Castle Lichter, Switzerland (CVU Location)

Seat of House Lichter

Castle Lichter was built in the 16th century under the orders of the Lichter family, constructed high on a mountaintop overlooking the small village commonly referred to as the Lichter fief. Inhabited for generations by the lesser members of the family that commissioned its construction, the castle would later serve as a retreat for the family during World War II, protecting them and the citizens of the Fief from a secret Nazi offensive in Switzerland. With the conclusion of the conflict, the castle would later serve as the base of operations of the nefarious Count Untergang, none other than Otto von Lichter himself.

The castle is Gothic in nature, with massive spires and walls overlooking a serene view of the valley beneath. Built directly into the side of the mountain, Castle Lichter is practically unassailable, boasting stone battlements and iron-barred windows all throughout the complex. The castle was designed with a siege in mind, with various portions able to be sealed off from the inside. There are a plethora of secret rooms slipped into the designs by various Lichters, leading to different parts of the castle in a much more efficient way than simply walking through the hallways.

The Castle boasts an area of 650,000 square feet, along with around 900 different rooms. These include quarters for guards under the employment of House Lichter, chefs, scholars, and groundskeepers. Many of the Castle's rooms are empty, reserved for the citizens of the Fief should they ever require asylum. There have been several instances in which the town evacuated into the Castle, the most recent involving a highly dangerous winter storm.

The largest room in the Castle is the library, containing five million separate volumes in a multitude of fields, ranging from history to theoretical physics. Five separate librarians, who also serve as armed guards, patrol the enormous room; they are among the most friendly occupants of Castle Lichter, each willing to strike up a conversation whilst simultaneously helping someone find a book. In addition to the hard volumes of books, the library's center is a massive computer, used not only to organize the many works within, but to search the internet and conduct research.

The Castle's hallways and lounges alike are adorned in works of art, acquired over the generations of use. The Castle actually houses twelve different artists, who have each devoted their lives to providing works for the Castle's decoration. They alternate between living at their own homes around the world and lodging at the Castle, and are all paid handsomely for their work. In addition to this ever-growing collection of decorations, the Castle houses some original works by some Renaissance artists, including an original copy of Leda and the Swan by Da Vinci.

The Castle's food storage rooms and kitchens are always well-stocked and in constant operation. Most of the food is imported, but some of it is actually grown in-house in small greenhouses that line the Western Parapets. A rotating crew of fifty chefs keep the dishes well-prepared. They are paid handsomely for their service, but they often remark that working at Castle Lichter is its own reward. Like most employees, their families live in the Castle along with them.

The Castle has a garage that serves partially as a vintage car museum, and partially as a functional storage space for modern vehicles. These range from all-wheel drive trucks for wintertime to exotic cars when the weather improves. Additionally, one of the Castle's turrets can open to reveal a helicopter, which can leave the structure in under a minute should the need arise. Fuel depots help keep these vehicles operational, and a group of mechanics keep them in optimal working order. The most interesting addition to the collection was an experimental Nazi tank, captured during the secret Siege of Castle Lichter in 1942.

The Castle crypt is the only part of the building to have been completely redesigned. Having never seen much use anyhow, the crypt was essentially removed and replaced with a highly system of wall-to-wall computers and gadgets, with a generator that powers the entire Castle. Maintenance workers and engineers work on this level to keep the generator operating. The crypt's advancements in the fields of energy conservation and teleportational frequency are notably remarkable, but many of these secrets died with Otto von Lichter in 2015.

The Castle's armory is highly impressive, but also almost never utilized. While every guard in Castle Lichter is equipped with advanced firearms and even explosive weaponry (though it cannot be activated within the castle without proper authorization), there has never been an instance in which they have needed to use said weapons. The guard barracks has been integrated into the same living quarters as the rest of the employees; it's more of a locker room than anything.

The Throne Room, which only saw use in the last few years by Otto von Lichter, is itself quite magnificent. Banners inscribed with the family crest line the walls along with magnificent suits of armor, and the intricate stained-glass windows cast astonishing patterns of light upon the walls. The throne itself is truly remarkable.

Updates following Klaus' inheritance

Improbable Architecture / Octonomic Structure

The private half of the Castle, inhabited solely by the Lichter heir, has been redesigned entirely with pseudoscientific defense in mind. Eschewing clumsy sentry turrets and automated trapdoors in favor of esoteric non-EM energy walls and illusory corridors, the upper half of the Castle is practically in-navigable to any unaccompanied by Klaus himself as their guide. The walls have been lined with silver plating, the circuits within altered painstakingly by the Architect of Order to emulate the powerful technology within his gauntlets. These alterations would prove a lethal defense against any conceivable assault, functionally reality-warping the opponents' very life forces out of existence should he so choose. The upper half of the Castle is, for all intents and purposes, a domain controlled on an atomic level by the Lichter Heir himself. The labyrinthine halls alone would be enough to put a stop to any crusade against the Delver; the electric air is but overkill.

The Trophy Hall

Klaus prides himself as a collector of fine art, and no art might be more fine than the weapons and gadgets of uncanny avenger past. Arms and armor of both superheroes and supervillains line the walls, some gifts, some retrieved from decrepit lairs and faraway places. A centerpiece of the collection is Thales, Kai Aurelius' trident.

OOC / Rules

• As further described in the Identity Status blog, the Castle's location is a secret. There are no records of its presence, and detecting it via satellite imagery is unfeasible due to the architecture of the castle.
• Standard rules apply; no godmodding, no-selling, or being a jerk in this thread.
• If you wish to destroy anything please ask me first.
• Finally, please place all your OOC comments / gifs in a spoiler block.