Lesser Houses of Veilsong
House Froste
House Name: House Froste
Motto: “Beware My Fang.”
Sigil: A wolf against a field of blue
Colors: Gray and Ice Blue
House Persona: Impressive, Arrogant, Morbid
Main Hold: Fort Windmere
Head of House: Grand Marshal, Tylan Froste
~ Bio ~
Commanded by the formidable Archwizard Tylan Froste, they rule the fields of Narthwich with arrogant pride and morbid fascination with death. While they lack the elegance and arcane brilliance of their liege, they provide Veilsong with elite Spellswords, enchanted weapons, and loyal enforcers who ask few questions.
Culture: House Froste is known for its obsession with death. At both the Winter Solstice (or “the Long Night”) and Summer Solstice (or “the Waking”), the House throws lavish celebrations that all of Narthwich is welcome to attend. Though macabre, few avoid the festivities.
Education and Arcane Mastery: Young nobles are drilled in knightly conduct and arcane study with a heavy focus on warfare.
Espionage and Subterfuge: House Froste has little patience for subtlety. When needing to use it, however, they stage big events like tournaments, feasts, and public executions to draw attention away from whatever needs discretion.
Military: House Froste fields companies of heavily armored mages who fight as knights, wearing wear rune-etched armor and wielding enchanted weapons. While few in numbers, they are feared throughout the coast by even the Blackguard and Dawn Wardens.
Political Influence: House Froste supports philosophers, historians, and poets who in turn promote the ideals of hierarchy, honor, and loyalty to one’s rightful lord.
Wealth: Their primary income comes from hiring out Hedge Mages and selling combat spells and enchantments as a service. Fort Windmere maintains several forges and scriptoriums where Spellswords and Luminarch-trained enchanters produce and sell high-quality enchanted weaponry and armor.
~ FACTIONS~
The Order of the Long Night
While the rest of the House focuses on martial strength and survival, the Long Night stares into the abyss and asks what power can be taken from it. At the top sit powerful Necromancers who study the boundary between life and oblivion. Below them are ranks of Hedge Mages, apprentices who are charged with selling their spellcasting for the good of the House. In exchange, they will one day become full fledged Necromancers or members of the Celestus Contingent. Beneath them are those still incapable of harnessing magic, Corpse-Tenders who perform the grim but necessary work of preparing bodies for ritual, and maintaining the vast crypts beneath Fort Windmere.
The Celestus Contingent
House Froste’s elite order of Spellsword knights. They serve as the personal champions of Lord Tylan Froste. Every member is both a formidable warrior and a capable battle-mage. After every victory, they collect the weapons, armor, and sigils of worthy foes. These trophies are smelted down in forges beneath Fort Windmere and then reforged into new, greater pieces for the knight who claimed them.
Because of this, the size and extravagance of a Celestus knight’s weapon is a public record of their glory. A young knight might wield a modest longsword while a veteran carries a massive greatsword or scythe covered in glowing runes and fragments of enemy blades. The most legendary Celestus knights wield weapons so large and heavily enchanted that they require strength-enhancing spells just to lift.
~A Brief History of House Froste~
85 years ago: Oathsworn Alden Froste swore fealty to House Veilsong after being granted the lands of Narthwich. He was named Grand Marshal and tasked with keeping the peace as riots begin to simmer under Veilsong leadership.
72 years ago: Construction of Fort Windmere was completed. Grand Marshal Froste conscripted a number of Archwizards and mages from the Arcanum to serve as his vassals and founded the Celestus Contingent.
38 years ago: Grand Marshal Froste died in the Evaira war, leaving his son Tylan to rule the domain. High Lord Veilsong dubbed him Grand Marshal but threatened that failure will not be tolerated.
34 years ago: Tylan Froste became known as House Veilsong’s loyal hound, doing anything asked of him, no matter how cruel or bloody.
House Wardworthy
House Name: House Wardworthy
Motto:“All Debts Are Paid Eventually.”
Sigil: A Lion’s head with a coin between its open jaws.
Colors: Gold and Black
House Persona: Tidy, Idiosyncratic, Vindictive
Main Hold: Raslara
Head of House: Gold Warden, Archest Wardworthy
~ Bio ~
House Wardworthy is the greedy and dangerous financial arm of House Veilsong and is led by the ruthless Archest Wardworthy who runs the infamous City of Sin, Raslara. While they lack military strength and deep arcane talent, their control over coin, debt, information, and vice makes them indispensable.
Culture: The estates and establishments in Raslara are temples to excess where nobles, merchants, and commonfolk lose fortunes, secrets, and their dignity.
Education and Arcane Mastery: House Wardworthy focuses on mathematics and expects its scions to be brilliant with numbers.
Espionage and Subterfuge: House Wardworthy teaches its own a subtle code to communicate in secret, even when in public. All throughout Raslara hand gestures, phrases, and perfectly timed moments inform the House of what is going on, who to intercept, and when to back off.
Military: House Wardworthy keeps a small formation of guards known as the Iron Lions, who wield massive enchanted warhammers. Paid handsomely, these warriors are fierce, violent, and always ready for a fight.
Political Influence: The Wardworthys are master creditors, offering generous loans to nobles and merchants, with ruinous terms hidden behind their charming smiles. Many powerful figures across the coast are in their pockets, bound by crushing debt and the fear of ruin.
Wealth: They own multiple resorts throughout Raslara’s and field troupes of bards, dancers, and performers who travel the coast, gathering intelligence and spreading influence.
~ FACTIONS~
The Iron Lions
Clad in plate armor, they wield massive enchanted warhammers and focuses on breaking enemy formations through sheer crushing power. Beyond the battlefield, the Iron Lions serve as House Wardworthy’s debt collectors. When a noble or merchant falls too far behind on their obligations, the Lions arrive with warhammers in hand. Force is rarely needed.
The Ledger
The intellectual backbone of House Wardworthy, composed of brilliant intellectuals who truly run Raslara. Their day to day is spent managing loans, overseeing the gambling halls, and ensuring every debt is paid.
~A Brief History of House Wardworthy~
12 years ago: Archest Wardworthy publicly accused the previous Gold Warden of treason; and after successfully proving it, was named the new Gold Warden by House Veilsong and granted dominion over Raslara.
8 years ago: House Wardworthy called in dozens of overdue debts across the coast, bankrupting Oathsworn Houses in a single season. Many disgraced lords, knights, and retainers were given a choice: swear eternal service to House Wardworthy or face total ruin. A large number chose service and joined the ranks of the Iron Lions.
5 years ago: House Wardworthy sent entertainers across the coast to advertise Raslara.
1 year ago: House Wardworthy announced a new “voluntary donation” program for all major clients and patrons in Raslara. Those who paid willingly received preferential treatment, protection, and favorable odds. Those who refused found themselves losing each hand and left bloody outside of town.
House Drox
House Name: House Drox
Motto: “Shine Brightly.”
Sigil: A theatrical mask with a sunburst behind it on a divided field of yellow and blue.
Colors: Yellow and Blue
House Persona: Exciting, Proud, Provocative
Main Hold: Gold Harbor
Head of House: Voice of Reason, Brealla Drox
~ Bio ~
House Drox is flamboyant and relentlessly theatrical. Led by the cunning and ruthless Lady Brealla Drox, they live for spectacle, fame, and excess. While they lack military strength and political power, their mastery of illusion magic, seduction, and performances makes them dangerous all the same.
Culture: Singing is as natural to House Drox as breathing. Warriors chant hymns while training, servants hum while working, and the lowliest farmer belts out verses in the fields while farming. These hymns are sung to the gods for energy, courage, and fortune.
Education and Arcane Mastery: Their arcane academies and private salons are known for pushing the boundaries of what magic can look like and focus on illusion. Many Drox mages deliberately choose the flashiest and most difficult versions of spells simply because, "Subtlety is for cowards who fear the spotlight.”
Espionage and Subterfuge: House Drox excels at seduction and manipulation. They have a knack for finding powerful individuals and slowly draw them into intoxicating relationships. Through lavish parties, private performances, and intimate moments, they create a pipeline of information, wealth, and soldiers to call upon.
Military: The signature combat style of House Drox is called The Dance of the Wraith, which teaches its practitioners to move like living flames. Fighters use feints and dramatic flourishes to make opponents overcommit and then strike them while exposed. Many outsiders mock Drox warriors as “glittering show-fighters” until they witness the technique in person.
Political Influence: House Drox uses entertainment, spectacle, and showmanship to wow their domain. There isn’t a week that goes by without the manor hosting a party of some kind. While they lack the resources to compete with the Four Houses, they are never afraid to enter the arena.
Wealth: House Drox’s fortune is earned almost entirely from their traveling performances. Their troupes command high fees and draw massive crowds wherever they go. In addition, they maintain a private vineyard, the Amber Vales, which produces some of the most sought-after wine in the realm.
~ FACTIONS~
The Radiant Troupe
The Radiant Troupe is the glittering face of House Drox. These exceptional performers, master illusionists, and saboteurs travel the coast putting on extravagant shows. Many members enjoy pushing boundaries—both artistic and social—often creating scandals that keep House Drox in the spotlight. Shows feature dragons made of living flames, lovers dancing on air, and entire stages that shift and transform mid-performance.
The Amber Cabal
The Amber Cabal is the heart of House Drox’s resources. While the Radiant Troupe dazzles the public, the Amber Cabal works behind the scenes to ensure the House’s wealth and influence continue to grow. Members are winemakers, merchants, and intellectuals. The Cabal keeps detailed records of every noble’s preferences, vices, and secrets, using this knowledge to slowly draw individuals into the Drox web.
The Wraith Dancers
The Wraith Dancers are House Drox’s order of combat performers. They practice the Dance of the Wraith, a flashy, and highly theatrical martial art that blends graceful movement and misdirection. To an outsider, it looks like a beautiful dance; to a trained opponent, it is a deadly trap of feints, illusions, and sudden strikes.
Wraith Dancers fight in light armor adorned with flowing ribbons and enchanted mirrors that create confusing reflections. They are arrogant, provocative, and addicted to glory. Because of their small numbers, they are usually deployed as bodyguards or dueling champions.
~A Brief History of House Drox~
28 years ago: After the previous Voice of Reason died of old age, Oathsworn Vesper Drox, welcomed High Lord Veilsong to his estate with a lavish and hedonistic celebration. The ordeal lasted a week, and by the final night, Vesper stood atop a stage of gold and declared that House Drox would bring fame and glory back to Narthwich. High Lord Veilsong was impressed and elevated the man and His house, naming him the new Voice of Reason.
26 years ago: Vesper Drox died of sudden illness, leaving his daughter Brealla to replace him. At Vesper’s lavish funeral, she delivered a tearful eulogy that moved the crowd to sobs.
18 years ago: Lady Brealla challenged the arrogant heir of a rival minor House to a public duel. During it, Lady Drox humiliated the young heir for three hours, trapping him in an illusion that left him dancing naked before the nobility present.
9 years ago: The Amber Vales produced its greatest vintage yet. Within a single season, Amber Vale Reserve became the most fashionable and expensive wine on the coast. Nobles and merchants fought for bottles and House Drox’s coffers swelled. The success allowed Brealla to expand the Radiant Troupe.
2 years ago: An assassination attempt was made on Lady Drox, who was saved by her Wraith Dancers. Public opinion of her soared.