The noble house of Masbolle is in the Book of Gold. It is as old as Trebond, Queenscove, Naxen, HaMinch, Haryse, King's Reach, Wellam... It is as old as Tortall itself.
Grover, his wife Ivette, and their children were the first Masbolle family. King Baird I himself, the first king of Tortall, was childhood friends with Grover. Understandably, the king of the newly independent nation desired to keep his friends close in such an uncertain time.
The first Masbolle generations began what, even the simplest things, became Masbolle traditions: every family member present eats together at every meal; annual horseback riding competitions on the estate, open to nobles and commoners alike; growing the very best blueberries in Tortall, right on the estate.
The estate is situated in a fertile valley located just a day's ride south of Queenscove, one of the four prestigious ducal houses in Tortall. Following the lesser road called Branith, which branches out from the Great Road North, one can behold Masbolle from atop a hill that slopes down toward it.
The people of Masbolle today are a prosperous, self-motivated, almost self-sufficient lot, their lords, much like Pirate's Swoop, having provided them with all the proper resources to afford their people a decent lifestyle. The commoners of Masbolle are regarded as equals in their masters' eyes; in turn, these commoners are very loyal (not to mention very friendly) to their nobles.
The Masbolle manor is a splendid thing, complete with early-second-century-esque buttresses painted blue and archaic towers and walls washed in white. Despite appearances, these walls have not been neglected for the past 350 years. Masbolle walls were made to last.
The present generation of Masbolles include Lord Irwin and Lady Darinia, formerly of Queenscove, and their four children. In order from eldest to youngest they are Gavin, Nolann, Domitan, and Lucetta. Gavin and his father Irwin perished in the Immortals War as knights of the realm. Nolann, also a knight of the realm, died in the Scanran War. That would make Domitan the new Lord of Masbolle, but this is undoubtedly problematic because Dom is a sergeant in Third Company of the King's Own. On top of that, he is a younger son and untrained in the business of running a fief, never expecting to inherit. Lucetta is married into the Fenrigh family.
After the Scanran War, Dom and Lucetta visit Masbolle: Dom, overwhelmed, war-weary, and mourning, and Lucetta, happy with her new family but very much in grief for her brother's death. Their mother, Darinia, isn't any better off. With her three remaining children away so often, and now with one not coming back, the Lady of Masbolle knows hard times.