Editing The Adulterine Castle

{{Neath Location|title1=The Adulterine Castle|image1=AdulterineInfobox.png|caption1=|location=[[The Hurlers]] (nonexistent)|notable_inhabitants=Stewards of the Discordance|allegiance=[[The Anchoress]]}}<blockquote>''"You don't pass through the ice, and the ice doesn't lock overhead. Reassure yourself: this isn't happening. Therefore, there's nothing to worry about. You haven't opened a doorway that cannot be closed. You haven't entered a castle that hasn't been built. This isn't where the Discordance is studied, because it cannot be studied. You aren't welcome here."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Open_your_eyes|Open your eyes|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

The Adulterine Castle wasn't built below a frozen lake near the [[Hurlers]],<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discuss_the_Adulterine_Castle_(The_Steward)|Discuss the Adulterine Castle (The Steward)|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] some people do claim there's a castle in the lake, under the ice. I know just how the rumour started too. When something doesn't exist, it's difficult to comprehend."''</ref> and the lake's surface doesn't act as its gateway.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Open_your_eyes|Open your eyes|Fallen London|}} ''"Stare into the lake's frozen surface. [...] You don't pass through the ice, and the ice doesn't lock overhead. [...] You haven't entered a castle that hasn't been built."''</ref> A person's mindset shapes what they perceive, and what they do ''not'' perceive;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Take_tea_with_her_4|Take tea with her 4|Fallen London|}} ''""What we perceive is reflected in us," the Steward says. "What we don't perceive is reflected too. [...] If your nightmares reflect a number that's not in your head, then your thoughts will reflect nonexistence. [...] Look into the lake. [...] you won't see anything in the ice – unless you see nothing.""''</ref> thus, if a traveler stares at the ice with the right mindset, they will not enter the castle.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discuss_the_Hurlers_again_2|Discuss the Hurlers again 2|Fallen London|}} ''"As she speaks, your skull grows steadily colder. [...] the next time you visit the lake. The Hurlers are reflected in the ice, but only when your thoughts reflect them too. Now your thoughts will." (Crystalline Knowledge set to 3)"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Open_your_eyes|Open your eyes|Fallen London|}} ''"Stare into the lake's frozen surface. [...] Unlocked with Crystalline Knowledge 3-6 [...] You have not entered a new area."''</ref> It is not strictly known what is and isn't happening within the Adulterine Castle,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Absence|Absence|Fallen London|}} ''"If you aren't here, perhaps you're somewhere else."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Concentrate_more|Concentrate more|Fallen London|}} ''"Imagine the possibilities. You might be dancing. You might be dining. [...] You only have to picture it, and there you are again, even if you have never been there."''</ref> though given its nonexistence, most events involving Adulterine are "not happening."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Open_your_eyes|Open your eyes|Fallen London|}} ''"Reassure yourself: this isn't happening. [...] You haven't opened a doorway that cannot be closed. You haven't entered a castle that hasn't been built. [...]"''</ref> However, the Adulterine Castle is ''not'' a dream, as dreams are "out there" over in [[Parabola]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Castle_That_Isn%27t_Here|The Castle That Isn't Here|Fallen London|}} ''"Perhaps you think this is a dream. [...] this isn't a dream. The dreams are out there, coiling in the jungle."''</ref>

The castle is inhabited by countless '''Stewards of the Discordance'''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consult_the_Stewards_of_the_Discordance|Consult the Stewards of the Discordance|Fallen London|}} ''"Consult the Stewards of the Discordance [...] There are more in this castle than you could begin to number."''</ref> who don't study the [[Discordance]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Open_your_eyes|Open your eyes|Fallen London|}} ''"This isn't where the Discordance is studied, because it cannot be studied."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consult_the_Stewards_of_the_Discordance|Consult the Stewards of the Discordance|Fallen London|}} ''"Deadly Grammar Lessons [...] Nobody can fully understand the Discordance. The Stewards [...] Whenever one attempts to study a sigil, another waits nearby with a weapon. [...] Steward starts to comprehend too much, the second Steward employs the weapon."''</ref> and who don't partake in typical chores and activities together, such as laundry,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Laundry_Day|Laundry Day|Fallen London|}} ''"Laundry Day [...] All the Stewards in this castle wear identical clothing. [...] they're not soaking their robes in great tubs or scrubbing their wimples [...]"''</ref> sorting the mail,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sorting_the_Mail|Sorting the Mail|Fallen London|}} ''"Sorting the Mail [...] Discordant Missives are never delivered to the Adulterine Castle. [...] it isn't your responsibility to help the other Stewards sort the envelopes."''</ref> or dining.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Fasting_and_Forgetting|Fasting and Forgetting|Fallen London|}} ''"The Stewards don't assemble at a long table to eat [...]"''</ref> Those who aren't visiting the Adulterine Castle will see the frozen lake's surface above their head,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Beneath_the_Standing_Stones|Beneath the Standing Stones|Fallen London|}} ''"When you aren't in the castle, you can gaze upward and study the lake's underside."''</ref> as well as the [[The Hurlers#The Standing Stones|Standing Stones]] of the [[Hurlers]]. However, these "stones" will appear to be two teams of [[Goat-Demons|goat-demons]] not playing hurling,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Beneath_the_Standing_Stones|Beneath the Standing Stones|Fallen London|}} ''"Beneath the Standing Stones [...] When you aren't in the castle, you can gaze upward and study the lake's underside. You can see the Hurlers, two stone circles [...] but they aren't stone circles. Each stone is a goat-demon. [...] their game has been frozen, their two teams locked mid-play beneath the ice."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Don%27t_talk_about_the_game|Don't talk about the game|Fallen London|}} ''"Hurling [...] This is a game that never ends, just as it never began. [...] these goat-demons. [...] which hurling team won't score higher in the next match."''</ref> because the "Hurlers" are simultaneously two rings of standing stones upon a hill, ''and'' two teams of goat-demons.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Don%27t_talk_about_the_game|Don't talk about the game|Fallen London|}} ''"Because these are the Hurlers. Because there is no difference between the standing stones atop the hill, and these goat-demons."''</ref> The Stewards who reside in Adulterine don't spectate the goat-demons' games, and don't gamble on the games' outcome.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Don%27t_talk_about_the_game|Don't talk about the game|Fallen London|}} ''"The Stewards are accepting bets on which hurling team won't score higher [...] that is to say, they aren't accepting bets. The Anchoress doesn't condone gambling."''</ref>

<blockquote>''"Chambers don't open around you. Stewards don't move through these chambers, reading books without pages, calculating figures without digits or values. Hallways never lead to the same door, and doors never lead into the same room."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Lower_Castle|The Lower Castle|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>''"Staircases don't spiral into heights above your head. Windows don't melt and pool under your feet in gleaming puddles, whose surfaces are not ceilings that Stewards drift across. These Stewards aren't gathering data or conducting linguistic research with peculiar instruments. You can't concentrate when the wallpaper keeps changing into other wallpaper."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Upper_Castle|The Upper Castle|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

This castle which doesn't exist features a courtyard,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_the_courtyard|Enter the courtyard|Fallen London|}} ''"In order to walk outside, one has to walk further inside. [...] Entering the courtyard [...]"''</ref> transparent towers,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Adulterine_Castle|The Adulterine Castle|Fallen London|}} ''"Everything that isn't here [...] these transparent towers [...]"''</ref> and an interior<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_the_Adulterine_Castle|Enter the Adulterine Castle|Fallen London|}} ''"You've never been inside this building before."''</ref> with many halls and rooms.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Echoes|Echoes|Fallen London|}} ''"Did you hear something? A footfall in the empty halls?"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Adulterine_Castle|The Adulterine Castle|Fallen London|}} ''"Everything that isn't here [...] these nonexistent rooms [...]"''</ref> Plants don't grow here,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Fruitful_Symmetry|Fruitful Symmetry|Fallen London|}} ''"Plants don't flourish in the bitter cold. Trellises [...] aren't entwined with branches and vines that won't bloom."''</ref> and snow doesn't fall throughout.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Snowfall|Snowfall|Fallen London|}} ''"It isn't snowing."''</ref> The lower levels of the castle don't contain chambers that house libraries of empty books,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Lower_Castle|The Lower Castle|Fallen London|}} ''"The Lower Castle [...] Chambers don't open around you. Stewards don't move through these chambers, reading books without pages, calculating figures without digits or values."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consult_the_Lower_Stewards|Consult the Lower Stewards|Fallen London|}} ''"Consult the Lower Stewards [...] Discuss what isn't being studied in the floating libraries."''</ref> and the Stewards that work here study how the [[Discordance]] behaves when translated from nonexistence to existence.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consult_the_Lower_Stewards|Consult the Lower Stewards|Fallen London|}} ''"Consult the Lower Stewards [...] Discuss what isn't being studied in the floating libraries. [...] the only way to safely study the Discordance is not to study it. [...] Difficulties [...] when its nonexistent principles are translated into existence. [...] In this nonexistent castle, Stewards work to study how effects might manifest. [...] an approximation still might be approached."''</ref> The upper levels don't feature spiraling staircases, melting windows, and unchanging wallpaper.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Upper_Castle|The Upper Castle|Fallen London|}} ''"The Upper Castle [...] Staircases don't spiral [...] above your head. Windows don't melt and pool [...] the wallpaper keeps changing into other wallpaper."''</ref> The Stewards here don't use [[Goat-Demons|goat-demons]] as test subjects for nonexistent studies they won't remember, and the goat-demons don't experiment on the Stewards in turn.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consult_the_Upper_Stewards|Consult the Upper Stewards|Fallen London|}} ''"Quite a few Stewards aren't dragging goat-demons [...] into [...] laboratories. [...] in order to research Discordant phenomena, test subjects aren't necessary. Quite a few goat-demons also aren't dragging Stewards into various laboratories [...] Research that could never be conducted elsewhere can't be conducted in this castle either, which is why so much research is not being conducted here. Whenever something isn't learned, the Stewards don't remember it."''</ref>

The [[The Anchoress|Anchoress]] doesn't dwell in the Adulterine Castle where "all corridors connect,"<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Approach_the_Anchoress|Approach the Anchoress|Fallen London|}} ''"Approach the Anchoress [...] She doesn't dwell at a centre where all corridors connect."''</ref> but she anchors the nonexistent castle in place, preventing it from "floating away."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Adulterine_Castle|The Adulterine Castle|Fallen London|}} ''"Everything that isn't here would simply float away [...] were these nonexistent rooms, [...] unbound from the weightless weight that hasn't sunk like an anchor [...] like an Anchoress. Her absence is ever-present when you don't traverse the twisting corridors."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Approach_the_Anchoress_3|Approach the Anchoress 3|Fallen London|}} ''"You cannot [...] peer through a prison window, to see the woman who holds this castle together with her prayers. She isn't here, and you aren't here [...]"''</ref> She doesn't reside in an anchorhold<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Approach_the_Anchoress_2|Approach the Anchoress 2|Fallen London|}} ''"You're looking through a prison window. [...] the Anchoress will never leave her anchorhold. She cannot leave, because she isn't there."''</ref> - a locked room with a single window - deep within the castle,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Leave_the_anchorhold|Leave the anchorhold|Fallen London|}} ''"You never entered the cell. [...] The little door to this room will remain locked. [...] When you are an Anchoress [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Approach_the_Anchoress_4|Approach the Anchoress 4|Fallen London|}} ''"You haven't opened deeper corridors in this castle. You can't walk down those corridors to find a [...] little room, which you cannot visit now. [...] The Anchoress is not expecting you. [...] There is not a window here for her to see the sky. It isn't a very small window, outfitted with bars [...] It is an enormous window, larger than this [...] room can hold, thrown open to the star-drenched universe."''</ref> with only a black cat for company.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Anchorhold|The Anchorhold|Fallen London|}} ''"The Anchoress [...] A little black cat isn't curled on her lap, her only companion in this tiny room."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Leave_the_anchorhold|Leave the anchorhold|Fallen London|}} ''"The Anchoress doesn't lift a hand to bid goodbye. Her hands are clasped eternally in prayer; she could not lift one if she wanted to. [...] She will never have any company except her cat."''</ref>

The Anchoress did not build the Adulterine Castle. While she was living in England during the Black Plague,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/All_Dark_in_the_Chamber|All Dark in the Chamber|Fallen London|}} ''"Living when rats swarm through every gutter, when a plague sweeps the city, and still lighting a candle in your window every night: [...] she did it.""''</ref> she read and understood the sigils of the [[Discordance]] written on the [[Hurlers]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Light_a_candle_(All_Dark_in_the_Chamber)|Light a candle (All Dark in the Chamber)|Fallen London|}} ''""Anyone would've agreed to read the stones. But not everyone would have tried to understand them.""''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Light_a_candle_(All_Dark_in_the_Chamber)|Light a candle (All Dark in the Chamber)|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] the darkness comes to you. Stay at your [...] window, with your [...] candle, and read the night-steeped text that rises with the stones atop the hill outside."''</ref> This brought her into contact with the [[The Black|Black]], a binary [[Judgement]] who was erased from reality and history.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Walk_the_upper_galleries|Walk the upper galleries|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] a double star. No light twinkles through them. "I saw the absence. Now you see it too.""''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Before_the_Black_Throne|Before the Black Throne|Fallen London|}} ''"no monarch screams – no monarch with two tongues, two mouths, two crowns whose laws are void, stricken from life, stricken from death, [...] forgotten [...]"''</ref> The Black used the Discordance<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Meditate_upon_the_Upper_Principles_(The_Upper_Castle)|Meditate upon the Upper Principles (The Upper Castle)|Fallen London|}} ''"You have risen to such heights that they have cast you down, but you have learnt to speak even without a voice. [...] you have beckoned with no sceptre, worn no crown [...]"''</ref> to decree that neither itself nor the Anchoress would be alone, and also decreed the Anchoress would always be herself.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_the_courtyard_(The_Black_Castle)|Enter the courtyard (The Black Castle)|Fallen London|}} ''"The Discordant Law [...] and you will never be alone – and we will never be alone – [...] the Anchoress does come closer, walking toward the standing stones [...] by our decree, you shall still be yourself"''</ref> And so, as she comforted the Black, she became herself: she is the Anchoress, and she is the Castle.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_the_courtyard_(The_Black_Castle)|Enter the courtyard (The Black Castle)|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] she becomes herself [...] she fills the castle with herself – until she herself is the castle, and the castle has become herself. And kneeling amongst the stones, she cradles no frozen king whose body [...] shivers in her embrace."''</ref>