Long ago, the family d'Ivernesse, rulers of the town of Morlay, raised a tower above the headwaters of the River Loir. The family was known for its subtle magics; rather than manipulating the elements, their powers extended to the body, mind and spirit. They bound men and beasts and monsters to their service, and dissipated their energies in intrigues against one another and their rivals, most notably the family d'Ambreville.
The d'Ivernesse were virtually exterminated in the civil war. The victors set the town ablaze, shattered their castle walls with siege engines, then stormed the place and killed everything that lived. For years, the Tower of Inverness was a mossy ruin, a picturesque silhouette on a height, home only to birds and moths. The surrounding woods were goblin-haunted, and some said that the ghosts of the family d'Ivernesse still haunted its broken halls.
Over the past two decades, the Chateau d'Ivernesse has been rebuilt and refurbished by Count Rainier d'Ivernesse. it is kept well-fortified against the monsters and bandits that have infested northern and eastern New Averoigne since the fall of the d'Ambrevilles.