The Ebony Fortress stands as the dark and imposing heart of the City of Evernight, built upon the obsidian mountain at the convergence of the three black and brackish rivers that flow throughout the cursed city. Rising from its foundation, the Onyx Spire of the Shadowlords dominates the skyline of Evernight, casting a perpetual shadow over its denizens. The gothic architecture of the fortress, with its ghoulish gargoyles perched on the battlements, embodies the eerie and fearsome presence of the Shadowlords who rule from within its towering walls.
Structure & Layout
The Ebony Fortress is a colossal structure, with its sprawling barracks housing the brutal and sadistic Gloomguard, who serve as enforcers of the Shadowlords' will. These barracks are filled with weapons, armor, and the tools of torture that the Gloomguard use to subdue and terrorize the populace of Evernight. The fortress is a fortified stronghold, protected by thick obsidian walls and battlements that stretch across the jagged peaks of the obsidian mountain, with fortified watchtowers keeping a constant vigil over the city.
The interior of the fortress is a labyrinthine maze of subterranean prisons, where the unfortunate souls who defy the Shadowlords or the Order of The Twin Moon are held. Many prisoners are never seen again, their fates sealed within the darkest dungeons of the Ebony Fortress. Shadowlord Decimus, the cruelest of the Shadowlords, commands the fortress, his influence felt in every corner of the city below.
Magicka of Mortis
The fortress was once protected by the powerful dark magic of Shadowlord Mortis, one of the Shadowlords, whose spells wove an almost impenetrable barrier around the fortress. These protections kept the fortress safe from outside forces, ensuring the Shadowlords' control over Evernight remained uncontested. However, this magic was dispelled after Mortis' death, when he was possessed and ultimately slain by Archshadi Neverus, stripping the Ebony Fortress of one of its most powerful defenses.
The Sunsations’ Assault
At the climax of the Battle of the Four Armies, the fortress became a battlefield in its own right. The Sunsations launched a daring assault on the Ebony Fortress as part of their deal with the Matron of Memories, who had tasked them with capturing Shadowlord Decimus. The battle was fierce, with the Sunsations carving their way through the Gloomguard and decimating the fortress defenses.
The final confrontation between the Sunsations and Decimus took place in the upper chambers of the Onyx Spire, where the Sunsations succeeded in defeating him and fulfilling their pact with the Matron of Memories. With Decimus captured, the power structure of Evernight shifted, leaving the fortress weakened and vulnerable in the aftermath of the battle.
A Monument of Fear
The Ebony Fortress is more than a seat of power—it is a symbol of the Shadowlords' cruelty and dominion over the Shadowfell. Its towering gothic spires, fortified walls, and ghoulish gargoyles are a constant reminder to the citizens of Evernight that they are under the watchful gaze of the Shadowlords, who plot and conspire within its obsidian halls.
Though the fortress has suffered in recent years, particularly after the loss of Mortis' protective magic and the defeat of Decimus, it still stands as an impenetrable bastion of darkness, its rivers of black water flowing through the city like veins pumping fear and despair into Evernight itself.