Winterhal

Fort Winterhal as seen from the garden promenade

Fort Winterhal is a large, lightly fortified castle located inside the city of Helmira, which is used as a winter residence for members of House Viromaro, and occasionally as a private residence by the crown prince (Such as Louis Viromaro).

It was the first example of the Helmiran Style, an architectural style focused around creating grand buildings with a focus on quality materials, especially quartz, diorite and acacia, and with style elements such as long pillars and large stained windows, which came to be the dominant architectural style of Helmira during the renovations of the Fourth Era.

Winterhal is a younger sister palace of Fort Summerhal, which is located on a tropical bay in Alcanzar. Due to this both castles share their general layout, with both consisting of two large towers, a lush walled garden with water feature, and a central grand hall, where the ground floor is used as a ballroom, with the first floor being used for guest rooms and offices.

As opposed to her sister palace, Fort Winterhal is at a more convenient location. It is also much larger, which allowed the architects to provide the residents with more spacious rooms, a grander ballroom, as well as an indoor swimming pool, a modern post retrieval system, a well-equipped kitchen, and a larger garden.

The castle-like appearance is mostly focused around protecting the privacy of the royal inhabitants. The facade facing the road has no windows at all, and the building itself is fully surrounded by water.