Dros Delnoch

In the fantasy writing of British author David Gemmell, Dros Delnoch is a Drenai fortress that guards the pass between the Nadir homeland to the north, and the Drenai homeland to the south. The original title Gemmell had in mind for his book Legend was "The Siege of Dros Delnoch".

Dros Delnoch is made of six concentric walls and a keep. The first and strongest wall is sixty feet high and four hundred paces wide, with towers set every fifty paces. Wall One is called Eldibar, meaning 'Exultation', for it is where the enemy is initially repelled. Wall Two is called Musif, or 'Despair', because by now the defenders have seen the fall of Eldibar. Wall Three is Kania, or 'Renewed Hope'. Wall Four is Sumitos, or 'Desperation'. Wall Five is 'Serenity', because by now the defenders know that they will die, but they are determined to face the end with courage. Wall Six is Geddon, or 'Death'. It is said that Dros Delnoch would never fall while men with courage stood on its walls.

Several important battles are fought at Dros Delnoch. The events in Legend are centered around the Drenai defence of Dros Delnoch against the Nadir horde led by Ulric, the Great Khan. The death of the Drenai legend Druss at the gate of Wall Four rallies the Drenai defenders, and they are able to hold off the Nadir siege until Ulric is forced to retreat to qwell uprisings in Nadir.

In The King Beyond the Gate, Drenai is ruled by the mad emperor Ceska, and Dros Delnoch is overrun by Tenaka Khan, a descendent of Ulric who has united the Nadir tribes once again. Tenaka Khan eventually conquers Drenai.

In Quest for Lost Heroes, Drenai is occupated by Nadirs and Dros Delnoch was overrun by Tenaka Khan (as mentioned above).

By the time of the events in The Swords of Night and Day, a thousand years after the events in Legend, Dros Delnoch has become a ruin, its walls crumpled and destroyed by earthquakes and avalanches.

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