House Volmark
House Name: House Volmark
Motto: “Ready and Willing.”
Sigil: A firefly holding a feathered quill.
Colors: Wine Red and White
House Persona: Efficient, Cerebral, and Dogmatic
Main Hold: Kilmarnock
Head of House: True Sage, Osgood Volmark
~ Bio ~
House Volmark is a scholarly and ambitious house that has risen through intellect, diplomacy, and patience. They serve the Throne of Weighted Justice through as reasonable, enlightened administrators who value knowledge and efficiency above brute force.
Culture: House Volmark places great value on practical herbalism and plant-based medicine. Their healers and herbalists are among the best on the coast, providing remedies and treatments that are sought after even by other houses. They maintain a culture of learning and self-improvement, encouraging both nobles and commoners to study useful skills.
Education and Arcane Mastery: House Volmark is known for maintaining open libraries and small academies where anyone may access books and basic learning. They emphasize philosophy, logic, and practical knowledge, teaching that clear thinking and preparation are the keys to success. While not powerful mages, they value well-organized knowledge above all.
Espionage and Subterfuge: House Volmark prefers subtle influence over outright deception. They cultivate relationships with discontent factions and gently steering them toward useful information or betrayal.
Military: House Volmark maintains a small force of soldiers trained in stealth, and ambush tactics. They avoid open battle whenever possible, preferring surgical strikes and surprise attacks.
Political Influence: House Volmark excels at hosting refined gatherings, scholarly conferences, and diplomatic summits. They act as neutral facilitators and intellectuals, using charm, logic, and relationships to gain influence.
Wealth: House Volmark’s wealth comes primarily from sheep herding, advanced farming techniques, and the sale of high-quality herbal remedies and dyes. Their agricultural innovations have made their lands remarkably productive.
FACTIONS
The Learned
The scholarly heart of House Volmark. Comprised of philosophers, historians, and librarians the Learned maintain the famous open academies and the grand People’s Library at Kilmarnock. They advise the ruling family on policy, ethics, and long-term strategy. Fiercely proud of their intellectual tradition, they have long campaigned to be officially recognized as a trade within the House of Merit under the title “Literates.” To date, the Guild has refused, viewing scholarship as “intangible goods”. This ongoing rejection has created resentment within the faction, but they remain staunchly loyal to House Volmark.
The Shadowcloaks
The elite reconnaissance team of House Volmark. Masters of stealth and infiltration, they excel at gathering intelligence, sabotaging rivals, and conducting night raids. They answer directly to the True Sage and are feared for their ability to strike without warning and vanish without a trace.
The Green Guards
The agricultural and alchemical backbone of House Volmark. This faction oversees the house’s highly productive farmlands, sheep herds, and medicinal herb gardens. They are masters of plant-based medicine, soil science, and natural alchemy. They are celebrated for their revolutionary farming techniques, healing remedies, and firefly breeding.
A Brief History of House Volmark
160 years ago: Serah Volmark, respected philosopher and herbalist, is granted noble title and land after developing revolutionary crop rotation techniques that saved the region from famine. In honor of her service she is named True Sage of Waeldstone, Oathsworn and granted land on what today is Kilmarnock.
112 years ago: To celebrate the grand opening of the People’s Library, House Volmark hosted a Festival of Lights. For over a hundred years the People’s library remains open, and every year the festival is celebrated with the releasing of thousands of fireflies, and floating lanterns.
47 years ago: Osgood Volmark inherits the title of True Sage after his father’s death. He immediately shifts the house’s focus toward active diplomacy, dramatically increasing the frequency and scale of inter-house gatherings and scholarly conferences.
29 years ago: Osgood’s son, Dovan, authors a widely read philosophical treatise arguing that knowledge and preparation are superior to martial strength. The work is praised by scholars but infuriates the militaristic houses, who openly scold and challenge the Volmark’s at each Avalayle Grand.
15 years ago: A devastating outbreak of lung-rot sweeps through Waeldstone. Osgood Volmark, locks himself in the family herbarium for three weeks and develops a potent, but extremely bitter, cure using a rare mountain moss. The remedy saves hundreds of lives, but leaves many survivors with permanent discoloration of the skin and eyes, that earns them the nickname “the Mossmarked.”
House Royce
House Name: House Royce
Motto: “We Stand On Our Own Power.”
Sigil: A boar with its front legs standing on a stump, on a field of green with a brown border.
Colors: Brown and Green
House Persona: Reverential, Authoritarian, and Impatient
Main Hold: Fighollow
Head of House: Master of Revels, Falk Royce
~ Bio ~
House Royce is a young but ambitious house that rose to power only fifteen years ago. They are reverential toward tradition and the land, yet authoritarian and impatient in their methods. They value self-reliance and personal merit above all, and they are willing to use any means to secure and expand their position.
Culture: House Royce places heavy emphasis on apprenticeship and personal merit. Young nobles are expected to join the House of Merit and become journeymen by their early twenties. They revere hard work and self-made success, often looking down on those who inherit power without effort.
Education and Arcane Mastery: House Royce has little interest in scholarly pursuits. Their education focuses on philosophy: questions of duty, self-reliance, and the natural order of things. They value straightforward thinking and survival skills over abstract theory or arcane experimentation.
Espionage and Subterfuge: House Royce excels at covert operations. They are skilled at framing rivals for crimes they did not commit and spreading dissent among enemy factions to weaken them from within. Their methods are ruthless, relying on carefully planted rumors, forged evidence, and manipulated alliances.
Military: House Royce fields skilled companies of archers trained to fight effectively at both short and long range. They prefer ambush tactics and defensive positioning over open-field charges. Their warriors are disciplined and efficient, valuing results over glory.
Political Influence: House Royce prefers to work behind the scenes. They spread dissent among rival houses and factions to create opportunities for themselves. They are opportunistic and calculating, always looking for ways to increase their own power.
Wealth: House Royce’s modest wealth comes from livestock, farming, and controlled hunting grounds. They manage their lands efficiently but without the grand vision of House Aetherian. Their income is steady but limited, and they are known to be tight-fisted with resources.
FACTIONS
The Tusk
The elite archer company and feared personal enforcers of House Royce. Clad in dark green and brown leathers, the Tusk are renowned for their deadly accuracy with both short and long bows. They serve as the house’s primary military force, border patrol, and internal police. Ruthless and uncompromising, they are the iron fist behind Master of Revels Falk Royce’s authoritarian rule. Members are chosen for both skill and loyalty, many are former hunters or bandits who were given a second chance in exchange for absolute obedience. They are known for their brutal efficiency in putting down dissent and their signature tactic of “pinning” criminals to trees with arrows as a public warning.
The Roycemen
A small but growing network of loyal farmers, hunters, and commonfolk who have sworn personal fealty to House Royce. In exchange for higher pay, land grants, and the promise of eventually being elevated to the position of Reeve, they act as the eyes, ears, and hands of the house across the domain. They report on dissent, enforce tax collection, and help suppress smuggling in the countryside. While publicly presented as hardworking and loyal servants of the land, many Roycemen have become petty tyrants in their own villages, using their newfound authority to settle old grudges. They are the backbone of House Royce’s control over the rural population.
A Brief History of House Royce
15 years ago: Shortly after Waeldstone’s Master of Revels died of old age, Falk Royce, a skilled and ambitious woodwright from a minor guild family, marries Airis Aetherian, niece of High Lord Elandor. House Royce had long been a backbone of Waeldstone’s festivals and communal events, thus Elandor eagerly dubs Falk the new Master of Revels, and welcomes him into the Aetherian family.
14 years ago: In order to fund extensive repairs and new defensive structures for Fort Fighollow, House Royce sharply raises taxes on locals. While this causes some resentment, the visible improvements to the keep’s walls and watchtowers help legitimize their rule in the eyes of many.
13 years ago: House Royce achieves its first major public victory when they capture the notorious bandit lord Garren “The Grim Wolf” Shermer. Shermer had terrorized trade routes and outlying farms for nearly a decade, earning a fearsome reputation for brutal ambushes, extortion, and leaving his victims hanging from trees. After a daring raid personally led by Falk, Shermer is brought to Fighollow in chains. He is publicly tried, executed in the town square, and his body is left hanging from the keep’s outer gate for several weeks as a warning to any who would challenge his authority.
8 years ago: Master of Revels, Falk Royce declares a harsh “Purity Edict” across Fighollow, banning all forms of gambling, public drunkenness, and “frivolous” entertainment. He claims these vices weaken the spirit of the people and dishonor the hard work expected of every subject. While the edict wins praise from traditionalists and the more devout, it sparks resentment among merchants, tavern owners, and younger folk. To enforce the new laws, Falk greatly expands The Tusk, giving them sweeping powers to search homes and levy heavy fines.
House Coggeshall
House Name: House Coggeshall
Motto: “No Song As Sweet.”
Sigil: A golden harp with sapphire strings, set against a horizontally divided field of coral and white.
Colors: Sapphire and Coral
House Persona: Vivacious, Impressionable, and Fiery
Main Hold: Sylburn
Head of House: Gold Warden, Derron Coggeshall
~ Bio ~
House Coggeshall is a young, passionate, and ambitious house that rose rapidly through war efforts, charisma, music, and trade. They are vivacious and fiery in temperament, often letting emotion guide their decisions. While the head of their house is growing older, this has made Derron more volatile, as he desperately attempts to sire an heir and extend his lineage.
Culture: House Coggeshall is defined by its deep passion for music. They are renowned across the coast for their masterful harpists and lyre players, who perform at nearly every major noble gathering. Music is not merely entertainment to them but their identity. Their bards are trained to stir hearts, sway opinions, and immortalize victories through song.
Education and Arcane Mastery: House Coggeshall aids Aetherian knowledge with the pursuit and practice of cartography and navigation. They maintain detailed maps of rivers, trade routes, and hidden coves across the coast, which they use to dominate trade. Their scholars are practical rather than philosophical, focusing on knowledge that brings tangible power and wealth.
Espionage and Subterfuge: They train agents in counter-espionage, excelling at identifying and neutralizing spies sent by rival houses. Their methods are reactive rather than proactive, preferring to catch and turn enemy agents rather than run their own extensive spy networks.
Military: House Coggeshall fields elite lancer cavalry. Clad in sapphire and coral colors, these heavily armored horsemen are trained for devastating charges against infantry. They are aggressive and flashy on the battlefield, always ready for the charge.
Political Influence: House Coggeshall excels at sponsoring research, poets, and historians who produce works that glorify their own house while undermining rivals. They are masters of using patronage to shape public opinion and noble sentiment.
Wealth: Their wealth comes primarily from controlling key sections of river trade and their extensive lumberyards. They are shrewd merchants who use their bards and diplomats to secure favorable contracts.
FACTIONS
The Dazzling Strings
The heart of House Coggeshall, these elite harpists, lyre players, and singers are renowned across the coast for their breathtaking performances. Some even act as spies, gathering intelligence while performing at other houses’ courts. Their leader, known as the Sparkling Jewel, sits on Derron’s inner council, and often spends her evenings singing him old songs written by his late wife Gabrin. Those who wish to join their ranks must audition for both the Sparkling Jewel and Derron, or pay him a high tuition to learn from its prestigious musicians.
The River Lancers
Clad in striking sapphire and coral armor that gleams in the sunlight, the River Lancers are famous for their thunderous charges and flamboyant battlefield presence. They specialize in devastating shock tactics, using long lances to break enemy infantry formations. Though fewer in number than other houses’ forces, their boldness and horsemanship make them formidable. Many of the lancers are young, fiery Oathsworn and Reeves seeking glory and status. They are fiercely loyal to House Coggeshall and take great pride in their reputation as daring warriors.
The Cartographers
The eyes and reach of House Coggeshall, consisting of skilled map-makers, navigators, and brave explorers who chart unknown stretches of the coast. They are paid directly by the Gold Warden and enjoy significant autonomy. Their work is vital for trade dominance and military planning, and often leaves House Coggeshall with the upperhand. Their leader, called the Grand Surveyor, is one of the most well-informed people on the coast, and encourages all of their comrades to negotiate at the highest rate with the Gold Warden.
A Brief History of House Coggeshall
40 years ago: Oathsworn Derron Coggeshall and his son Tiarnan fought alongside Cayde Cafferen and Elandor Aetherian in the Evarian War. Their contribution is significant, earning them fame and prestige for their military brilliance and skill on the battlefield.
35 years ago: Upon returning to Waeldstone, High Lord Aetherian dubs Derron Coggeshall as Gold Warden, granting him noble title and land.
34 years ago: Tiarnan dies of old wounds sustained in the Evarian War. Derron publicly blames House Volmark for failing to save him, inciting his people and prepares for war against them. Both forces meet on the battlefield until High Lord Aetherian demands they disband.
22 years ago: Gabrin, Derron’s wife, dies of lung-rot after receiving years of care from Volmark healers. Again Derron publicly disparages the house, believing they are cruelly trying to destroy his house to give the House of Merit more power, and pass the title of Gold Warden onto one of their own children.
19 years ago: House Coggeshall implemented major taxes on the House of Merit and lesser houses, ensuring house Aetherian wants for nothing. House Volmark pushes back on this, but fails to convince the High Lord of traitorous or petty activity.
15 years ago: Derron married Victoria Wallace, a journeyman stone mason in the House of Merit. Though significantly younger than him, they immediately begin trying to produce an heir.
4 years ago: Victoria Wallace is named a Master within the House of Merit.
2 years ago: It became somewhat public information that Derron Coggeshall has several mistresses, blaming Victoria for not providing an heir.
House Lovelle
House Name: House Lovelle
Motto: “Devotion Without Limits.”
Sigil: A gold dagger surrounded by red rose petals on a field of black.
Colors: Crimson and Gold
House Persona: Sophisticated, Haughty, Sadistic
Main Hold: Cloverfair
Head of House: First Inquisitor, Sesa Lovelle
~ Bio ~
House Lovelle is a young, ambitious, and ruthless house that rose through zealous service to House Aetherian. They care little for chivalry or morality, and find the ends always justify the means.
Culture: House Lovelle is renowned for its woodcarvers and sculptors, who create exquisite furniture, decorative panels, and lifelike statues. Their work is highly sought after by nobles across the coast. However, their art often carries a cruel or sensual edge, depicting suffering, temptation, and violence.
Education and Arcane Mastery: House Lovelle has little interest in formal scholarship. Their education takes a hands on approach, ensuring they are prepared for the hard moments life throws at them.
Espionage and Subterfuge: Rather than crude blackmail or brute force, House Lovelle specializes in seduction. They identify discontented servants, ambitious minor nobles, or bored spouses and slowly draw them in with flattery, gifts, intimate encounters. Once ensnared, these assets are gently turned into long-term informants who often don’t even realize they are being used until it is far too late.
Military: House Lovelle’s elite fighters are known as the Romantics. They fight with elegance and cruelty, specializing in techniques that favor ambushes, poison, and assassination.
Political Influence: House Lovelle achieves most of its influence through offering “safeguards” to merchants, caravans, and minor nobles traveling through their territory. Those who accept their protection receive reliable security and favorable treatment. Throughout this time, House Lovelle gathers as much blackmail on their charge as they can, in order to accrue mounting debts of favors. Those who refuse often suffer mysterious bandit attacks, lost shipments, or other “unfortunate accidents.”
Wealth: House Lovelle’s primary source of income comes from hiring out their skilled mercenaries and enforcers. They maintain a well-trained, professional force that can be rented to other houses, merchants, or even House Aetherian for delicate operations. They are pragmatic and opportunistic, willing to work for whoever pays the highest rate. Their reputation for discretion, efficiency, and willingness to handle “messy” work makes them highly sought after.
FACTIONS
The Romantics
The personal cloak-and-dagger brigade of Lady Sesa Lovelle and the core of the mercenaries she hires out to others. On the surface, The Romantics cultivate an image of elegance and dangerous allure, graceful duelists, silver-tongued seducers, and stylish uncouth rebels. They wear their reputation for passion and drama proudly, often turning their operations into theatrical performances.
Beneath the polished exterior, however, they are a volatile collection of desperate souls with nothing left to lose. Exiles, disgraced nobles, failed artists, broken soldiers, and outcasts who have chosen to live on their own terms. They fight dirty, love fiercely, and hold grudges like precious treasures. They follow Sesa not out of loyalty to House Lovelle, but because she gives them purpose, freedom, and the chance to live gloriously before the end inevitably comes.
A Brief History of House Lovelle
100 years ago: While still mere Oathsworn in service to House Aetherian, Varyn Lovelle discovers that House Straider is secretly planning a coup against their High Lord. In a single night of ruthless calculation, Varyn orchestrates the complete and bloody annihilation of House Straider, and then welcomes his own demise. When House Aetherian descends upon them, questioning the slaughter, Oathsworn Varyn presents his evidence, indisputably proving had he not acted, the heir to House Aetherian would have been assassinated. For his service, he is named First Inquisitor, granted substantial land, and the undying gratitude of House Aetherian.
87 years ago: Varyn’s eldest son, Kartis Lovelle, attempts to create a new elite order to complement House Aetherian’s respected Order of the Righteous Blade. Dubbing them The Romantics, he produces a flamboyant company of poet-knights who fight with elegance, wit, and dramatic flair. They debut at the Avalayle Grand with flowing capes, poetic challenges, and theatrical combat styles. The performance is a disaster. They are thoroughly humiliated by warriors of the other houses, earning them a lasting reputation as “fumbling poets and cowards.”
75 years ago: Now head of his house, Kartis Lovelle begins openly hiring skilled mercenaries and enforcers to other houses and merchants, hoping to improve the reputation of the Romantics. Unfortunately, being associated with them is so humiliating, that only desperate men and women join. Despite Kartis’ best efforts to polish his knights, their behavior remains uncourtly.
62 years ago: Kartis Lovelle marries an Oathsworn from a distant family, hoping to bring legitimacy and fresh talent into the house. The marriage produces three children, but proves deeply unhappy. Rumors swirl that Kartis’s wife took multiple lovers among the Romantics.
41 years ago: Kartis Lovelle is found dead in his chambers, officially ruled a heart attack. His second son, Varyn II, assumes control but proves weak and ineffective. Arguments with the Romantics become commonplace, as he struggles to maintain order over them.
21 years ago: Lord Varyn Lovelle II and his wife are found dead under mysterious circumstances. Their only child, six-year-old Sesa Lovelle, is named the sole heir. In the power vacuum that follows, Romantic Captain Edric Goaring, a longtime trusted confidant of Varyn II steps forward as Sesa’s guardian and regent.
20 years ago: Sesa Lovelle is welcomed to live in Moonwatch, receiving proper etiquette training from House Aetherian. For a week each month, Sesa is summoned to Moonwatch and raised as Elandor’s own daughter.
19 years ago: First Inquisitor Sesa Lovelle officially assumes power at the age of 8.
15 years ago: Sesa begins pouring funds into the Romantics, transforming them into a capable band of mercenaries.
11 years ago: Sesa’s monthly stays at Moonwatch come to an end. High Lord Elandor makes it clear she is welcome any time, but does not mandate her continued etiquette training and schooling.