Blue Blossom Adventures

Official Archivist Entry for Codex Xaltea

NOTICE: All measurements have been converted to Terran metric (imperial) measurements

Introduction

When House Avernell’s Blue Blossom Estate is mentioned, it can elicit many different responses from people. To the Historians, it’s known for the desperate holding action several hundred years ago against a massive Drull Incursion where Lady Vanata Avernell gave her life in the protection of the planet. To others, it is the home of the unique and highly valued Blue Wine produced through traditional methods, giving the beverage a refreshing and cool taste with only a hint of tart. For many though, it is mostly known for its recent entry into the history books as having the first ever Terran installed as Lord of the Manor.

This small report will answer the physical questions about the estate more than any political or historical significance.

Vital Statistics of the Estate

The Blue Blossom estate is 1,181 square kilometers (456 square miles) surrounded by a high-security stone wall with the inner Estate House sitting on 2.6 square kilometers (one square mile) of land near the center. It makes up a total of 721,152.3 hectares (291,840 acres) consisting of forest, lakes, and fields, as well as the land set aside for growing both Blue Blossom Wine and Winter Rose Wine.

It presently employs a total of 4,289 personnel, with 2,800 dedicated to the fields and the rest distributed among the estate personnel and the grounds personnel.

In the Spring and Summer months, the estate focuses on the production of Blue Wine, putting out an annual amount of 650,000 cases of wine—487,500 cases being Blue Wine and the last 162,500 being Winter Rose.

Prestige of Blue Blossom

Though many other houses have grown their own Vevet Blossom plants to make the wine, the traditional methods utilized and perfected are only known by the artisans of the estate. Eighty years ago, the Empire granted the Estate the rights to the name Blue Blossom Wine, blocking all others from using the term. The derivatives are mostly known as Vevet Wine.

The Estate boasts three imperial pennants from Emperor Shuvik Vaesh, Emperor Morek Vaesh, and the present Empress Cilia Vaesh. These pennants represent the favor of the ruling family towards the estate and add to the prestige of the House.

Present Leadership

The present leadership of the house is as follows:

• Lord of the Estate: Henry Patton-Avernell
  
• Mistress to her Lord: Maevin Maer
  
• Head Technician of the Ground Legion: Vindik Mal
  
• Head Maid of the Estate Legion: Abiva Etiv
  
• Head Maid of the Reserve Legion: Nish Kevet
  
• Master Vintner to His Lord: Ekulik Ral
  
• Security Chief to His Lord: Primal Tox Utivin
  

The Ground Legion

The Ground Legion is the segment of the estate that takes care of maintenance and vineyard work. It is broken into Battalions, then cohorts, and then teams. The list is as follows:

• Maintenance Battalion (Called Technicians)
  
  • Fields Cohort: Maintains all equipment related to the fields.
    
  • Construction Cohort: Handles construction and repair of all facilities.
    
  • Services Cohort: Repairs shuttles, computers, and other miscellaneous equipment.
    
• Harvest Battalion (Called Harvesters)
  
  • Vineyard Cohort: Works in the fields.
    
  • Lake Cohort: Maintains lakes, including fishing and stocking.
    
  • Forest Cohort: Oversees herbs and spices grown in the fields.
    

The Estate Legion

The Estate Legion is responsible for the Estate itself and its surrounding grounds, consisting of the personnel that the Lord of the Estate encounters most frequently.

• Estate Battalion (Called Maids)
  
  • Estate Cohort: Maintains the interior of the primary residence and surrounding grounds.
    
  • Scullery Cohort: Oversees all kitchens and food services on the estate.
    
  • Emissary Cohort: Handles guests and honored patronages, and acts as aides or secretaries during downtime.
    

The Reserve Legion

The Reserve Legion manages supplies coming in and out of the estate, from raw goods to processed products. All procurement, except weapons for security, goes through them.

• Reserve Battalion (Called Maids)
  
  • Stockpile Cohort: Manages resources within the estate grounds.
    
  • Inventory Cohort: Maintains stock levels, paperwork, and customs.
    
  • Acquisition Cohort: Handles purchasing, retrieval, and transport of resources outside the estate.
    

Security Cohort

The Security Cohort operates outside the social structure, with its soldiers and guards reporting directly to the Security Chief. The Chief, who is on the same level as the Mistress, defers to her in tradition while maintaining authority over all security matters.

The Master Vintner

The Master Vintner oversees wine production, quality control, and training. They operate outside the normal chain of command, directly supervising Wine Maids and wine technicians. Master Vintners wear a purple ribbon with gold trimming to signify their rank.

In Closing

This brief statistical analysis provides insight into the workings of a large estate like Blue Blossom. Most other houses use a similar system, though smaller estates, like House Neema, condense roles into fewer Legions. Hopefully, this offers an interesting glimpse into the active operations of a House Estate.

© 2018 – 2024 by Jonathan Snyder