Castle Zagyg crowd funder

[Magian]

I just found this with about 8 hours left. Figured I'd share, maybe someone would like this.

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects...-the-arch-mage

[Fizz]

I just found this with about 8 hours left. Figured I'd share, maybe someone would like this.
https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects...-the-arch-mage

Wow, they fully funded their extended goals. Troll Lord generally puts out quality products, and their crowdfunding always seems to overperform. Wonder if we can fit it into Birthright somewhere...

-Fizz

[Magian]

They were $100k short but the CEO dropped the 2 benchmarks from 650k and 700k to the already met 600k shortly after they reached it.

I like to think that my chat post during the stream helped, when they were on like hour 13 of the stream and hit 600k I typed, "650k incoming" and I think they were just too tired at that point.

[Magian]

Wonder if we can fit it into Birthright somewhere...

-Fizz

My first thought was the Gorgon's castle in Kal-Saitharak the Battlewaite. Then I thought of either the castle for the City of Anuire or Ariya within the walled city. Obviously for any DM wherever they'd want it for their purposes and any bit of work they'd want to do for a conversion to suit them. Regardless I am sure a conversion would desired where ever it was fit into.

With it being 5 boxed sets when it is complete and most of it underground, Gorgy's castle works for me and CoA maybe linking it somehow underground with the college of sorcery for perhaps another dungeon. The island city however, may prove difficult with water table issues though, if a person even cares.

Rhoubhe's castle would even work if you change the theme of it. Would give a good intro to a potential underdark with shadow elves of his making or something like that. Then mix it with spiderfell and... well nvm I suppose that is icky for Birthright.

[Magian]

1. Coullabhie (Sielwode Forest) – Home of the Sidhelien Elves

Why it fits: The Sidhelien are ancient, deeply magical, and secretive. You could imagine Castle Zagyg as a ruined elven tower-city that once housed a powerful elven mage-lord who descended into madness while attempting to breach the bounds of reality—perhaps even trying to ascend to godhood, echoing Zagyg's trajectory.

Twist: The castle is protected by magical wards and illusions, and even the Sidhelien deny its existence. It could be located in a pocket dimension accessible only under certain celestial alignments.

2. The Five Peaks / The Chimaeron

Why it fits: Wild, untamed, and chaotic. The Chimaeron is full of monsters, ruined strongholds, and ancient magical dangers. Castle Zagyg could be an ancient fortress of a forgotten awnshegh or wizard-king whose experiments fractured the fabric of reality.

Twist: Its dungeons leak twisted reality—aberrations, warped time, and impossible architecture.

3. Pipryret (Magian’s province in Khinasi)

After Adventure Hook: Echoes of Pipryret (tied in with Castle Zagyg as a preliminary adventure)

Adventure Level: Intermediate (levels 5–8)
Domain Setting: Pipryret, province under the control of the awnsheghlien known as The Magian
Themes: Arcane experimentation, magical contamination, investigation, horror and then insert the Castle as part of it.

Why it fits: The Magian is one of the most powerful arcane beings in Cerilia, potentially a servant or embodiment of Azrai. Castle Zagyg could be an arcane research facility gone horribly wrong, predating the Magian, or a hidden citadel beneath the province that even he avoids.

Twist: The “Castle Zagyg” equivalent here could be a vast, collapsing arcane complex filled with magical hazards, lingering spirits of experimenters, and warped realities—possibly the site of a failed attempt to create or control a god-like being.

4. The Shadow World

Why it fits: Thematically perfect. Madness, illusions, time distortions, and metaphysical horror.

How: Castle Zagyg could exist primarily in the Shadow World, only manifesting in Cerilia at certain times or locations. This makes it a plane-crossing dungeon—ideal for high-stakes adventures.

Twist: It's sentient and changes based on who enters it—possibly a remnant of a divine mind shattered during Deismaar.

[Sorontar]

It sounds like you could use multiple perspectives of fractures between the Shadow World and Aebrynis. The question is whether the continuing existence of the castle and the fractures is maintained by anything in particular - divine, arcane or physical, or a mixture of that. If the party managed to interfere with one of them, what would happen? Could they need to have a return trip 6-12 months later to deal with the side-effects of their earlier actions? Does this setting allow for that?

Sorontar

[Magian]

Absolutely—Birthright not only allows for that kind of layered, long-form consequence-driven narrative, it thrives on it. The setting is built on the premise that actions have lasting impacts on the land, the people, and the mystical forces that shape Cerilia. If you’re blending a “Castle Zagyg” dungeon into this, especially one linked to fractures between Aebrynis and the Shadow World, then yes:

The continuing existence of the castle and the fractures should be maintained by a complex, layered system—arcane, divine, and even geopolitical or mythic in nature.

Let’s unpack how that works and how your party's interference could ripple forward:

What Maintains the Castle & Fractures?

1. Arcane Infrastructure
The castle might be built atop or around an arcane node—a convergence of true source magic, artificially warped or stabilized with ancient spell constructs.

Think ley line anchoring, magical seals, forgotten rituals cycling endlessly.

If the PCs disable or disturb one of these systems (intentionally or not), it could destabilize time, perception, or planar boundaries in the region.

2. Divine Residue
If the Gorgon or its creators once sought godhood, their actions may have left behind divine aftershocks—echoes or metaphysical scars that keep the Shadow World tethered.

These may be maintained by divine pacts, curses, or bloodline-based seals.

Breaking them could release entities, create a “divine vacuum,” or destabilize the region’s spiritual identity.

3. Physical Anchors / Mythic Geography
Some parts of Aebrynis have a mythic geography—locations that are as important symbolically as they are physically.

The castle might be one such place—a hinge between worlds, where the walls themselves are metaphors.

Collapsing or altering these may change the “truth” of the surrounding province, reshaping reality locally or even politically.

What Happens if the Party Interferes?

Let’s say they destroy one of these anchoring elements, unseal a lower level, or banish a key entity.
Immediate Consequences:

Fracture worsens or shifts—maybe the Shadow World begins leaking into another nearby province.

A rift storm opens: ghosts, illusions, time loops, dead gods whispering.

The Gorgon or another awnshegh awakens or takes notice.

A new source holding emerges in a previously barren area—but tainted and unstable.

Long-Term Side Effects (6–12 months later):

Seasons stop cycling properly—harvest fails, strange weather, mirrored suns at night.

Shadow World creatures begin interacting with reality more freely.

A nearby regent (perhaps an antagonist or ally) claims that the PCs have “broken the Weft” and must restore balance—or be hunted.

The PCs’ bloodline strength fluctuates unpredictably.

Return Trip Justification

Yes—this setup demands a return trip. Not just for “unfinished business,” but because:

The dungeon evolves: like Castle Zagyg, the castle could shift over time in response to interference. Return trips reveal new layouts, threats, or secrets.

The realm itself changes: provinces degrade, new threats rise, old alliances crumble.

Consequences escalate: that “one seal they cracked” is now a continent-wide mythic event unless fixed.

How Birthright Enables This

Regency & Source holdings: PCs with domain-level influence may feel or see changes in ley lines or RP generation.

Shadow World duality: A fractured Shadow World link is never just local—it affects everything connected to it: spirits, dreams, magic, even perception of history.

Bloodline mechanics: Changes in divine resonance (tainted or purified) could manifest mechanically via bloodline powers gained or lost.

Political layering: Other regents will react to the castle’s shifts—militarily, magically, diplomatically.

Yes—Birthright not only allows for the party’s interference to cause long-term ripple effects, it encourages it. Design your Castle Zagyg analogue as a system of intertwined magical, divine, and symbolic structures. Damaging one should always come with mystery and consequence. A 6–12 month return trip isn’t just justified—it’s inevitable.