[CHAR] The Keep at Echo Valley

[KingOfNowhere]

Earl Phillip of the House of Greeling
Lord of Echo Valley



Physical Description:

• 24 years old
• 6'2"; fit, muscular.
• Dark, curly hair; dark eyes.
• Various scars (yet to be described).

Personality:

• Brave, courageous.
• Benevolent, kind, generous.
• Loyal, honest.
• Sexually active; typically has at least one consort while awaiting marriage to an appropriate Lady.

History:

• Son of Samuel Greeling, a Landed Peasant.
  
  
  
  • Samuel grew up a peasant, working his father's farm.
  • For the last two years of his teens, Samuel fought in his Earl's army in a short war supporting the Royal House of Backkrum.
  • As a pension, he was given 50 acres of pasture and farm land.
  • He married and had 5 children (3 boys, followed by 2 girls).
• He was raised knowing how to handle both a plow and a sword.
• Age 18: the War of the Three Rivers erupted. His father tried to stay out of the fighting.
• Age 20:
  
  
  
  • His village was attacked by forces opposing the King.
  • His sisters were raped and murdered; his elder brother was killed attempting to protect the girls.
  • His father joined the Earl's army once again.
• Age 22:
  
  
  
  • When the Earl betrayed the King and began fighting against the Crown, Phillip's father deserted the army and came home.
  • Days later, Samuel was tracked down by the Earl's soldiers. A fight resulted in the death of Phillip's remaining brother.
  • Over the weeks to come, dozens of soldiers -- also deserters -- came to Samuel. They implored him to put together a force to fight their former Lord.
  • Weeks later, after negotiating funding from an Earl who was a Royal Loyalist, Samuel led a force of 100 into the fray.
  • Phillip joined the force as both a Squad leader and the archery trainer.
• Age 23:
  
  
  
  • For a year and a half, Samuel's force -- nicknamed the Woodland Warriors -- ambushed enemy supply trains and raided villages loyal to the enemy. Their methods weren't always the most honorable, so -- after having hear of the force's exploits -- the King appreciated their good work but could not give his approval.
  • Despite the successes of the Warriors, the war effort in general was failing.
  • An Earl named [yet to come] managed to bring all the rebel forces under his direction and besieged the Capital.
• Age 24:
  
  
  
  • While the population of the Capital was facing starvation and disease, Samuel and Phillip were building an army to break the siege.
  • The Woodland Warriors had grown in size, reaching nearly 500 mounted warriors, archers, and foot soldiers.
  • The Warriors set upon the rebels forces, destroying them and breaking the siege. (This attack is described elsewhere and a link is coming.)

[Hammerman]

Marina of Echo Valley



Physical Description:

• 20 years old
• 5'5"; slim with plump butt and small yet firm breasts.
• Light brown, curly hair; blue eyes.
• Surprisingly firm hand and arm muscles

Personality:

• Somewhat tomboyish.
• Honest to a fault.
• Desires justice above all else.
• Stubborn as a mule.

History:
Daughter of Bill and Mary, just one of the many farmers of Echo Valley that inhabited the place. She used to have a handful of other siblings, all older brothers, but they all died in the war. They were forcibly conscripted, and from what she learned later, were pretty much only used as mere meat shields as they were barely even equipped properly unlike the previous Lord's actual professional soldiers.

She was fortunate that her father was viewed as too old and crippled to be forced as a conscript as well. Indeed, he was already in his fifties back then, and he walked with a limp on his steps.

Today, she was doing most of the farming work, taking over from her father who was aging more and more. She considered herself fortunate that she was a strong and healthy child that never burdened her parents more than they were already burdened with.

[KingOfNowhere]

Count Karl of the House of Blynne
Lord of the County of Black Rock
Historically a Bannerman to the Earl of Echo Valley
(Image of his home)



Physical Description:

• 38 years old.
• 6 foot; fit, with a layer of "winter fat" from good living.

Personality:

• Confident, forceful.
• Self serving; he rarely does anything that doesn't benefit him directly.
• Misogynist.
• Sexually active beyond his marriage. (More in his first post; link coming.)

History:

• Karl was raised in privilege and pleasure, wanting for nothing.
• He joined the County's Guard as a teen and was its Lord Commander by the time his father died and Karl himself became the 5th Count of Black Rock.
• Karl had always been an ambitious man. Anticipating the War of the Three Rivers, he expanded the Guard from 60 men to 500.
• Historically, the County of Black Rock carried the Banner for the Earldom of Echo Valley.
• But during the next 6 years, Karl's loyalties shifted as often as did the wind.
• He agreed to and betrayed alliances as was necessary to conquer new territory.
• Ultimately, though, the flip-flopping between friends and enemies backfired and he lost most of his territorial gains.
• Now, at the start of our story, Karl fears that his new Lord, Phillip of the House of Greeling, Earl of Echo Valley, may punish him for not supporting his predecessor.

Regarding his Niece:

• With the death of his brother -- who had lost his wife in childbirth -- Karl became the caretaker of his niece.
• Karl has always viewed the young woman as a trading piece in his ambitions to expand his power.
• As a young beauty, she was also an object of lust to Karl.
• He would love nothing more than to marry her off to another Noble while secretly being her lover as well.

[Hammerman]

Clara Leichester


(Ignore the guy)

Physical Description:

• 20 years old
• 5'8"; hourglass figure with large breasts. Average buttocks.
• Golden, long beautiful wavy hair; blue eyes.

Personality:

• Prim and proper, though not to the point of obnoxiousness
• Always serious, rarely if ever cracks jokes
• Has grown quite the pessimist over the years
• Kind to most people, even those below her station
• Has a keen and analytical mind

History:
Born as the sole daughter of the Leichester family, she was raised in the best environment her parents could provide for her. She was taught not only manners but also some politics, accounting, and general managerial skills as well. Even though she wouldn't be the Lord running their family's territory in the future; that honor would come to her future husband, they still believed that she shouldn't be just an empty and airheaded pretty lady, like so many other noble girls in the kingdom. THey also wanted her to be a support to their future husband in acting as a good ruler, just like how her own mother was to her father.

Alas, those days didn't last long. A mysterious illness suddenly befell them both, sending them to their graves early. Clara cried for a week when it happened, and she didn't take off her mourning dress for an entire year.

Now, the Leichester land fell into her uncle, as he was a higher ranking noble than them. He commanded Clara to live at his castle instead, a request that Clara couldn't say no against, as she didn't have the right to replace her father as the Lord of the land, thanks to her gender. If she had refused, Karl could've kicked her out of her mansion and there would be nothing she could do against it.

At her uncle's place, she educated herself by reading all the books she could find at his library. She remembered her mother's words, and she didn't intend to betray her after her death. She would one day marry another noble, which would be her most realistic ticket of escape from her uncle's grasp. She needed to be not only well-mannered, but educated as well. A noble who could accept his wife more than just an eye candy and a place to fuck was her goal.

[Hammerman]

Ria



Physical Description:

• 22 years old
• 5'6"; A bit more plump than Clara, with slightly bigger breasts and a round, full arse
• Short black hair; brown eyes.

Personality:

• Devoutly loyal to Clara
• Never complained about her work. Her mistress was kind and she recognized her place as her sole support in her new and hostile environment.
• Has a great attention for detail. Never leaves any speck of dust while cleaning.
• Always strives for the best for her mistress.
• Unlike Clara, she still believes in a pure and passionate romance. She wishes that one day, the ideal prince would swoop in and marry her. Clara, of course, would get her own ideal prince.

History:
She was born to a family that had worked as servants for the Leichesters for generations. They lived in the Leichester grounds as stay-in servants, though obviously they weren't allowed to mingle freely with the Leichester family themselves. But her younger self didn't care about that rule, and she sneaked in into the main building. She ended up in the library, where little Clara was at the time. They immediately became good friends with each other, and eventually, Clara asked her to be her personal maid, which she, of course, eagerly accepted. Now they could be together every day without breaking the rule.

When Clara was forced to move to her uncle's estate, she insisted to follow her there as well. At first, Karl was about to refuse her, but when he saw that she was quite the attractive young woman herself, he agreed.

She was now her only ally, and she intended to stay that way for the rest of her life.