Earldom of Fellgate

The **Earldom of Fellgate**, sometimes spelt **Felgate** or **Fell Gate**, is a feudal lordship and vassal of the Kingdom of Stormstone.

It is ruled by the House of Combray, and its current lord is Earl Roger Combray.

## **Vassals**

* **Barony of Hagfend** - ruled by Baron Guy of the House of Fleurac
* **Barony of Scourbridge**- ruled by Baroness Mathilde of the House of Lioux
* **Barony of Westwatch**- ruled by Baron Michel of the House of Rethel

## **Timeline**

* **2E 505: Simon Combray is born.**
	+ From a young age, Simon is shy, diffident and speaks with a stutter.
* **2E 511: Simon Combray becomes the Earl of Fellgate.**
	+ Only six years old, he inherits the earldom following the unexpected death of his father.
	+ He is taken to the court of King Garlan I as a royal ward.
* **2E 513: Wardship of Earl Simon is awarded to Alain Launois, Baron of {Barony}.**
	+ Baron Alain is a powerful and wealthy royal baron.
* **2E 528: Earl Simon returns to Fellgate to rule.**
	+ His baronial vassals are summoned to pledge fealty to him. Hugues Fleurac, the unruly Baron of Hagfend, flouts the summons.
	+ Earl Simon, guided by his persuasive yet inept steward Gerard Corbel, takes no action against the delinquent baron. The consequence of this is the widespread disregard for the earl's authority.
* **2E 530: Baron Hugues of Hagfend seizes the castle of {Baron}.**
	+ Earl Simon is forced to act: {Baron} had pledged his fealty two years earlier and is therefore entitled to his liege's protection.
	+ The lords and knights of Fellgate are called to arms. Many, however, refuse to answer the summons of *"Simon the Stammerer".* The earl is therefore subjected to the indignity of offering cash (or the promise thereof) in return for military service. Some find this insulting and refuse, but the earl nonetheless musters a force substantial enough to challenge the renegade baron.
* **2E 531: Baron Hugues is brought back into the fold.**
	+ The forces of Earl Simon (which he does not personally command) re-capture {Baron}'s castle, and force Baron Hugues to yield.
	+ Brought before the judgement of Earl Simon, Baron Hugues is simply obliged to relinquish his claim to {Castle} and to affirm his fealty to the earl; no punishment to person or property is meted out.
	+ Earl Simon, having been obliged to pay his vassals for military service, is almost bankrupt.
* **2E 532: Earl Simon marries Lady Margot Beuvron.**
	+ Margot is the daughter of Pierre Beuvron, the Earl of Spargrove.
	+ The dowry of Lady Margot is substantial, although Earl Simon remains in financial difficulties (exacerbated by the ineptitude of his steward).
* **2E 535: Earl Simon grants freedoms to the burghers of Greycove.**
	+ The earl appeals to the merchants of Greycove for money. The burghers haggle a charter - which effectively grants them autonomy as a commune - in exchange for a large grant of capital. Although this renders the earl financially solvent, it is yet another blow to his prestige.
* **2E 536: Roger Combray is born.**
	+ He is the only child of Earl Simon and Countess Margot.
* **2E 569: Roger Combray becomes the Earl of Fellgate.**

## **Locations**

### **Fellgate Castle**

The seat of the earldom is the eponymous Fellgate Castle, located in the north-west of the fiefdom. It is built within a pass of the Snowcrest Mountains; widely acknowledged to be the only route through which an army of consequence (with its cavalry and baggage train) can enter or leave the kingdom of Stormstone by land. The castle traverses the passage at its northern opening, its high and thick walls leaving no opportunity to bypass it. All traffic - from lonesome pilgrims to merchant caravans - must pass through the imposing gatehouse and its famous portcullis (the likeness of which is borne on the earldom's coat of arms).