The Dread Fortress is the seat of the Grandmaster’s power and her home, at the center of The Void.
Description
- A rock structure shaped like a giant orc skull with a broken tusk and burning eyes, rising from a field of lava. It can be seen from every realm in the Void.
- The mouth of the skull leads down to an underground castle: cool, dripping stone halls lined with portraits of the Grandmaster, meeting rooms, feast halls, a banquet hall and the throne room (iron door, a throne of metal and bone, a hearth).
- In Season 7 the skull spoke for the first time. Its name is Seavold, and no one had ever asked it before (S7E6). It is only a head (“just a noggin, some good teeth”), and it called the champions “an ant” and the match “a farce.”
Rooms and residents
- The throne room, the koi pond room, the brewery, the chinchilla room (a training simulator), the Grandmaster’s private bathroom (S7E8), the Arbiter’s secret lab of cadavers (S7E6), the labyrinth (no toilets), Stuart’s hot little closet full of screens in the basement, and Doug’s twelve refrigerators of cheese.
- Staff include Thea, Stuart (IT), Claude (janitor), the goblins and the unionized Chinchillas.
- The Grandmaster also keeps a standing army.
History
- The Dread Fortress was The Shadow King’s seat during his 300-year reign. Elusia took it after defeating him in Skypiercer and rebuilt parts of it.
- She sometimes claims she built it herself. That’s a joke, though some in the Void may believe it.
Everything below is compiled from the episode pages, in show order.
Appearances
Skypiercer Part 1
(flashback): Elusia’s chambers; the Ceremonial Chamber; the throne room where Faucius died. Walls Elusia calls unscalable and unbreachable (2:40:40).
Skypiercer Part 2
orc-skull rock with a broken tusk, burning eyes, lava; visible from every direction.
Skypiercer Part 3 (finale)
Ceremonial Chamber (now Agdrel’s trophy room); hallways with magical lanterns; kitchens, game rooms, servants’ quarters, guest rooms; the ruined banquet hall with a magical night-sky ceiling; the throne room (large wood-and-iron doors, now broken; red carpet burned); the Arbiter’s laboratory deep in the fortress.
S1 Ep1 — Ditch Em’ Darrell v Eshrinn
lava field, rock skull with an open mouth leading to an underground castle; paintings of the Grandmaster; meeting rooms and feast halls; the throne room (iron door, throne of metal and bone, hearth), the seat of the Grandmaster’s power and her home.
Magic — S1 Ep2 — Mageic v Amren
food is hard to get there.
S1E5, The 2v2 - Chuck Solid Gold Dragon Biff & Richardo v Steely Dan & Thass’Lok
the Grandmaster’s home, her hall and throne (red velvet seats).
S1E7 — Wild Magic — Strako v Zayliss
, its skull-shaped rock mouth, and the Grandmaster’s subterranean throne room.
S2 Ep1, Fate of the Arbiter (Fate of the Arbiter Part 1)
entered through the mouth of the open skull, with cool dank halls and portraits of Elusia. Its throne room is where the illusion stood.
S2E2 — Prize Fight — Asena v Ralzamon
old, crumbling stone halls, with cooks and helpers.
S2E10 — Filicide — Glassy v Thornabub
- The GM’s bed chamber, with its David Copperfield poster.
- The pitchfork closet: golden handle, shelves, backsplash, rice and dry goods.
- Dining halls.
S2E14 — Shrooms — Ulfgar Greyblade (Mcswiggins) v Snoop & Dog
halls with servants and goblins; the Grandmaster’s throne room.
S2E15 — Black Hole Sun — Professor Stabbz v Mad Cass O Weary
its sewer system and toilets; the Grandmaster’s throne room, master bedroom and bathroom (new marble sinks, tile floor).
Coriander Society, Fate of the Faithful Part 1 (A Crossover)
a monolith like a humanoid orc skull in an endless lava field, visible on the horizon from every direction. Hundreds of miles of scorching lava field surround it (Lyrus’s pigeon line). Its Kitchen was the arena of Asena v Ralzamon.
Coriander Society - Fate of the Faithful Part 2 (A Crossover)
, ringed by lava “in all directions.”
Coriander Society - Fate of The Faithful Part 3 — A Crossover
“the great orc skull and its flaming lava eyes,” the compass rose of the Void.
Coriander Society — Fate of the Faithful Part 4 (A Crossover)
its kitchen was Ralzamon’s first arena. Its light casts the spire’s shadow.
S2E18 · Battle for the Crown Round 1 · Team Grandmaster (Toddleheim & Veronica) v Team Arbiter (Ralzamon & …
its halls, stone steps, armory, printing press and throne room. The Arbiter plans to move his statue into the throne room.
S2 Ep19, Battle for the Crown Round 2 - Team Grandmaster (Cosmonius & Locket) v Team Arbiter (Silky Slim & …
, with the Grandmaster’s throne (scene of the opening).
GCX Orlando 2022 — Lord Snacc v The Showman|Live | GCX Orlando 2022 — Lord Snacc v The Showman
brought “from further North Orlando” to GCX. It is having a new wing added, without permits.
S3E4, Crypto Monkeys - K-Boom v Ignacio Marchade
cracked hallways still need renovating, the kitchen is finally done, there’s a small black room with a stage, and a basement holds free cowbells.
S3E5, Edge Lords - Captain Fable v Verryn Ruth
its hallways, the throne room behind giant wooden doors, and a closet behind the throne and a basement full of plush d20s. A kitchen was renovated by goblins.
S3E14 — Magic Duel — Talbot Cage v Seth Kaiser
entered through the open mouth of the orc skull with fiery eyes, with cool stone halls.
S3E15 — Sunday Slam — Belet v Derick
stone hallways and the Grandmaster’s throne room (mentioned).
LIVE at Full Sail Hall of Fame 2023 — Jenny Gray v Chef GPT
its halls (stone floors). It “travels to Orlando” per the blurb.
Into the Mirror, Session 1 (YouTube Parts 1–6 - Flynry Dies, Flynry Wakes, Flynry Walks, Survivors, Reflect…
- Visible from everywhere, it follows you; an orc skull across a lava field, entered through the orc’s mouth.
- Portraits of the Grandmaster and of a man with a golden shield.
- The throne room has a stone face of the Grandmaster above the throne, and iron-and-wood doors.
- Deep stairs lead down to the locked Hall of Fates.
S3E17, Season 3 Finale - Soot Mustam v Huey Leatherface
, its halls and the Grandmaster’s chambers/throne room: goblins at the top of the throne. The Arbiter’s chair sits beside the throne. It goes dark again under the Shadow King “as it once was the first time that you entered.”
S4E1 — Shadows Reign — Atalantos v Kaja
amid constant volcanic eruptions. Reachable only by magic. The Shadow King’s throne room is redecorated in his theme.
S4E7 — Wings — Misery v Daisy Bloom
, amid rumbling volcanoes. The throne room (now the Shadow King’s) has a grill. A full floor of the fortress is a kitchen. There is a hallway leading to the throne room.
S4E10 — Rivals — Nonamatt v Decima
musty halls; the Shadow King’s throne room, with a window and several doors.
S4E11 — Beatdown — Sprinkles v Nigel
the Shadow King’s throne room, the long hallway, the champions’ prep room, the kitchen, and pillars.
S4E16, The Dragon and the Spider, Ricky Red Dragon v Traxton (Spider)
echoing halls and dungeon-like lower levels. The Shadow King’s throne room is there.
S5E1 — Rise of the Lord of Fate — Atlas v Killy Yesman
entered through a skull’s open mouth in the lava field. It is subterranean, with dew-wet walls, pictures of “what used to be the Arbiter,” and blue tabards everywhere. It is now silent and “straight-laced.”
S5E6 — American Amphibian — King Man Frog Bofus v Richard Knottley
protesters outside; a gym (weights, no Pelotons); Thea’s bedroom; a back locker room.
S5E7 — Ducks of Death — Robbie Clark & the Hunger v Bob the Barbarian
its halls in the subterranean lair, and the Lord of Fate’s private reserve.
S5E8 — Graveyard Grudge — Granny Edith v Teddy Oso
empty halls, and the Lord of Fate’s room (Halloween decorations).
S5E10 — BoneBound Brawl — King Bofus v Bone Daddy (and Darcy)
the kitchen, brewery, the Grandmaster’s old bedroom, the Lord of Fate’s bedroom, Thea’s old bedroom (now an office), a large keep, and the attic (boxes of goblin winter clothes, a horse, photo albums, a box of crowns).
S5E11 — Appliance Adversaries — Atlas v Frigidoom
(surrounded by lava, cool and damp inside): its dungeons and, lower still, caverns with a “hallowed hall” where the chinchillas are kept.
S5E12 — Imitation Game — Kopy Katt v Ragu
a subterranean castle inside a giant skull in a lava field. Rooms named this episode:
- the library, with a large painting of the Lord of Fate;
- the kitchen;
- the brewery downstairs;
- the attic;
- the basement closet with Thea’s costume stash;
- the throne room;
- the dungeons (which have a bathroom);
- mega screens throughout.
S5E13 — Bone Rust — Ruby Rust v Bone Daddy
its halls and kitchen (Thea nailed planks to the kitchen door).
S5E14 — Froggy Style — Kyle Stoddard v King MAN FROG Bofus
its hallways and Thea’s computer room. The Acolytes sit on hard metal chairs.
S5E15 — Cosmic Collision — Teddy Oso v Ragu
lava condensation on its walls. The Lord of Fate’s throne room; the throne is now his.
S5 Ep17 — Vythorn’s Return Part 4
abandoned, cobwebbed upper halls and the dungeons below. Elusia’s cell in the vision.
LIVE at GCX Orlando 2023 — Navik v Ragu (Prego)
and its lava region, with the large skull entrance, conjured on the GCX stage by illusion.
S6E1 — Murder at the Dread Fortress (TTRPG Murder Mystery)
lava terrain, a hot and humid “sulking mouth” with cold stone floors.
- The bloody carpet.
- The reception hall, with a diamond mosaic floor and a stage.
- The banquet hall, with long tables and a chandelier.
- The kitchen/downstairs, where Tim lives.
- The magic department and IT.
S6 Ep2 · Ether Drifts Part 1 · TTRPG One Shot (Team A mine mission)
its hallways, and the Arbiter’s screening room.
S6 Ep3 — Ether Drifts Part 2 — Team A deathmatch (Atlas v Robbie Clark and the Hunger v Copycat)
(prep room, concession stands, courtyard).
S6E5, Tip to Tip - Part 2 (Richard Knottley v Richard S. Skelman, the leadership Deathmatch)
, deep below: heavy doors, the chinchilla cage, and Thea’s sign shed.
S6E7, The Hunt for #2 - Part 2 (season finale). Team C final - Frigid Doom v Bob the Barbarian v the Duke
the Arbiter’s office area, the throne room (reached by Thea’s portal), and the concession stand.
Pieces of a King Ep 1 — DӒMMERUNG
- breweries and training pits;
- Grimnar’s office and Nehebka’s chamber;
- the courtyard (with a gallery mentioned);
- the domain of dread, “the Realm of the Arbiter”, the scholarly wing where he presides with his retinue of knights and researchers;
- Stolas’s equatorial, with its galaxy door, eye-orb doorkeeper and Void-view ceiling;
- the portal relay room (five gates and an arrivals/departures board);
- the goo pit, the resurrection tube or goo.
Pieces of a King Ep 2 — THE WAR COUNCIL
mentioned).
LIVE at Full Sail Hall of Fame 2024 - Lief Tover v Sheriff Tapatio S. Picante
, its halls in the subterranean lava field.
Full Sail Hall of Fame 2025 (live show), Ringmaster Talon v Maximilian Maxwell III
, home of murderous unicorns.
S7E1 — A Soup Served Cold — DeeDrah v Gazpacho Man Andy Gammage
Its empty halls; stairs and a bathroom per Thea.
S7E2 — Under the Oil Tree — Big Business v Bog Boy
- halls, the chinchilla room, the koi pond room, the brewery, an intercom;
- the throne room;
- a lobby where champions wait;
- cows “right outside the fortress.”
S7E5 — Rock and a Hard Place — Iowa-Ska v the Pebble
“this orc skull that is the Dread Fortress,” cold stone halls above a bubbling lava field, with a labyrinth under design.
S7E7 — A Father’s Son — Agatha Middlebrooke v Lug Hardblock
a hallway damaged by T-Rex Thea, with its foundation needing repair.