Black Castle

From Glen Cook Wiki

The Black Castle is a very strange fortress sitting atop the heights north of Juniper. It is created of some obsidian-like material, smooth and jointless, with alien architecture, grotesque carvings of monsters from the battlements, and serpent designs on the walls. Up close, it is apparent that the material is transparent, and dead bodies can be seen suspended in the black glassy walls.

The Castle is in fact a supernatural manifestation which grows by consuming dead bodies, the fresher the better. Strange robed humanoids inhabit the Castle and collect the bodies. Once the Castle is complete, it will function as a gateway of sorts to free the Dominator from his prison in the Barrowland. Live prisoners can be used to help the Castle grow as well, apparently through the power of their suffering under torture.

History

The Dominator foresaw his defeat by the White Rose, and took steps to bring himself back, laying the groundwork for the Black Castle during the Domination. The structure grew from a magical "seed" of sorts, and for a long time existed as a small oddity that people simply avoided because it was deadly. The Castle remained small for centuries, because the Dominator had miscalculated and sent the seeds to a region where dead bodies were revered and carefully preserved against harm. However Raven has no such compunctions and, unaware of the Castle's purpose, he begins supplying the Castle with bodies collected from the streets in Juniper (the Castle denizens pay well for bodies) and it grows to the point where the Dukes of Duretile ask the Lady for help. She sends the Black Company and two Taken, who ferret out the truth and stage a major campaign against the Castle.

There is an epic battle in which the Taken Feather is killed, along with thousands of others; the Lady herself comes to join battle, as the Dominator and his creatures rush to complete the portal. It is a close call, but the Lady's forces are victorious, and the Castle is destroyed.

There are other Castle seeds, disguised as gems in the Castle and carried away as loot by the conquering troops. One of them at least grows as big as a house before it is discovered. The Lady hunts down and destroys all of the seeds and growing Castles, forcing the Dominator to seek other routes to escape.