The Castle of the Crown is the seat of power of the Land of the Green Isles. It is the seat of royal family (the Crown) of the kingdom and the heart of the Land. In its current form its sometimes referred to as the Palace of the Crown.
Background
The castle has been built and rebuilt for love at least three times in the Green Isles's history. The oldest castle was the seat of power for over 300 years. It was a large and drafty castle. A newer, cozier castle was built to replace the older one by King Aliphid for his wife, Queen Astar. It was built 100 years before the time Derek visited the Isles. When King Caliphim first sat down on the Emerald Throne, he again renovated the castle as a love gift for his bride, Allaria. The castle is of Moorish architecture.[1] It is an immense ornate castle built of golden marble and snowy white alabaster, with soaring towers and gilded spires.[2]
Much can be seen and heard in the hallways of the Castle. However, the guard dogs do not deal lightly with intruders.
Main Floor
The Grand Hall
The main hall of the Castle of the Crown is known as the Grand Hall. Two sets of stairs lead up to the living quarters and offices of the castle. Below the stairs towards the back wall on the right side is a large doorway that leads into the Castle's Throne Room. Towards the front of the Grand Hall are the gates of the castle. Beneath the stairs to the left lies the door to the kitchen (sounds of the cooking staff can be heard behind it), and under the stairs to the right is the door that leads down into basement.
The Grand Hall opens onto the Throne Room, so it is always heavily guarded. To venture there without permission is to risk the wrath of Captain Saladin.
The Throne Room
The throne room is magnificent, much finer than even the one in Daventry. King Caliphim and Queen Allaria once held court in this lovely chamber. Both sides of the hall are lined with marble pillars, the space behind the two sections of pillars is located approximately just below the upstairs hallways. In the main section of the grand hall, the vaulted ceiling rises up into the second story (in the space between upstairs halls).
It was the site of Cassima's Vizier, and nearly the end of all her hopes. Alexander and Cassima later had there wedding there with Captain Saladin prociding over the services.
The Tower
The entrance to the tower lies on the right side of the wall behind the thrones. The tower is three stories tall, with a spiral staircase that leads to the top. A door is located up there and a ceremonial sword hangs on the wall. The tower consists of three levels, including the Bottom of Tower, the Landing, and the Top of Tower.[3]
It is the summit of the castle, and was where the prince's future and Alexander's fate was settled once and for all. A door there leads to another room of the castle.
The Kitchen
The kitchen is a busy part of the castle. It entrance doorway to the kitchen lies in the Grand Hall below the western staircase[4]. Behind the door comes the clatter of pots and pans, yelled instructions, and other busy kitchen noises.[5] During Abdul Alhezred's attempted wedding to Cassima the kitchen was filled with a stack of silver almost to the ceiling that needed polishing.[6] Cook[7], the chef for castle, who was inside was not serving lunch to visiters as they were too busy catering the wedding, and would kick anyone out who was not part of the kitchen staff.[8][9] The castle waiter is busy delivering food around the castle.
Second Floor
The Hallways (Upstairs Hallway)
In the East Hallway[10], the eastern hall, there are doors on the east wall that are said to lead to bedrooms or storage rooms.[11] There is an exit to northern corridor, the North Hallway[12], at the end of the hall. The West Hallway corridor has doors leading into the Vizier's Study and Bedroom.
Vaulted domes provide filtered sunlight to the upstairs hallways. The floors of each hallway are constructed from the same cool, beige marble that adorns the walls of the castle. Red carpet runner brings color to the hallways and protects the ivory floors. Large glazed urns stand like sentinels in the east and west hallways.
Alcove
In the second floor western hallway is a small curved alcove recessed into east wall of the hallway. A pillar partially blocks the alcove from the main corridor. It acts a partial divider, helping set to set the alcove from the rest of the main corridor. A marble statue of a guard dog in full regalia adorns the top of the pillar. On the wall is a portrait of King Caliphim and Queen Allaria, the parents of Cassima. Kindly smiles light up the faces of the couple in the painting. The has an intelligent, sensitive look about him, and the woman is quite lovely.
The Vizier's Bedroom
The Vizier was a man of many secrets. Alexander discovered much inside the Vizier's private chambers, after he found a way inside.
At the back of the room was a wardrobe containing the vizier's silken robes, unclean hose, and black cloaks. It smelled of strong perfumes.[13] On a small table was a brass-bound ebony chest.
Study
Formerly the Vizier's Study used by Abdul Alhazred. The room has simple blue walls, the head of a Rhinoceros hangs along one wall, near the entrance to the room. A large bird of prey hangs from the mantle of the door. A series of hooks hangs on one wall, allowing those working in the room a place to hang their cloaks. A large table takes up a portion of the room, where Alhazred once wrote his letters to Shadrack. The table was where Alhazred kept Shamir's magic lamp.
Accross from the entrance, a small chink in the wall, allows views into the room from the secret passages. From the doorway, one can see a largely bare blue wall past the desk.
Alexander was once given audience to Alhazred in the study, before moving back to the Great Hall. It was in the study that Alexander spied Shamir's bottle, and had an idea which lamp to choose from the old Lampseller.[14]
Cassima's Room
The Princess was locked away in the room with silks and satins, but to her it was the coldest of prisons. She awaited her doom, and had nearly given up her last ray of hope when Alexander contacted her.[15]
A curtain of silk hangs in one corner of the room near the door to the room. Next to it a pillow rests along a solid blue wall for Cassima to sit on. Near the pillow is a large and elaborate vanity, with a small bench near it. One one side of the room a small passage leads to a window at the corner of the castle. It is there that Cassima spends time with her pet nightengale, Sing-Sing.
A chink in one wall, allows one to view into the room from the secret passages of the castle.
The Basement
The Hallways (Basement Hallway)
The basement stairs lead down into the basement's eastern hallway, the East Hallway, where Jollo's Room can be found. In the western basement hallway, the West Hallway, is the treasure room, and the dungeon cells. In the northern basement hallway, the North Basement Hallway[16], is the door to the guardroom. To the side of the guardroom, a suit of armor hides a secret mechanism that opens a door to a secret passage.
Jollo's Room
The gentle clown Jollo lives here. He offers assistance and a kind ear to visitors in his chamber.
The Treasure Room
This room is protected by a magic door. Alexander was able to breach it, discovering the stolen treasures of the isles hidden there.
Guard Room
The guard room is the barracks and command center of the Guard Dogs, the Castle of the Crown's defense force.
Along one wall, is the entrance into the room. The guards are always ready to leave the room to patrol the castle, or defend from intruders. Along another wall is a large fireplace, near it are a few pots, and other equipment used by the guards.
There is a chink on the wall accross from the fireplace, which allows people within the secret passage to spy into the chamber. Infact, the guard room, lies next to the entrance to the secret passage, and the rooms with the secret staircase leading between both floors.
The Dungeons (Dungeon)
Some sections of the Castle dungeons are occasionally left unlocked. These areas are said to contain mysterious residents. To be locked into the dungeons of the guard dogs is to perish.
The Secret Passage
The secret passage contains a staircase that leads up to second floor. First floor of the secret passage has a spyhole that looks into the guard room. On the second floor are spyholes that look into Cassima's bedroom, another spyhole that looks into Alhazred's former office, and a secret panel leads into a wardrobe in Alhazred's former bedroom
Other
- The West Wall of the Castle[17] (aka Castle Wall/Side Wall of Castle[18]) lies at Basement level.
- Castle of the crown has an extensive library filled with books and scrolls filled with the knowledge of the islands and other lands.[19] This maybe located in the castle's study or at the top of the tower (the only room not offered a description in-game).
- The castle has four smaller towers on each corner of the building. These are apparently connected to some of the second floor rooms, including Cassima's bedroom, and most likely the store rooms and bedroom in the eastern hallway and the study.
References
- ↑ Narrator (KQ6): "The castle appears to be of Moorish architecture."
- ↑ KQC3E, 241
- ↑ KQ6 Hintbook, pg 105
- ↑ Narrator (KQ6): "There's a door on the west wall under the stairs. It's the door the waiter came through, and probably leads to the kitchen.", "...the kitchen is no place to be today."
- ↑ Narrator (KQ6):"From the open door comes the clatter of pots and pans, yelled instructions, and other busy kitchen noises."
- ↑ Waiter (KQ6): "You! Girl! Don't just stand there! There's a stack of silver almost to the ceiling that needs polishing for the wedding! Get a move on!"
- ↑ Sergeant Gruff (KQ6): "Cook has about driven himself mad, I hear, worrying over the wedding preparations."
- ↑ Narrator (KQ6): "Alexander decides to check out the door the waiter came through.", Cook: "No lunch is being served today! We're busy catering the wedding!, Narrator (KQ6): "Apparently, the kitchen is no place to be today.
- ↑ KQ6 Hintbook, pg 72
- ↑ KQ6 Hintbook, pg 104
- ↑ Narrtor (KQ6): "Alexander is standing in an upstairs hallway of the castle. Doors on the east wall probably lead to bedrooms or storage rooms, and there's an exit to another corridor at the end of the hall."
- ↑ KQ6 Hintbook, pg 96, 104
- ↑ KQC3E, 306
- ↑ KQC3E
- ↑ KQ6 Hintbook, pg 58
- ↑ KQ6 Hintbook, pg 65
- ↑ KQ6 Hintbook, pg 96
- ↑ KQ6 Hintbook, pg100
- ↑ KQC3E,239