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, 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.

Although the castle is not fully fortified, it is designed to be a protector of the residents' privacy, due to its large walls.