The Skôtish forest castle of Albeney located in the great Odenwald Forest, just north-west of the Yamato Mountain Range, was built by Angel Saxons between 15 AH and 19 AH as an outpost for their forces during the Great War. When the war was lost, they retreated to their stony halls beyond the mist and sold the castle to a powerful Skôtish family.After the First Invasion1
When the hordes of the Nordmen, the Angel Saxons, and the Old Gods marched into the Middle Lands, the Great War began and with it what would later be called the Age of Heroes.
, the Old Gods found the resistances of the Middle Lands far more adequate than they had initially expected. Though their first onslaught cut a suave into the north-east, they were quickly driven back by the Keepers who hammered their troops with awesome might.
Stone, Blood, and Magic
The Old Gods and their heralds, the Angel Saxons, were not ready to back down just because they had gotten a bloody nose. With the Kaltani, Skôts, and Gallians inhabiting the North not having the prowess to build castles of stone, an engineer corps of Angel Saxon builders arrived in the Odenwald, taking charge of the wooden Kaltani fort deep in its heart. They taught the Kaltani to quarry stone from a nearby deposit and had them construct log cabins around the vicinity of their fort, creating room for a small township of workers. More Kaltani and Skôts were brought in from surrounding villages, in particular the Gunger Valley, and they started their work on Albeney Castle, which would become the center of the newfounded town of Albeney. With their skilled craftsmanship and the hard labor of their brethren, the Angel Saxons raised high towers of breathtaking beauty from the ground, made of white stone that was polished to shine and inscribed with magical Angelscript1Angelscript is a sub-branch of craftsmanship, which can be applied to anything from construction to smithing, that involves engraving certain runes and patterns on surfaces while cutting pieces out of one's soul to imbue them with permanent magic. Structures and objects created with Angelscript may work only under certain conditions, and their effectiveness may increase when soulpower is channeled into it, much like spell ink mandalas work.
to maintain its luster and deflect stones with ease.
So mighty were the scripts of the Angel Saxon craftsmen, who poured their very souls into their magic, blighting their hair paper-white and their eyes cobalt blue, that it was able to deflect other magic directed at the castle; at least to a certain extent. Though the Angelscript would not nullify magic the way the Brotherhood of the Null can, magic would bend around the walls of Albeney Castle, harmlessly striking the houses behind it.
The Seat of Power
After the construction was completed in the 19th year of the Great War, Odin, All-father, decreed that his great forest should be ruled by a great king in his stead. He arrived with an envoy of his children and select Valkyries on the eve of the last day of the third month, flocks of ravens heralding his arrival.Caw, caw, caw! Black wings were aflutter in the great Odenwald. The familiars of Wôtan had gathered from all the lands to pay homage to their lord, and we, the lowly Nordmen, we bowed our heads as well as they arrived in all their splendor: Wôtan, Hnoss, Gersemi, Thor, and the mightiest Valkyries of our Lord. Of course, Frey-ja and her Platoon were still at the front-lines, driving the fear of the gods into the hearts of fat Middlish pigs... But lo! When Wôtan passed by our ranks, he raised both his hands and spoke: "Bow not your heads, my children; We all are warriors here, and bowing is for the defeated! Chin up, and rejoice in the glory of splendid walls you have raised from the dirt!" And so we raised our heads and beheld the castle we had built. And I swear, it shone as bright as the moon in that moment, all the Angelscript the masters had etched into the stone lit up like the stars in the night sky, and all the lights shone down on Wôtan it seemed, bathing him as though it was his birthright. Of course, it was... "Now, hear the name of your new king!" Wôtan proclaimed. "Step forth, Rakni of Winlea!" And forth he stepped, tall, blessed with golden hair that showed the Angel White in many strands, eyes as green as emeralds, and hard as granite. He had led the mighty builders of the Angel Saxons who had made the castle possible. Now he would lead us all. All around, the crows had redoubled their clamor, but now they cawed his name! Rakni, Rakni, Rakni! And as they did, so we too took up the call: Rakni, Rakni, Rakni! None would stand against Albeney Castle; none would stand against Rakni of Winlea and his men!
