Larissa's HoldingsIndex | Time Under Chaos | Player Characters | Larissa Rohl | Larissa's holdings The Duchy of WhitecliffThe Duchy of Whitecliff, though small for lands carrying such a weighty title, would be a desirable holding, if it didn't border Arden. With the sea to the east, whence it derives its name from the cliffs that drop into the ocean, and only a fringe of the path of the Black Road to the west, it is an hospitable chunk of farming country that has recovered well from the War. Larissa seems quite unconcerned about being part of the bulwark between occupied Amber and Arden, and has been known to hold parties at the manor house--parties considerably less well-attended than those she hosts at her Kolvir estate, since the house is within a longbow shot of the fringe of Arden. Eric granted her the land and title as he was beginning to press for the Throne, both to be seen as generous to supporters and to divest himself of interests unrelated to the kingship, and, the uncharitable say, to buy his daughter's continued support. In the few years between then and the War, Larissa made the property available almost without restriction to those bearing letters of introduction from one of her relatives, though she became considerably more exclusive after the Black Road appeared. As a landholder, Larissa is eccentric by Amber standards. She levies taxes, but immediately plows them back into civic improvement projects for the Duchy, paying Royal taxes out of her own purse. Following her own ideas of proper pedagogy, she has instituted mandatory schooling--though the curriculum varies from what Chaos would prefer be taught. Though never quite crossing the line into sedition, Larissa seems intent on raising a province of freethinkers. What losses the population of Whitecliff suffers as starry-eyed youths educated in this system diffuse into Arden and the Shadows beyond is information Larissa does not make public. Larissa retreats to Whitecliff when fed up with with Merlin's antics, or seeking a respite from the endless politics of the city. Invitations to join her at her country home are rare, though the door is always open to family. Whether this includes family like Julian and Caine, only Larissa and those outlaws know. MisthallowEric had many holdings across Amber, perhaps the most desirable of which was Misthallow, an estate in the Clifftop ward. Whether Larissa would have been willing to lay it on the table as a bargaining chip never came up, since Mandor recognized her titles and holdings in an effort to make his takeover as smooth as possible. Built climbing the side of Kolvir, Misthallow sits back from the street behind a wrought iron fence, surrounded by gardens. Eric's tastes ran somewhat to the Gothic, and the rooms are thickly decorated with intricately-carved furniture and rich fabrics. Larissa's own tastes are rather simpler, as evidenced by her rooms in the Castle, but she has not seen fit to redecorate, and Eric's presence is still strong. Larissa regards herself as holding the property in trust for Islain--Amberites live a long time, and the current scheme of things will not last forever, at which point it will be right and proper for her sister to receive her inheritance from their father. In the meantime, however, Larissa has no problem making use of it. Fair Winds TradingIt is an open secret that Fair Winds Trading is the front through which Larissa engages, skillfully and enthusiastically, in the art of the deal. She herself would have had no reservations about wading in under her own name and face, but Eric stomped that idea firmly into the ground as not befitting the dignity of a member of the Royal Family. Ever adaptable, Larissa started a corporation, of which she held a controlling share. To mollify Eric, she voted through a proxy, and he decided to choose his battles. After all, it was his fault she had grown up in a Shadow filled with traders. Fair Winds is primarily an import/export business, though it has sidelines in whatever Larissa is interested in this year. It thrives, since there are no laws about insider trading in Amber--the company's founder is privy both to the news from the Diplomatic Corps and the Castle, and knows the quickest routes through Shadow. |
