Fortress of Ismere

"They're rounding up all the men they can find and taking them to Ismere. People say Morgana is tearing the citadel apart."

- Annis to Arthur

The Fortress of Ismere is an abandoned castle located in Ismere. It was once occupied by Morgana and her Saxon army, who searched the caves beneath it for the key to all knowledge.

The fortress' interior is barren and dilapidated. It is known to contain a throne room, dining room, bedrooms, passages, a garbage chute, and access to the caverns below.

History
At least two years after the Second Fall of Camelot, Morgana, Ruadan, and her Saxon army took up residence in the fortress and began searching for the key to all knowledge. When the fortress itself revealed no secrets, they hired slavers such as Radnor to kidnap men from neighbouring kingdoms and forced them to mine the caverns beneath it.

A patrol of sixty Knights of Camelot joined these slaves after they captured outside the fortress by Morgana's wolves. One day, Gwaine noticed a strange light while he was working and followed it deeper into the caves. He was soon caught and beaten by Saxons for abandoning his task, but was later found by the Diamair, who used its magic to heal him.

When Arthur learned what had befallen his men, he led a search party to Ismere to rescue them. He and Merlin entered the fortress through a garbage chute and disguised themselves as Saxons to infiltrate the mine. They found Gwaine and Percival and later ran into Morgana, who badly injured Merlin and tormented Arthur with a dagger. Before she could kill him, however, Mordred intervened by stabbing Morgana in the back. He then took Arthur to safety while the Diamair healed Merlin.

Morgana later fled the fortress while Arthur and the rescued knights returned to Camelot (Arthur's Bane).

Etymology

 * "Īsmere" is Anglo-Saxon for "ice-lake".