Lorsh
Varlot
You are Lord Lothair du Artois, first son of your passed father. You preside over the ancient house of du Artois, which is now a shadow of its former glory from the days when this land was still known as Carboldica. No longer peers of the realm, your lordship is sworn to a mere baron, rather than an emperor or king as it had been centuries before. Still, your household is in possession of traditions and relics that many other lordlings do not, such as many fine banners and a quality longsword.
You preside over du Artois Castle, and have three villages mastered by your vassals, Lastrahn, Avendar, and Pelleck. The knights serving as masters of these villages are Sir Kelias du Artois (a cousin), Sir Marolyn (a cousin-in-law), and Sir Horne (a new knight), respectively. These men have bailiffs doing most of the management of these villages, while they are engaged in knightly pursuits such as hunting, training, and attending your court.
The villages under your domain mostly provide crops, wood, fish, and fruit. The carpenters of Lastrahn are capable of turning wood from Pelleck into weapons like spears and simple shields. There is also an apothecary in Lastrahn that professes alchemical skills, usually making herbal teas and simple remedies for the rural folk.
You are mostly directly responsible for the administration of Castle Du Artois, a riverside motte and bailey fortress with most of its buildings protected by a series of wooden palisades. Most of the male servants double as your personal soldiers; your retinue is comprised of 53 men, including all its commanders. Many lordlings in Midduch have few retained men under their command, but since it has been less than a year after Guy Edban's peasant rebellion in Serbeck Barony, many lords still have a decent amount of men on hand. Your 28 footmen (10 wearing mail) carry shields and more-or-less proper swords. They generally wear woolen gambesons or boiled leather derived from the Stromwood pasturelands, though your best troops wear mail over top. You also have 20 trained archers with light armor and weapons. Though you have less mail among your common men, there is a high proportion of knights and squires serving your household, for a total of 6 knights (including yourself) and 5 mounted and armed squires.
The latest days have been dreary, with blackening skies and few songs from the birds (aside from the ravens). You've heard that your liege lord, Baron Caleyston of Clayhold, has sent some of his men to Crowsby due to some kind of trouble, but he has not had any contact with you in about a week. The road leading to your domains from Clayhold is quite treacherous due to forest bandits operating in the area, and Clay Bailey being unequipped to deal with them. It's often a precarious situation for messengers, who outlaws enjoy holding for ransom.
You are approached in the manor hall by one of your retainers, an archer who lives in your bailey with his young wife. "My lord," he says, bowing in greeting. He is wearing a simple tunic with the du Artois insignia. "Me and some of the lads were fishing by the riverside... and... well, I'm not sure how to say it. The fish don't stop flopping. One has been out of the water for many an hour- we even gutted it, and it still flops as if it lives. We don't really know what it means, my lord."
COFFER
Coin: 3004
BUTTERY
Foodstuffs: 525
Ale: 247
Wine: 195
STOREHOUSE
Wood: 0
Stone: 0
Iron: 0
Cloth: 0
Leather: 0
Wagons: 7
ARMORY
25x spears
10x swords
--
15x bows
--
10x shields
--
6x padded jacks
3x mail shirts
1x coat-of-plates
STABLES
* = Used
♘ Lothair's greathorse* | Mail barding
♘ Homwic's greathorse* | Mail barding
♘ Paryn's greathorse | Mail barding
OUTSIDE CASTLE
♘ Retainer horse* | Cloth barding
♘ Retainer horse* | Cloth barding
♘ Retainer horse* | Cloth barding
♘ Retainer horse* | Cloth barding
♘ Retainer horse* | Cloth barding
♘ Retainer horse* | Cloth barding
♘ Retainer horse* | Cloth barding
♘ Retainer horse* | Cloth barding
♘ Retainer horse* | Cloth barding
♘ Workhorse
♘ Workhorse
♘ Packhorse
Oxen: 3
Cows: 11
Population: 65
Officials
Lord Lothair du Artois (Lord)
Sir Paryn du Artois (Steward)
Sir Homwic du Artois (Captain)
Master Silas (Clerk)
Brother Holan (Chaplain)
Servants
Jander, Squire of Paryn
Beston, Squire of Homwic
10x du Artois Veteran Footmen
18x du Artois Footmen
20x du Artois Archers
10x Other Servants
-----
52x Bondsmen
Lordship Population
Total: 1334
Bondsmen: 52
Free Tenants: 242
Serf Tenants: 1023
SETTLEMENT: Castle du Artois
POPULATION: 64
OFFICIALS: You (lord)
SETTLEMENT: Village of Lastrahn
POPULATION: 536 (435 serfs, 101 freemen)
OFFICIALS: Sir Kelias du Artois (master), Rellick (bailiff)
PRODUCTION: Farms, fisheries, carpenters, apothecary
SETTLEMENT: Village of Avendar
POPULATION: 461 (362 serfs, 83 freemen)
OFFICIALS: Sir Marolyn (master), Elman (bailiff)
PRODUCTION: Farms, orchards
SETTLEMENT: Village of Pelleck
POPULATION: 336 (278 serfs, 58 freemen)
OFFICIALS: Sir Horne (master), Jocklyn (bailiff)
PRODUCTION: Farms, lumber mills
Reports
-No levies are in place in your villages.
-You have 2 household knights, Sir Paryn and Sir Homwic.
-You have 3 knightly vassals, Sir Kelias, Sir Marolyn and Sir Horne.
-Your house has 5 squires, Hasdor, Squire of Marolyn, Beston, Squire of Homwic, Sunbren, Squire of Horne, Carlon, Squire of Paryn, and Pedric, Squire of Kelias
53 men
CASTLE GUARDS (Commander: Sir Paryn du Artois)
Sir Paryn
Carlon, Squire of Paryn [ARMOR: Padding, Mail, Plates | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Mace | MOUNT: Cloth-Barded Horse]
4x du Artois Retainer Archers [ARMOR: Padding, Mail, Plates | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Longsword | MOUNT: Mail-Barded Greathorse]
2x du Artois Retainer Veteran Footmen [ARMOR: Padding, Mail, Plates | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Longsword | MOUNT: Mail-Barded Greathorse]
HOST (Commander: Lord Lothair du Artois)
Lord Lothair du Artois [ARMOR: Padding, Mail, Plates | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Longsword | MOUNT: Mail-Barded Greathorse]
Sir Homwic du Artois [ARMOR: Padding, Mail, Plates | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Longsword | MOUNT: Mail-Barded Horse]
Sir Marolyn [ARMOR: Padding, Mail, Plates | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Sword | MOUNT: Mail-Barded Horse]
Sir Kelias du Artois [ARMOR: Padding, Mail, Plates | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Longsword | MOUNT: Mail-Barded Horse]
Pedric, Squire of Marolyn [ARMOR: Padding, Mail, Plates | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Mace | MOUNT: Cloth-Barded Horse]
Hasdor, Squire of Marolyn [ARMOR: Padding, Mail, Plates | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Mace | MOUNT: Cloth-Barded Horse]
Bestton, Squire of Homwic [ARMOR: Padding, Mail, Plates | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Battleaxe | MOUNT: Cloth-Barded Horse]
Brother Holan [ARMOR: Padding, Mail | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Mace | MOUNT: Horse]
6x du Artois Veteran Footmen [ARMOR: Padding, Mail | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Spear, Sword]
16x du Artois Retainer Footmen [ARMOR: Padding | EQUIPMENT: Shields, Spears, 10x Swords, 3x Battleaxes, 3x Maces]
10x du Artois Retainer Archers [ARMOR: Padding | EQUIPMENT: Bows, Arrows, 8x Swords, 2x Battleaxes]
15x Lastrahn Levy Footmen [ARMOR: Padding | EQUIPMENT: Shields, Spears, 10x Swords, 5x Maces]
15x Lastrahn Levy Poor Footmen [EQUIPMENT: 15x Shields, 15x Spears, 15x Swords]
22x Avendar Levy Footmen [ARMOR: Padding | EQUIPMENT: 22x Shields, 22x Spears, 11x Swords | MOUNT: Cloth-Barded Horse]
40x Avendar Levy Peasant Spearmen [EQUIPMENT: 40x Spears, 15x Daggers, 6x Hatchets]
LOCAL PATROLS
Sir Horne [ARMOR: Padding, Mail, Plates | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Sword | MOUNT: Cloth-Barded Greathorse]
Sunbren, Squire of Horne [ARMOR: Padding | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Sword | MOUNT: Cloth-Barded Horse]
Rellick, Bailiff of Lastrahn [ARMOR: Padding, Mail | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Sword | MOUNT: Cloth-Barded Horse]
Elman, Bailiff of Avendar [ARMOR: Padding, Mail | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Sword | MOUNT: Cloth-Barded Horse]
Jocklyn, Bailiff of Pelleck [ARMOR: Padding, Mail | EQUIPMENT: Shield, Lance, Battleaxe | MOUNT: Cloth-Barded Horse]
2x du Artois Veteran Footmen [ARMOR: Padding, Mail | EQUIPMENT: Shields, Spears, 2x Swords]
4x du Artois Footmen [ARMOR: Padding | EQUIPMENT: Shields, Spears, 4x Swords]
6x du Artois Archers [ARMOR: Padding | EQUIPMENT: Bows, Arrows, 6x Swords]
Unknown Others
NAME: Lord Lothair du Artois
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Lothair has some fair and sharp features that undoubtedly come from his Empard heritage. Standing at a notable 5'10", Lothair stands over most people, but doesn't tower over them.
AGE: 27
SEX: Male
ETHNICITY: Boldic
HISTORY: The du Artois family is able to distantly trace its lineage to the Empard rulers of the region, but his ancestors were often used to forge strategic marriages with local Chieftains. This often made the du Artois a threat to the ruling families. Thus, the family was relegated to the hinterlands now known as Middle Duchy of Carmondy to "oversee" the lands there in what was in effect a political exile to a remote land. Generations have seen the du Artois power and holdings stripped to the point where little remains other than the du Artois manor and some nearby lands. Recent generations have resigned themselves and kept silent to preserve the little that the once powerful family had.
COAT OF ARMS:
HOUSEHOLD WEAPON: Long Sword
Last edited: