Kingsgate House is a literate historical roleplay based on an Edwardian country house, the family who owns it, and the servants who keep its cogs turning. In a time of whimsy, aristocracy and propriety, life is quaint and beautiful for those born to riches and privilege, but bitter and unrelenting for those born to serve them. The great manors in the English countryside are outward displays of wealth and house the most affluent of families, yet their cogs are only kept turning by the legions of household staff who are every bit as alive as their masters. The century is young here at Kingsgate, and you are welcome to see where it takes you...
SETTING
It is Week Two of December 1906, and Kingsgate is feeling the chill. Be careful not to slip on the ice outside. The pond in the woods has frozen over and the village children have been playing on it. Lady Elizabeth's birthday is coming up next week and some of the many esteemed guests who shall be attending are already heading to Kingsgate for an extended stay.
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NEWS
Sorry everyone, I guess it's time to pack up the shop on this one - it was just too difficult to get active interest in such a niche RP site. It was a fun experiment though, and I'm glad for the RP we got to have. Much love <3
29/03/2013 - Time skip! Week Two has begun in Kingsgate and the guests for Elizabeth's party are all arriving soon. With not long to go before the big day, we still need fine young ladies and gentlemen to attend the extravagant feast.
18/03/2013 - March is here and so is the first site plot, which you can read about here! Do take a look, and submit your characters to play key roles!
27/02/2013 - Things are ticking along, and we'll soon have enough characters to get started on some site events, like Elizabeth's birthday. Get your characters created and join in the fun!
18/02/2013 - We've got a nice little group of characters now! Still looking for lots of Penroses, including the Earl himself, so check out the wanted characters page and the Plotting Board to see if there's anything you feel up to making. :]
07/02/2013 - Welcome to new members, and thanks for sticking with us to the old. I hope you're all going to make new characters and fill out our site. Apologies if things seem slow; education demands are rather unforgiving!
30/12/2012 - Hope everyone's enjoying the festive season; roleplay is starting, although we still need oodles of new characters! Get creating :]
23/12/2012 - Characters are being created as we all prepare to start the RP!
18/12/2012 - Kingsgate is still pretty much brand new, but the doors are now open so get creating :] Some info threads may be unfinished and a few new boards may pop up in the next few days, but essentially everything is ready to go! We need many characters to create a bustling house, and that includes Lord and Lady Carmarthen, three of their four children and a whole staff team, plus villagers and friends of the Penroses! Wow!
In 1906, the beautiful country manor named Kingsgate House is a social centre for the Edwardian upper class. The Penroses have run it for generations and are well-established among the aristocrats of England. Lord Carmarthen's father died twenty years ago and since then things have been peaceful in the idyll of aristocratic life, the master living comfortably with his wife and their four children, Elizabeth, Kate, Edward and Annie.
But with Elizabeth and Kate reaching adulthood and the marriage scene, life is about to fill with propitious politics and a flurry of suitors which will only be topped when Edward too comes of age. And are the Lord and Lady really as happy in their marriage as they seem? What of the staff, who keep the house tiding over, but are involved in their own fierce system of power and politics? Life is never as simple as it first seems.
nineteen . kitchen maid . kingsgate 'Liz' . born 12/31/1886
relatives
tamara balark ; mother {deceased} lisa beaumont ; step-mother dracco balark ; father timothy beaumont; step-brother
sexuality
heterosexual
relationship status
single
Appearance
liz does not pride about her appearance and makes it a point to be as plain as she could possibly be. from head to toe she stands at five feet four inches, about average size for a girl her age. her frame is lithe and she has no substantial curves that would make her harrowing next to any other females that would work in the kingsgate house. her shoulders are narrow, as are her hips and waist. her skin is quite fair and smooth, with very few blemishes to note.
her face houses almond shaped hazel eyes that glimmer with green when the sun hits them just-so -- a trait that she loves since it is a trait that her mother also had while she was among the living. her eyes are always alight with wonder and mischief, critical of those around her and their intentions. her hair is a beautiful chocolate brown streaked with some lighter hues from her time in the sun, which she usually lets simply fall over her shoulders in the soft natural curls that it usually falls. only on special occasions will she let other girls braid her hair and put it in an up-do.
while working she wears the standard kitchen maid uniform, often splattered with whatever meal it was she is helping the chef prepare. she does not have many days off, but when she does she could be seen wearing a simple and plain dress usually white, tan, or gray with some boots.
personality
elizabeth, commonly known as ;iz, is a bit of a vivacious girl. she is incredibly strong willed and outspoken, though she will show restraint when need be. there are plenty of maids around the house that she knows that she can boss around to make her work load a bit lighter but she also knows that some of the others around the house have ears and eyes on the walls that feed the Lord and Lady information that could be most disturbing. that would definitely explain some of the strange goings-on and why some of the staff are fired so suddenly.
anyway, many people would describe liz as a man trapped in a woman's body. she has very few manners and cares not to be lady-like. she can lift heavy things, burp, and make obscene jokes - be just a vulgar as any man that someone would meet. people make fun of her or shy away from such crazy antics, but liz sees it as all a game and she is always a few steps ahead of everyone else.
she is also quite nosy. should she happen upon a conversation that was not meant for anyone else, she is quick to be sure the rest of the gossip is known throughout the house. the network of maids, stable boys, and other employs makes an amazing stream of information no matter now true or untrue they might be. though she is a gossip, she quite hates tattle-tales. she finds them to be quite worthless and bothersome.
while by her lonesome, liz is very whimsical and loves to tell stories and sing songs like some of the bards do out in town. her memory is spectacular in she can recite almost anything word from word what someone may tell her which makes her stories that much more fun when she can bring them alive by adding her own colorful detail without changing the story. she does secretly wish for a family but on the outside she is gruff and is her own man.
history
elizabeth rae balark was born on a blustery winter eve to tamara and dracco balark. the parents were very much of the common herd -- her father the town blacksmith and marksman and her mother a barmaid. their lives were nothing extravagant and though they were not rich, the way they lived was meaningful and comfortable for them. as liz was growing up she was never fortunate enough to have any siblings. her mother's body seemed to reject more children as she had miscarriage after miscarriage that drove both parents into a strange despair. being an only child made her grow close to her parents and soon after giving up on the prospect of more children, they wanted to make sure that she was perfect.
her father taught her in the values of hard work and making something for yourself. he also taught her how to defend herself just in case some boys or even men thought that it would be fun to pick on her or try to take advantage of her. how she cherished those lessons and was quick to learn that she liked making things by hand and was stronger than her lithe frame gave away. her mother taught her how to be the perfect wife, the ways of womanhood. those lessons were a bit tougher for her, though the thing she did enjoy the most was cooking. from a small garden that they kept behind the house, she loved to place things in the ground and nurture them and make them come to life. there was something magical about growing things and then being able to put them all together to make something so delightful. her mother had always been an excellent cook and liz learned most of what she knew from her.
liz had the most perfect life she could imagine until one day, about a week before liz's eleventh birthday, did her mother become seriously ill. the town doctor could not diagnose the disease and the medicines that he crushed, boiled, soaked, bled, did nothing to make her better. her mother seemed to waste away before her eyes. it took five months for the illness to claim her mother's life. liz was thrown into a fit of despair. she grew withdrawn from her father and didn't seem to want to communicate much at all.
about a year and a half after her mother's death, her father took a new wife -- and oh what a monster! lisa beaumont was a widow in town with a son the same age as liz. the woman was vain, arrogant, and talked down to everyone like they were nothing more than common street rats. how liz hated the woman. when she slithered her way into her house, lisa quickly assumed the position as head of household. she bossed liz around like a common maid, having her to menial tasks and even had the gall to tell her to rip out her mother's garden! when the girl outright refused, she would send her son to do said tasks. liz fought the boy the whole time he ripped up the carrots, tomatoes, corn, basil, parsley, and other essentials.
it seemed to be on a whim when lisa suggested that they send liz away to work. all she did around the house was brood and pick fights so it was time to send her off to learn some manners. liz absolutely hated the idea, but her father did take her aside one night. they walked down the road and had a heart-to-heart, something that they had not done in years. liz told her father that she hated her wicked step mother and the monkey that she called a son. her father told her that he loved lisa and if liz was that unhappy, she would do as he said and go off to work. this way she would be able to make some money for herself and start her own life. she was old enough and the suitors that did come around did not stand a chance to her sword-sharp tongue. besides, isn't that what her mother would want?
though she did not want to, it made sense. now, she works as a kitchen maid to kingsgate, very much unsure what the next step in her life is.
other information
rp sample
there is just something so serene and honest of watching the sunrise. the shadows of the menacing night are dispelled as the orange and red rays gently lick the wounds of the earth, healing them and preparing for another day. this time of the day is also the most silent, the transition between night and day has the night animals in quick slumber and the day animals have yet to awaken. even the wind had died down so the rustle of the grass and trees seemed to disappear. the silence was unsettling.
standing in some of the last shadows of the night, the girl turned her hazel eyes to the slowly brightening sky and adjusted the basket on her hip that was filled with herbs that she had collected from the garden to use in this morning's breakfast. the chill of the silence ran up her back and made the fine hairs on her nape prick gently. turning toward the door, a song that her mother used to sing to her when she was afraid at night came to the forefront of her mind and she started to sing almost absent-mindedly. Angels watching, e'er around thee, All through the night Midnight slumber close surround thee, All through the night Soft the drowsy hours are creeping, Hill and dale in slumber sleeping I my loved ones' watch am keeping, All through the nightAngels watching, e'er around thee, All through the night Midnight slumber close surround thee, All through the night Soft the drowsy hours are creeping, Hill and dale in slumber sleeping I my loved ones' watch am keeping, All through the night."
Her heart swelled with sadness, at the end of the verse and she fought back tears that threatened behind her eyes. She missed her family. She missed her mother and her father before he had married that wretched Lisa. The thought of her step-mother and step-mother quickly sobered her experience and she stepped through the dim-lit kitchen quietly to get her day started. No time for those feelings right now.