House Belrose

**Head of House**
 **Heir**
 **Seat**
 **Lands**
 **Overlords**
 **Vassals**
	+ House Palerma
	+ House Maso
* House Donati
	+ House Schiavone
* House Udinesi
	+ House Allesi
	+ House Neri
 **Founder**

**House Belrose** is a Stormwindian noble house that rules over the County of Carafonte in the Duchy of Alcestenne on the Isle of Balor. Having long served as a baronial and then comital vassal under the Duchy of Athlone, the House of Belrose garnered a name for itself through displays of martial prowess, having been initially ennobled to crush rebellions as they sprung up, they eventually experienced a rebellion of their own in the aftermath of the Stormwind Civil War, with the wife of the previous Count of Carafonte, Faustine Belrose claiming his title and lands opposite his nephew, César, who leads the opposing Legitimist branch of the family.

The primary branch of the Belrose family is now led by Faustine, who has elevated herself to power on a populist base of religious traditionalists and fanatics, while the majority of the family men-at-arms have sworn themselves to the Legitimist cause.

## History

### Founding and Promotion

House Belrose was founded in 270 K.Y. when House Gauthier elevated Émile Belrose to nobility as the Baron of Soreto as thanks for his devoted military service in the conquest of Balor by King Logan Wrynn II, ennobling his family alongside him to serve as the rulers of the region that is now south-eastern Carafonte.

Starting in 318 K.Y. during the Peasant Rebellions of 306 K.Y., House Wrynn itself ordered that Urbano Belrose, then Baron of Soreto, be made the Count of all Carafonte to better organize the loyalist response to the rampant populist worker uprisings that plagued the Kingdom at large. Performing well over the fifteen year period of unrest and helping Carafonte resist the devastation typical of such rebellious movements, House Belrose cemented itself in this time as capable and steadfast stewards of the county before many years of peace and prosperity.

For their service, they were granted a crimson gem by House Gauthier as a token of their trust, and a golden ring by the northern lords of Balor as a token of their gratitude for helping in keeping the peace, signifying the unity of Balor.

### First and Second War

The foundations of the House would first be tested in the Great Wars, when the forces of the Orcish Horde landed on the shores of Balor and ravaged the coastal areas, bringing them to heel-- The mountains of regions such as Carafonte were much harder for the Orcs to project their power into, and they became the impromptu home of the Baloric resistance in the north, with Carafonte being the center of much religious and military activity in the time that the occupation was in full swing on the coasts.

Carlita Belrose, serving as the Countess of Carafonte, welcomed the many lords and people of Balor into her county and hosted their armies in her lands as a staging point from which the liberation of northern Balor was conducted, making the region a place of great religious and political importance, and making House Belrose famous among the families of Balor.

Though the lowlands of Carafonte were ruined by the Orcs, the mountains of the county were spared devastation, and Carafonte was one of the quickest regions on Balor to recover from the devastation of the First and Second Wars.

### Stormwindian Civil War

In the years before the Stormwindian Civil War, the Count Alfonso Belrose married Faustine Comtois, a mainland aristocrat whose family had lost their landed status in the years prior, with the hopes that he would gain further connections with the mainland courts and an heir through their marriage. Over the next few years, and during the Civil War, Alfonso fell sick, and his condition slowly deteriorated until he died just prior to the cessation of hostilities and the capture of Redmarch.

In his waning years, Faustine served as the virtual ruler of Carafonte, arranging for populist revolts to be put down, and making a name for herself as a strong-willed leader. With no heir to his name, Alfonso's title and lands would be disputed between his nephew César, and Faustine.

With Alfonso dead, and no heir to succeed him, César and Faustine both declared their intent to claim the comital titles of Carafonte, with César Belrose supported as the rightful heir by the Duke of Athlone, longtime rival to House Laurent, and the legal liege of the County of Carafonte.

### War of the Clerical Countess

César called upon any loyal men of Carafonte to take up arms against Faustine on the grounds that she was an illegitimate claimant to the title of Countess, and began spreading further a rumor that she had poisoned her husband in a bid to claim his title and land at his own expense. He furthermore called upon the Duke of Athlone to support his claim with military force in the brewing feudal conflict.

Inversely, Faustine kept her husband's name, and while César had to travel back to Balor from Elwynn, had herself declared the rightful and Light-ordained Countess of Carafonte in a ceremony in Sorieti by the shepherd of the Flaming Heart, Pèire Azalais, winning her the support of the Convocation of the Flaming Heart, and cementing an image of great faith in the Holy Light that endeared her to the sensibilities of the Carafontian people.

In the end, Faustine Belrose was victorious over César, winning a stunning victory that depleted his armies and drove the remnants of his legitimists into the countryside where they continue to be a thorn in her side, striking into Faustine's lands with the unspoken support of the Duchy of Athlone, and splitting the house between the Faustinites and the Legitimists.

Following the war, Faustine was sworn to the Duchy of Alcestenne under the rule of House Laurent, incorporating the County of Carafonte and offering them protection against the aggressions of their southern neighbors, while the now-official Countess of Carafonte changed the heraldry of the House of Belrose to align with the new faith she had welcomed into her home.

## Notable Members

### Faustine Belrose

Countess Faustine Belrose is the current head of the Belroses of Carafonte, and the widow of Alfonso Belrose, previous Count of Carafonte. She seized power in the region with the help of the Convocation of the Flaming Heart and House Laurent, and is now widely regarded as the legitimate ruler of Carafonte for winning in the succession crisis. Faustine is in possession of the Golden Ring of Belrose, giving her reign a symbol rooted in the histories of the house.

### César Belrose

César Belrose is the son of Perceval Belrose, brother to Alfonso, and the leader of the Legitimist cause that plagues the rural countryside of Carafonte as a rebellion against the cementing of Faustine's reign. César is in possession of the Crimson Gem of Belrose, legitimizing his claims somewhat.

### Émile Belrose

Émile Belrose was the founding member of House Belrose in 270 K.Y. after ennoblement by House Gauthier.

## Lands and Vassals

### Carafonte

House Belrose rules over the County of Carafonte, a land of deep, fertile valleys and high mountain peaks that is valued for the ability to produce black powder domestically, and known for their highly religious people.

### Vassals

Many baronial and knightly families reside in Carafonte in service to Faustine Belrose:

* House Trevisan
	+ House Palerma
	+ House Maso
* House Donati
	+ House Schiavone
* House Udinesi
	+ House Allesi
	+ House Neri
	+ House Baroffio
* House Fontaine

Other families of Carafonte have sworn themselves to the Césarian Legitimist branch of House Belrose:

* House Perreault
	+ House Lavoie
	+ House Dufour
	+ House Thierri
* House Hugon
* House Michaud
	+ House Favre

## Gallery

Original Crest of House BelroseCrest of the Belrose Legitimists