Noral

Noral (bukkean: Nōrol) was a keep, notable for its architecture, strong fortification and status as an international political prison, used mostly for the imprisonment of the nobility.

History

Noral was the south-eastern keep of the Taliyally Castle, belonging to the Taliyally clan. The clan joined Stogen in exchange for the protection of its lands. By the end of the 2nd CSR the Taliyally Castle was largely gone, with just its southern wall and the south-eastern keep intact. The wall eventually collapsed, but the keep became the seat of the Treens, who claimed to be descendants of the Taliyally, although this has never been definitively proven and numerous claims were made by other individuals.

Treens, however, were able to defend their claim, as none of the other contestants were able to overtake Noral, nor prove that they were, in fact, the true descendants of the Taliyally. Thus, toors continued to pledge to protect Taliyally lands, which included the keep. Since Treens limited themselves exclusively to the keep, it turned the Taliyally territory into pretty much neutral grounds up until Tavol Aylis conquered and destroyed Noral in 1941 SR, effectively claiming the whole region.

"Noral" means "edge" in one of the older dialects of Nalarli and was a term that was typically used to designate the keeps and walls of a castle.

Operation

Noral had a courtyard and a visitors' room that visitors could visit and leave. However, the rule was that anyone entering any other area of the keep was never allowed to leave alive. Therefore, the Treens, their servants and the prison guards lived in Noral permanently. Prisoners were not allowed to leave.

Blind dungeons

Noral invented the idea of "blind dungeons", underground cells with no light. These were typically run by blind guards. Prisoners, put in a blind dungeon, would typically serve the rest of their days in complete darkness. In some cases, some prisoners would be moved to normal cells, after some time.