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The Castle (alternatively referred to as The Wizard's Castle or Mordroc's Castle) is the enchanted location where Singe has imprisoned Princess Daphne after kidnapping her. In the original Dragon's Lair and most games in the series, Dirk the Daring must navigate it to save his beloved from the beast. Containing several rooms with various hazards and enemies in them, it is often called "Singe's Castle" (as in Escape from Singe's Castle). However, the building is in fact stated to belong to a "dark wizard" by the original game's narrator, referring to the then-yet to be introduced series antagonist, the sorcerer Mordroc. The "dragon's lair" proper corresponds to the final area of the game, where Single sleeps and keeps his captive along with a hoard of treasure.

In the comics, the castle is located deep within the Dark Kingdom. Wizard apprentice Halvern states that the Castle itself is enchanted with dark magic, enough to obscure him and Leraene from monitoring Dirk’s progress from his crystal ball.

In the Dragon's Lair coloring/activity book titled Dirk the Daring Battles the Black Knight (Marvel Books, 1984), the Black Knight is described as the owner of the Haunted Castle, as well as the one who orchestrates the capture of Princess Daphne and directs the castle's traps against Dirk. The Black Knight is described as having "many magic powers with which to confuse his enemies" and "can create images of himself," uncommon from his usual portrayal in official franchise games and media, having more similarities to the tricky wizard role later fulfilled by Mordroc.

Trivia[]

  • Across various Dragon's Lair media, the Castle is alternatively referred to as: The Wizard's Castle, Mordroc's Castle, The Haunted Castle, Singe's Castle, and the Dragon's Castle.
  • The Castle has far more rooms than it would appear from the outside, including an armory, a laboratory, a crypt and many others. This can be explained by it being an enchanted castle, and many scenes taking place in its underground caverns.
  • In the original version of Dragon's Lair, most of the Castle's rooms are encountered in random order, adding an element of unpredictability to the game.
  • Singe’s treasure room, where Daphne is held prisoner might be understood as the literal embodiment of the game and franchise title.
  • In 2023, "Mordroc's Castle" was featured among the six "Preview Pack" cards in Cardsmiths' Dragon's Lair Trading Cards Series One. In the full Series One set released in 2024, "MORDROC'S CASTLE" features as card #4 with the description: “The dark and foreboding Mordroc's Castle is where Singe waits in the eponymous drag-on's lair with the Princess Daphne. Because of his presence the fortress is also frequently called 'Singe's Castle'.”[1]

Gallery[]

TV Series[]

Coloring/Activity Books[]

References[]

  1. "MORDROC'S CASTLE" #4, Cardsmiths Dragons Lair Trading Cards Series 1
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