Evermere

**Evermere** is the name of the palace castle complex within Wilemberg which serves as the seat of power for the royal family of Fleur.

## Architecture

Evermere consists of two major architectural styles: the elaborate fortress castle built in the late style of the Ancient Era and the fanciful palace segment in the Neo-Fleurian style. The castle portion was remodeled in 8 AE in order to fix certain crumbling segments of wall and to make it suitable for defending the palace if ever the need came. Castle Evermere consists of a large wall that surrounds the lower portion of a slight hill, from which several large towers extend. The central hall is covered by a sloping roof from which more towers extend. The castle is made of light white stone and accented with oxidized roofing.

Evermere palace stands attached to the castle and extends from beneath the main portion of hill called Astermont as once a great lion dwelt there. It begins as a series of twisting walls an interconnected buildings and courtyards, leading upwards to the crest of the hill where the main palace sits. It is exquisite in make and design. Most famous are its water gardens.

## History

After the establishment of the Wilem Dynasty of Fleur by Queen Astoria Wilemsdotir of Flowers in 177 AE, the family Wilem began expanding its holdings within Fleur. The daughter of Astoria, Queen Kateraldir Wilem of Flowers, decided to purchase land in the then small town of Vinyen while her mother was still ruling in 175. The then princess and her family purchased a large swathe of land near the sea outside the town where they had a stately manor built. This manor would be called Evermere meaning "forever nothing less". The manor was completed in 174 and became the home for the adult children of Fleurian monarchs for many years to come. Often, these adult children would act as governors of the town, allowing them to gain experience in government before gaining control of the kingdom.

Evermere would be expanded upon several times, notably by Queen Taurinja Wilem of Flowers in 134 AE. The manor was fortified by Taurinja prior to the War of the Twins in 130 and would prove a strategic point for both land and sea battles. After the war, the capital of Fleur was changed to accommodate lands gained in the conquering of Forzen. It was decided by Taurinja in 87 AE that Vinyen would be the new capital of the nation and that it would be now known as Wilemberg. Her successor, Queen Imogen Wilem II had no interest in building up the capital and Wilemberg remained small. However, her son Prince Regent Frederick Wilem proved dedicated to the improvements of the city and began a massive building project to turn the capital into a modern marvel. Inspired by the Neo-Fleurian art movement fostered by his ancestor Kateraldir in Skjol, Frederick turned Wilemberg into the cultural capital of the North. He also had Everemere transformed into an exquisite palace, borrowing from ideas proposed by his great aunt, Lady Cycilia Wilem. Everemere's additions were completed in 19 AE.

Evermere was largely spared destruction during the Calvanist Revival of the mid 60s ME as Prince Regent Calvan Wilem's own daughter Lady Persepina of Tar begged him no to lay torch on the exquisite building. A combined water garden and garden was added in 78 ME by Queen Lorelai Wilem of Flowers. Currently, it is the grandest palace complex in the North and still serves as the home of the ruling family of Fleur.

## Notable Information

Several important works of art, architecture, and artifacts are housed within Evermere.

* The hilt of the Lance of Sigvening is housed within the main gallery of the palace. The lance was used by Queen Imogen Wilem II of Flowers when slaying the dragon Ob. It shattered when she thrust it into his neck and she chose to leave it there rather than retrieve it from the beast. All that she returned with was the hilt which was place in great reverence in Evermere. For sometime it was not on display due to the shifting public image of Imogen, though it was returned to its rightful position by Queen Guinevere Wilem of Flowers in 109 ME.