The Great Houses of the Empire
House Arcanix
House Bannockburn
House Cairlynen
House Deridec
House Ethananmortok
House Farraday
House Garikuhlan
House Hortinak
House Inconix (Destroyed)
House Arcanix
We are the weavers of the Arcane web, the makers of magic and the dreamers of dreams
-Arcanix Jotham,
House Arcanix had maintained an interest in the practices in the arcane for almost six millennia, and are the most skilled human wizards in the Empire today. They are a large house of almost sixteen hundred, with nearly three quarters of their total wizards or other arcane practitioners. The study of magic is ingrained into all nobles of the house and they are renowned for their creativity and practical thinking when it comes to the use of magic. House Arcanix is responsible for teaching the Arcane arts to all other nobles in the Empire. It is not to say that House Arcanix is not the only source of arcane might in the Empire as it is to say they are the source of all the human magic, and they work very hard to keep it strong.
Bonus Skill: Spellcraft
Bonus Feats: Arcane Schooling, Spellwise, Fire in the Blood, Mind over Body, Spellcasting Prodigy, Magical Training
House Bannockburn
We are the authority of the Empire, we are its laws and its governance.
-Bannockburn Stewart
House Bannockburn is the house most closely associated with the courts and governance structures of the Empire itself. They have helped the Emperors set down policy and law since the inception of the Empire at the end of the First Age of the World. They claim a strange lineage from the First Age, claiming several of the warriors from the Heavens Beyond as bloodline founders, mixing their blood with the 12 daughters of the original Bannockburn, Vilhelm. With a reputation for being fair but strict, the Bannockburn governors are loved by the people they govern.
Bonus Skill: Diplomacy
Bonus Feats: Smooth Talk, Otherworldly, Education, Cosmopolitan, Artist
House Cairlynen
We are the armor of the Empire, the thunder from the mountaintops, the lightning from within
-Cairlynen Montrose
House Cairlynen has a long and proud tradition of martial supremacy among the Great Houses. The thousands of orders of knighthood that protect and wage war for the Empire had their founding among the knights of House Cairlynen. Unlike the other Great Houses, House Cairlynen was not founded by a single man. Rather, it was founded by a band of wandering knights, whose original orders are lost to all but the greatest lorekeepers of House Cairlynen. They numbered sixty-six, and have greatly increased in numbers since their recognition at the end of the First Age, with House Cairlynen numbering nearly fifteen thousand strong.
Bonus Skill: Ride
Bonus Feats: Dreadful Wrath, Fearless, Saddleback, Horse Nomad, Tireless
House Deridec
We are the Faith and the soul of the Empire, we are its shepherds and its guides
-Deridec Tiklan
House Deridec claims its place among the Great Houses based solely on the strength of its Religious and Monastic Orders. House Deridec claims a similar heritage to House Bannockburn, claiming divine beings among their ancestry and displaying it proudly. Members of the household who do possess this legacy do receive preferential treatment from House leaders. House Deridec keeps the largest library that contains any information about the First Age and the prophecies and holy writings of Ahrimaius the Creator.
Bonus Skill: Knowledge (Religion)
Bonus Feats: Otherwordly, Discipline, Bullheaded, Dauntless, Education
House Ethannamortok
We are the hands that shape the Empire...We are the smiths and the artists that change the world around us
-Ethannamortok Dugray
House Ethannamortok has distinguished itself with its creative and artistic talents for the last three thousand years. A house full of artists, Smiths, and craftsmen, House Ethannamortok has helped to shape the Empire more dramatically than any other house. The reason for htis is quite obvious, as it has been responsible for most of the Architectural wonders and advancements that the Empire has benefited from. They make the swords and the armor for Houses Cairlynen and Farraday, the paper that Housese Bannockburn and Arcanix use for their purposes, print the scriptures used by House Deridec and generally take care of the needs and desires of everyone. House Ethannamortok is well loved by the Empire which it helped to build.
Bonus Skill: Craft (Pick One) or Perform (Pick One)
Bonus Feats: Artist, Education, Forgeheart, Mercantile Background, Silver Palm.
House Farraday
We are the ready blade at the right hand of the Emperor, we are the steel without thought
-Farraday Marcain
House Farraday is a house full of duelists. They have taken the art of swordplay and turned it into to the focus of their existence and have strived to become the finest masters of the blade in the world. They take their teachings from the Marthrym the Purple himself, First Emperor and finest blademaster of the First Age. They serve as the strong right arm of the Emperor and answer challenges to the throne as well as serving the other great houses. House Farraday teaches martial excellence in all forms and make that their goal in life.
Bonus Skill: Iajutsu Focus
Bonus Feats: Blooded, Dreadful Wrath, Militia, Twin Sword Style, Way of the Sword
House Garikuhlan
We are the shadows of the Empire, and in those shadows we are all that needs be.
-Garikuhlan Maelin
House Garikuhlan is a conundrum to the other great houses, as it is a house that openly punishes criminals, yet in secretly engages in vast criminal enterprises that are more encompassing and more profitable than the criminals they punish. House Garikuhlan does not speak of its criminal enterprises to people who aren't members, but it is quite certain that their holdings are quite large and quite powerful indeed. House Garikuhlan trains its own wizards and Duelists, not trusting Arcanix or Farraday enough to allow their nobles into their own home, but even Garikuhlan bows to Ethannamortok for supplies and craftsmen. It is the youngest of the Great Houses, formed just after the end of the first age.
Bonus Skill: Bluff
Bonus Feats: Street Smart, Swift and Silent, Thug, Multicultural, Jack of All Trades
House Hortinak
We are the frontier of the Empire, and we are its wardens and rangers, those who cross that boundary do so at their own peril
-Hortinak Awren
House Hortinak maintains the wilderness and patrols the wild areas within the boundaries of the Empire. They are the keepers of all things wild and take their job very seriously. They are the only humans left who possess druidic magic, and they guard it zealously, lest someone else discover the ancient secrets of nature. They are tamers of beasts and master hunters. They are the scouts at the borders who bring information from outside the Empire to the attention of the Emperor and their information network is second to none. Not even House Garikuhlan can match the spy network that House Hortinak has built over the millennia.
Bonus Skill: Wilderness Lore
Bonus Feats: Forester, Treetopper, Swift and Silent, Foe Hunter, Survivor
