(Year 231, Spring) I finally got the Werewolves GP and I'm currently adjusting most of the lots to match my own backstory. The basic lore will be kept, but I normally add my own twist. This time the defauly lots were great, so it feels a tad wrong to replace them with my own builds that will not be that great, but story line makes it necessary. Besides - main reason I grabbed this pack was to get 5 more lots :)
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| Grimtooth Manor is not your typical like other noble estates... |
So, wanna hear a little about my backstory? The build pictured above is Grimtooth Manor (replacing the bar), estate of the Count of Crafthole. Crafthole is my name on Region 4, and also includes Crafthole and Copperdale. The region was ruled by the House of Paris ever since Medieval era. They helt the county for 230 years! They made great success as smiths, providing the King with military weapons, but with the Year 118 revolution, battles were replaced with diplomacy, and the services offered by the many smiths of Crafthole was suddenly n longer requested. House of Paris used to stay at Paris Tower in Copperdale, but then things happened...
Count Fabian (4th Count of Crafthole) married Pernilla Lunvik. She already had a son, Greggorius, was not in line for the County, but they got another son, Philip, who became the next Count. Greggorius lived a few years in Glimmerbrook, but then built a home in Moonwood, a forest district owned by the Count. This far timber had been cut to provide heating for the smiths in Crafthole and Copperdale, but also to make fire crack the mountain, as the smiths also did some mining to find minerals, especially the silver vein is famous. After the revolution timber became a commercial industry on its own, and that's when the Moonwood Mill was built.
Count Fabian must have been close to Greggorius, treating him just like his real son Philip. But the peerage rules could not be ignored. As soon as possible, Greggorius was knighted for the Crafthole District Order. Fabian obviously hoped that would make Greggorius feel a stronger tie to the family. But shortly after, Greggorius was widowed and he left his Grimtooth estate and escaped into the forest.
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| Today Count Jacop of Crafthole resides Grimtooth Manor with his family. |
Few years later, Count Philip, Greggorius' younger halfbrother, decided to move to Moonwood. Officially he wanted to stay closer to the Mill, that he owned, but there are reasons to believe he also wanted to reestablish contact with his halfbrother. Grimtooth Manor, as we know it of today, was built by expanding Greggorius' old estate. Count Philip also equipped a shed for some blacksmith activity, although this must have been mainly a hobby - as well as a kind nod to his ancestors.
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| The creative mess was never a problem for the Count. But his relation to his wife is getting worse... |
Count Jacop believes in freedom even for children, and he allows way more mess than his wife, Countess Benedicta, appreciates. The two children might benefit from this at the moment, but if they want a good reputation within the aristocracy, they will of course need to learn good manners, just like everybody else.
Lady Cortenza likes doing her homework in her father's office - which he gladly allows.
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| Lady Cortenza likes it in her father's office. |
The walls are decorated with some fine swords crafted by long gone members of the House.
Lord Tylon has not started school yet, but he likes to play that he can write, anyway, and he often does "homework" while his sister does.
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| Lord Tylon practicing before starting school. |
The room above is their dining room. Despite being a high nobility house, they do focus more on minerals and timber, than gold and glamour. Most rooms of the manor are sparely equipped, and this family rarely hosts parties. Aside of a handful valuable heirlooms, they don't own a lot of fancy shining stuff, either. The dining room allows only 10 people. There is the annual District Order gala dinner, but the knights are few.
One interesting side of this household, is the Cook! She is the only servant, and she is a local, the elderly Lily Zhu!
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| Grooming yourself works best when your bosses can't see you... |
She serves the household by cooking, but the Countess is rather upset that Lily has not yet learned to serve gourmet dishes. Lily cooks, clean and she even does some gardening. That is, occasionally she feels the walls will eat her alive, and she needs to get outside. So, she is often see near the planting pots without doing much beside inhaling fresh air and listening to distant sounds from the wild forest...
The Count and Countess have no idea that Lily is a werewolf. I can't wait to play them through a few days just to see how this might stir things up a bit :)
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| Countess Benedicta has no idea that her Cook is a werewolf! |
Count Jacop probably knows that his manor is built on the former home of a Werewolf, the relative Greggorius, or Greg, as he is currently known as. Jacop might even have heard about the cellar that is still under the manor, but question is whether he ever told his wife about this. There is also a tower where Lord Greggorius used to study the moon, and in one tower room there is an old office with quite a few hints about werewolves. Count Jacop has no intention of seeking his grand uncle Greg, though. Greg is still one of the few knights of the Crafthole District Order, but according to Jacop's late father's old diary, Greg never attended a gala dinner, not even once. However, such a knighthood is life long...
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| Lily needs to rush outside every now and then, for how long can she hide her temper? |
She left the Collective ten years ago, when she decided to live closer to the rumored Grimtooth Manor's basement. Being a werewolf she has access, and she secretly goes there on full moon nights. It also provides a shortcut to the tunnels. Kristopher Volkov is still Lily's hero, but he started to act strangely as his two adopted kids kept building a conflict, and Lily decided to leave her bed to someone younger. Right now she is not an active member, but she still admires and supports Kristopher. She even keeps a photo of him on her bedside table...
The small shed is all that is left from the bar lot.
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| A memory of the past... |
It is where Count Jacop's ancestor practiced as a blacksmith. Nowadays nobody use the facilities, but Jacop likes walking over to admire the old silver plates and cups, and to smell the fireplace where they heated the minerals. In the future I will add a few gems and crystals here too. House of Paris no longer owns an active mine, but they are still involved with anything mineral as soon as there is a chance.
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| Count Jacop admiring the silver work by his ancestors, the smiths. |
Count Nolan owns the manor, the Moonwood Center lot next door, a vacant spot across the river and the area where Kristopher Volkov rents a cabin that used to house timber workers. One lot was owned by his aunt, Lady Silvana, who died without children, so Jacop inherited her lot and it is currently rented by an elderly man of the House de Buttercups (Tartosa).
The old Mill is no longer active either. It is now a community center, including a bar, a library, and a room for woodworking. The tiny lot across the river has been used by curious travelers as a campground for many years. There is nothing built there, but Jacop placed a trashcan there to avoid litter flowing everywhere. The ground is popular especially among teenagers who come to explore the forest. Once he saw a group leaving Moonwood in a hurry, screaming, in the middle of the night!
So - this little world might be interesting to explore - will Lily be able to hide her true temper? Will any of the teenagers camping in the forest get bitten? Will Jacop be able to build a friendship to Kristopher Volkov without stiring up a drama? And how about the old man renting Moonwood House - will he get involved with the furry aspects of the woods? And - how will this land be passed on to the next generation which might call for a split of the lots to benefit 3 individuals?
Looking forward to this all!
Added July 2nd:
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| Moonwood House was once built by Lady Sylvana, but is now let to renting family. |
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