House Braxton
Head of House:
Lord Geofferson Braxton
How did the family rise to nobility?
The family wasn't always known for agriculture; that was only after the acquisition of Barleyshire. Before this was so, the family was relatively small. The head of the family, one Harold Braxton, was an accountant for the Royal family. He spent most of his life helping struggling noble houses with their financial difficulties when he wasn't juggling other sorts of economic issues.
Many larger noble houses disliked this, as it stopped their takeover of the smaller noble house's lands. This caused a considerable amount of friction, and in his old age the Braxton family was elevated to nobility. Though it was just barely; Harold underestimated the cruelty of many nobles, and was assassinated. Or, that is what the legend says; his death was likely caused due to old age. Though to this day, there is still anger at how the Braxton family stopped the growth of some families, or slowed said growth down.
How does the family sustain its wealth?
House Braxton advertises Barleyshire as a vacationing spot for off-duty soldiers; discounts on drinks, souvenirs; mostly anything to let the soldiers let off some steam, in addition to owning mills, farms, and a small brewery. It also sells supplies and raw materials to the military at discounted prices.
What sort of assets does the family have? How big are the lands? What sort of structures are on said land? Do they have a guard force? Personal army? Fleet of ships? If an asset is not listed, it cannot be claimed, however a PD can be posted later asking if a new asset can be added.
The lands encompass a village known as Barleyshire, the farms outside of said village, and a few miles of woodland beyond.
Almost all of the farms produce grain, and Barleyshire is home to a number of mills to process said grain.
The village has a blacksmith, and a small brewery.
It has a few tiny logging camps, though this industry is small and underdeveloped in comparison to the others.
As with most villages, it also has a market.
Barleyshire is also home to a cheap souvenir shop that secretly doubles as a brothel.
It also has a small industry of hunting and leather making.
On the edge of the property there lies a small military outpost used for training soldiers and keeping a lookout. It's partially run by the House, but it belongs to the Stormwind military as a whole, and the House takes the orders from the military with pride. Instead of leaving all defenses to the kingdom however, the Braxton noble house does employ it's own village and manor guards. Geofferson acts as the commander of the outpost, considering his position in the military.
What is the family known for? Is the family a group of cruel tax collectors that works their servants like dogs? Are they a military family the produces fine soldiers who rise in rank quickly? Magic users? What makes them known?
The family has been mostly known for it's exceptional grain and produce; though in recent times it's been well known for helping the war effort to the best of it's capabilities. Offering land to the military, discount price goods for soldiers, and selling supplies to the military at a discounted price. The family is also known for it's help in making Barleyshire a vacation spot for soldiers. It also produces a decent sum of soldiers, though in comparison to other features, this is relatively new.
How old is the family? How long has the family been nobility?
The oldest records of the family say that it's been around for 700 years; it has been in nobility for only 200.
What can be obtained by creating a new family over joining one already in existence? Simply put, what does this family bring that isn't provided by others? Activity is not an acceptable response. Note: Noble Families already approved do not need to answer this question.
The family was approved before the new form; or at least, the character was. Though I'm not going to be lazy and provide that as an 'excuse.' Far too often, there's the cliche of nobles that they're all corrupt, power-hungry monsters. On the other side, there's the nobles who can do nothing wrong, and only go for power if it's 'just.' I want to help shatter these ideas. Break the mould, as it were.
I won't be starting a guild for the family; I think that characters should have time to devote their time to something else besides individual houses. Though making the family actually seem like a family is a goal of mine, in addition to having that mould breaking quality. There's a lot of grey in-between, and it's usually not played out. I want a Noble house that can skirt the line between the two, and do it's best to make it's ends meet. I want the House to believe what it's doing is overall for the good of the family. Even if they are sometimes challenging things like helping out the military, or being accepting of an arranged marriage that may just save the family from financial ruin. While the last thing mentioned is a hypothetical, I'd still like to let this be a possibility. Besides, role-play should never be two-dimensional; adding depth is important. Even for Nobles.
Is the family open for members to join?
Of course! Contact me via Skype, PM, or Steam. Just ask me for the proper info and I'll get right on it.
