Castle Raglan is one of the most ancient castles in the realm and no-one
knows who originally built it (or attempted to – some say it was never
finished). Legends say that it may even have pre-dated the Empire although that
would make the builders an even greater mystery. In any event it has served
Carandor well and acted as a symbol of stability on the eastern marches.
Having said that the Castle has its own peculiarities as will be seen from
the following description:-
The castle occupies the crown of a steep hill and the builders made full use
of the terrain to enhance the defences. The hill overlooks Lake Varnan in the
Eastern Marches and commands the approach to the Elvenwood. The nearby village
of Raglan (named after the castle rather than vice-versa) has a number of
traders of high reputation including a miller, a tanner and a brewer. These
businesses are owned by the castle. Five miles along the road to the Elvenwood
is the important trading town of Salar-Aelendil and protection of this town is
now the key function of this castle as far as the realm is concerned. Although
ideally the castle should be closer the town it can be seen from the
battlements and the presence of the castle (and the close proximity of the
Elven-realm, forty five miles to the east) are what defends Salar-Aelendil, as
it has no walls of its own.
The castle has five towers an equal distance apart each connected by massive
walls. The towers are of six stories with ten foot thick walls and the walls
between are two stories high and thirty foot thick, having internal
passageways. The quality of the stonework have led some to suggest that the
Dwarves may have been involved in the original building. What is remarkable is
that the walls defend a considerable area, each side of the castle being a full
300 feet. There is, however, no central building within these massive
defensives as one would expect, the only secure accommodation being within the
five towers and surrounding the gate, which is well-defended with four smaller
towers. This has led to the belief that the original builders never finished
their project. Although Raglan has not really had a garrison that could defend
its walls in a siege since the Ogre Wars of the 1170s, the towers themselves
are easily defensible having only third storey access and their own connected
passageways.
Various attempts have been made to modify the structure with little success,
and in 1256 Duke Anric proposed to demolish it and use the stone to create a
new fortress nearby. His masons, however, reported that quarrying the
exceptionally hard stone from the castle walls was no easy job and the project
was abandoned.
As the castle now stands, one tower has been kept in good repair and is
immediately habitable (although not necessarily furnished to the standards of a
noble of the realm – the previous inhabitant Ballic the Mad apparently had
simple tastes). One further tower and the gatehouse complex would need
refurbishment. The other three towers have not been inhabited for some time and
although sound of structure would need considerable work. The estimate is
8,500 gps of which 3,500gps of funds are available from back taxes etc. There
is also currently a stable block (erected by Ballic) which can house 20 horses.