Approved House Corne by Kuzlov

[Kuzlov]

Emote said I could post for criticism and feedback while I wait for my Logging Hamlet to get approved/ finalized. If you have any questions, if anything isn't clear please post so below and I'll do my best to explain/ answer questions.
ALSO, if anyone has any ideas for a good House name maybe even some ideas for their house colors I'm all ears I've been thinking about it for the past couple of months and I just can't settle on something I like.

House Hook
By: Kuzlov
Resume:
● Various Houses
● Holdfast (west of ambroseham3)
● Ambrose Logging Hamlet

Canon/Research​

A Wiki of Ice and Fire doesn’t say much about House Hook other than that they are extinct and we’re at one point River Kings, however A World of Ice and Fire mentions that by the time of the Targaryen Conquest all that was left of those River Kings we’re ruins. It’s not certain if they were descended from the Andals or the First Men but Andals are a good as guess as any and what I’ll be going with hence the Septry in the woods and with Stoney Sept being so close it makes sense.

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Also given that the Targaryens left the lands relatively unscathed I figured that whatever House or Knight took over would have most likely built his keep overtop of the old ruins since that seems easier than chopping through forest to try and build a completely new castle in lands that are already quite limited in space.

The land itself is heavily forested with much of the industry revolving around woodcutting, carpentry, fishing, and hunting. Not particularly rich lands but not too poor either, able to benefit from moving furniture, lumber, and other goods down the river towards Kings Landing and upriver to StoneySept.

“In the days of the Hundred Kingdoms, many petty kings had claimed dominion over the river mouth, amongst them the Darklyn kings of Duskendale, the Masseys of Stonedance, and the river kings of old, be they Mudds, Fishers, Brackens, Blackwoods, or Hooks. Towers and forts had crowned the three hills at various times, only to be thrown down in one war or another. Now only broken stones and overgrown ruins remained to welcome the Targaryens. Though claimed by both Storm's End and Harrenhal, the river mouth was undefended, and the closest castles were held by lesser lords of no great power or military prowess, and lords moreover who had little reason to love their nominal overlord, Harren the Black.” (A World of Ice and Fire The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest)

Inspiration​

Most of my inspiration came from German castles in particular Lichtenstein Castle and Reichsburg Cochem where I wanted to take the size and idea of Lichtenstein Castle but put it into a similar setting as Reichsburg Cochem. I replaced the bridge on Lichtenstein Castle with a similar winding path going up a hill in Cochem where the castle overlooks the path and the path itself is held up by walls and fortifications.

Plans​

Terraforming:
Forests needs some serious terraforming, they have all sorts of issues including floating trees/dirt and very little to no ground cover.
Also need to redo the forest floor with probably more fallen leaves and less grass, and need to do a serious purging of witches in the area given the serious affect their spells are having on the terrain as shown in the pictures below. The Marshes along the river bank seem really nice and I’d probably leave them alone as much as I can maybe adding some small details to do with catching frogs.

Map

ROUGH SKETCH MAP

DETAILED MAP

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KEY
1: Main Castle
2: Hamlet

• 18 Houses
  • 2 Carpenters, 5 Fishermen, 10 Farmers, 1 Baker

3: Hamlet

• 7 Houses
  • 4 Mill Workers, 2 Fisherman, 1 Hunter

4: Hamlet w/ Tower

• 8 houses
  • 7 Herders, 1 Guardhouse

5: Logging Camp

• 4 Houses
  • 4 Woodcutters + 1 Barn for Wood Storage

6: Hunting Camp

• 3 Houses
  • 2 Hunters, 1 Tanner

7: Septry

• 1 Sept + 2 Houses
  • 1-3 Septons/ Sisters

8: Holdfast1
9: Holdfast2

Gradient
ALL tests and gradients can be found on my plot /warp Kuzlov.
Meant to blend well with Stoney Sept and is similar to Grey Stone as outlined in the riverlands Pallette Guide.

Castle Test​

Old Castle of House Hook (now extinct) that got taken over and renovated by (new House/knight). It’s a small Castle with a great Hall and a main Keep as the two dominant structures, and is built on a hill with a road at the bottom leading up to it.

House Tests​

Houses based off of Stoney Sept in order to try and blend in since House Hook is fairly close (down river of SS) and it’s the most modern project in the local area I could find. Had a third house test but IMGUR decided it doesn't like that image no matter what I do to get it so it's at /warp Kuzlov along with all the tests under the HOOK section if you are interested in seeing it, it has thatch sweet sweet thatch - let that sink in, thatch tasty sexy thatch.

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[otty]

Hey Kuzlov, I would highly suggest you organize and compile this into a singular google document for the final version, so we don't have to open new tabs just to see your tests and inspiration.

 

[Kuzlov]

Hey Kuzlov, I would highly suggest you organize and compile this into a singular google document for the final version, so we don't have to reopen new tabs just to see your tests and inspiration.

Yea I tried but I couldn't get it to work could you tell me what went wrong? I originally wanted to upload a pdf but it said it was too large did I save from google docs -> PDF wrong cause it's only like 14 pages and some pictures.

 

[an_escaped_duck]

just link the google doc in share mode

 

[Emoticone11]

You have to use the

[img][/img]

tags with the direct image URL, not the URL of the imgur page embedding the image. Right-click the image and do "Copy Image Address", at least if you have a mac.

 

[Kuzlov]

Alright lots of editing later, I could get most of the pictures to work, then it just said can't have more than 20 images in a message despite me only putting them in one at a time. Thank you for all the help, I have no clue how I became so technically challenged when making this application, and if you want to see the other house tests they're at /warp Kuzlov. Sorry I couldn't get them to work. I tried publishing the doc but I can't seem to get that to work either.

Again, thanks for all the patience with my technical difficulties and thanks for all the advice

 

[Enah]

I feel a tiny septry so close to the very large one at Peasedale might be a bit eh. The name implies they are First Men, andal nevers are rarely simple as such. They also ruled over the Blackwater’s mouth, your castle seems too far inland, most likely the castel was reused for stone for nearby castles, is currently one of the built castles near KL or most likely within KL’s urban core as it sits on the mouth. The location near stoneysept seems like it was set there just to get a place to a name.

 

[Enah]

Andal names*

 

[Howy]

Hey Kuzlov,

Plans looking good.

I apologise but today I coincidentally noticed the messed-up forest when I was fixing up some of my own lands. There was a lot of difficulty fixing it so I ended up purging the forest altogether. This may drastically affect your plans as the whole area is now mostly plains. Alternatively, you can have a forest terraformed per your map.

Again apologies for deleting the forest, I don't often read forum posts much, however I think your project will benefit from a cleaner (and not-messed-up) slate.

 

[Kuzlov]

Hey Kuzlov,

Plans looking good.

I apologise but today I coincidentally noticed the messed-up forest when I was fixing up some of my own lands. There was a lot of difficulty fixing it so I ended up purging the forest altogether. This may drastically affect your plans as the whole area is now mostly plains. Alternatively, you can have a forest terraformed per your map.

Again apologies for deleting the forest, I don't often read forum posts much, however I think your project will benefit from a cleaner (and not-messed-up) slate.

My plan was to purge the forest regardless so I greatly appreciate your contribution to the project in that regard! Besides the obvious terraforming issues it also was just lacking in variety and detail on the ground so thanks for the clean slate.

 

[Kuzlov]

I feel a tiny septry so close to the very large one at Peasedale might be a bit eh. The name implies they are First Men, andal nevers are rarely simple as such. They also ruled over the Blackwater’s mouth, your castle seems too far inland, most likely the castel was reused for stone for nearby castles, is currently one of the built castles near KL or most likely within KL’s urban core as it sits on the mouth. The location near stoneysept seems like it was set there just to get a place to a name.

So, lore/canon wise....
I know House Hook is probably in the wrong location, and to be honest I think the name of my project is kinda a misnomer because as you said "it's was set there just to get a place to a name." House Hook is extinct for sure, their lands distributed and most likely forgotten by most people who live on the blackwater Rush. I just had no clue what else to put given that I can't find any lore to go along with this specific location but I figured it wouldn't really matter for now if I just named it House Hook since the warp goes with the location and it makes it easier to navigate to. I'm all ears if people have any idea as to who COULD have lived here or who I could put from the list of unfinished Houses from the Riverlands into this location.

The Septry...
I agree it doesn't make sense for them to have a sept in the hamlet especially if they can just take a boat over to the larger one nearby I can replace it with a house or a barn relatively easily.
However, I think the septry in the woods would be a fun mini; it's in a removed location, and can serve as a go between for travelers moving to SS or the large Peasedale sept or moving North East to other location while also providing some potential variety to the local industry besides just lumber and it's associated professions.

As for the castle...
I chose the location because it's the highest or tied with the highest point in the region, that hill in general, being one of the dominating topographical features in the peninsula. I had earlier drafts of my map where I had the castle by the river but they didn't make much sense given the positioning of the hill. Putting the castle in the North West made it feel very far removed from the core of the population/hamlets and kinda made it seem like an isolated thing in the forest. I did consider putting it on the West bank with the large hamlet surrounding it or built around it but with the hill so close overlooking it it felt kind of vulnerable.

The current location I felt provided it with a good defensive position without sacrificing the view of the river, especially if the fields are there and the trees are cut down the castle looks down on the river, it's also why I added a small tower into Hamlet 4 since I felt that the combination of the tower on the river side with the castle overlooking it on the hill would provide adequate defenses and control over the river itself.

That's my logic at least do you think it'd be better set on the west bank with the hamlet surrounding it or did you have another location in mind that made more sense?

 

[Enah]

I'd say the keep is held by someone else now, if it even still stands. There's not really any room for a project on the west bank of the Blackwater, since, it's occupied by existing projects. But, do we need a house built that's extinct and no ruins are known to be left as far as is known? I don't want to dissuade you from doing a project, but, researching the region further and looking into the architectyure of the riverlands around the area might do more good. the current design looks like it would be in the freylands, imo

 

[Kuzlov]

I'd say the keep is held by someone else now, if it even still stands. There's not really any room for a project on the west bank of the Blackwater, since, it's occupied by existing projects. But, do we need a house built that's extinct and no ruins are known to be left as far as is known? I don't want to dissuade you from doing a project, but, researching the region further and looking into the architecture of the riverlands around the area might do more good. the current design looks like it would be in the freylands, imo

Thanks for the advice @Enah I appreciate your advice and feedback. I'm currently working on doing some redesigns of the castle thanks @WhereRmyDragons for your suggestions and examples. I'll post an some pictures with the changes once I have made them.

As for the House name, I applied mostly for the land and not really House Hook itself. I have some ideas for what house could take that land instead of House Hook but I need to do some research to be sure that the House I put there doesn't have lore to go along with a different piece of land.

 

[EStoop]

House Blackfyre was granted a tract of land near the Blackwater by King Dearon II, with the rights to raise a keep. Since there isn't a lot of space left along the river around Kingslanding, we could change the project to the lands of house Blackfyre.

A castle takes about 25-30 years to be build, so it's fair to assume the Blackfyre keep would be an abandoned building project with a modest keep. The scaffolding and cranes would be long gone by now, but the half finished structure would still stand. It would be a unique and one of a kind location on the server.

Spoiler: The World of Ice and Fire | The Targaryen Kings: Aegon IV

King Aegon knighted Daemon in his twelfth year when he won a squires' tourney (thereby making him the youngest knight ever made in the time of the Targaryens, surpassing Maegor I) and shocked his court, kin, and council by bestowing upon him the sword of Aegon the Conqueror, Blackfyre, as well as lands and other honors. Daemon took the name Blackfyre thereafter.

Spoiler: The World of Ice and Fire | The Targaryen Kings: Daeron II

Although he could not—and would not—rescind his father's last wishes, he did what he could to keep the Great Bastards close, treating them honorably and continuing the incomes that the king had bestowed on them. He paid the dowry that Aegon had promised to the Archon of Tyrosh, thereby seeing his half brother Daemon Blackfyre wed to Rohanne of Tyrosh as Aegon had desired, for all that Ser Daemon was only four-and-ten. On their wedding day, he granted Daemon a tract of land near the Blackwater, with the right to raise a castle.

 

[SeapunkPeaches]

I was thinking of one of the houses mentioned to live along the Blackwater Rush in Fire & Blood. Bourney, Corne...
They marched on Tumbleton with the blacks from the Riverlands during the Dance of Dragons.

 

[thecoddfish]

Hey, still interested in this project? Sorry, it seems to have flown a little under the radar.

I like the castle tests currently, and the house tests are mostly ok - one thing I don't like is the single block high stone foundation with a single layer of d&w on top. This makes it feel cramped and unrealistic - I would suggest sticking to all d&w or increasing the height so that it appears less awkward. I can go over this with you in game sometime if you want.

 

[Kuzlov]

Hey, my break starts next week I'm still very interested in the project and very excited however my laptop broke about 2 months ago give or take and since then has been running so slow its just been painful to log on so I'm going to start working again once I get back to my house and then will bring my desktop back to uni with me so that continue working throughout the school year.

I'm also very open to feedback and would love to talk to you @thecoddfish in game once I get back home.

 

[Kuzlov]

Hey sorry for the long delay, had lots of shit happen to include my account getting stolen briefly...

In any case, here's an update to the project:

Lore: I saw that the warp got changed to Corne thank you for whoever did that and I looked into the lore for it. The only concrete information was about Ser Roger Corne:

"Much and more was happening at Tumbleton as well, and it is there we must next turn our gaze. As word of the unrest at King’s Landing reached Prince Daeron’s host, many younger lords grew anxious to advance upon the city at once. Chief amongst them was Ser Jon Roxton, Ser Roger Corne, and Lord Unwin Peake … but Ser Hobert Hightower counseled caution, and the Two Betrayers refused to join any attack unless their own demands were met. "(Princess and the Queen)

"One such, Ser Roger Corne, made so bold as to knock the crown off Hammer’s head. “A crown does not make a man a king,” he said. “You should wear a horseshoe on your head, blacksmith.” It was a foolish thing to do. Lord Hugh was not amused. At his command, his men forced Ser Roger to the ground, whereupon the blacksmith’s bastard nailed not one but three horseshoes to the knight’s skull. When Corne’s friends tried to intervene, daggers were drawn and swords unsheathed, leaving three men dead and a dozen wounded." (Princess and the Queen)

Aside from those mentions Corne isn't really brought up. Him being a landed knight I think also works well with the relatively modest size of my castle test.

As for the tests, I did like you suggested @thecoddfish and increased the height, I also brought the house styles more in line with Peasedale since they are neighbors and whatnot.

As for my castle, I had some suggestions given to me to make it bigger especially the walls and @Enah pointed out that it looked more like Frey castle than a castle from the Southern Riverlands. I decided to make some changes based on that feedback added a thicker base to the walls which I felt made the walls feel bigger without actually increasing the thickness which I felt was fine as is. I also moved the windows in the "hall" section up and had the roof wrap around them to try and make it blend with the style in Peasedale a bit more. I also added some shutters and will probably add some balcony-like extensions to some of the other windows to make it more akin to Bushytown another neighbor.

Again, sorry for the long delay I'm finally back and I'm eager to continue this project! As always feedback is welcome on both things I may have forgotten that were said to me in the past as well as any new feedback!

 

[AerioOndos]

looking at that design, I think it could look really good as a fortified hall without the keep/large tower attached. That's just my personal opinion though, cos it is quite big for a landed knight.

But, on that point, there is meant to be a small town aroundabout where warp corne is located, Tumbler's falls. currently there is a warp tumblers falls in the Acorn hall project but its position makes no sense. SPOILERS INCOMING
The armies of Tywin Lannister and Mace Tyrell meet at Tumblers Falls and use the barges the reachmen force brought with them to go down the blackwater towards kingslanding. It would make sense for the town to be on the southern side of the river near Corne as it is near the border of the Reach and Riverlands, probably east of peasedale.

 

[Endymion]

I’d recommend putting the castle in the swampy riverbend. It would be more defensive and make it a bit more unique.