@TheEdVerse I was hoping you could resolve a question that has come up within my group. An older Spelljammer book mentions Elminster's Hideout connecting to his castle. We can not find any other mention of him having a castle. Did the book intend to refer to Elminster's Tower?
— CaseG (@Victus42) February 20, 2020
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The Hideout connects to El’s Tower via the castle, which is an old stone keep (still a castle, but not nearly as grand as the word makes most folk think) hidden high in the Thunder Peaks not far southeast of Thunderspire2)
…Mountain; it’s disguised by ward-spells to look like the natural stone pinnacle it began life as, before long-ago dwarf masons set to work. The castle is empty of all but stairs, rooms, and magical gates to various…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 22, 2020
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…of this mountain range’ base built by local dwarves as a trap-filled place for said creatures to attack (very few dwarves were stationed there; they were in various caverns in the mountains), and as a project for young…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 22, 2020
5)
…dwarves to become skilled masons and stonecutters. The traps were cleared out by humans in the early days of Archendale, who planned to extend the dale’s official reach into these mountains and found mines and build roads… 6)
…between the dale and the mines to enrich Archendale forever, but these plans never came to anything, and the keep was abandoned. Elminster and others of the Seven several times cleared it of brigands and opportunistic dragons…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 22, 2020
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…seeking lairs, and decided to ‘spell-shroud’ it to keep it from such uses, and as something they could use when they needed it.
The keep has at various times been known as Blackhammer Hold (to the dwarves of clan 8)
…Blackhammer), Uruld’s Folly, Halardraco’s Fang, the Archenfang, the Silent Keep, and Elminster’s Grand Castle (this last was a mocking title bestowed by The Simbul, whom El took there for a night of lovemaking; she wasn’t…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 22, 2020
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…expecting luxury, but she WAS expecting something more than cold, bare-but-for-dust-and-rubble stone).#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 22, 2020