Post by Prince Willem Lannister on Sept 2, 2017 9:07:16 GMT
Casterly Rock is the largest castle in the Seven Kingdoms is thrice the size of the Wall, which "stands more than seven hundred feet tall at its highest point (though its height varies considerably over the hundred leagues of its length, as it follows the contours of the land). being therefore approximately 2100 feet tall (640 meters). Although crowned with towers and turrets and watchtowers, with stone walls and oaken gates and iron portcullises guarding its every means of egress, this ancient fortress is in truth a colossal rock beside the Sunset Sea, a rock that some say looks like a lion in repose when the sun sets and the shadows fall. SThe ringfort atop the Rock may sometimes be shrouded in clouds, given that the base of cumulus clouds can form as low as 2000 feet (600 meters). It takes hours to climb from the Rock’s port up to the Ringfort at the top.
The entrances to the Rock are appropriately large.
The Lion’s Mouth— the huge natural cavern that forms the main entrance into the Rock— arches two hundred feet high from floor to ceiling. Over the centuries it has been widened and improved upon, and it is now said that twenty horsemen can ride abreast up its broad steps. The steps lead up to the large opening, protected by oak and iron: "oaken gates and iron portcullises guarding its every means of egress."
Casterly Rock is riddled throughout with tunnels, dungeons, storerooms, barracks, halls, stables, stairways, courtyards, balconies, and gardens. There is even a godswood of sorts, called the Stone Garden, though the weirwood that grows there is a queer, twisted thing whose tangled roots have all but filled the cave where it stands, choking out all other growth.
The waters of Casterly Rock’s port are deep and wide enough for longships and even cogs to enter and off-load their cargoes.
Casterly Rock has never been taken by storm or siege. No castle in the Seven Kingdoms is larger, richer, or better defended. Harrenhal is said to be the largest castle ever raised in Westeros, but Casterly Rock wasn’t "raised" or "built"; it was carved out of the living rock.
The great wealth of the Westerlands stems primarily from their gold and silver mines. The veins of ore run wide and deep, and there are mines, even now, that have been delved for a thousand years and more and are yet to be emptied. Even in Asshai, they ask about Casterly Rock, there were merchants who asked him if it was true that the “Lion Lord” lived in a palace of solid gold and that crofters collected a wealth of gold simply by plowing their fields. The gold of the west has traveled far, and the maesters know there are no mines in all the world as rich as those of Casterly Rock which yields possibly 2 million gold dragons per year.
The Lords of Casterly Rock have gathered many treasures over the centuries, and the sights of the Rock - especially the Golden Gallery - with its gilded ornaments and walls, and the Hall of Heroes where the costly armor worn by a hundred Lannister knights, lords, and kings stand eternal guard are justly famed throughout the Seven Kingdoms, even in lands beyond the narrow sea.
The entrances to the Rock are appropriately large.
The Lion’s Mouth— the huge natural cavern that forms the main entrance into the Rock— arches two hundred feet high from floor to ceiling. Over the centuries it has been widened and improved upon, and it is now said that twenty horsemen can ride abreast up its broad steps. The steps lead up to the large opening, protected by oak and iron: "oaken gates and iron portcullises guarding its every means of egress."
Casterly Rock is riddled throughout with tunnels, dungeons, storerooms, barracks, halls, stables, stairways, courtyards, balconies, and gardens. There is even a godswood of sorts, called the Stone Garden, though the weirwood that grows there is a queer, twisted thing whose tangled roots have all but filled the cave where it stands, choking out all other growth.
The waters of Casterly Rock’s port are deep and wide enough for longships and even cogs to enter and off-load their cargoes.
Casterly Rock has never been taken by storm or siege. No castle in the Seven Kingdoms is larger, richer, or better defended. Harrenhal is said to be the largest castle ever raised in Westeros, but Casterly Rock wasn’t "raised" or "built"; it was carved out of the living rock.
The great wealth of the Westerlands stems primarily from their gold and silver mines. The veins of ore run wide and deep, and there are mines, even now, that have been delved for a thousand years and more and are yet to be emptied. Even in Asshai, they ask about Casterly Rock, there were merchants who asked him if it was true that the “Lion Lord” lived in a palace of solid gold and that crofters collected a wealth of gold simply by plowing their fields. The gold of the west has traveled far, and the maesters know there are no mines in all the world as rich as those of Casterly Rock which yields possibly 2 million gold dragons per year.
The Lords of Casterly Rock have gathered many treasures over the centuries, and the sights of the Rock - especially the Golden Gallery - with its gilded ornaments and walls, and the Hall of Heroes where the costly armor worn by a hundred Lannister knights, lords, and kings stand eternal guard are justly famed throughout the Seven Kingdoms, even in lands beyond the narrow sea.