History
A foreboding ancient Scottish keep, Castle Ravenlock came with a dubious history, that of the maniacal Lord “Black Hugh”, who caused the legend of a spectral hound which haunted the area surrounding the castle.
In the years following World War II, underwater channels leading from the local loch to catacombs beneath the so-called “Tower of Terror”, an ancient battlement which had also been used as a dungeon and torture chamber in the past, allowed it to be used as a secret submarine dock for Miles von Croff, an escaped Nazi war criminal. Making a deal with Sir Gavin, the modern lord of Ravenlock, von Croff used the catacombs as a secret base for modern day pirate activities by himself and his crew. To explain his presence, von Croff also assumed the public identity of “ghost detective” Mycroft, who was constantly researching the castle and its grounds.
However, a number of unforeseen factors threatened von Croff and Sir Gavin’s conspiracy. First, young Rachel, an orphaned girl von Croff had adopted, proved to have latent psychic powers that threatened to reveal the truth beneath the Tower of Terror. Secondly, local constable and war veteran Ken Astor began to investigate the grounds further. To dispose of both, they set up the apparent reawakening of Black Hugh’s vengeful spirit, while also training a ferocious hound which they treated with phosphorescent chemicals to make it glow by night. They succeeded in killing Astor, and nearly killed Rachel during a séance, only for the girl to be rescued by Nick Fury, a fellow veteran from America. After a second attempt using the hound resulted in Sir Gavin’s death, Rachel led Fury to the Tower, where an iron maiden was revealed to be a secret door leading to the submarine pen beneath the battlement. With the accidental death of von Croff in the iron maiden and Fury’s detonation of the submarine pen, Castle Ravenlock was left safe again, control falling to Sir Gavin’s stepson Alistair Rampson, while Rachel was reunited with her uncle, the groundkeeper Angus McGregor.[1]
Unfortunately, brighter days for Castle Ravenlock were not meant to be. Sir Allistair and McGregor both died over time, leaving Rachel as the keep’s sole occupant. She was later murdered by HYDRA agent Frankie Noble, who had Rachel's corpse severely mangled so as to pass off the poor woman’s body as her own. She then assumed Rachel’s life, disguising herself and posing as blind, while rebuilding the cavern beneath the Tower as a HYDRA base. Her deception and her secret base were both uncovered by Nick Fury, Jr., who saw through her disguise. After destroying a robotic "hell-hound" being used as a guard dog, Fury caused the underground chambers to again collapse, although Noble apparently escaped.[2]
The condition of Castle Ravenlock and how the property will be disposed of are as yet unrevealed.Points of Interest
- Tower of Terror
Residents
- Hugh Ravenlock (Deceased)
- Gavin Ravenlock (Deceased)
- Alistair Rampson (Deceased)
- Angus McGregor (Deceased)
- Rachel McGregor (Deceased)
- Frankie Noble (Impersonates Rachel McGregor)