Time

No one remembers why people in the castle seem to age slower than usual. Some suggest that the age of the castle itself impresses itself on the soul, imbuing it with a metaphysical slowness that is repeated by the body. Others cite stories that the castle’s mortar was made from the bones of elves and radiates their supranatural longevity. Or perhaps there is something in the water.

In any event, as undeniable as the phenomenon is the uneven way it seems to affect people in the castle. For one, it seems more pronounced in persons born within the castle walls, and perhaps intensifies with each generation. However, any proposed principle has been riddled with exceptions and no credible scientific study of the longevity has been undertaken to date.

Gods

Deities and powerful spirits are treated as any other diplomatic asset. They are courted, flattered, and occasionally enlisted for one scheme or another. They are spied upon and turned against one another. The castle has seen a few chief deities over the years and the worship of the Bleeding God remains widespread. Certain devotions are made to Ayah in Pùmpai in observance of ancient imperial oaths. A few minor gods are even said to have rooms in the Mother-of-Pearl Keep, or to live diminished and unworshipped in forgotten quarters. For those whose lives revolve around the castle, the notion of a divinity that cannot include mortals – or at least the works of mortals – is hard to take seriously.

Follies

During his youth the Emperor commissioned many useless structures and false ruins for aesthetic contemplation. These were fastidiously maintained by their own arm of the castle staff, better funded and better organized than the ordinary maintenance crews.

Now, in the castle’s twilight, the Minister of Follies has lost track of which ruins are real ruins and which are affecting ruination and succeeding admirably. He will pay quite generously for the positive identification of a genuine folly admist all the delapidation. What’s worse, some of the follies have fallen into use. The restoration of an occupied folly to original non-purpose will likewise be rewarded.