Ducal Houses of Tyrathium

The Ducal Houses of Tyrathium are all those families granted the hereditary title of "Duke" or "Grand Duke" by the Celestial Throne, which awards them special rights to certain properties, as well as political privileges. While dozens of Tyrathian families can technically claim ducal privileges, the most important among them are the Grand Dukes of the empire, a title of extra prestige normally attached to the office of Domithir, the supreme politico-military governors of the nine provinces and commanders of the Nine Banners. Tyrathian imperial politics are often dominated by competition and infighting between the Domithiri and their houses.

At the foundation of the Second Empire, only forty-four families could claim the title of duke, all of them descendants of the Blessed Fifty, the first fifty followers of the Prophet Zochomithor. The Blessed Fifty were the first to tame and ride phoenixes, and after the death of the childless prophet, their bloodlines allowed their families to retain control of the winged beasts. Since then, six of the fifty families have died out, and many non-blessed families have earned the title of duke for service to the Divine Empire.

Listed below are the most important ducal houses, their history, principal members, and allied houses.

House Dardellos of Theria, the Imperial Dynasty
Five-hundred years ago, Arosea the Arrogant led five-thousand Therians into the Wastes of Blood, following her King, Tetaros, and his host of twenty-thousand in pursuit of the fabled King of Blood. They hoped to destroy the vampiric plague forever; instead, they vanished without a trace. Two years later, Arosea washed up on the beaches of Elaamos, clutching Tetaros’ crown and a large, glittering onyx that she called the Black Princess. Since Tetaros’ wife and children had vanished in the Wastes alongside his army, Arosea was acclaimed as the new Queen of the Therians. The famously matriarchal House Dardellos has reigned in Elaamos ever since, equalizing inheritance laws and cultivating a new Therian Cult.

Four-hundred years ago, the Tyrathian Empress Aldana II vanquished Ozaga Dardella’s host at the Battle of Argas, and the Queendom of Theria became the youngest province of the Divine Empire. Empress Aldana magnanimously allowed Ozaga to keep power in Theria, but took her daughter as a ward to secure her fealty.

Twenty years ago, Polystasia the Great (or Terrible, depending on the scholar) revolted against Avathir Aldigard III vir Kaltauer, taking advantage of the chaos of the Fifty Kings’ War to assemble a coalition of disgruntled houses and bureaucrats and take the Tyrathian imperial throne for herself. To ease Alvish hostility to their new overlords, the forest-dwelling Therians and the “harpies” of House Dardellos, Polystasia quickly took an Alvish husband: Grand Duke Gildomir vir Rhaithaar, Domithir of the Klove, who bore her neither much love nor any children. Nonetheless, their shaky alliance has kept the Dardelloi on the throne for nearly two full decades.

The other principal houses of Theria are Zenakos, Nyarios, Chaesatros, Zyrmos, Ousanos, Herros, and Palikaeros.

The principal members of House Dardellos, and their allies, are:

Avathir POLYSTASIA I DARDELLA, Princess of Heaven and Queen of all Queens, Acclaimed by Gods and Men the First Servant of the People of Tyrathium,
 * her first husband, {Prince-Consort OZAGO, of House Zenakos}, slain in battle during the Fifty Kings' War,
 * their children:
 * Queen DARMOSSA XXVI, Warden of Theria,
 * Princess POLYSTASIA, called Polystasia the Younger,
 * Emperor HESSANO, Prince of Heaven, Acclaimed by Gods and Men the Third Servant of the People of Tyrathium,
 * her second husband, Emperor GILDOMIR, of House Rhaithaar,
 * her brother:
 * KAPHANO DARDELLOS, Lord of the Feathered Vaults, High Secretary, etc.,
 * his wife, Lady ZASHA PALIKAERA,
 * their son, LYSIPHORO, a boy of sixteen,
 * her exquisite Summer Council:
 * Emperor GILDOMIR XV VIR RHAITHAAR, High Chancellor, prefect of ceremonies, prefect of offices, prefect of letters, etc.,
 * Prince ASCHER VIR MAUSENNAAR, Phoenician Prefect,
 * Lord KAPHANO DARDELLOS, High Secretary, prefect of the treasury,
 * Princess ALDANA VIR MAUSENNAAR, called the Scarlet Pen, High Censor,
 * Lord MALEPHORO ZENAKOS, High Domestic of Armies, Marshal of the First Banner,
 * Prince YONATZIR VIR RHAITHAAR, Prefect of Works,
 * FOLKAYN ITZINGER, a eunuch, High Admiral of Ships,
 * Lord SVESSER VIR KŌNICKER, Shadow Prefect,
 * Lord ALDO VIR TAXENAAR, Marshal of the Sunguard of Eiseloch.

House Rhaithaar of the Klove
Legend holds that the proud, hard-nosed Rhaithaari settled the chilly cliffs of Gartenovo hundreds of years ago, becoming the first Zusian settlers in the north. Regardless, they soon discovered a rocky hill jutting into the sea, atop which their founder Volfrid the Rocksmith molded vast slabs of gray granite into the now-famous Monolith of Gartenovo with the help of his phoenix, Rhaithaar. Volfrid had chosen Gartenovo for those cliffs, and the beaches around them, because they sheltered a vast population of tiger snails: those exceedingly rare creatures necessary for the production of deep, luxurious, and durable dyes. For centuries thereafter the family derived their wealth from these snails, and gradually expanded their operations with a vast fleet of fishing boats. Only a few decades ago, however, the ambitious Galdur the Founder and his brother Volfrid leveraged the family's maritime prowess and ancient stores of wealth to build the largest merchant fleet in Tyrathium. Galdur proved a brilliant financier, and soon the Rhaithaari became one of the richest houses of the empire. The two brothers moved to the Klovish capital of Schapsen to expand their business, and Avathir Minalda II soon saw fit to appoint Galdur as the new Grand Duke of Schapsen and Domithir of the Klove.

Galdur’s son Gildomir advanced the family further, first marrying Polystasia the Great and then maneuvering to be crowned Co-Emperor alongside his wife, thereby making Rhaithaari blood imperial. He later appointed his smallborn son-in-law Dalfindir Co-Emperor as well, both to secure an heir and so that Dalfindir's children could be born in the sacred Hall of Ash. For two decades the duumvirate of Houses Rhaithaar and Dardellos has kept peace in the Divine Empire, but each day Gildomir's power only grows, and Polystasia's popularity only shrinks.

The family are patrons of two loyal knightly orders: the Salt Lions, founded by Galdur's brother Volfrid, and the Sunken Raiders.

The other principal houses of the Klove are Drachenaar, Kirckeimer, Zuncker, Noxenaar, Geisser, Karvus, Metzenaar, Eschemar, and Mincker.

The principal members of House Rhaithaar, and their allies, are:

Emperor GILDOMIR VIR RHAITHAAR, Prince of Heaven, Acclaimed by Gods and Men the Second Servant of the People of Tyrathium,
 * his first wife, {Lady RHEGANA, of House Metzenaar}, died of natural causes,
 * their children:
 * Grand Duke HANNIVALD, Domithir of the Klove,
 * his wife MINALDA, of House Drachenaar,
 * their children:
 * Prince HANNIVALD, called Hannivald the Younger,
 * Prince TESSIMIR, Chosen Son of the Crimson Sky, a boy of seventeen,
 * Princess SVETELA, wed to Prince ASCHER VIR MAUSENNAAR,
 * Prince VOLFRID VIR METZENAAR, his adopted son, called the Razor of the Klove, Marshal of the Sunken Raiders,
 * his elder sister, {Princess YONALDA}, slain by brigands during the Fifty Kings' War,
 * his younger sister, Princess ZALDA, called the She-Bear, master of ink,
 * her daughter, Lady SVETELA,
 * her husband, Emperor DALFINDIR, Prince of Heaven, Acclaimed by Gods and Men the Fourth Servant of the People of Tyrathium,
 * their children:
 * Prince KYRSIMIR, Chosen Son of the Crimson Sky, Born in the Ash, a boy of seventeen,
 * Princess TOVALDA, Born in the Ash, a girl of sixteen,
 * Prince ALDIR, Born in the Ash, a boy of nine,
 * his household:
 * Lord LUSANDIR VIR ESCHEMAR, warlock of Gartenovo, counselor, and healer,
 * Lord VILDIR VIR MINCKER, chamberlain and advisor,
 * his son, Lord PERSIMIR, Salt Lion guardsman, lover of Tessimir and Kyrsimir,
 * Lord PALLDEN VIR KREIN, steward of the Monolith,
 * his son, YOSCHER, close friend of Persimir,
 * YEROB STOSSER, captain of the Salt Lion bodyguard corps,
 * PERSIMIR VIR MINCKER, HARVITZ AECHER, VOLEN, ZEINIG, ADEL, Salt Lion guardsmen,
 * Lord RHAPSEVALD VIR DRACHENAAR, master of keys, master of gates,
 * Lord SALTOMIR VIR KIRCKEIMER, master of cups,
 * Lord MALDOMIR VIR MINCKER, master-at-arms, Vildir's brother,
 * his young daughter, STALDA,
 * KOBIN VASCHER, master of tables, chief cook,
 * ORICH HAHN, high curator, personal attendant to Emperor Gildomir, master of garments,
 * SVERDEL AECHER, master of horse,
 * his son, HARVITZ, a Salt Lion guardsman.

House Kaisenaar of Vandary, the Old Dynasty
The former imperial dynasty, the Kaisenaari ruled for more than three-hundred years after Aldana the Great established the Second Tyrathian Empire astride her legendary phoenix Kaisenaar, the largest in history, allegedly vast enough to swallow an elephant. The long reign of House Kaisenaar heralded the rebirth of Tyrathian civilization and a century-long golden age, but eventually their glory began to sour and their power began to curdle. The past century of Tyrathian history has seen the Kaisenaari lose and reclaim the throne several times, culminating in the disaster of the Fifty Kings' War and their permanent loss of power.

Aldigard III vir Kaltauer exterminated the entirety of the Kaisenaari imperial line at the onset of the Fifty Kings' War, nearly erasing the family as a whole and severely weakening their claim to the throne. Luckily, a junior branch of the family, led by Echibod the Blind Rat, survived Aldigard's wrath and seized the province of Vandary for themselves. Since then they have bided their time under Echibod's leadership, eagerly awaiting the downfall of the Dardelloi usurpers and their Rhaithaari whores. They remain the wealthiest family in the empire, the legacy of centuries of hoarded wealth and immense land holdings.

The other principal houses of Vandary are Altennaar, Gaußinger, Schauch, Wartenor, Tausa, Satzaar, and Rossenaar.

House Varbach of Spyria
Seven generations of Varbachi tunneled through the chalk cliffs of Meltag with the help of their peculiar breed of phoenix, the horned wyverns. Eventually these tunnels became the palace called Deepstar, nearly impregnable, and with easy access to a bounty of mineral wealth. The Varbachi have been nestled in the Deepstar for centuries, and can be counted among the oldest lines of Tyrathian nobility, predating the Second Empire. Aldana the Great herself named Sparrald vir Varbach as her Tarmithir of Spyria at the dawn of the Second Empire, with Meltag as his capital.

The other principal houses of Spyria are Schisker, Zoyer, Osseldis, Naumar, Latzaar, and Schoschka.

House Mausennaar of Yukovia
Yukovia is the wealthiest and most densely-inhabited province of the Divine Empire, which is no small feat. The provincial capital, Gottzar, with nearly half a million people, can call itself the first Imperial City, playing host to the Tyrathian Emperors before the ancient Kaisenaari moved their court to the rival city of Tzorach. The marshes and riverlands of Yukovia were the first continental regions settled by the Zusian Alvish, and each of Gottzar's half-dozen ancient houses claim bloodlines older than time itself. Moreover, a popular saying goes that more gold sits in the vaults of Gottzar than exists in the rest of the world combined.

House Mausennaar can rightly be called the oldest and wealthiest of the old and wealthy Yukovian houses. They claim descent from Guno Sunspear himself, the mythical founder of Gottzar, who vanquished the barbarian Oxmen and their vassals to settle the land in freedom. With ancient reserves of treasure rivalling the Kaisenaari, and a merchant fleet rivalling the Rhaithaari, the Mausennaari keep a seemingly-eternal watch over the city from their domed fortress: the Amber Citadel.

The other principal houses of Yukovia are Spalthaar, Kurtzau, Kortzaar, Vertenaar, Volzko, Inkaar, and Frachtaar.

House Alten-Schala of Tarmory
The Alten-Schali reigned as Kings of the Eye for centuries during the First Empire, defying imperial authority from their archipelago home, aided by the ever-formidable Fleet of Tarmory. They are among the poorest ducal houses, and they hold fast to the old traditions of Tarmory, worshipping the vast whirlpool known as the Eye and blending their occultism with Chomithorian theology. Widely regarded as backwards heretics, the Alten-Schali and their Tarmorian brethren are nevertheless also renowned as ruthless merchants, pirates, and smugglers (whichever pays the best). Only the imperial armada in Tzorach, or the Klovish fleet in Schapsen, could even dare to meet the ferocious seamen of Tarmory in open battle.

Often the Tarmorians are called “Klovish without culture,” and the Alten-Schali “Rhaithaari without repute.” But the Divine Empire would sorely miss their naval prowess were they ever to vanish into their beloved seas.

The other principal houses of Tarmory are Urnick-Urnick, Daschnurch, Abach, Zwerscheim, and Rotzel.

House Eryvion of Iossia
The Iossi were the first Alvish to people Ezevria: speaking Iossic rather than Zusian, they built a coastal empire lost to the mists of time, locked in constant conflict with the Oxmen and their vassals. Though the Therians still speak their language, and the humans of Erythria speak something resembling Iossic, the Iossi are now confined to the hilly northern coasts of the empire, pushed out centuries ago by Zusian-speaking settlers like the Rhaithaari and their ilk.

The Eryvioi began as the adopted children of a powerful eunuch serving in the court of the last Iossi Kings, House Nornalas. Before long the Zusian heathens and their so-called Divine Empire crushed the Iossi at the Battle of Espalion, exterminating House Nornalas with rivers of phoenix fire. The Eryvioi filled the power vacuum in the old Iossi capital of Xandiphor and sued for peace.

Since then, House Eryvion have been loyal servants of the Celestial Throne, but the imperial bureaucracy has not quite perforated Iossia, which stubbornly clings to older laws and older systems. The Eryvioi have never revolted, but they have often contemplated the idea, or gazed longingly across the Ruby Gulf towards upstart Erythria and their Iossi-esque tongue.

The other principal houses of Iossia are Iovias, Valygos, Parazalygos, Arkanos, and Odarion.

House Tscharnau of Ultovia
The Tscharnaui are among the youngest families of the realm, descended from the ruthless General Andrad "Lockjaw" Tscharnau. Ultovia has long been the wildest of the empire's wild borderlands and has therefore usually been ruled by hard military men with little regard for commerce or culture. Andrad earned his fame crushing the largest Narbadi rebellion ever seen in Ultovia, and he earned his infamy slaughtering thousands of Narbadi women and children in retribution. Andrad later personally strangled the old Domithir to take his throne: the distant imperial court in Tzorach reluctantly swallowed his excuses and assented to Andrad's coup, provided he did not harm the merchants of Vaimarck, a bustling seaside port and Ultovia’s only real city.

The Tscharnaui have retained their brutal nature over the decades. They are hated by the Narbadi and the other minority peoples of Ultovia, but so far they have indeed respected the rights of the merchants, and so none have dared challenge their rule. Whispers of conspiracies abound, however, perhaps supported by wealthy merchants in Saelanis, or the righteous men of the Cantillary, or even factions at the imperial court itself. Like most rulers atop shaky thrones, the Tscharnaui cling to power with an iron fist.

The other principal houses of Ultovia are Kurbenau, Selko-Selko, Martus, Rachau, Scheimecher, and Gavasnaar.

House Taxenaar
The Taxenaari rule naught but some small fields outside the endless city of Tzorach, but their record of service to the Divine Empire stretches back generations. Often considered the foremost of bureaucrats and soldiers, the Taxenaari have held to honor and loyalty, and prudently refrained from taking sides in most of the great civil wars of the past century. Many of their stock fill the ranks of the Sunguard of Eiseloch, the fearsome imperial bodyguard corps, responsible for protecting the Avathir and his city against all who might threaten them. More than a few marshals of the Sunguard have been Taxenaari.

Despite their humble and apolitical image, they harbor strident beliefs as to the proper conduct of the Avathir, and they hold great sway with the honorable, fiercely independent "Sunswords" of Eiseloch.

House Kōnicker
Thirty-two-year-old Svesser Kōnicker (now Svesser vir Kōnicker) appeared out of nowhere nine years ago, purchased nearly all the brothels and whorehouses of the endless city, and then invested in a modest but formidable merchant marine. His stature among Tzorach’s merchants thus secured, he quietly began funding Avathir Polystasia’s cash-strapped imperial government, pouring whispers in her ear about the conniving Rhaithaari and their designs on the throne. Nevertheless, his close association with the Emperor Gildomir have raised more than a few eyebrows, excepting only the Avathir, who refuses to question his loyalty. His power in the capital is therefore legendary, as are his origins. Many distant Skylords and ducal families believe him to be little more than a lucky ruffian, but the people of Tzorach know the truth: Svesser is heir to the oldest and most powerful criminal family in the city.

Recently ennobled, Svesser’s father Anickto transformed his army of smugglers, bandits and thieves into the Kōnicker bodyguard corps, and directs their activities from the new Kōnicker palace in the Gold District. House Kōnicker might be called an upstart family lacking in dignified blood, but their wealth rivals even the proud Kaisenaari, and their sway in the streets of the capital is second only to the Taxenaari; some would say they surpass even them.