Minor House Spotlight: House Brokenwall

"House Brokenwall? Why on the Gods Green Land would someone call themselves Brokenwall? I thought houses were supposed to be strong? powerful? If my last name was Brokenwall I'd drown myself" - Ser Helena Darlynton, 710 PB

House Brokenwall are a minor house of Southshire, sitting in the north eastern forests that give way to the cliffs of the Stone Coast. Their house words, "Once Broken, Now Rebuilt" reference their origins as a minor settlement during the time of Romidor The Great's creation of the realm of Cornay - where the future nobility of House Brokenwall resisted the march of Cornayan forces until their walls were destroyed by the oncoming attackers. The settlers there had called for the aid of their petty king, Harinor Asterland, when the Cornayan troops had begun laying siege to their lands. The call was unanswered, instead King Harinor took the opportunity to use Brokenwall as a means to slow down the marching forces of Romidor the Great - abandoning them to their fate. Despite this defeat, the defiance of House Brokenwall is a point of great pride to their present-day descendants, with relics of their battle hung on every wall and stories of their bravery at every dinner party.

After the Conquest, Brokenwall was rebuilt and granted to the son of the original minor lord there, though its original name was long lost. Since then, Brokenwall has been a site of passing for many traders and historically interested travellers, with the remnants of the original stone wall still visible over a thousand years later. Brokenwall is also one of the very few settlements to occupy space within the Vale of Oldreach - a dense and wild hunting forest that separates the Stone Coast from the rest of Southshire.

Today, the noble Lady Margaret Brokenwall sits as the head of the house and ruler of the settlement. Despite her isolated position, Lady Margaret has a reputation as a social climber - often seeking to befriend and impress passing knights and nobility with her vast collection of artifacts and hunting trophies. Despite her social inclinations, Lady Margaret is yet to marry - though she has had many suitors in the past. Rumours of her romantic involvements with a lowborn knight-errant from The Vale of Oldreach have led many to suspect this is why she has avoided marriage, though such an arrangement would be looked down on by any self-respecting nobility. Overall, the reputation of House Brokenwall is not a great one, despite their claim that their history is proud and strong. Brokenwall is looked down on as a house of nostalgists, clinging more to their ancestors' defiance than the deeds of their living members. The sight of the grey wall on a field of yellow may bring only sighs and mutters amongst other nobility, but to the proud people of Brokenwall it is everything to hold pride in. Perhaps that pride is something to aspire to, or perhaps the house truly is living solely in the past.