Tintagel Castle - the Blood Talon Fortress

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Tintagel Castle is located near Tintagel, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was built by Reginald, Earl of Cornwall on Tintagel Head, where according to Cornish legends the ancient Kings of Cornwall held their court. The castle was built for propaganda purposes and had no real strategic value. It is often speculated that it was a summer residence for the rulers of Dumnonia. It was claimed by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century that the castle at Tintagel Head was where King Uther Pendragon seduced Queen Igraine of Cornwall, while her husband, Gorlois, was under siege elsewhere. King Arthur was thus conceived and later writers made the castle his birthplace.

A Dark Ages Celtic fortress did exist there. The first excavations, which were undertaken by Ralegh Radford in the 1930s, have come under modern criticism, partly because the site documentation was slight, by modern standards Radford led a considerable interpretative shift when he suggested that Tintagel was in fact a Celtic monastery and not an "Arthurian" site. In the mid-1980s a fire on Tintagel headland led to considerable erosion of the topsoil, and many more building foundations than were recorded by Radford could be seen. In 1998 the misnamed "Arthur stone" was discovered there that raised hopes for some basis for the legend. The present-day ruins of the castle are situated on a rocky headland that overlooks the Cornish coast. Tintagel Castle is one of the landholdings of the Duchy of Cornwall.

The Dark Age fortress on the Cornish Coast is thought by some to have been the seat of King Budic, the King of Storms. To the Garmir it holds some significance as they sometimes claim that Brightaxe – a great warrior of the Lodge of Garm, a champion of the Lord Thunder and one of the few who was able to hold together some Packs from the Brotherhood of Thunder after the Kings death. It is thought that the stronghold was where he and his pack –the Wolves of Steel – made their den, and where they met their end refusing to surrender and instead fighting past endurance against invading Pure.

Traditions

Merlin's Cave - There are two tunnels that run beneath Tintagel Island. The shorter tunnel was definitely made with metal tools; it opens out in the meadow above the cliffs. The larger, known as Merlin's Cave, is washed by the tide. Legend tells that the cave is still walked by Merlin, whose voice can sometimes still be heard. Many Cahalith of the Blood Talons choose to spend a night in this cave when they are faced with difficult choices or decisions – the dreams of the Mother come clear and strong within the cave, or not at all.

St. Nectan's Kieve - Just a couple of miles from Tintagel there is the beautiful St Nectan's Glen. The Glen begins with a breathtaking waterfall that plunges 10m into a basin scoured out of the bedrock by the crashing water known as St Nectan's Kieve. The river, constrained by a narrow cleft, then plunges through a man-sized hole to fall another 3m into a shallow pool. The Kieve, in its spectacular beauty, is a renowned Arthurian spot; legend tells that it is the place where Arthur's knights swore their oaths to find the Holy Grail. To the Suthar Anzuth this is often the site of a prospective tribemates initiation – it is here his mentor and the ritesmaster overseeing the initiation tells what test of endurance and strength he will face. It is also the place where the often broken and bloodied Suthar Anzuth is brought to swear the Oath of the Moon and the Blood Talons particular tenant – to offer no surrender that they would not accept.

Condolden Barrow - The huge Condolden Barrow dominates the hill above Tintagel Island. With its massive proportions and commanding views, it is clear that a figure of considerable power was buried here. Local legend claims it to be the final resting place of Queen Isolde, part of whose sorry tale is set in Tintagel; Thomas Hardy thought so in his play The Famous Tragedy of the Queen of Cornwall. Most, however, believe that the barrow is the burial place of Cador, the 6th century king of Cornwall. In the 12th century British poem The Dream of Rhonabwy, Cador appears as one of Arthur's hero-knights. At the famous Siege of Mount Badon, Cador is said to have led the British warriors in their rout of the west Saxon army. In Geoffrey of Monmouth’s telling of Arthur's story, Cador was the sword-bearer at Arthur's coronation and the man who brought up Guinevere when she was a child. The Blood Talons, and the Garmir especially, hold this barrow in great reverence – many take it as the final resting place of Brightaxe and the Wolves of Steel, either buried by their brothers of the Fellowship of Thunder, or by the Pure wolves who slew them in honour of their final stand. The greatest and wisest, the bravest and boldest of the Blood Talons might find some part of them finding its way to the Barrow – a passage in the Other leads to a chamber within which lies many stones, some nothing now but a collection of pebbles, others with a name or names. It is common for helmets, shields or favoured weapons to be left with these stones. A spirit of memory protects the small locus at the gates of the barrow and it repeats the names of those interred without pause.

Bossiney - The Round Table of Camelot is said to be buried beneath the ruins of Bossiney castle. All that remains of the wooden 12th century Norman ringwork castle is a large mound, but legend tells that on the eve of the summer solstice, the Round Table appears. Such solstice stories are a common motif of Cornish legend: standing stones are often said to come alive on solstice eves. Bossiney is often the site for Blood Talon gatherings – especially around the Solstices.

Families – The Richards family have long lived in the area of Cornwall near to Tintagel and have been involved in the maintenance and preservation of the castle and other sites nearby, often being involved in agriculture and other physical employment. There are many Richards in the military, especially the army, and the majority of the family who undergo a Change join the Blood Talon tribe. If you would like your character to be related to or part of this family please contact storyteller@forsaken.camarilla.org.uk

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