[Information] The Houses of Alstenot

[darthcharon]

List of houses

House Herzog Cities: The Capital The house of King Fredrick himself. With his death, it is essentially ended, but while it lasted it was a benevolent house, allowing the other houses to rule mostly as they saw fit so long as justice was served and the laws were maintained. Though slow to war, they were hardly afraid of it, and more than a few ancestors are revered for their actions on the front line. Though not all members of the house have been as successful as the latest, as a whole most people agree that the Herzog dynasty was overall the greatest in the history of Alstenot; no other dynasty had secured as much land, progressed quite as far, and won as many wars. Fredrick the fourth is often considered one of the best of his already acclaimed house, and even the most bitter would grudgingly admit that they could not find fault in his noble self. Even when he took the throne at the tender age of 19, he was wise beyond his years, and possessive of patience that could rival a tree, and of a sense of character so great that it was said he could determine a man's innocence or guilt simply by looking into his eyes.

House Dreyri Cities: Durghuast (Capital) Varlhuarst An isolationist house, House Dreyri cares little for petty politics and prefers to focus on commercial affairs instead. Dreyri also does not care where the coin comes from, as a stolen gold shines just as brightly as an earned one, and they have a reputation for shadier practices, though they've never been proven. Still, this reputation is enough to make them unpopular with both the other houses and the church, a situation which suits Dreyri just fine. The head of the house, Lord Alrekr Dreyri, was once a respected advisor for the king, but twenty years ago vanished from the public eye entirely. Though his children maintain that he is alive and well, speculation and rumors are abound, some claiming that he died years ago and that his children are merely maintaining a facade, or perhaps he is kept a prisoner in his own home, by children who wish to rule in his stead. None save the house itself knows the truth, and they've been distressingly silent about the whole incident, so it's likely to remain a secret for some time.

House Galliberos Cities Nichen(capital) Valdomum One of the oldest houses, House Galliberos is actually the union of two smaller houses, and legends to have the blood of angels flowing through their noble house. Few houses are willing to directly contradict the elder house, for even if they aren't as physically large as some of the other houses, House Galliberos commands great respect with virtually every house. Tradition and law reigns supreme in their land, and their laws and cities are almost archaic in design. But only a fool would mistake old for feeble, and their laws and structures have not been changed in centuries because they have not needed to change, having survived the test of time. Though they are every bit as pious as the rest of Alstenot, they prefer strong steel over inflamed words, and their priests are no exception, often learning the art of steel long before they learn their arts of magic. Louis Galliberos, the head of the house, is the personification of his family, stoic and slow to act, but once roused to aggression unrelenting and tenacious to a fault. He is the soul of chivalry, flat out refusing an unfair fight, treating even his enemies as equals, and despite being as celibate as a monk, treats the fairer sex with the respect befitting his station.

House Alatir Cities Fargast(capital) Nargast A religious house, nowhere in Alstenot is the temple guild more celebrated. And it is not just one god that they celebrate, but the entire pantheon of good and law. To Alatir, the teachings of the church and the laws of the house are the same. But the Alatir are not zealots. Though they themselves follow the path of heaven, they know that there are multiple roads to travel, and just as they cannot follow other's roads, not everyone can follow theirs. Their charity and benevolence has painted them somewhat as a white albatross, and few have the heart to interfere with them. Their leader, Elizabeth Alatir, is the very soul of compassion, and a skilled healer. The sick from all over the realm travel to her keep, where she welcomes them all with open arms, offering what healing powers the gods have granted her to all who ask, requesting as payment only that the recipient praise the gods who have saved them, and offer a prayer in thanks.

House Scaloach Cities Rockcrest(capital) Vasha Casian A brand new house, literally founded less than 10 years ago. Once just a regular family (though prominent), the Scaloach seized power when house Antrim began to portray rather unpleasant attributes. Through the efforts of Kage Scaloach, it was uncovered that the Antrims had become Asmodeus worshipers, and they were placed under Extra Legem. Organizing a strong resistance force, Kage overthrew the Antrim's, and by the time the other houses had managed to mobilize men of their own, they had already driven the Antrims into exile. For his service, Kage was allowed to keep House Antrim's territory for himself, and was elevated to the rank of nobility. Though little is known of this new house, house Scaloach was known for having a strong religious yet pragmatic view on life, and that has not changed since their change in title.

House Echevien Cities Azuratha (Capital) Azurbath Azurcath A mercatilesque house, Echevien is a nation that has quietly grown for quite some time. Despite being older than the first civil war, Echevien has mostly gone unnoticed by the other houses, due to their own disinterest in politics. They supplied all sides of the war, buying off houses to not attack their territories, and in time managed to secure it's own survival simply by not jumping into the lion's den, preferring a slow and reliable growth over the risky but swift growth achieved by victory in battle. A very self motivated house, House Echevien has only one true goal; the prosperity of it's own. It's said that Echevien will make any deal with any party, so long as it is ultimately to their benefit, giving rise to the expression, "Shrewd as an Echevien merchant". Echevien's head of house, Alastar, has attracted a great deal of controversy in his life, having sired three children from three mothers, none of which were human. With no other heir, a few houses have made it clear that they will not recognize their house if one of his "half breed" children should attempt to take up the mantle.

House Groff Cities Durnholme (Capital) Sherit A warlike house, few nations have chaffed more harshly under the treaty of Vestun as house Groff. While not necessarily evil, house Groff firmly believes that the dangers of the world can not simply be wished away, and must be purged with steel. At every step they test the boundaries of the treaty, always pushing but rarely crossing the line, and it was house Groff which first noticed the loophole in the text allowing the creation of leagues. House Groff is particularly known for having a feud with the greenskins of the desert, though they have recently been forbidden from committing any further sorties into the land without provocation. Catherine Groff, the leader of the house, is ironically a very slight woman, but only a fool would call her weak. Though young, she is almost as bloodthirsty as her late father, and arguably more draconic in her ruling. But her methods get results, and no city has a crime rate as low as Durnholme.

House McMahon Cities Highbourne (Capital) A newer house, The people of Highbourne are peaceful but hardworking, and among the houses are known for their rather progressive views on equality. Though they promote pacifism, they aren't afraid to defend themselves if necessary, though even then they fight not to kill, but to end the fight. Situated near a large forest, House McMahon's chief export is wood, though they are very careful about cutting down too deep, as even the other houses know that the deep woods does not take kindly to those who cut too fervently. Stephen McMahon, the leader of the house, is a bit of an enigma, even to his own people. A man of few words and fewer emotions, he is known as an excellent arbiter, and has in the past offered military advice to the throne, but is otherwise as unreadable as a blank book.

House Vangar Cities Rugereus (Capital) No house lives closer to the dwarves than house Vangar, both in proximity and relations. While no dwarf would ever admit a human as their equal, they will agree that, as humans go, House Vangar is as close as it gets. Though small in numbers, they make up for their lack of numbers with superior tools, and they are among the finest smiths outside the dwarves. They have also begun to experiment with and weaponize blackpowder, a tool the dwarves have been using to excavate their underground cities for centuries. A very defensive house, they would be just fine if everyone else just went away, and have on more than one occasion considered a seperatist's path. Ironically, their leader, Chris Vangar, is much the opposite, seeming friendly and almost jovial to all he meets, though considering his house's reputation, many think that it is just an act.

House Slith Cities Belacull(Capital) Kantin Though every house is always watching every other house at all times, most smart houses know to especially keep at least one eye on house Slith at all times. A clever and manipulative house, House Slith is a secretive house, known for allegedly performing illegal and shady activities, though none have ever been able to bring concrete proof against them. Anything can be purchased in Belacull if you have enough coin, but one never walks the streets alone there, lest you (or parts of you) show up on the market. Many of the shadier guilds, which are not even allowed to function legitimately in most other houses, flourish here, as do morally ambiguous trades and procedures, so long as they get results. But, as Slith is quick to point out, their focus on results does not make them evil. They may consider torture, slavery, and experimentation on prisoners acceptable, but they do not do so for the sake of pleasure, but rather they accept them as necessary evils, a high cost for a higher reward. No one knows who the actual head of the house is, for all interactions with them are dealt with through their advisers, who themselves are rumored to be assassins of no small skill.