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.
Chatbox
Chatter
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.
22 . kitchen maid . kingsgate house . born 1/1/1884 play-by: astrid bergès-frisbey
relatives
Mary Walcott - Grandmother (d.) George Walcott- Grandfather (d.) Rosemary Winter - Grandmother (d.) Terrance Winter - Grandfather
Victoria Walcott- Mother (d.) Harry Walcott - Father
Lauren Walcott- Sister
sexuality
Heterosexual
relationship status
single. Rose is quite shy and struggles to find her voice around the opposite gender. That said, if the right man were to come into her life, Rose just might find the courage.
Appearance
looks~ Of medium height and pale ivory complexion, Rose is quietly attractive. She has a very graceful, slender figure that she views as physical weakness. Her dark brown hair falls in waves down her back, although it is strange to ever see it loosed from a braid or neat bun; only when she is in private does Rose ever loose her hair, though she is loathe to explain why.
Rose's almond-shaped eyes are hazel: a brown and green mix of color that carry an unexplained sadness in them. Indeed, Rose Walcott has an overwhelming sense of sorrow constantly surrounding her. The sadness is obvious in her quiet way of speaking but also in her reserved nature. Rose has never explained her deep feelings of anguish to anyone, which also puts a strain on her overall appearance.
mannerisms~ Rose is someone who is often quiet and reserved. She does not speak unless she has something important to say, which leads to her communicating with hand gestures and meaningful glances. Rose has a habit of keeping her gaze low, especially when speaking with someone of a higher social standing than herself (or when conversing with males). When she gets overly nervous, Rose bites her bottom lip.
gait~ Rose walks quite quickly, with a grace she hardly knows she has. If she is anxious, Rose's way of movement becomes quite tense.
dress sense~ work. As a maid, Rose wears a dark plain dress and white apron with short, flared sleeves. She wears small black shoes.
casual. When not working, Rose wears the only other dress she owns: a plain dove grey dress with long sleeves.
personality
devoted. Although her loyalty and trust is difficult to obtain, once Rose has decided her devotion is deserved, Rose will stop at nothing to fulfill a promise or orders. If strong enough, her devotion to a person or cause can even make her even act against her own wishes or beliefs.
thoughtful. Rose is extremely considerate. If she can lend someone a hand or pass on a kind word, she will even despite her reserved nature. In partnership with her empathy, Rose has a talent for understanding others' inner emotions. Her thoughtfulness manifests itself in acts of kindness to aid those who are emotionally distressed.
empathetic. Rose has a knack for understanding emotions others try to hide or are unable to explain in words. Although she views this as a curse (Rose is slowly coming to understand she must accept that although she can understand others' subtle emotions, others cannot do the same for her), Rose is also thoughtful - she will strive to help others if she can.
reserved. Usually quiet, Rose doesn't often say much. She will almost always adhere to orders and rules without complaint, even if she disagrees. Rose doesn't make an effort to make friends. She is naturally quite shy.
pessimistic. Although Rose doesn't often discuss her anxiety about the future, privately she often expects the worst out of life. Quite a few times Rose has come close to depression.
overall~ Rose Walcott
history
write here
other information
A Kitchen Maid's first job was to prepare the breakfast trays for the Upper Servants and to assist the Cook in preparing the Family's breakfast. She is responsible for making all the breads, sauces, and vegetable dishes for the Family's luncheon, all servants meals and to store any leftovers. She prepared a light evening meal for the children of the house and assisted the Cook in the preparations for the Family dinner. Her last duty would be to store away leftovers from the Family dinner.
Large rain drops pattered a drum tattoo upon the thick glass windows of the train carriage. The sound of the great metal beast chuffing along the tracks toward London was muted somewhat, and an eerie kind of silence reigned. Seated beside the window, brown eyes perusing the agony column of the Times, sat a man whose mere physique inspired the notion that he was somehow singular. His deft fingers folded the paper and he leaned back in the rather uncomfortable seat. Gazing out of the window, he could see nothing more than the dark landscape.
He sighed deeply, his mind wandering through the storm outside. How long had it been since he had seen London? It felt like years, although barely an entire month had passed. He wondered how Watson was getting on with the case in the country. Holmes expected to hear from his friend by telegram any day now. He had been in the grips of the case when word had reached him of an unexpected occurrence in the city. His interest immediately aroused, Holmes had left Watson to deal with the much less fascinating events. He had taken the first available train back to London and was only just arriving.
As the train groaned to a halt at the station, and the horn gave a long blast, Sherlock Holmes departed his lonely carriage and swept out into the rain and the arteries of London. Rain quickly soaked his dark hair and a few drops slid down his neck. Flicking up the collar of his long coat, Holmes walked swiftly toward 221B. He watched the muddy sidewalk beneath his shoes, consumed with remembering the exact location he was in, so he would recall it if needed in the future. Although he knew all of London, it was good to refresh the memory sometimes.
When Holmes finally reached the doorstep of Baker Street, he was looking forward to his pipe and a nice fire. He wondered if the landlady, Mrs Hudson, would be able to bring him lunch at so late an hour. Hunger wasn’t usually a problem, but the journey had made him slightly peckish. His hand reached for the door handle.
Sherlock Holmes froze, his eyes wide with unusual emotion. The door was unlocked, and what’s more there was a small chip in the wood where a chisel had been used. Someone had broken in. Clutching his walking stick a little more tightly, Holmes pushed his way inside. The house was dark and silent. Even Winston, Watson’s bull pup, was nowhere to be seen.
His keen eyes scanned the carpet beneath his muddy shoes, trying to find a sign that would explain what was going on. There were no clues here, no sign of any mud other than what he had tracked in. He decided to chance going further, but the knowledge of how dangerous this was made his heart skip a beat. His already pale face grew a shade lighter.
Holmes made his way quietly down the hallway, peering into each room he passed. They were all empty but nothing seemed out of place. He found a lantern on a table in the kitchen and made the decision to light it. Armed with his cane he was ready for an attack, and if he had no light the room was too dark to make out more than the silhouettes of the furniture.
Once he had lighted the lantern, and the bizarrely cheerful glow had spanned out enough to see by, Holmes was surprised again. Nothing was out of place, but his intense gaze had snagged on a sliver of familiar fabric. He reached out with one gloved hand and pulled it free. He knew exactly what it was –
“Mrs Hudson’s apron.” His voice sounded strange in the silent house.
He quickly shoved the fabric scrap into a pocket and proceeded to search for more clues. His breath caught in his throat when he spied the little cluster of crimson drops near the table. The unthinkable had happened. Someone had kidnapped Mrs Hudson. And to what end, even the great Sherlock Holmes did not know.
And that was what scared him most. He had no idea who would have cause to do such a horrible thing. Holmes regretted leaving Watson behind in the country, but there was nothing for it now. He would send a telegram first thing in the morning.
At the present moment, however, Sherlock Holmes was going hunting …
things are goin' crazy // and I'm not sure who to blame
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everything is changing // and I do not feel the same
