Of Plumbobs & Llamas

No CC TS4 Simblr. Focused on Kingdom of Windenburg. Gallery ID: tatselk. MAIN BLOG: tatselk.tumblr.com

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Lady Beatrice Capp

Presented by her aunt, Duchess Moira Fyres. If lineage alone determined the outcome of the season, Lady Beatrice Capp might claim victory before the first dance. As everyone knows, she is the heiress to Grand Duke Tybalt Capp and co-heiress to a spectacular estate worth more than §30,000 annually. As one of the richest and most powerful young women in Ondarion, Lady Beatrice seems determined to accept nothing less than a candidate who proves worthy of strengthening the ambitions of the Capp dynasty. Rumour suggests her cousin, Lord Hugo Villareal, has been proposed as a suitable match which would unite two great ducal houses. One could not help but notice, however, that Lady Beatrice appeared to regard this possibility with the mild enthusiasm usually reserved for tedious legal documents.

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Lord Hugo Villareal

Presented by his father, Duke Jacques Villareal. As the eldest son and heir to Duke Villareal, Lord Hugo Villareal is widely regarded as one of the most eligible suitors in Windenburg. Possessed of immense fortune, elevated rank, and quiet gravity, Lord Hugo approaches society with a certain reluctance and a decided impatience. He is not handsome in the obvious sense, nor charming in the usual manner. Yet there is something compelling in a man so entirely uninterested in impressing others. Many families consider him the prize of the season. Lord Hugo, however, appears to consider the season but a most inconvenient interruption to his routine of good meals and great books.

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Lady Morgan Fyres

Presented by her father, Duke Dominic Fyres. If Lady Luna Villareal floated into the throne room like a dream, Lady Morgan Fyres arrived rather like a gust of fresh (and possibly disruptive) wind. The younger daughter of the Fyres ducal couple, Lady Morgan possesses a respectable dowry of at least §10,000 and a distinct lack of patience for the suffocating etiquette of high society. Bright-eyed and striking, Lady Morgan has the restless energy of a young woman who would prefer going on adventures to acquiring accomplishments. Indeed, observers noted that Lady Morgan surveyed the ballroom with the expression of someone wondering why everyone insists on whispering when one could quite easily shout. Such independence may terrify the most traditional suitors. But history shows that spirited women often attract the most determined admirers.

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Lady Luna Villareal

Presented by her father, Duke Jacques Villareal. First amongst the ladies, and declared as the diamond of the season, is Lady Luna Villareal. Dark-haired and luminous-eyed, Lady Luna possesses the delicate beauty that surely but subtly draws all in. With a combination of romanticism and optimism, she is thoroughly convinced that love and life ought to resemble the pages of a fairy tale. Alas, fairy tales occasionally conceal a darker chapter. One wonders whether whispers surrounding the mysterious disappearance of her mother may prove a slight blemish upon an otherwise glittering gem. Still, with beauty, rank, and a dazzling dowry rumoured to exceed §30,000, Lady Luna’s dance card is unlikely to remain empty for long. For the moment, she remains the prize every gentleman desires.

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It is with the greatest delight that we report on the Court Presentation, which ushers in the new social season of Windenburg.

The doors of Windenburg Palace have opened once more for the most anticipated spectacle in the kingdom, where hopeful debutantes, dashing suitors, and the occasional opportunistic visitor are paraded before the court like jewels in a crown. Some rare, some polished, and a few whose sparkle may not survive close inspection.

This season promises particular fascination, for rarely has Windenburg’s marriage mart assembled such a curious balance of ancient bloodlines, staggering fortunes, and ambitious personalities.

Eight hopeful luminaries stepped forward to bow, curtsy, and, if fortune favours them, elevate themselves through matrimony.

Now let us consider the offerings this season.

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Baron Sergio Romeo

Former tech entrepreneur who is newly ennobled for his financial contributions to the kingdom. Armed with a large (if volatile) income, a handsome face, and the confident smile of a man who believes money and charisma can open any door. Keen to transform his new title into lasting prestige, Sergio is looking for a noble bride to help him navigate the labyrinthine social codes in Windenburg’s high society. Although he has never previously shown any interest in wellness or charity, Sergio has recently joined the Paragons club, which is about honing wellness and organising charitable events. His main aim is to align himself with the highest-ranking ladies available in Windenburg’s marriage mart and make himself agreeable to all of them to ensure that he will not leave the field empty-handed.

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Burgravin Clara Bjergsen

Married to Bjorn Bjergsen. This was a pragmatic arrangement: she brought the fortune and he brought the rank. Clara was born to trade and married into title. 20 years on, the Bjergsens’ marriage has not blossomed into anything more than a respectable match. Having tried and failed to produce an heir for many years, the couple now have nothing in common with each other and essentially lead separate lives. In the absence of an heir, Clara’s key purpose in life is now the advantageous advancement of her daughters, Sofia Bjergsen and Elsa Bjergsen. Her mission this season is to see Sofia marry well. Combining her social ambition and her passion for food, Clara is now leveraging her position as a Caterer and leader of the Upper Crusts club to mingle with the Windenburgian Nobles. In her personal life, Clara is balancing out her love for food as a member of the fitness-focused Powerhouse club.

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Burgrave Bjorn Bjergsen

Married to Clara Bjergsen. This was a pragmatic arrangement: she brought the fortune and he brought the rank. Bjorn was in love with someone else, but her dowry was not large enough to help sustain the Bjergsen estate. 20 years on, the Bjergsens’ marriage has not blossomed into anything more than a respectable match. Having tried and failed to produce an heir for many years, the couple now have nothing in common with each other and essentially lead separate lives. Bjorn often spends all day in his study in the family estate’s lighthouse. Ostensibly, this is to tend to his estate duties. But mostly this is to indulge in his hobbies and avoid interacting with his wife. If he is not holed up in his study, Bjorn can generally be found hanging out with the Good Timers club at the pub and keeping the peace between the feuding dukes, Jacques Villareal and Dominic Fyres.

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Count Gunther Munch

Fond of books, painting, and all sorts of artistic pursuits that do not yield much financial profit. Inspired by his favourite fantasy novels, Gunther long cherished the romantic notion of marrying for love. Unfortunately, his position as the 8th Count Munch and the need to run the Munch estate are making it difficult for him to keep to this principle. Both demand a considerable fortune to maintain them. With the latest accounts revealing the Munch estate to be in a rather dismal state, Gunther’s mother, Mila Munch, is (once again) encouraging him to participate in the marriage mart and marry for a fresh infusion of cash that would help keep the estate running. Gunther is not exactly opposed to it for, for all his idealism, he still wants to enjoy all the ease and comforts which his rank can command. However, Gunther hopes that this social season would include some debutantes who are wealthy, agreeable and not keep him from pursuing his creative endeavours.

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Dowager Countess Mila Munch

Only child and daughter of the 6th Count Munch. Wife of the 7th Count Munch. Mother of the 8th Count Munch. Over 20 years ago, Mila had married her cousin, who was her father’s heir. This meant that her dowry was not taken out of the family estate and helped to sustain it. But this also meant that there was no fresh infusion of cash to keep the Munch estate running. Today, the 500-year-old Munch estate remains perpetually on the brink of decline. The family had even sold its main estate and downsized to Coorinberg Cottage. Despite this, Mila’s eldest son, Gunther Munch, remains determined to marry for love. This season, Mila is equally determined to find a wealthy heiress for Gunther to fall in love with and marry. In whatever spare time she has leftover from looking after her three sons, Mila enjoys cooking and pub games.

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Duchess Moira Fyres

Originally from Ondarion. Cousin to Grand Duke Tybalt Capp (from cadet Capp branch). Married to Dominic Fyres. This was an arranged marriage. However, the couple have since fallen in love and been happy together for many years. Her cousin, Juliette Capp, was supposed to marry Dominic. After Juliette eloped with Romeo Monty, Moira stepped in as a substitute to avoid breaking the Fyres/Capp pact. Distrustful of court politics after seeing how the main Capp branch fell apart from such politicking, Moira is now mostly focused on her gardening and charitable endeavours. She is glad that her elder daughter, Siobhan Fyres, is flourishing with her Paragons club and her Politician career. She is not so glad that her younger daughter, Morgan Fyres, recently joined the Renegades club and has taken to sneaking out for late nights out with them.

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Duke Dominic Fyres

Brother-in-law of the current Windenburg king (his sister married the king). Married to Moira Fyres. This was an arranged marriage. However, the couple have since fallen in love and been happy together for many years. In a feud with Jacques Villareal (a richer but less established duke). Jacques had taken advantage of his financial ignorance from being fresh out of college and caused him to lose a lot of money in ill-advised investments. Faced with a mid-life crisis, and the fact that the Fyres estate is still bleeding money, Dominic now wants to own his own nightclub to help increase his income. He hopes to form a financially advantageous alliance by matching his daughters, Siobhan Fyres and Morgan Fyres, to the up-and-coming entrepreneurs who are flocking to Windenburg for business.

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Duke Jacques Villareal

Son-in-law of the previous Windenburg king. Brother-in-law of the current Windenburg king (married the king’s sister). Over the last 30 years, he had been promoted from Count to Landgrave to Margrave to Duke through purchase, war efforts, and marriage. In a feud with Dominic Fyres (a poorer but more established duke). Dominic had convinced the previous king to impose the condition that Jacques’ marriage is a morganatic one (i.e. the Villareal children would not be in the royal line of succession). Now Jacques wants to broker a match between his son and heir, Hugo Villareal, to Hugo’s cousin, Beatrice Capp (daughter and heiress of Grand Duke Tybalt Capp). This is to form a dynastic alliance that would help increase the Villareal dynasty’s status in feuding with the Fyres dynasty.

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In my gameplay, Dante Monty spontaneously turned up as a guest when Margravine Ermelinda Abrantes was holding court. Sofia Abrantes met Dante for the first time there and instantly developed a crush on him.   This inspired my headcanon for a backstory between the Abrantes and Monty families thats fits my Kingdom of Windenberg gameplay. Juliette Monty (nee Capp) wants to enlist Ermelinda’s help in claiming back all that was taken from her after she was disowned from the Capp dynasty. Juliette sent Dante to see Ermelinda about this as the Monty and the Abrantes families are distant relatives. Ermelinda did not want to get involved in the Capp and Monty rivalry. Given Dante’s lack of prospects, she was also not keen on seeing any relationship develop between him and Sofia. To nip things in the bud, Ermelinda packed Sofia off to Windenburg to enjoy the social season there and (hopefully) forget about Dante.

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The High Council Room of the Windenburg Palace is where the High Council of nobles meet to confer on matters of the realm. It is more low-key than the Throne Room and Ballroom. This is to reflect the functional purpose of the room and how it is used by the nobles, rather than the royal family.

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The Ballroom of the Windenburg Palace is where the royal family’s balls/formal parties are held. It is in the same opulent style as the Throne Room. This is to show that all these major renovations, which caused the previous king to go broke, were going on at the same time.

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The Throne Room of the Windenburg Palace is where major royal events like the Court Presentation are held. I wanted to give this an overly grand look to reflect how the previous king went broke in his extravagant renovations of the palace. Duke Jacques Villareal then stepped in to bail him out financially and in exchange, got his family the chance to move into the palace. This is my headcanon for why the Villareals canonically live at the Von Windenburg Estate.