Lesser Houses of Waeldstone
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 steer 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 infamous 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, was granted noble title and land after developing revolutionary crop rotation techniques that saved the region from famine. In honor of her service, she was 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 remained open, and every year the festival is celebrated with the releasing of thousands of fireflies and floating lanterns.
47 years ago: Osgood Volmark inherited the title of True Sage after his father’s death. He immediately shifted 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, authored a widely read philosophical treatise arguing that knowledge and preparation are superior to martial strength. The work was praised by scholars but infuriated the militaristic Houses which openly scold and challenged the Volmarks at each Avalayle Grand.
15 years ago: A devastating outbreak of lung-rot swept through Waeldstone. Osgood Volmark locked himself in the family herbarium for three weeks and developed a potent but extremely bitter cure using a rare mountain moss. The remedy saved hundreds of lives but left many survivors with permanent discoloration of the skin and eyes, which earned them the nickname “the Mossmarked.”
House Redwar
House Name: House Redwar
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 Redwar
~ Bio ~
House Redwar 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 Redwar 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 Redwar 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 Redwar 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 Redwar 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 Redwar 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 Redwar’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 Redwar. 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 Redwar’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 Redwarmen
A small but growing network of loyal farmers, hunters, and commonfolk who have sworn personal fealty to House Redwar. 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 Redwarmen have become petty tyrants in their own villages, using their newfound authority to settle old grudges. They are the backbone of House Redwar’s control over the rural population.
~A Brief History of House Redwar~
15 years ago: Shortly after Waeldstone’s Master of Revels died of old age, Falk Redwar, a skilled and ambitious woodwright from a minor guild family, married Airis Aetherian, niece of High Lord Elandor. House Redwar had long been a backbone of Waeldstone’s festivals and communal events, thus Elandor eagerly dubbed Falk as the new Master of Revels and welcomed him into the Aetherian family.
14 years ago: In order to fund extensive repairs and new defensive structures for Fort Fighollow, House Redwar sharply raised taxes on locals. While this caused 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 Redwar achieved its first major public victory when they captured 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 was brought to Fighollow in chains. He was publicly tried, executed in the town square, and his body was 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 Redwar declared a harsh “Purity Edict” across Fighollow, banning all forms of gambling, public drunkenness, and “frivolous” entertainment. He claimed these vices weakened the spirit of the people and dishonored the hard work expected of every subject. While the edict won praise from traditionalists and the more devout, it sparked resentment among merchants, tavern owners, and younger folk. To enforce the new laws, Falk greatly expanded The Tusk which gave 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, Derron became 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 and focus 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 is comprised of elite harpists, lyre players, and singers who 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 the House’s 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 was 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 dubbed Derron Coggeshall as Gold Warden, granting him noble title and land.
34 years ago: Tiarnan died of old wounds sustained in the Evarian War. Derron publicly blamed House Volmark for failing to save him, incited his people and prepared for war against them. Both forces met on the battlefield until High Lord Aetherian demanded they disband.
22 years ago: Gabrin, Derron’s wife, died of lung-rot after receiving years of care from Volmark healers. Again Derron publicly disparaged the House, believing they were 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 pushed back but failed 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 was named a Master within the House of Merit.
2 years ago: It became somewhat public information that Derron Coggeshall had 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, or 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 discovered that House Straider was secretly planning a coup against their High Lord. In a single night of ruthless calculation, Varyn orchestrated the complete and bloody annihilation of House Straider and then welcomed his own demise. When House Aetherian descended upon them, questioning the slaughter, Oathsworn Varyn presented his evidence and indisputably proved had he not acted, the heir to House Aetherian would have been assassinated. For his service, he was named First Inquisitor, granted substantial land and the undying gratitude of House Aetherian.
87 years ago: Varyn’s eldest son, Kartis Lovelle, attempted to create a new elite order to complement House Aetherian’s respected Order of the Righteous Blade. Dubbing them The Romantics, he produced a flamboyant company of poet-knights who fought with elegance, wit, and dramatic flair. They debuted at the Avalayle Grand with flowing capes, poetic challenges, and theatrical combat styles. However, the performance was a disaster. They were thoroughly humiliated by warriors of the other Houses, earning them a lasting reputation as “fumbling poets and cowards.”
75 years ago: As head of his House, Kartis Lovelle began openly hiring skilled mercenaries and enforcers to other Houses and merchants, hoping to improve the reputation of the Romantics. Unfortunately, being associated with them was so humiliating that only desperate men and women joined. Despite Kartis’ best efforts to polish his knights, their behavior remained uncourtly.
62 years ago: Kartis Lovelle married an Oathsworn from a distant family, hoping to bring legitimacy and fresh talent into the House. The marriage produced three children but proved deeply unhappy. Rumors swirled that Kartis’s wife took on multiple lovers among the Romantics.
41 years ago: Kartis Lovelle was found dead in his chambers, officially ruled a heart attack. His second son, Varyn II, assumed control but proved weak and ineffective. Arguments with the Romantics became commonplace as he struggled to maintain order over them.
21 years ago: Lord Varyn Lovelle II and his wife were found dead under mysterious circumstances. Their only child, six-year-old Sesa Lovelle, was named the sole heir. In the power vacuum that followed, Romantic Captain Edric Goaring, a longtime trusted confidant of Varyn II, stepped forward as Sesa’s guardian and regent.
20 years ago: Sesa Lovelle was welcomed to live in Moonwatch and received proper etiquette training from House Aetherian. For a week each month, Sesa was summoned to Moonwatch and raised as Elandor’s own daughter.
19 years ago: First Inquisitor Sesa Lovelle officially assumed power at the age of 8.
15 years ago: Sesa began pouring funds into the Romantics, transforming them into a capable band of mercenaries.
11 years ago: Sesa’s monthly stays at Moonwatch came to an end. High Lord Elandor made it clear she was welcome any time but did not mandate her continued etiquette training and schooling.