Dawnton Castle

Nestled deep in the middle of nowhere rests the ruins of Dawnton Castle. It’s been abandoned for hundreds of years now, probably because it’s in the middle of nowhere. I mean, have you tried catching an Uber out in the sticks? All the ancient magic messes with the Wi-Fi signal.

And of course, there’s all the monsters.

Me personally? I stick to the cities. No creatures that want to eat me! Well, less. This quaint and quiet structure is the work of zBeats, a builder from the UK (the country where everyone lives in a castle. True story) with a reputation for packing a lot of cute into simpler builds.

“I definitely have to give a huge shout out to a very talented builder Vubervos,” zBeats tells me, “[who] inspired me to work on Dawnton Castle. His style really motivated me to try something a bit different and create something I never thought I could.”

zBeats explains Dawnton came from a bit of experimentation and a lot of collaborative effort.

“As I was building, I really started getting into the flow of it and just wanted to keep going. Eventually, I wound up with the first section of the castle and was getting some really nice feedback and reviews about it, which then motivated me to keep adding more.”

After all the positive comments on the initial phase of construction, zBeats brought in his good friends to make Dawnton really pop.

“Once I had completed the castle, I asked my friend Eloo to create a basic World Painter map so the castle had a nice, clean terrain to go with it. I also asked my friend Etex if she would like to help me with a few tree designs, which she kindly agreed to since I’m still in the early learning stages for tree making.”

It takes a village to raise a castle, and a castle to protect a village. As zBeats tells it; “Dawnton Castle’s original purpose was to defend against the beastly creatures that like to feast on the villagers in the region. The castle is a haven for people that are trying to seek refuge in hopes of living a happier, safer life. As the world modernized, the monsters eventually went extinct so there was no longer a need for Dawnton Castle. Now it remains as nothing more than a historical landmark.”

And for those of us lost in the middle of nowhere, trying not to become monster grub by making a desperate visit to Dawnton Castle, zBeats has his own hopes for what he wants us to see.

“I want people to take away the fact that you don't necessarily have to go into huge amount of detail to make something look effective.”

He says that you shouldn’t be afraid to incorporate ideas from others - but to also transform those ideas with your own unique twists.

“Hopefully I inspire builders to come out of their comfort zone to create something [very] different from what they usually produce.”

Oh, you want me out of my comfort zone do you? So I can get devoured? Nah, I think I’ll stay right here.

Renders by: Kryiin, Rebelite, Casey, Timothy C, Maaki, and Avenz