldiers were guarding the Keep, and almost all were put to the sword, with few being able to flee before the slaughter reached them. The next day Cerilius’s forces marched back to the capital of Ravensduyne and put the entire town of 15 000 to the sword, including the entire noble family.

This marked the first major victory for the Attian forces and was the first major change in the course of the war. The battle afterward was called the slaughter at Ravensduyne. This region of the Hinterlands did not see any major battles for the rest of the war, except for minor skirmishes and raiding parties. It was used mainly as a launching point of Attian forces eastward. However, the ruins of the old capital and the fort stayed, unmanned and unattended, until after the war. Cerilius’s son, Varindith, foresaw the transition of the land from the now-deceased noble family of Ravensduyne to the Augaussi family, who renamed it Revedin. Varindith oversaw the reconstruction of the keep and renamed it to Ceril’s Keep in honour of his father and his great victory. The Keep did not see any combat until the time of the rotting plague.

During the rotting plague, the Kingdom of Hadriana was swept by its infectious speed and severity. The Kingdom had shut down and ignored much of their people in their time of need. Cerils’ Keep was nearly abandoned by orders of the Count of Revedin at the time, whose name is forgotten by many. A mere skeleton crew manned the castle, and thus it began to fall into disarray from lack of maintenance and harsh storms upon it. A mere three months after the garrison was called back to the Kingdom it was attacked by a group of heretics. This group was able to scale the walls at night and take the castle within three days. For the first day the garrison held in the main hall, but only lasted until the third way when the heretics broke through their defenses and slaughtered them all. They held the keep until 1512, a year after the plague had subsided and the civil war had ended. The new royal family of the Withmonds had consolidated power and had wiped out the minor threat of the heretics in the keep. However, they did not repair or repopulate it with soldiers. It was only rebuilt with the return of the Augaussi family from exile, led by Count Vivan De Augaussi in the year 1521. Now it is rebuilt to its old self, as well as manned by a large force of Hadrian Man-At-Arms.

Trivia

Hinterlanders rarely visit the Keep due to its history. Count Cerilius is also never mentioned within the halls of the Keep, as tales say that those who say his name end up killed within the week. As stated, its southern portion faces the Sea, and there is a bridge connecting the island of Al-Jabrid to the mainland of Hadriana. Its northern portion faces the Blackwood forest, and northward to Hadriana. Its architecture resembles Adrienne, the capital of the County of Revedin, and other Augaussi led settlements and fortresses. However, Cerils’ Keep does boast its unique architecture as it is a mix of Augaussi-Attian architecture and Hintish. The foundations of the old Hintish fortress remain and were built upon by the Augaussis. The old stables and storage underneath the castle are the mere foundations of the fort of old.