Chateau Mereville

Chateau Mereville is a Lacrivian castle in Greater Lericonnia. It serves as the seat of House Trimbodeaux, the Baronne de Mereville. The castle is known for the fact that its moat is filled with red water - the locals insist this is dragon blood, but scholars have since proven the phenomenon is simply caused by the unique biological characteristics of the local ecosystem.
== History ==
Chateau Mereville was founded as a motte-and-bailey castle by House de Gerie during the 2nd Century BCE, and served as the house's seat for three hundred years. When bandits ousted House de Gerie in the mid-2nd Century CE, the castle was abandoned and left to rot until the Great Gap. It was used intermittently by bandits and outlaws, as the absence of local lord made Mereville a relatively lawless area.
Sometime during the Gap, House Trimbodeaux came into possession of the castle. The family purports its founder, Renault Torimbeau, took the castle back from the dragon that inhabited it, though this draconic opponent is largely written off as being a gang of bandits or outlaws.
With the rise of House Serre, the Chateau Mereville became one of the first settlements conquered by the new Kingdom of Lacrive. For a long time Serre was unable to advance east against the powerful House Hertoise, so Chateau Mereville became his eastern bulwark. Between 460 and 480, the castle was extensively renovated from an outdated motte-and-bailey into a modern stone castle.
Since House Hertoise fell in 478, Chateau Mereville has been a place of peace. The only actions fought nearby in the last two hundred years have been small skirmishes against bandits, and even those adversaries have been eradicated of late. Mereville is so close to the crown lands of Lacrive, and House Trimbodeaux so friendly with the royal family, that other noble houses are afraid to attack.
Category:Fortifications
Category:Lacrive
Category:Settlements