please I need a lore dump because I cannot keep up with everything trying to make AU’s 😭
I will only be going over canon I have personally created and not anyone's OCs. I am fully supportive of OCs, and I don't want to misrepresent anyone's original Shirefordshire character.
Shirefordshire is a medieval-ish town located in probably England post 1054 CE (the year of the the Catholic/Eastern Orthodox split.
The story centers Andora Launder (surname was originally a joke that stuck), head Laundress of Lord Shirefordshire's castle. At the start of the canon story, she is 24 years old.
Andora has many sisters, some are half sisters by one mother, Margot, and two fathers, an unnamed man who was trampled to death by goats and a Norseman named Andor who was murdered in-story by his daughter (and Andora's sister) Adeodata. As the sisters have no way of knowing who fathered who, they consider themselves as having two fathers.
The on-screen sisters are as follows:
Margaret (28): A recovering alcoholic seamstress who ran away from Shirefordshire just after their father was trampled by goats. She lives is the neighboring town of Fordshireford with her three wives Penelope, Catherine, and Dolly, a weaver, spinner, and shepherdess, respectively. They pretend to be unmarried spinsters when the clergy is in town.
Sister Mary (27): A nun who assists in tending the sick at Shirefordshire's convent. She's highly literate and often chastises her sisters for being late to church and murdering people. She often deals with verbal abuse from senior clergy members.
Theophania "Tiffany" (25): An ambitious business woman, she left Shirefordshire to sell perfumes, poisons, and spiders in Venice before meeting and marrying fabric merchant Athos Tessaro and becoming Lady Tessaro. Despite vicious rumors, she truly loved him and was ruthless in protecting his children born from his late first wife, seeing they be placed in favorable apprenticeships at their request. When Athos died in a fire due to the glassmaker shop adjacent to the guildhall catching blaze, Tiffany set aside her grief to secure the business and move it to Rome. Her arrogance often puts her at odds with her sisters. She helped Margaret get sober.
Adeodata (born Adora) (24+11months): She was raised in Shirefordshire under the harsh tutelage of her father Andor. She learned to fight with a sword before Andora left. Enraged, she tracked him to Constantinople through a tip that he joined the Varangian Guard. Instead, she defended a noble woman being harassed in the street. She became the protector and later lover of Lady Domenzia, the wife of a copper merchant. Lady Domenzia's husband also has a lover named Nikolaus, and they agree to leave the other be. Adeodata eventually found her father Andor in Shirefordshire
Andora (24+2months): A Laundress, Andora lost her mother at 14 years old in childbirth. She stepped up to raise her younger siblings with her wages and arranged for apprenticeships once they were old enough. Though their family were peasants of slight status, she sold most of the family land to stay afloat much to Greg's chagrin. She has allies within the castle, but she's independent to a fault and struggles to reconnect with her older sisters.
The following siblings are mentioned off screen:
Greg (23): The only son in the core sibling group, Greg was a farmer following the sale of the family land. He has since turned to robbing wealthy travelers and being a poor influence on his younger siblings.
Abigail (12): A Launder sister, she currently apprentices as an embroiderer. She wants to join Margaret's sheep to shelf dressmaking business.
Beatrice (11): A Launder sister, she currently apprentices as a midwife to help women like her late mother through difficult childbirths.
The Quadruplets; Elizabeth-Mary, Mary-Elizabeth, Mary-May, and Maybelline (10): Launder Sisters, the quadruplets birth caused the death of their mother and were fully raised by Andora. They often join Greg in thievery, but they are currently door making apprentices.
Ulfhild Andorsbur (18): The child of Andora, Ulfhild is among the half siblings attempting to avenge their father's (the Norseman Andor) death. Like their brothers before them, they have mistakenly pinned Andor's murder on Andora (who hid the body) instead of Adeodata (who actually did the murder). They are currently trying to be integrated into the family by Andora and Sister Mary.
Knights and Nobles:
Sir Kyle (24): A foolish but well-intentioned knight. He often finds himself in compromising positions due to misunderstandings. Lady Shirefordshire encourages these misunderstandings to cover her own separate affairs. Andora considers him an ally.
Sir Ralph (28): A knight with an unwaivering sense of duty to defend all residents of Shirefordshire. He suffers from depressive bouts following failed missions. He's the son of a dethroned princess from the Kush region and a Shirefordshire noble. He is in a stable relationship with Bowman Richard.
Sir Caballus (19): A knight who was tasked with leading a donkey around Shirefordshire during the perpetual soup festival. His negligence led to Bowman Richard losing his right eye in combat.
Bowman Richard (27): A longbowman and second son of Sir Richard, Bowman Richard opted to turn down knighthood to focus on archery. He joins knights on patrols and lost his right eye on one such mission. He is in a stable relationship with Sir Ralph.
Sir Richard (48, deceased): A Lord and knight, he died during a jousting match when his horse was spooked by a rooster. He has had affairs with Bishop Ferris and Lord Shirefordshire
Lord Reginald of Shirefordshire (52): He is the Lord of Shirefordshire and married to Lady Shirefordshire. He has had affairs with Sir Richard and Bishop Ferris.
Lady Shirefordshire (45). The Lady of Shirefordshire, she has many affairs and enjoys all the fine things afforded to her. She commissioned Tiffany to procure her some Aqua Tofana but has yet to use it.
Lady Sara (48): An exiled princess of a kingdom that formed following the fall of the Kingdom of Kush, she was dethroned by a neighboring kingdom and fled to Rome with four of her haindmaidens. There, she met a noble from Shirefordshire on a pilgrimage, fell in love, and married him. She now lives in Shirefordshire with her family and handmaidens. She is the mother of Sir Ralph. She attends church regularly and approves of her son's relationship with Bowman Richard.
Clergy:
The Chaplain (33): A corrupt clergyman, he constantly berates Sister Mary and attempts to discredit Andora. He is often the target of spider attacks orchestrared by Andora and Tiffany.
Bishop Ferris (42, deceased): A bishop who attempted to exile Lady Sara and her handmaidens, he was thrown into a frozen river by Andora. He has had affairs with Lord Shirefordshire and Sir Richard.
Others:
Marie (14): Known as "The Small French Child", she was found in the woods near Shirefordshire by Bowman Richard. She was given to the falconer as an apprentice despite initially not being seen as a noble.
The Falconer(?): A Frenchman who serves as Lord Shirefordshire's falconer
Odette (?): A junior Laundress
Known AUs:
Modern: Letterkenney-based, key difference is Andora and Kyle being in a queer platonic relationship as Aroace friends raising the six younger siblings together following Kyle being kicked out of his childhood home; Andora runs a laundromat; Domenzia runs a bar in town
Sci-Fi: Andora is a biochemist on a spaceship
Royal: A Dark AU, key difference is Andora was born into a Royal Launder family where she took the throne, killed Margaret and Sister Mary, imprisoned Tiffany, and exiled Adeodata
Ghost: Andora is a modern ghost haunting Lord Shirefordshire's castle in the modern age
Vampire: Andora is a maid in Vampire Lord Shirefordshire's castle
Naruto: This was just one drawing I did of Andora, Adeodata, and Tiffany as Naruto characters
Hopefully I didn't miss anything 🥲
