The mighty Sturmwall castle stands guard at the foothills of Ortler Mountain, overlooking the northern pass to the Esairan Empire. Once a proud fortress and home to many soldiers and their families, it now stands in ruins after an earthquake and volcanic eruption shook its foundations. The walls are crumbling, and moss-covered stones mark where they once stood strong against invading armies. The castle almost seems to blend into the cliff it once towered proudly.
A thick layer of ash coats everything within sight as if trying to erase any trace of life ever existing here before. Dead trees surround the castle like skeletal sentinels warning travelers not to enter this forsaken land unless they want to meet their doom.
At night, eerie sounds echo through these ruins as if spirits still linger here, seeking revenge for what befell them so long ago. Even though many have tried to reclaim this place over centuries since then, they have yet to be successful in doing so - there is something about Sturmwall that holds them back from rebuilding or even entering again.
Today, only a few brave souls use the mountain pass that time has forgotten. Some believe it is cursed due to what happened here all those years ago. The pass is extremely difficult to traverse, and hostile tribes of goblinoids add to the dangers. These tribes occasionally hibernate in Sturmwall’s ruins.
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