KingTony

The First War

Sir Winston, Lord of Greenbrier:



Physical Description

• ~40 years of age (as of 926 UC); he isn't entirely sure of his own age.
• 6'8", 255 pounds; muscular with a layer of fat; mighty, strong.
• Slightly wavy brunette hair which he normally wears wild but pulls back in a pony tail on the crown of his head in more formal situations.
• Multiple scars from battle, but the most prominent flaw are burn scars to his face from a childhood fire.
• Monster of a cock!

Personality:

• Entirely loyal to Paul (as further explained below)
• Quiet with strangers; boisterous with friends.
• Barely literate: he knows his letters and numbers but struggles with large or flowery words.
• However, he is no idiot and is very knowledgeable of the world in which he lives.
• Not afraid to use violence to get what he wants, but he's not unnecessarily brutal.
• Doesn't appear charismatic, but once you get to know him you realize that he can be charming beyond his looks.
• Women are more often than not frightened by him; and when gets naked with them, the fear of that monster between his legs doesn't often improve the situation.

Background:

• ~880-890 UC: Born to a tavern wench in a Northern Duchy.
• Youth:
  
  • His mother claimed the local Sheriff was his father, but being a whore she couldn't prove anything, thus robbing of him of Noble status.
  • His mother died when he was just 5 years old.
  • He lived in the backroom of the tavern until he was 8, when he was accused of thievery and tossed into the streets.
  • Already, he was bigger than most kids anywhere near his age.
  • A street tough named Big Bill -- who was only big in reputation -- took on Winston as his muscle.
• Adult years:
  
  • After the murder of Big Bill and the execution of much of the gang by the local Count's Guard, Winston fled south.
  • Having joined the crew of a merchant ship, he ultimately arrived in Portston.
  • While there, he stepped in to prevent the assassination on Duke Cranston of Westrock.
  • He was rewarded with a position on the Castle Guard.
  • A young Paul Cranston was positively entranced by the huge warrior and demanded that Winston become his bodyguard and warfare tutor.
  • Cranston obliged, and Winston has been with Paul since.
• 914 UC: After he saved Paul's life during the ambush of highwaymen who had been setting upon caravans on the Westrock Road, Winston was knighted and given title to the Town of Greenbrier on the northern frontier of Westrock.
• 920 UC: While he was away with Paul searching for Duke Cranston, Greenbrier was sacked and burned by forces from the North. With the walls breached, the population was without protection and dispersed into the winds. While still Winston's property, Greenbrier is today little more than a few homes that pay tribute to any raiders or forces that set upon them.
• 926 UC: Winston returns to Westrock with Paul.

Having a problem staying in text window

wrong forum to post this. You posted in guild news, there is a bugs area down near the bottom.

@Tyler Night

Didn't see it, but I will move it there. Thanks!

The First War

Olivia's rejection of the offered hand made Paul's lips widen a bit. She's a brave, head strong lass, he thought, his mind adding, Who will end up in a tower with guards and a chastity belt when her father one day catches her out and about unescorted.

She turned to leave, finishing, "...I will take my leave."

"No, m'lady," Paul said quickly taking a couple of big steps that put him not quite directly in her path but enough so to make it clear that he wasn't letting her leave. When she stopped to look up into his face, he glanced over to the two wanna-be brawlers who were now quite comically trying to get the deeply sunk knife out of the table. They failed, and the pinned drunkard's coat sleeve ripped all the way to the wrist, causing him to blurt out several slurred obscenities before he and his friend stood to leave. Paul looked back to Olivia and, with the slight bow typical of less formal situations, explained, "I could not in all good conscience allow you out into the night without escort."

He looked past Olivia to the big man who was one dagger short now, calling, "Winston!"

Paul looked back to Olivia again, offering, "My man will get you where you need to be, m'lady." He leaned in a bit closer, smiling, "And you may as well take me up on my offer ... because if you do not allow him to escort you, he will follow you like a love sick puppy until you are all cuddled back in your bed where your father believes you to already be."

As he awaited her response, Paul wished he could be the one following Olivia through the dark of night. But his Scouts had been casually walking about Portston all day doing a number of tasks: weapon and armor repair, caring for the horses which included new shoes, carousing with loose women (or, as was the case for one of his less traditional men, loose men), and other such things. And while Count Barker had done nothing to formally approach Paul as of yet, Paul's men had spied figures in the shadows occasionally who Paul knew were certainly the Regent's spies ... and possibly assassins as well.

"I must remain here to take a meeting," he made his excuse, "otherwise I would beg permission to walk by your side under the stars this eve'." He reached out, taking Olivia's hand and lifting it in a way that she would know what was coming. "I would beg of the Lady to see her again, however ... soon ... perhaps tomorrow ... for a lunch by the water."

He stood tall again, nearly a full foot taller than her, and -- still holding her hand upon upturned fingers such that she could retrieved it at any moment -- simply gave her a wide, polite smile. Paul's actions, words, and expressions could have been read as anything from simple Noble courtesy to veiled lust and want: it all depended upon what was going through Olivia's mind ... and body.

To his right, her left, Winston -- another half a foot taller than even Paul -- stood there eying the two with a gently shaking head. He'd been at Paul's side since before the boy learned for what a cock was intended, so to have watched him grow into the man before him now -- the charismatic knight who could sweep any woman off her feet and into the nearest bed or hay stack after just moments of sweet speak marveled the big warrior. Winston didn't know who Olivia was -- Paul's sister's daughter -- but he was sure that the young Lady would be parting her thighs for his Lord before the now-nearly full moon was soon flooding the land with the illumination of its filled face...

"When your past catches up to you."

William studied Keziah as she responded to his statements, knowing that she was probably as torn about their relationship as he was. For her, it was inappropriate -- even sinful -- for them to have sex before exchanging vows, even if she wanted; and for William -- who had come from an age when you wanted to know what your future mate was like in the bed before committing to share one with only them -- it seemed incredible, even irresponsible, not to take at least a couple of turns between the sheets. Oh, how life in the Colonies has changed in 240 years.

When she finished, he just smiled, trying to hide his disappointment. Later, he would wonder whether that disappointment had been because she hadn't returned his declaration of being in love with her ... or of her rejection of him laying between her thighs and fulfilling one of his many fantasies about her.

"Just a while longer," he said, feigning a seriously disappointed expression. But his lips spread involuntarily as he finished, "One ... two months ... maybe more, but I promise you, any more than ten..." He pointed off toward the setting sun, "And I'm outta here."

He smiled, crossed to her, and told her one firm word before going softer, "But...! I'm going to kiss you ... now!" He moved closer, finishing, "May I?"

The First War

(OOC: If you are following out story, my partner and I got our wires crossed because of a mistake I make in the OOC. It is not Mary -- Olivia's mother -- who is in the monastery; it is Paul's mother, Eddithia -- Olivia's maternal grandmother -- who is in the monastery. If the error has already been corrected in the above post by the time you read this OOC, then just ignore it. I just didn't want to confuse any possible readers, as I did my partner who I hope will excuse my error.)

Paul could tell in Olivia's tone that she truly believed his mother -- her mother's mother -- had been sent to the monastery for her health and welfare. He, however, doubted that very much: a couple of years back, rumors had reached him in the East that a dozen or more Advisors loyal to Eddithia had suddenly died, vanished, or been jailed for treason; and about the same time Paul's mother had been taken away from Westrock to live in the monastery...? Really? Very unlikely, Paul had thought at the time and had continued to think to this day. When they'd headed home from the East, Paul had dispatched a trio of his men to visit the two Monasteries that might have been her current home, only to never hear from the presumed-murdered men again.

"Well, I am sure she is getting the best medical treatment available," he said, keeping concealed his true belief. If Lars Barker was to learn that Paul was searching for his mother, Eddithia was surely suddenly fall victim to her illness and pass quietly in the night ... if she hadn't already. "I have faith in the Monks and Sisters ... and I have faith in your father's honor for and loyalty to Lady Eddithia."

There was a sudden ruckus in the far corner of the bar, with the loud argument between two patrons threatening to become a physical altercation. One of Paul's men -- who'd been sleeping in a chair near the second fire place and was now awake -- rose from his seat, crossed to the table, pulled out his dagger, and drove it downward with great strength, a full two inches deep into the wood plank table. The startled man tried to pull away from the man he thought to be a mad attacker, only to find the sleeve of his jacket now pinned to the table. Paul's man -- one of the biggest, tallest, ugliest, and meanest knights you would ever want to not be on your enemy's side in a fight -- leaned over the pair and growled, "I ... was ... SLEEPING!"

The wanna-be brawlers looked to Paul as if they were about to wet their pants. He smiled wide, then looked to Olivia. "You really should not be out in town unescorted at this time of the knight, m'lady." He stood and offered out a hand -- signaling that he really hoped she would accept his order without a fight -- saying, "If you would permit, it would be my honor and duty to ensure you returned to the Castle safely."

Having a problem staying in text window

I think I have concluded that it related to the advertisement banner across the top. The error does not happen after the banner had fully appeared; and it doesn't occur at all on my phone because the banner pops up immediately every time.

The First War

Paul watched the hand maiden escort Sophia away with haste, unable not to smile at the obvious desire to eliminate competition for the young Duke-to-be's attention. Olivia explained herself, pointing out, "My father has forbade me to mingle with the townsfolk and my being here is without his knowledge..."

"And without his protection," Paul pointed out with a bit of fatherly tone in his voice, despite never having become one ... yet. He could have continued with his light chastising of her taking such risks, but instead only said, "I'm sure he would be concerned."

She chuckled, her cheeks flushing, as she confessed, "I wanted to welcome you back and was impatient to wait for you to walk through the doors of the castle."

"Yes, well ... there's that." The response to her confession was ... vague in its meaning, to say the least. What was Paul going to say to her: I'm afraid your father may put a knife in my back should I enter my on home too soon? Instead he lied, "I arrived in Westrock suddenly, without notice. I was giving the Lord Regent some time ... to ... to form a proper welcome for me. He is a Noble ... and a noble gentle-man ... so, I am sure he would want the time and opportunity to do things right."

Like get his assassins all in a row, he mused quietly while smiling to Olivia then glancing off in the direction of the now out of view Sophia. He thought, I wonder if she hides her knife on the inside ... or the outside of her thigh? Then his lips spread a bit more as he thought, And if she hadn't been hustled out of her by the hand maiden, would she have wanted to show me that thigh tonight? Paul was sure that the brunette would have been more than willing to reveal some flesh this first meeting, but turning his full attention back to Olivia, he inquired, "Tell me, Lady Olivia. How is your mother ... my sister? I received a few letters from Mary shortly after my departure from Westrock, but..."

His words slipped away as he diverted his gaze and recalled the reason for heading east -- finding his absent father and eldest brother -- as well as his failure in doing either. He looked back to Olivia and feigned a pleasant smile, asking, "Is she well?"

"When your past catches up to you."

This was not the future William Kutcher had envisioned for himself. At least, not yet. Hell, he was only 27 years old! And -- despite his years of pretending the 18th century in his reenactments, his tours of historic places, even his few acting events -- such as recently playing out the signing of the Declaration of Independence for a group of middle school students -- he certainly had never desired having a life similar to that which people like Edward and Keziah had lived And yet ... here he was.

After almost a month of living the life of a spy and Militiaman, William had spent the past week living the life of a frontier farmer. (Well, semi-frontier for this time anyway: the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys to the east of here were the real frontiers now, and of course that would change when the boundaries of the United States continued to push ever farther and farther west ... then down into the deep oceans ... then high into the sky and space itself.) Edward had been teaching William all of the manly tasks that came with maintaining a farm; and he'd even taken him turkey hunting and shown him how to set a bear trap, something about which William hadn't been enthused to learn yet did anyway. Keziah, meanwhile, had been teaching William the woman's end of life in 18th century Massachusetts, which quickly confirmed in his mind that women of this era had, indeed, been the work horse of the American family. Oh, sure, Edward did the heavy work, the tasks for which little Keziah's body wouldn't have been physically capable. But the woman never stopped! From before sunup to beyond sundown most days, she was moving, moving, moving! No wonder they died young, William had thought to himself often.

And all during this week, William had been careful to keep his growing feelings for the beauty hidden. Each day, he found his yearning for her growing in leaps and bounds, and he found himself getting excited so often that he'd had to take a couple of long hunting walks alone to ... relief some tension that not being able to touch her was causing him. Edward had noticed the way William looked at his daughter, as well as how more frequently and lengthy those looks were getting. But other than occasionally giving William a scrutinizing glance or a slight smirk -- which more often than not caused the younger man to blush fiercely and divert his attention -- the frontier father said nothing to him. Was he talking to his daughter about the relationship with the Hessian immigrant...? William wondered.

The War had moved far off to the north and south after the recapture of Boston by the Continental Army, and William had very nearly forgotten about the fighting entirely. The little farm was far enough off the main road that the occasional passing of Patriot forces were often entirely missed. Occasionally, a Militiaman or a neighbor would come to speak to Edward about the latest news; and occasionally William would try to learn what was what; but -- after William had explained his part in the conquest of Boston to Edward -- the man had suggested that William remain in the shadows and went to great pains to keep news from him. The Militia escorts who had brought William to Lexington had stayed only a day, telling him that they would be back for him eventually. Yet, here it was, more than a week later, and no one had come for him.

As evening fell and Edward -- exhausted from a day of working on a new outbuilding William -- fell asleep in a deep, comfortable chair by the fire, the younger man wandered outside to stand near Keziah as she performed another of her end of day tasks. He said softly to her, "I haven't forgotten our first kiss. Our only kiss."

He gave her a moment to react, not sure whether she would turn to speak to him or keep her face from him as she contemplated a reaction. But before she could say or do anything, William added, "I want you, Keziah. I want to be with you ... be with you ... like a husband and wife would be. I love you."

Having a problem staying in text window

So, a respondent to this thread gave me the answer to the question posed below. It is posted below in this first post:

Hey, I'm experiencing a problem that seems to be only occurring on RPG, and I'm wondering whether its my computer or the site:

• I tap my touch screen to enter text, whether it be the topic title window or the actual message window makes no difference.
• Immediately or sometimes several seconds later I get kicked out of the window, so my typing ceases to appear there.
• Even worse, if by chance I happen to be reaching for the back space key, I can sometimes be kicked back a page or more, sometimes losing entire messages.
• It only seems to happen during the first minute or so that I am typing a new message. For example, after having to get back into this particular message almost a dozen times within the first 40 seconds or so, I have not been kicked out of it since.
• I have already put RPG in my Compatibility View Settings, so it's not that.
• And I ran a virus scan on my laptop, which turned up no issues.
• This problem only began a few days ago, so I am wondering whether it is my computer or the site.

...................

Answer to the problem: The advertising banner won't immediately load up sometimes, and every time it attempts to load up, I get kicked out of the window. To solve the problem, I simply tap the "X" in the ad banner's upper left corner to stop the ad. Problem solved.

The First War

"Lady Olivia Barker," the clumsy but also alluring brunette blurted out before bowing.

Paul looked quickly to the stunning blonde, stunned himself. His first instinctive thought was that maybe he should have pulled his dagger for the first woman to approach, not the second: had Lars sent his own daughter to do his work, to quickly interrupt any possibility of his losing power over the Duchy? No. Paul didn't believe that, not once his conscious thinking overwhelmed his unconscious thinking.

That conscious thought followed along the same lines as that of the brunette, of this Sophia Blake: had Olivia been hiding her identity, or had she simply not gotten to fully introducing herself. Paul added to the argument the fact that Olivia and her handmaiden had entered the tavern after midnight, unescorted, in rather plain cloaks more suitable for traveling merchants, with the hoods up hiding their faces ... hiding their identities.

As if he didn't already have enough rushing through his head, Paul suddenly recalled something more: this beautiful blonde who he had been sure was of Noble birth almost immediately upon seeing her; and who already he'd been fantasizing about having flat on her back, thighs parted, calling his name in ecstasy as he drilled her in the Castle bed in which he was destined to sleep ... was his cousin! Olivia was the child of Count Lars Barker, Regent of the Duchy of Westrock, Lord of the House of Ryrstock, and Mary, Countess of Ryrstone, Lady of Westrock ... and Paul's sister!

As he listened in stunned silence to the continuing exchange between the two women, all Paul could think to himself was, Well ... fuck.