Haus von und zu Merveldt
"Licht leidt ons."
County of Merveldt-Kotzau
Dragenthal
Preamble:
On the coast of Dragenthal, amidst the forests and rivers, lies the seat of House Merveldt. Arising from a line of ministeriales and castellans, their ennoblement was won through dutiful service to their lords, who granted them a fair port village accompanied with the manor Alhsn. Since such lowly beginnings has the house oscillated between growth and ruin, ages of prosperity punctuated by eras of blood and conflict. With the Drachenwald Crisis still fresh in their collective psyche, it is the hope of every Merveldt that they can do what their ancestors have done time and time again; rebuild.
Archives:
Merveldts are generally divided into two periods, Alt and Neu. Alt-Merveldt refers to a person who lived before the Drachenwald crisis, whereas Neu-Merveldt refers to those who lived after. In the chaos ensuing the slaughter of the Alt-Merveldts, much of the family's archives had been destroyed in the sacking of Alhsn Castle. Records and treaties were all demolished in infernos with little regard for origin or importance. What is presented here is the remnants of information concerning known Merveldt barons and counts. All of it is garnered from scraps of documents and oral history that survived the brutal culling.
Rayner 'the Fat' - progenitor of Alt-Merveldt
The earliest known man who bore the name 'Merveldt'. His own reign was not notable in the slightest, and was far overshadowed by his wife in accomplishment by the end. Nevertheless he is often called the Progenitor, if only because by luck did his early name escape the flames of the Drachenwald bloodbaths.
Mathilde 'the Lioness' - diplomatic businesswoman
A lady of iron resolve, Mathilde is the sole reason why the barony of Merveldt is even on a map. Unlike her husband Rayner, she was not content with living off the backs of the peasants, and worked to bring wealth to her family, wealth that could never be provided by taxation of the barony's meager population. She organized the profitable Merveldt Entremer Spice Company, striking up trade deals with the Qadir of the east to bolster house coffers and exporting Drachenwald Nuttegg to the nobles of the Holy City.
Ludwig 'the Bloody' - zealous impaler of heathens
Son of Rayner and Alexandra, he spent most of his life fighting bandits in Farah'deen, protecting the caravans of his family while delegating power to the rest of his family. It was he who establish Merveldtic tradition of horsemanship and changed the house sigil to the steed. His rule lead to a very decentralized period of the house, the only binding ties between different members being simply the name. Thus he set the stage for his own ruination.
Gottfried 'the Calm' - brilliant usurper
While Ludwig was off fighting in Farah'deen, Gottfried went off and reorganized powers so that it favored him. When Ludwig fell he immediately sprung up, taking control of the house and bastardizing Ludwig's legitimate sons. This lead to a drawn out feud between those bastards and his supporters, which lead to near destruction of the family spice trade. Despite all this, he is noted in a good light for organizing strategic marriages for his children, playing a vital part in minting the county of Merveldt-Kotzau.
Leolar 'the Rash' - final patriarch of Alt-Merveldt
Frederick was a strong advocate for battle the Sherburnes, disgusted by their hedonism and infuriated by the failure tax. As one of the first barons to revolt, he looted Sherburne holdings in his area with a small levy, wreaking retribution against the perceived tyrants. He attended the amnesty summit with much hesitance, spurred on by his family who wished to see the end of the bloodshed. As it turned out his hesitance was well placed, as he was one of the victims of the Bloodbaths of Inner Drachenwald. Following his death was a period of infamy as many Merveldts fell to Sherburne swords in the looting of Alhsn Keep, including those in the line of succession.
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Frederick 'the Grey' - progenitor of Neu-Merveldt
The bloodbaths, while they signaled a dark time in the house's history, did not signal its entire extermination. Frederick, first son of the second wife of Frederick, was by a stroke of luck outside of the county while Sherburne forces tore through the county. As he was one of the few remaining Merveldts, he rallied what support he could and played a minor yet noted role in the Baron's army. In exchange for this service, he was instated as the new Count of Merveldt, retaining the house lands that would have been divided off to land-hungry competitors if he had not made his presence known. With his newfound power he began anew, consolidating power for his family once more. As years pass and prosperity is restored, Frederick becomes increasingly hedonistic, throwing feasts for his lackeys at the expense of the working peasants. In a fit of irony he becomes the very embodiment of he fought against. Thus kickstarted Banzleib's revolt, as bands of peasants angrily made their march across the county to dispose of the Merveldts.
Adhemar 'the Leper'' I - current patriarch of Neu-Merveldt
As it so happened, midway through the rebellion did Adhemar, Frederick's son, return from the Reither Lycée des Calemberg. Armed with his military education, he garnered support through still loyal retainers and managed to defeat the revolt in a running battle. Banzleib is captured, drawn, and quartered. The rest of the peasantry is appeased with promises of frugality by Adhemar in his rule, and in a quick ceremony Frederick passes the mantle to his son.
The earliest known man who bore the name 'Merveldt'. His own reign was not notable in the slightest, and was far overshadowed by his wife in accomplishment by the end. Nevertheless he is often called the Progenitor, if only because by luck did his early name escape the flames of the Drachenwald bloodbaths.
Mathilde 'the Lioness' - diplomatic businesswoman
A lady of iron resolve, Mathilde is the sole reason why the barony of Merveldt is even on a map. Unlike her husband Rayner, she was not content with living off the backs of the peasants, and worked to bring wealth to her family, wealth that could never be provided by taxation of the barony's meager population. She organized the profitable Merveldt Entremer Spice Company, striking up trade deals with the Qadir of the east to bolster house coffers and exporting Drachenwald Nuttegg to the nobles of the Holy City.
Ludwig 'the Bloody' - zealous impaler of heathens
Son of Rayner and Alexandra, he spent most of his life fighting bandits in Farah'deen, protecting the caravans of his family while delegating power to the rest of his family. It was he who establish Merveldtic tradition of horsemanship and changed the house sigil to the steed. His rule lead to a very decentralized period of the house, the only binding ties between different members being simply the name. Thus he set the stage for his own ruination.
Gottfried 'the Calm' - brilliant usurper
While Ludwig was off fighting in Farah'deen, Gottfried went off and reorganized powers so that it favored him. When Ludwig fell he immediately sprung up, taking control of the house and bastardizing Ludwig's legitimate sons. This lead to a drawn out feud between those bastards and his supporters, which lead to near destruction of the family spice trade. Despite all this, he is noted in a good light for organizing strategic marriages for his children, playing a vital part in minting the county of Merveldt-Kotzau.
Leolar 'the Rash' - final patriarch of Alt-Merveldt
Frederick was a strong advocate for battle the Sherburnes, disgusted by their hedonism and infuriated by the failure tax. As one of the first barons to revolt, he looted Sherburne holdings in his area with a small levy, wreaking retribution against the perceived tyrants. He attended the amnesty summit with much hesitance, spurred on by his family who wished to see the end of the bloodshed. As it turned out his hesitance was well placed, as he was one of the victims of the Bloodbaths of Inner Drachenwald. Following his death was a period of infamy as many Merveldts fell to Sherburne swords in the looting of Alhsn Keep, including those in the line of succession.
-
Frederick 'the Grey' - progenitor of Neu-Merveldt
The bloodbaths, while they signaled a dark time in the house's history, did not signal its entire extermination. Frederick, first son of the second wife of Frederick, was by a stroke of luck outside of the county while Sherburne forces tore through the county. As he was one of the few remaining Merveldts, he rallied what support he could and played a minor yet noted role in the Baron's army. In exchange for this service, he was instated as the new Count of Merveldt, retaining the house lands that would have been divided off to land-hungry competitors if he had not made his presence known. With his newfound power he began anew, consolidating power for his family once more. As years pass and prosperity is restored, Frederick becomes increasingly hedonistic, throwing feasts for his lackeys at the expense of the working peasants. In a fit of irony he becomes the very embodiment of he fought against. Thus kickstarted Banzleib's revolt, as bands of peasants angrily made their march across the county to dispose of the Merveldts.
Adhemar 'the Leper'' I - current patriarch of Neu-Merveldt
As it so happened, midway through the rebellion did Adhemar, Frederick's son, return from the Reither Lycée des Calemberg. Armed with his military education, he garnered support through still loyal retainers and managed to defeat the revolt in a running battle. Banzleib is captured, drawn, and quartered. The rest of the peasantry is appeased with promises of frugality by Adhemar in his rule, and in a quick ceremony Frederick passes the mantle to his son.
OOC Information:
House Merveldt is an Alt-Regalisch noble house with a flavor focus on the High Middle Ages, most notably in the Outremer. The main ambition of the house is to bring a level of 'low' fantasy roleplay to the server, with events such as jousts and plays to be put out in the future. It is encouraged prospective players brush up on the society of the aforementioned lands, though it is not necessary.
Family:
The current house is a mixed group, composed of half-brothers, bastards, and adopted inductees counted with the more legitimate, pure blooded members. Given the brutal cull that occurred so recently in their history, the Neu-Merveldts are more concerned about the presence of related blood rather than the purity of it.
OOC: A few ground rules here. No mages. No deathlings, vampires, or undead. No heathens, though heretics may be permitted. Otherwise age, personality, physical characteristics, and even name are at the discretion of the player. Players are to give at least half their roleplay time to their Merveldt. No 'once-a-week' characters.
Blue - Played
Green - Played with trial
Orange - Available
Black - Unavailable
Adhemar Carolus - The Leper (Legitimate Patriarch)
Tancred Warner - (Legitimate)
Heribrand Eudes - (Bastard-Legitimized)
Melisende Floris - (Half-Sister)
Eraclius Theobald - (Half-Brother)
Amalric Galeran - (Adopted by Eraclius)
Frauke Ekkehard - (Legitimate)
Aesthetic Traits:
Men and women of Merveldt descent are generally baseline Alt-Regalisch in physical characteristics. Men tend to err around the height of 6 feet, while women are generally no more than 5' 9". Stark black hair is the norm for both genders, though it's not rare for a woman to occasionally birth a brown haired child. Pale blue is the predominant eye color while green is recessive, and fair skin is the norm for all Merveldts. The family tends to exhibit rather sharp features, with angular jawlines and protruding noses. Broad shoulders are common for men, though that is less so the case for the women. As a result of their noble Alt-Regalisch heritage, all members tend to hold themselves stiff and noble in posture.
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