Chained Fortress

The Chained Fortress of Tartzerkar is a massive, ominous structure of darkened gray stone, tall towers, and imposing gates of iron. It is mounted on top of a flying mountain with the shape of a very rough rhombus, which clearly shows that the mountain itself was one taken from its earthly roots and hurled into the skies. However, Tartzerkar's most notable features are its chains, composed of black iron links the size of a house, hanging from all around the fortress, extending for miles downward. Whenever the fortress moves, these huge chains clash against anything that happens to be on its way, so those who can hear the brutal clanging of metal soon know that this mysterious flying castle is about to show up in the horizon.

Origins

The Chained Fortress is believed to have been constructed many thousands of years before the First Age of the Thanes, which would make it the single most ancient thing in all of the Technocratic Republics. However, at least until it came into use as a prison for the old rulers of the realm, this place remained as an utter mystery, looming over the heads of the inhabitants of the land, who were completely unable to understand its purpose. It only floated high over their heads, as a darkened diamond of stone, oblivious to everything and eternally silent.

The Prison of the Thanes

When the Lord Wizards, under the command of Mordenkainen the Great, fought the war to seize control of the realm, and won, they still had one big problem in their hands: the Thanes. These individuals still wielded great power, one that, if left uncontained, could very well jeopardize all the achievements of the wizards. Turning their heads to the great fortress that during the entire war had remained untouched, they decided to imprison the Thanes within it. They did not venture far into the fortress; there was something, a preternatural something, that not even the wizards dared to delve into, so more or less threw the defeated dwarven lords within it and sealed the monstrous metallic gates. Then, through the use of great, powerful magic, they hurled the entire mountain into the waters of the east, where it sunk so deep into the dark pit that it would remain hidden for more than eleven thousand years. That, of course, until it emerged from the waves, five decades ago. It is unclear why did the Chained Fortress actually returned; it could have been the powers of the Thanes, although that would bring forth the question of why did they not do it earlier. So some have started to wonder if the fortress' legendary inhabitant, a never-seen deity named Mörn by the old ones, was the responsible. The answer, however, still remains shrouded in the thickest of mysteries.