Castles
Castles (synonyms: fortresses, keeps, bastions; example toponyms: Castle Sterling, Greenmott Keep) are fortified complexes designed to protect their inhabitants and/or lay claim and secure territory. They may be adjacent to or located within towns, villages, or cities. They may be located near borders, in borderlands, or along frontiers. Often castles are situated atop a hill or mountain, near a river, canyon, or chasm, or be situated on an island, sea stack, or peninsula to provide additional protection from invasion. Castles may contain castle walls, gatehouses, keeps, great halls, towers, granaries, and stables. They may be home to lords, knights, peasants, and amateur historians.
Designing Fictional Castles
Perimeter Walls
Castles are constructed over time, so worldbuilders should consider how they developed in their own worlds. With European castles, construction typically began as a fort positioned atop a flat hill or mound (called a mott). Over time a surrounding wall or palisade may be added creating a space inside (called a bailey or ward). Over the generations the walls may be strengthened to stone, and/or additional walls added forming new baileys and wards.
Who is the lord or king of this castle and to what kingdom, clan, or house to they owe their allegiance?
Interiors
Fictional castles often include narratively interesting elements such as extensive dungeon systems, traps (oubliettes for instance), secret chambers, crawlspaces, and high towers.
People
Castles, unless in ruins, are not empty structures (and even if in ruins they may be home to ghosts, goblins, or bandits). Designing the inhabitants of your fictional castles may include developing fictional flags or house crests. It may also entail generating elaborate family trees.
Food & Water
Castles need food and water to sustain their populations. This often came in the form of farms on the surrounding countryside. Castles also needed a way of storing this food – for winter and in case of famine or siege. Castles may have had granaries or extensive cellars. To secure their water they may have relied on wells.
| Element | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Allure | A walkway or passage behind the parapet of a castle wall | a, b | |
| Altar | A place for prayer | s | |
| Armor Rack | A place to store armor | s | s |
| Armoury | A place to store weapons when they are not in use | b | s |
| Arrow Loop | A narrow window to shoot arrows from | s | |
| Bailey | A courtyard enclosed within the walls of the castle | a, b | |
| Balcony | A spot for a pleasant view or an unpleasant proclaimation | a | |
| Ballista | A heavy machine made for firing large arrows | s, b | |
| Banner | Displays the emblem of the castle | s | s |
| Barbican | A tower, grouping of several towers, or other fortification around an entrance, gateway, or drawbridge | a, b | |
| Barracks | A place for soldiers to sleep and train | b | s |
| Bastion | A tower at the end of a wall or in the middle | b | |
| Battlement | A short wall built on the outside edge of a fortication | b | |
| Bed | Fit for a king or for a pauper? | s | |
| Bed Chambers | A room or series of connected rooms for sleeping | a | s |
| Beer Barrel | How old and what kind? | s | |
| Belfry | A wooden tower used in sieges | s, b | |
| Bookcase | What knowledge does it contain | s | s |
| Buttery | A location to drink or store alcholic beverages | a | |
| Cage | For holding a small animal, or a person? | s | |
| Candle | How large and how brightly does it burn? | s | s |
| Castle Town | A town built within or surrounding a castle | a | s |
| Castle Wall | How high and how thick? | b, a | s |
| Cell | For holding a prisoner | a | |
| Cellar | What is kept down here? | a | s |
| Cellar (Beer) | A place to store kegs of beer | a | |
| Cellar (Cheese) | A place to age and store cheese | a | |
| Cellar (Wine) | A place to store casks of wine | a | |
| Cesspit | A space below a garderobe where waste collected | a | |
| Chains | What were they intended to hold? | s | |
| Chair | Looks comfy? | s | |
| Chandelier | It hangs from the ceiling to provide light | s | |
| Chapel | A small sacred place of worship | a, b | s |
| Chest | What does it contain, clothes or treasure? | s | |
| Crenelation | A notched battlement made up of alternating crenels (openings) and merlons (square blocks) | s, b | |
| Curtain Wall | A wall enclosing a space like a courtyard | b, a | s |
| Desk | Sturdy, elegant, or something else? | s | s |
| Disease Outbreak | Avoid | e | |
| Donjon | A central keep | b, a | |
| Drawbridge | A bridge that spans a moat or crevasse and can be raised. | b, a | s |
| Drum Tower | A round tower built into a wall | b | |
| Dry Moat | A moat with no water | a, b | |
| Dungeon | I scream, you scream, we all scream in the dungeon | a | s |
| Executioner's Chopping Block | Try to keep your head | s | |
| Fair | Fair enough | e | |
| Festival | To celebrate what occasion? | e | s |
| Fireplace | For cooking or for warmth | s | |
| Flag | Who does it belong to and what are the colors? | s | |
| Gardens | How expansive are they? | a, b | |
| Garderobe | A latrine | a | |
| Gargoyle | A stone carving of a grotesque creature | s | s |
| Gatehouse | An entrance to a fortified area | b, a | s |
| Grand Staircase | A large central stair | a, s | |
| Great Hall | A central, large room for meeting, eating, and partying | a | s |
| Guardhouse | A place for guards | a, b | s |
| Guard's Chambers | Rooms for the guards | a | |
| Hay Bale | For animals | s | |
| Hedge Maze | An entertaining labyrinth of hedges | a, b | |
| Hidden Entrance or Exit | How many know of this? | a | s |
| Hidden Passage | Where does it lead? | a | |
| Hidden Room | What is inside? | a | |
| Iron Maiden | An instrument of torture | s | |
| Keep | A central strong fortification within a castle, also called a donjon | a, b | s |
| King's Chambers | A suite of rooms for the king to dwell and sleep in | a | |
| Kitchens | Where food is prepared | a | s |
| Knighting Ceremony | For deeds and great valor | e | |
| Library | How large is the collection of books? | a | s |
| Loophole | A narrow window | s | |
| Machicolation | A projecting ledge from the battlements with holes so that hot oil or stones could be dropped on those below | s, a | |
| Maid's Chambers | A series of rooms for maids to sleep in | a | |
| Moat | A deep, water filled ditch surrounding a castle to aid in defense | a, b | s |
| Motte | A mound of earth that provides an elevated position. Usually topped with a tower | a | s |
| Mounted Animal Head | What kind of animal | s | |
| Murder Hole | A hole in the ceiling above an entrance from which hot oil or stones can be poured down on those below | s, a | |
| Oil Lamp | To light up the place | s | |
| Oriel | A room that projects out from a tower | a | |
| Oubliette | A small prison cell beneath a trap door | a, b | |
| Painting | What does this depict? | s | |
| Palisade | A strong wooden fence put in place as protection of a site until a stone wall can be built | a, b | |
| Pantry | A room to store food | a | |
| Parapet | A short protective wall on the outside edge of a fortification | a, s | s |
| Peasant's Revolt | Is someone stoking this rebellion? | e | s |
| Pew | A place to sit or kneel in prayer | s | |
| Portcullis | A metal gate that lowers to protect an entrance | a, s | s |
| Portrait | Of who? | s | |
| Postern Gate | A secondary door into a castle | a, b | s |
| Queen's Chambers | A suite of rooms for the Queen | a | |
| Rack | An instrument of torture | s | |
| Rubble | Assorted stone and dirt | s | s |
| Rug | How large? | s | |
| Sapping Tunnel | A tunnel dug underneath a castle wall to undermine it | a, b | |
| Scaffolding | Temporary wooden structure put in place during construction or during a seige to provide additional cover and reinforcement | s, a, b | |
| Sconce | A fixture that holds a candle, latern, or torch | s | |
| Seige | A prolonged attack on the castle. Can the defenders last? | e | s |
| Solar | A private room adjacent to a meeting area or hall | a | |
| Spiral Staircase | Ascends clockwise to make it easier to righthanded defenders to swing a sword | s, a | |
| Stables | A place for horses and other pack animals | a, b | s |
| Stained Glass Window | Does it depict a scene? | s | |
| Staircase | Where does it lead? | s | |
| Statue | What is this artwork? | s | s |
| Stool | For sitting | s | |
| Suit of Armor | It stands empty but at attention | s | s |
| Table | Made of what material? | s | |
| Tapestry | What does it depict? | s | s |
| Throne | Only the king may sit here | s | s |
| Throne Room | For official business | a | s |
| Torch | A source of light | s | s |
| Torture Chamber | A place for those you want to talk and/or just scream | a | |
| Tournament | Jousts and melee combat performed by knights | e | s |
| Tournament Grounds | A place to hold tournaments | a, b | |
| Tower | How high? | a, b | |
| Trapdoor | Where doe it lead and how is it triggered? | a, s | |
| Trophy Kill | An animal killed in a hunt | s | |
| Turning Bridge | A bridge that pivots in the middle | a, b | |
| Turret | A small tower connected to a central tower that can be used as a lookout point | a, b | |
| Ward | A courtyard enclosed within the walls of the castle | a, b | |
| Wardrobe | A place for clothing | s | |
| Watch Tower | To view thing from afar | b | |
| Weapons Rack | For what type of weapon? | s | s |
| Wedding | To join powerful houses or kingdoms together | e | |
| Well | A source of water during a seige | b, s | s |
| Window | How large and what does it look upon? | s | s |
| Wine Barrel | What vintage? | s | |
| Woodpile | Logs for burning or for building | s |
