Offetstine Castle is a fortified castle located in the town of Offetstine. It is believed to have been constructed in the 10th or 11th century, serving as a stronghold for demi-humans or mages. The castle is situated east of the mouth of the Stenbrook River, at the tip of a peninsulated region within the old town. Although currently unoccupied, it remains a mildly popular tourist attraction and is recognized as a significant magical heritage site in the city. The castle is known for its peculiar and distinctive architecture, characterized primarily by a large observatory on its topmost floor and relatively limited defensive constructs.
History
Offetstine Castle was likely constructed during the 10th or 11th century as a stronghold for demi-humans or mages to assert Offetstine's township, which at the time was contested. At the time, settlements of mages and demi-humans, including the then-nascent Offetstine, often faced unintentional ostracism due to the prevailing Masquerade customs. The castle's construction took place approximately a century after the incorporation of the town, and its architectural provenance remain unknown, as does much of the castle's historical background.
Over time, the castle grew less relevant as a fortified stronghold, and was instead used as a residence by various nobles. The observatory floor, with its wide and unobstructed apertures, attracted academics and researchers to the site. The castle's location in the relatively rural Offetstine, with minimal light pollution, made the observatory a popular location for stargazing and similar activities. Additionally, the castle's design, combined with its placement at the mouth of the magically entwined Stenbrook River, fashioned the castle into a magical conduit. Some of the human residents of the castle were affected by the magical energy, leading to superstitious claims of hauntings at the site.
Much to the chagrin of magical epistemologists who at the time believed the castle would facilitate astrological research bridging mundane science and magical research, the castle was eventually abandoned in the 13th century.
Architecture
Architecturally, Offetstine Castle differs significantly from its contemporaries and shares far more similarities with 19th-century Neo-Romanesque designs. The castle keep consists of three floors, each progressively smaller than the one below, with the observatory occupying the uppermost level. Constructed from stone, the castle is situated on a rectangular plot and features four rounded towers, one on each corner. Surrounding the castle is a rectangular curtain wall, further lined with twelve towers. The floors within the inner keep are linked solely through a single stairwell, while the inner towers are only connected by the ground floor. The courtyard is a comparatively smaller area and primarily serves as a waypoint for various halls and corridors. Gatehouses at the north and east connect the castle to the Stenbrook River.
As a present-day tourist attraction, the castle keep is sparsely furnished. Its main highlight is the observatory, which still retains much of its original research equipment. The observatory's ceiling is fit with a meticulously crafted hemi-icosahedral pattern of glass panes, designed to minimize refraction, and which many mages suspect increases the potency of the site's connection to the celestial world.[amend] A bookshelf on the north side of the observatory houses numerous original star charts, logbooks and mathematical tables used by astronomers of the time.