THE VISTA CASTLE |
Santharian castle located in the hill-lands of the outer Rimmerins Ring around the capital Santhala, close to the Anaios Gap. The castle lies exactly within the so-called Hell's Fork of the Thaehelvil River, at the location where the river seperates in two arms. While the one arm leads to the Dark Hills to the south with the Vale of Brownies nearby, the other arm drops thousands of peds into the Anaios Gap, an enormous crack in the surface caused by an earthquake which took place at approx. 1420 b.S. The extraordinary spectacle of the river dropping into the depths as a gigantic waterfall can be viewed in astonishing details from the position of the castle. This is also the reason why Vista Castle always has been an attraction for visitors from far way who don't want to miss viewing the wondrous Anaios Falls.
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The History of Vista Castle.
From the historical point of view Vista Castle also is mentioned several times
in the annals of Santharia and - of course - of the
ancient kingdom of Eyelia, of which
the former Vista once was proud capital. However, it is reported that the
terrible earthquake in the 15th century b.S. cut through the thriving town like
"an elemental maw from hell opening suddenly in order to devour the falseness of
pride and wealth reigning the city" - as written in the "Purgatoria" by the
cleric Stinus of Vista from the church of the Silver Cross. Many people who
survived the catastrophy left the doomed town immediately, many also turned
their back to the kingdom
and sought refuge mainly in the eastern, economically rich lands of Serpheloria. Within a few weeks
Vista was reduced to a small ghost village. Only the mostly unharmed castle
still reminded of the once better days. The Eyelian king and beastmaster
Taranthir I. left Vista and his castle as well and moved his residence to the
south, in the central Rimmerins Ring, to a place the
elves called Es'daín (elvish "Place in the
day"). This place should later on be renamed to Santhala
and become the Santharian capital.
Though Vista Castle was still maintained after the earthquake it was soon
forgotten and several times easily overrun by enemy forces in the Sarvonian
Wars. This is mainly due to it's bad strategical position it inherited from the
catastrophy. On the other hand the name of Vista is still remembered in the
United Kingdom as Vista was one of the first in a
series of castles which initiated the re-conquering of the southern Sarvonian
continent from the hands of the orcs during SW
III. Vista Castle was stormed by united
Serphelorian and
Avennorian forces in 208 b.S. and
aside from a landslide victory on the battlefield the troups also succeeded in
rescuing the abducted Iva, the second daugther of the regent Aehlemost and
princess of Eyelia.
Information provided by
Artimidor
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