Shanjiu Castle

Shanjiu Castle

Shanjiu Castle as depicted by local artist and regent Ci

Shanjiu Castle began as just Shanjiu Keep, but as an outwall was built and protection offered, people gathered and have built up the surrounding areas into a small town. Additionally, other members of The Eternal Order have established their own footholds in and around the castle walls.

Shanjiu Keep

Exterior view of Shanjiu Keep

Memorial to Jorg un'Dal

Formerly known as Cragmaw Keep (see Game-Summaries:4/14 Recollections), Shanjiu Keep was purchased by The Eternal Order on 9/21/346 and renovations on the partially ruined structure began. The Keep, when completed, will serve as a Sanctuary and Training Ground for novices and monks of The Order of Shan Sua, an unofficial headquarters for The Eternal Order, 245th initiate class of The Magistery, and as a memorial to one of The Eternal Order's fallen members, Jorg un'Dal. An plaque and eternal flame marks the place Jorg fell in service of the Magistery and in defense of his companions.

Shanjiu Keep is named both in remembrance of Jorg and in honor of the home of The Order of Shan Sua. In Yanji, the philosophy and language of the monks of Shan Sua, "Shanjiu" means "Mountain's Rest." The keep features three interior floors, a fourth floor with Battlements and Servant's Quarters and four Towers on two levels. The original keep and it's renovation is done in a style typical to Eomas, however the servants quarters and Towers, added during renovations by The Eternal Order, were completed in the style of the monks of Shan Sua. Indeed, craftsmen from the Temple of Shan Sua were imported specifically for their construction.

Auallonia Sanitatem

Dereth's temple to Viviene

Twilight Spires

Rezik's & Gramph's Lair

Ravenwood Training Camp

Tallulah's Training Grounds & Ranger's Lodge

Vanivachi

Iago's theater & entertainment establishment.

A retainer unit of Bearded Devils serve as the house actors and performers as well as a support unit in battle.

Temple of Eternal Renewal

Amon's temple to Taiia

Skilled Artisans

• Alchemist (5th level): Morwen keeps the alchemy lab in chaotic, but well working order and can assist with lorecrafting and potion brewing. Using Morwen's laboratory provides a 50% discount on time and cost for any alchemical crafting including most wondrous items and potions.
• Blacksmith (5th level): Dain, the blacksmith, and forge can be employed to craft specific items, otherwise Dain simply maintains the keep, armory, and provides assistance to those who need it. Using Dain's forge provides a 50% discount on time and cost for any smith-related work.
• Mason (5th level): Bleth Thorsson keeps the keep in good repair, though her tools are limited she provides 250gp worth of repairs per week and decreases the cost of stonework upgrades by 50% thanks to a quarry discovered locally. Also, she's Jeroy's mom.
• Miner (5th level): Zoran Steeleye works a nearby mine discovered during the excavation of Gramph's lair to provide raw materials to Dain for forging new armors and weaponry. Zoran provides an estimated 2500gp of profits per season, as well as supplying the keep with raw ores.
• Sage (5th level): Brianna Trewarthen keeps the library maintained and tidy although most of her personal work remains somewhat secret, a condition of her free service, she is willing to assist in research as needed. Tasking her with research can provide advantage on your next encounter, or help you negate a creatures' resistance.
• Scribe (5th level): Bouncing between the laboratory, library and artificery, Havarseth Bluefingers maintains a small tannery within the artificery for creating magical scrolls. Her assistance provides a 50% discount in both cost and time when scribing scrolls in the artificery. Hav also loves crafting protection scrolls and if you present her with the heart of a beast she will return a protection against that type of monster within a few days.
• Miner (5th level): Flint works to intelligently excavate Twilight Spires (Rezik and Gramph's underground lair) and reserve valuable ores to bolster castle supplies and sell excess, generating 2500gp of profits per season.

Retainers

• Arwel Mithmirelen is a half-elf druid warden sworn to Ci
• Caydranth is a bronze dragonborn warlock alienist sworn to Ci
• [Haethorwen] is an Autumnal Courtier (Eladrin) sworn to both Iago & Ci
• Shabina Taika is a Chaos Mage sworn to Tallulah
• Aeron Drygen is a Executioner sworn to Tallulah
• Nelle Laronte is a Cutpurse sworn to Tallulah
• Lieutenant Cordite is a Cleric sworn to Jeroy

Units Garrisoned at Shanjiu Castle

Shanjiu Castle maintains offensive and defensive Units for use in and around the demesne of the Castle.

• Shanjiu Guards - Human Green Medium Guard Units reporting to Ci
• Shanjiu Defenders - Human Veteran Medium Infantry Units reporting to Ci
• Archers of the Autumn - Eladrin Regular Medium Archers reporting to Ci
• Chainbreakers - Dwarf Regular Regular Heavy Infantry reporting to Ci
• Dragon Walkers - Monk Apprentice Light Infantry reporting to Ci
• The Bolt Throwers - Ballistae (and operators) that report to Ci
• The Flying Thespians - Bearded Devil unit reporting to Iago
• Human Soldiers - Human light infantry reporting to Dereth
• Battle Wizards - Wizards that report to Rezik

Other Allies

• Quetzl the Couatl
• Neda Dimhelm (Dwarven Ambassador for clan Stoneshaft)
• [Haethorwen] (Eladrin Ambassador)
• Siamsi, a flesh golem of unknown origin
• Eternia - an Elder Unicorn

Domain Effects

Domain Effects for all who live and work in the region presided over by Shanjiu Castle (an 80 mile swath of land, also known as a hex) include:

• Shan Sua Temperance: Creatures age more slowly within the domain, nobody is certain how much more slowly but we know that the aging process has slowed (Ci)
• Shan Sua Temperance: Violence of any kind in the domain has a chance of summoning an axiom of law who immediately ends the violence, only Ci can reverse these effects (Ci)
• Nature's Explorer: The Eternal Order treat the land within the domain as favored terrain when moving units, Enemy units treat it as difficult terrain (Tallulah)
• Twilight Sight: By concentrating for 10 minutes, Rezik can scry on any person or location in their domain as per the scrying spell. Rezik can do this while anywhere, including another plane. (Rezik)
• Eolian: Whenever the wind blows through the trees in the bard's domain, music plays. Hooves on roads beat out a complex rhythm. (Iago)

Stronghold Actions

As long as you are within your domain, you may exert each of your stronghold actions once per week:

Shanjiu Keep (Ci)

• Diamond Skin: For 6 seconds, or until the end of the next round, the regent's skin becomes diamond, for the duration they are immune to all but psychic damage
• Way of a Hundred Fists: You may make eight unarmed attacks against an adjacent enemy
• Restorative Will: You regain all ki, as though they had finished a long rest

Twilight Spires (Rezik)

• Freeze, Bad Guys!: You cast flesh to stone on all enemies within 60 feet. This does not use a spell slot.

Ravenwood Training Camp (Tallulah)

• Woodland Aid: Conjure Animals from your favored terrain to aid you in battle.

Sanitatem Auallonia (Dereth)

• Viviene's Purge: All enemies within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or suffer the effects of the contagion spell

Temple of Eternal Renewal (Amon)

• Taiia's Fire: Shafts of golden light stab down from the sky, penetrating walls and ceilings. The beams target all undead, demons, and aberrations within 60 feet of you, even those hidden or invisible. Targets must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be annihilated

Vanivachi (Iago)

• Revelation: Until initiative count 20 on the next round, all inspiration dice produce their maximum result when rolled, followed by the sounding of a two-note chord: one root note and another a fifth higher than the root.

Shanjiu Keep Layout and Rooms

Stained glass window in the Great Hall of Shanjiu Keep.

Food is served to all occupants of the keep throughout the day in the great hall of the keep. All eat together - visitors, guests, dignitaries - in the style of the Monks of Shan Sua. Once a week a grand meal is served, quite different from the simple fare served during the week. Monks read from the Book of the Mountain, an honored Yanji text, and other visitors are encouraged to share tales and stories from their own faiths or travels. Visitors to these banquets, report feeling uncommonly inspired by these weekly gatherings.

The center of the Great Hall features an Eternal Flame and small plaque which serve as a memorial to Jorg un'Dal, the Mountain.

• On the first floor of Shanjiu keep there exists:
  • Grand Hall (Dining area and entrance)
  • The Kitchens
  • A memorial to our fallen ally, Jorg of house Dal
  • The Forge
    • Shanjiu Keep features an Armory to store and maintain arms and armor for a small host of defenders. When under attack, this allows serving persons, workmen, as a well as visitors in the keep to mount a competent defense.
  • The Library
  • A teleportation circle (Formerly a permanent gate)
    • Shanjiu Castle is permanently connected to the Magistery through a magical gate, made possible by the Magistery's use of the Ley-line Infuser.
  • Artificery
  • Alchemist's Laboratory
  • Non-denominational Chapel
• On the second floor:
  • War Room
  • Personal Bedrooms for the Eternal Order
    • Each member of The Eternal Order keeps a room at the keep for their own use. Many of these rooms have been personalized to reflect the whims of their owners. The monk Ci lives in the keep nearly full time, when not on assignment for the Magistery. He keeps a room in the base of the North West tower where he meditates and practices, and directs the day-to-day operations of the Keep and the chapel, as well as the training of novice monks.
• On the third floor:
  • House staff quarters
  • Tower entrances
• The fourth floor comprises the general roof and four towers
  • Tower 1 (NW)
  • Tower 2 (NE)
  • Tower 3 (SW)
  • Tower 4 (SE)
• Additionally, outside of the keep but within the castle confines:
  • Caravansary
  • Training Grounds