Nights of Dungeons & Dragons and board games started pretty much as soon as the roof was put on Shannan Drakkon’s castle.
It may have taken two years to build, but their dream home has become a reality in the suburbs of Burnie in northern Tasmania.
Shannan Drakkon in the backyard of her dream home. (ABC Northern Tasmania: Rick Eaves)
“I’ve loved fantasy and science fiction all my life—anything that lets you escape the mundane nature of everyday life.
“I knew this wouldn’t really be the dream castle if it didn’t include a room dedicated to role-playing and fantasy games.”
Looking down towards the entrance to the bailey. (ABC Northern Tasmania: Rick Eaves)
A castle needs the right hill
Drakkon had scoured the NSW coast looking for the right kind of riverside or hilltop location to build a modern version of a medieval castle.
Almost as an afterthought he visited Tasmania, and on his first day off the boat he found it: an empty hill inside Burnie’s residential area with 360-degree views of the city, the sea to the north and the mountains to the south .
“This was my dream. Now I can die happy,” he said, standing on a second-story battlement and drinking from a cup of coffee with his own dragon seal.
A long night of Battle Tech in progress in the dedicated gaming room. (ABC Northern Tasmania: Rick Eaves)
“My brother got married in a castle in Ireland in the early 2000s. I’ve always wanted to stay in one, so that ticked that box.
“The next box to check was to have a castle, so I built one.”
With the working title Dragon’s Roost (the name Drakkon is Ancient Greek for dragon), the castle that got Burnie talking during its two years of construction is complete.
It has turrets, battlements for balconies and an entrance to the courtyard.
Inside the tower or the main living space of the castle house. (ABC Northern Tasmania: Rick Eaves)
The main tower or living space has exposed gray block walls, gothic lighting and a wooden loft.
“The big rough-faced gray blocks came from Melbourne. I wanted an old feel, the gray stone aesthetic of medieval European castles,” Drakkon said.
“I really wanted to include a secret dungeon, but I had to cut costs. That was the first thing that came up.”
The building is full of medieval atmosphere. (ABC Northern Tasmania: Rick Eaves)
Rather than a dungeon, Mr. Drakkon’s dedicated playroom is at the base of one of the towers, creating a shadowy nook that could be used for RPGs, but “more likely storage.”
Welcome to nerd-vana
It has a specially built gaming table as its centerpiece, built through a Kickstarter project in the United States.
It was designed with internal layers so that an unfinished game could be moved to a lower level while another game was started on the table.
Another of Shannan’s hobbies is painting fantasy and science fiction figurines. (ABC Northern Tasmania: Rick Eaves)
“It has built-in power and USB ports and I have interchangeable motifs so you can decorate the table according to the theme of the night,” said Drakkon.
“As it turns out, Burnie has a lot of nerds. There are gaming clubs, one of which, Realm of Gaming, I’ve joined.
“I’ll look to play every week, at least. Games can be an hour or two, or all night, or if it’s big enough, a whole weekend.”
Shannan Drakkon found the right hill for her castle in Burnie. (ABC Northern Tasmania: Rick Eaves)
Around the room, on counters and cabinets, are hundreds of fantasy and sci-fi figurines and game pieces, hand-painted by Mr. Drakkon.
There are Star Wars tech pieces, fantasy warriors, swords and wizards.
Defensible and bright for a mug
Above, most of the outer walls are topped with battlements, the classic staggered defensive scheme traditionally used by archers and other defenders of a castle.
Shannan Drakkon enjoys a cup at the battlements. (ABC Northern Tasmania: Rick Eaves)
“I have no intention of being harassed,” Drakkon says, laughing at the thought.
“But I’m definitely ready for an inevitable impending apocalypse. If we’re not already in one.
“In the traditional sense, battlements were to support the defenders of the castle or fort.
“In peacetime, it’s definitely a great place to have a cuppa, watching the sunrise – the views are extraordinary.”
Sunset at Dragon’s Roost. (ABC Northern Tasmania: Rick Eaves)
In the coming months and years, Mr Drakkon wants to plant lots of fruit trees, create a Zen garden at the bailey and develop a landscape that will help the local wildlife on this hilltop suburb.
Some parties are also planned and any party that is not themed can be considered a missed opportunity.
The custom gaming table is from the USA. (ABC Northern Tasmania: Rick Eaves)
Given that Dragon’s Roost is now an ever-present and awe-inspiring sight for many in Burnie’s upper suburbs, speculation about what’s happening on the hill is likely to continue for some time.
“Everyone keeps asking about a moat, and even though they’re trying to joke, I’m semi-willing to put a water fountain in there,” says Drakkon.
“A pond. With a little bridge over it.”
Shannan Drakkon is planning a garden with a water feature. (ABC Northern Tasmania: Rick Eaves)