Cambridge Castle, the Kyriell estate

**Barry Goldwater** · September 16, 2016, 11:57 AM

The Kyriells are not a great noble family, being mere knights from Kent who attained their rank in the 14th century, and their estate comprises of a single hamlet of serfs much like their ancestors. Their traditional home, Westenhanger Manor, is a fortified manor-house that has only stood since 1343 and was fortified by royal license in 1346: it is humble compared to the mighty castles of the higher nobility and has little to distinguish it from even the many other such knightly manors littered around Kent, save for the Kyriell banners and shields hung in its halls: three red chevrons and a red canton on gold, with a golden lion in the canton to differentiate Edmund's senior branch of the family from his younger brother Roger's. Its holders have long wished to exchange it for a greater seat, like perhaps Dover Castle, and are hoping to have the chance to get exactly that with their participation in the ongoing War of the Roses.

In 1462, family patriarch Edmund Kyriell was elevated into the peerage as Earl of Cambridge. The Kyriells thus moved their home from Westenhanger Manor to Cambridge Castle, which was first built by William the Conqueror in 1068 and updated by Edward Longshanks in 1284. From his time onward, the castle consisted of a stout stone keep defended by equally stout stone walls, four circular towers positioned at the walls' corners, a gatehouse and a barbican. However, it was allowed to fall into disrepair from the time of Edward III and some of its stones were repurposed for the University of Cambridge under Henry VI. The Kyriells seek to reverse the castle's sad decline now that they actually have to live there, and have begun doing what they can to repair the damage caused by years of neglect and deconstruction.

Cambridge Kyriell coat of arms

Household

Edmund Kyriell, Earl of Cambridge

Age: 37 (born 1439)
Spouse: Emma Alderman
Traits: 6 pts to start
+3 Duels
+2 Battles (+1 from hitting the 30-34 age milestone, +1 from hitting the 35-39 benchmark)
+1 Joust
+1 Survival
+2 (10%) Wealth (+1 from hitting the 25-29 age milestone)
Possessions:
2-handed weapon (+7 Duels, +2 Survival)
Partial plate armor (+20 HP, +4 Duels, +2 Survival)

Edmund is the eldest son of Sir Thomas Kyriell and his wife Cecily Stourton, and the closer of the two to their father. Thomas's busy life, particularly his service in France, kept him away from home for most of Edmund's childhood, but he never failed to bring the lad some trinkets bought in Normandy or Calais on the rare occasion that he did return, and was the man who arranged for him to be taken in by a nearby family of other Kentish knights as a page. When the Wars of the Roses began, Edmund practically jumped at the opportunity to fight alongside his old man and set out with fellow Kentish Yorkists to join the army of Richard of York as a squire, which was where he met his father again for the first time in years. He ably served the Yorkists from Blore Heath onward like Thomas did, in the process gaining a reputation for displaying reckless bravery and bloodthirsty passion, and had so distinguished himself at Mortimer's Cross that he was knighted on the same day that his father was made a Knight of the Garter with the support of the Earl of Warwick. Unfortunately these ceremonies would be the last time that father and son would see each other, as Thomas was executed eight days later at the conclusion of the disastrous 2nd Battle of St Albans: Edmund was still with the army of the Earl of March alongside his brother Roger and thus was not present to even attempt to save their father. The knowledge of his father's execution (or murder, as he would call it on account of being a Yorkist who recognized only Edward of March as his King) at the hands of the Lancastrians instilled a burning hatred for the House of Lancaster in Edmund's heart and made the war personal for him. As the head of his shrunken family, he now continues to fight for the House of York and considers avenging his father by helping to destroy the House of Lancaster in any way he can to be his chief priority, with personal enrichment naturally coming in a close second.

Edmund is a bold and passionate man: always up for a good fight, often blunt to the point of harshness with his words on the rare occasion that he isn't smiling or jesting, and possessed of a fiery loyalty to the House of York like his departed father. He has a wife, the daughter of a member of London's Worshipful Company of Mercers, thanks to a marriage his mother had arranged: he had never met the girl Emma Alderman, two years his junior, before, but on the occasion that he wasn't off fighting battles he found her presence bearable - at the very least she did not stink of fish, as a daughter of one of London's Fishmongers would surely have. Having been raised in fairly poor conditions for the gentry, the barely literate Edmund is also close to the peasantry and shares many of their strange superstitions to the point of carrying a pouch of lucky charms in his pocket at all times, which his slightly better educated brother scoffs at.

Other members of the Kyriell household

Provinces

Provincial bonuses

Buildings

**Oznerol** · October 30, 2016, 05:06 PM

Anthony Woodville, heir to the Baron Rivers, arrives to Kyriell's seat.

**Barry Goldwater** · October 31, 2016, 08:31 AM

Woodville is permitted entry into Cambridge Castle and personally hailed by the Earl. As he passes through the castle, Woodville (and indeed any other observer) can witness that the previously crumbling building has undergone extensive repairs and expansions including reinforcements to its walls, the addition of a new grain mill & a large granary; if the scaffolding being left lying around is any indication, the Kyriells are obviously planning further works as well. The large numbers of recruits from surrounding villages being drilled in the castle's training yard are another sign of Kyriell activity, no doubt they would be sent north to join the rest of the royal host aimed at securing Berwick soon.

OOC: I have no idea when exactly this is supposed to take place or how fast & loose we're allowed to play with time, but if it's alright with you I'd rather have this meeting take place before both Kyriell bros go north so as to maximize the potential for useful interaction.

**Oznerol** · October 31, 2016, 09:55 AM

Ooc: Ok, good.

Woodville witnessed the ongoing works, clearly the Kyriells were remodellating their seat extensively. The knightly house had raised to greater heights after Edward IV himself granted them such a prominent earldom. Anthony considered they would be useful allies, being both his family and Kyriell relatively obscure and belonging to the gentry; baronial yet not very prominent. Only the marriage of Jacquetta to Richard Woodville and Elizabeth's union with Grey and York had brought Woodvilles the forefront of politics. Anthony is well-dressed, yet soberly, in dark tones. He awaits Lord Kyriell to address him.

**Barry Goldwater** · October 31, 2016, 11:08 AM

"Sir Anthony Woodville, I take it? I dearly hope my servants got your name right." Edmund Kyriell, Earl of Cambridge asks as soon as he caught sight of Woodville. The earl had just returned from the training yard, where he had spent the last half-hour shouting at his levies, and had not yet removed his armor. "Welcome to Cambridge Castle. Forgive me for all of...this, by the way," He waves dismissively at the scaffolding within the castle halls, where his laborers had been repairing cracks & holes in the walls and placing new statues, "This castle was allowed to fall into disrepair over the last century and some of its stones had even been removed for the benefit of Cambridge University's doctors. As you can see I am doing what I can to repair the place, but this will take time, much as Rome wasn't built in a day. And it doesn't help that far too many of these laborers are fools, I've had to ban them from drinking anything but water on the job since one nearly killed me with a tile to the head a few weeks ago."

Kyriell motioned for a servant to fetch them refreshments, before clearing his throat and turning back to Woodville. "So, what brings you to Cambridge?"

**Oznerol** · October 31, 2016, 01:23 PM

"A shame, the fortress looks strong enough, once properly restored it shall become a formidable fortress"

Said Woodville.

"My Lord, both our families are newcomers to the stage, I think it's quite fitting we married into each other. My father, Baron Rivers, offers your Lordship one of my sisters to marry your son, Roger Kyriell"

**Barry Goldwater** · October 31, 2016, 04:00 PM

"Roger's my brother, not my son, and praise Jesus for that," Edmund replies with a hearty laugh. "God help me if I ever sire a son as timid and joyless as he. But seriously now, he does need a wife, and ideally one of higher birth than what we Kyriells are used to at that. Which of your sisters are available?"

**Oznerol** · October 31, 2016, 04:06 PM

"I apologize, sire"

Anthony smiled.

"The eldest, Anne, would make a fine wife, my Lord Kyriell"

She was getting older, but age didn't matter as much among nobility, more so when marriages got a political relevance.

"She would gladly marry your brother, Cambridge. This is a match my parent would eagerly approve"

**Barry Goldwater** · October 31, 2016, 05:37 PM

"Done!" Edmund remarked with satisfied approval. The Woodvilles & Greys enjoyed the King's favor and were rapidly climbing the ranks of the peerage, as he supposed he should have expected from the family whose best-known lady had just delivered His Grace's firstborn son, and though the Woodvilles were originally of relatively low birth - having originated from the gentry as his own family did - their blood was nobler than that of the Kyriells by far, thanks to Jacquetta of Luxembourg, so neither he nor his brother had anything to complain about in that regard. "My brother is out surveying our fields right now, but I'll inform him of his new nuptial developments the minute he returns. I would be happy to host the wedding in my own castle and at my own expense, before or after this war with the Scots is settled and Berwick returned into our hands isn't all that important to me; whichever would suit your family's wishes best, really." If anything unfortunate were to befall us, or at least Roger, at Berwick...well, it might be kinder to let this Anne Woodville avoid becoming a widow,he reflected with sudden grimness.

**Oznerol** · October 31, 2016, 07:02 PM

"My sweet sister won't get any younger, sir"

Said Woodvile with a smile.

"My father prefers to hold the wedding sooner than later. He getting older, you see? And he prefers to see his eldest married before he dies"

Richard Woodville was healthy like a bull. Anthony chuckled.

"We are honored by the agreement to our terms, Cambridge. My lady sister will soon address you as brother too. We hope this signals the beginning of a prosperous friendship between our families"

ooc: I prefer to avoid any wedding rpg, they're usually very boring.

**Barry Goldwater** · October 31, 2016, 09:11 PM

"Sooner rather than later it is, then." Cambridge nodded at Woodville one last time and began to turn away so as to head back into the training fields, only adding "You are welcome to enjoy the hospitality of Cambridge Castle as long as you wish, and I will inform the servants that they are at your disposal for the duration of your stay. That's only right, for after all, we are to be in-laws soon. My only advice would be to avoid anyplace where active repairs are in progress, of course."

OOC: Fair enough, I don't think anyone bothers going to those unless it's like the King's wedding anyway. For that matter I actually don't think there's been a single wedding thread in this game (even Edward IV's wedding got merged into his coronation), haha.