Mount Tuli divided Chelseanna into two halves of roughly equal extension. Port Chelseanna, the only true settlement on the island, rested on the Northern side where most civilized life resided; the Southern half of Chelseanna was far wilder and almost uninhabited, not to mention more dangerous according to the natives, who rarely wandered past the Mount. Actually a long inactive volcano, Mount Tuli reached a maximum height of about three thousand feet or nine hundred meters, which for an island this size meant that some parts of it featured rather steep slopes. This is not to say that it sloped uniformly, because there were several ring-shaped plateaus framing the sides of the mount. Vineyards were nestled here, as thick as the Halflings and other workers could fit them, though the Southern slope was nowhere as fertile or productive as the Northern one and was, for the most part, covered with evergreen trees.
The only road from Port Chelseanna to Mount Tuli was called
Via Tuli and, much like the rest of the Port, had been renovated to please the high-level (and high-walleted) touristic influx. It had been paved, some blocks on the road actually having words painted on them. If one could spot them all along the way, they would form a short history of Chelseanna. Many of the wealthy tourists were not so inclined toward literature, nor traveling on foot. This was hardly a problem, since anyone could rent a donkey, barded in gaudy colors, for a completely effort-free journey to the top. An odd local law stated that no native citizen of Chelseanna could own a horse save for the Podesta himself (who could own one), so the natives used donkeys instead.
About halfway through the trek, vineyards would abandon the landscape to make room for more sparse grass and vegetation, with ample patches of bare rock. The traveler would hardly notice, however, since their attention would now be focused entirely on Castle Chelseanna, nestled at the very top of Mount Tuli and standing alone in the immensity of the blue sky. This had been the residence of the Duchess Chelseanna and the men of her private guard; however, the Duchess had disappeared under mysterious circumstances and lacking any natural heirs. The guards had been disbanded for the most part, and the Castle had returned under the jurisdiction of Port Chelseanna. By the time the then Podesta had it refitted as a tourist attraction, the Castle had been abandoned for a few hundred eras.
Instead of simply restructuring the place to perfection, it was decided to give it a studied appearance of old age. If one could ever think about polished ruins, Castle Chelseanna would be that place. The ivy that had invaded two of the towers was there on purpose, and the section of the outer walls that had seemingly collapsed a long time ago had been laid out in the original project - every stone rested exactly where it was meant to be, and militiamen dressed in the colors of Chelseanna made sure that no-one felt the urge to pocket a piece of broken battlement and take it home.
The Castle was rectangular, the main gate facing North-west and the endless ocean. There was a tower in every corner, and a smaller one halfway through each side of its perimeter. Half the castle was, as mentioned, in a state of fake disrepair, including the interiors. The Southern side of the castle was filled with dusty old rooms, each with its own legend to tell - most of these featured an impossible love with the obligatory betrayal, someone being killed in a particularly gruesome way, or both. The careful scholar would know, however, that some of these stories were likely to be true. For example, Prince Aeric - the legendary White Knight who had betrayed Antediluvian and sided with Constantine - had spent over an era in this castle as the lover of the Duchess Chelseanna in his later brightenings. His room was untouched, and by far the most popular in the castle, surpassing even the Duchess' master bedroom. Naturally, rumors of the Duchess haunting the place as a ghost were ubiquitous, just like there had been dozens of various supernatural sightings over the eras.
Fencers from the Dulot Academy, decked out in bright colors, patrolled the halls and corridors and made sure everything ran smoothly. Visitors could dine at the castle, and be served as though they were the lords and ladies of the place or even attend special events such as murder mystery darkenings - for a price, of course. Nothing was ever free on Chelseanna.
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