Carreghael

Carreghael was a stronghold located in North-Eastern Xylon.

Constructed by Carreg the Stonemason during the First Age in the year 273 AC, it served as the stronghold for the unnamed tribe that Carreg was chief of (referred to as "Carreg's Tribe"). It was used from 273 AC until 306 AC, when its inhabitants were killed in the Slaughter of 306 and left to ruin.

It was used as Xzyneth's base of operations during his Rebellion in 424 AC, until he was killed by Xypsis at the Battle of Aglyon in 518 AC. The stronghold was since abandoned.

Construction
Carreghael was constructed by Carreg the Stonemason after having been instructed by Forhwyl to "Build something anew/From what is already there".

Though the runic slabs don't precisely specify, it is presumed that construction on Carreghael started around 265/70 AC, and was continuously worked on over the years.

Carreg's Rule
Not much information is known about the short history of Carreg's rule over Carreghael, but the information found on the runic slabs suggest that it was mostly used for living purposes (cooking, training, worship, etc.), as well as often used for treating with other tribal leaders. It is written that in 291 AC Carreg entertained tribal leader Rygnel the Brave, and saved him from an assassination attempt. This lead to an alliance that would live on until the last of Carreg's Tribe died out in 350 AC.

The Slaughter
In 306 AC, tribal leader Zanthym of the Zorothym tribe and his allies lead a series of brutal and unexpected attacks against several other Xylonian tribes, an event which came to be known as the Slaughter of 306. In this event, Carreghael was sacked by members of the Petryx tribe, leading most of its inhabitants to be killed, including Carreg himself. Those who managed to escape the stronghold were killed by others outside. Carreghael was afterwards burned, killing any survivors that remained within.

Abandonment
Most of the furniture within the stronghold was destroyed the attackers, and the fires from the burning led to the stone being badly burnt and cracked. Like many of the places sacked during the Slaughter, it was considered ill luck to go into it, and thus was left abandoned for the next 118 years.

Xzyneth's Rule
When Xzyneth rebelled against his father in 424 AC, he fled from his father's lands in search of refuge. He chose to settle his base in the ruins of Carreghael. It was there he would gain power, forming alliances with other tribes who were also against Xypsis and wanted his power. It was also there in 431 AC, on the field below the steps of Carreghael, where Xzyneth killed his father when he came to treat with his son over the skirmishes they'd been having. Xzyneth afterwards sent men over to deliver his Xypsis' corpse to his mother, Lithaire, who then lost her Godstones to revive him and give him God-like immortality.

When Xzyneth was killed by Xypsis at the Battle of Aglyon in 518 AC, the defense of Carreghael quickly fell apart and it was abandoned once again.

Aftermath
After Xzyneth lost control of the stronghold, Carreghael was permanently left abandoned. Though there had been visitors over the centuries (mostly explorers and adventurers looking for plunder), the only last real interaction was when the runic slabs were discovered within the cellars of the fortress in 1238 AC, during the Third Age, and sent to the Scholars in Paragrynn for translating. Those slabs are where we got much of the information of Carreghael's early history.

Description
Though it was considered a castle, Carreghael was actually a large system of subterranean caverns within the mountain it was built on. The exterior of the cave's mouth was carved out and decorated, namely with stone statues of the Gods (as well as one of Carreg himself) placed within sections cut from the rock. The largest of these was the statue of Fawrion, which was directly above the doorway. Above the door but below Fawrion's statue was a small plaque cut into the stone, which has the date of construction as well as the builder. The door was a large section of wood that covered the mouth of the main cave, with a smaller functioning door cut into it. Steps cut into the stone lead up to the enterance. Below the staircase was a large field, where Carreg and his tribe kept the livestock.

The interior of the stronghold was a series of large caves that had been carved and polished to make it suitable for living. The caves closer to the surface were more ornate, while the ones lower were less developed. The furniture found within the caves were cut directly from the stone, such as the dining table and chairs in the Great Hall and the throne that Carreg sat on. The rooms closer to the surface were made primarily for the use of people, such as dining areas, kicthens, bedrooms, places of worship, while the lower levels ones were mainly used for storage. The lowest cavern of the stronghold was a system of jail cells. Along the walls "art" was cut into the stone, crude drawings depicting battles and the Gods.