House of Dougal The members of this house are perfectionists known for their technical acumen. Lord Dougal, the founder of the house, was a great faerie smith who devised a way to weave Glamour into steel, making it safe for faeries to use. Some say that Lord Dougal himself stayed behind on Earth during the Interregnum because of his fascination with metalwork and machines. Members of this house are very precise, both in word and deed. When a plan is made, they insist that it be carried out to the letter. Efficiency is considered the highest of virtues. Very few of them rule, preferring instead to make sure everything runs like clockwork. Because of their orderly disposition, they often work as clerks and barristers, although they perform their tasks with an intellectual flair. The rare member of House Dougal who does rule usually governs his fief in a very matter-of-fact, practical manner, but tends to deal with problems better in theory rather than in practice. This ideal of perfection puts them at odds with many other fae. Few can live up to their expectations, which tends to make these sidhe even more elitist. They take their amusements far too seriously. Higher mathematics, mechanics, architecture and smithwork are common vocations for them. They're no strangers to hard work, and they firmly believe that 'if you want something done right, you've got to get House Dougal to do it'. Their penchant for precision also presents a curious weakness. When witnessing a well-maintained machine or masterpiece in engineering, they can become enraptured. Some attain a state of reverie and can contemplate such things for hours. The blazon of House Dougal is or, an arm embowed maintaining a hammer sable on a chief gules three cogwheels ( Three gold gears on a red field above a black arm and a hammer on a gold field ) Exile During the Resurgence, the sidhe of House Dougal were exiled to Earth because of their fascinations with technology. The current ruler of the house tells a story of building a massive siege engine, just prior to the resurgence, to defend the gates of Arcadia from mortal invaders. The threat was highly exaggerated and the havoc wrought by the infernal device disgraced them. Sidhe troubadours tell and retell legends of the mechanical monster created by High Lord Donovan. Each tale ends differently, as no one can fully remember it. House Eiluned This house has always been tainted by the scandals of its founder, Lady Eiluned. As the creator of the so-called 'House of Secrets', she conspired with many dark and mysterious beings and powers to gather magical knowledge. Although many now work as counselors or advisors for the Seelie Court, some whisper that Eiluned will eventually become an Unseelie house. Regardless, sidhe of this house seem to enjoy the best of both Courts. Eiluned sidhe are valued for their extensive occult knowledge, their uncanny ability to gather secrets and their preternatural talent for intrigue. Fiefs ruled by this house are filled with mystery. There are accusations that House Eiluned voluntarily accepted exile on Earth as punishment for their horrible and forgotten crime. Members of the house counter that their Seelie affiliations prove they are innocent. This doesn't prevent Eiluned sidhe from falling into their Unseelie Legacies, however. Eiluned sidhe know darkness as well as they know light. When a sidhe from this house needs to work with treacherous or unscrupulous characters to gather secrets, they are capable deliberately becoming Unseelie until they get what they want. This state must last either from moonrise to moonrise or sunset to sunset ( a full day to those who dun like riddles ). If the changeling doesn't get the secret they lust after, they cannot become Seelie again until the truth is learned. Their blazon is per chevron, sable and argent, two decresents and a pentacle counterchanged. ( Two silver crescent moons on black above a black pentacle on silver ) Exile There are three stories concerning the reasons of this house's exile to Earth. The first relates to the curse of an ancient artifact rescues from the soul forges of Western Arcadia. The second concerns a pact with an ancient order of warlocks. The third says that a promise has been made between the ruler of the house and a pretender, an alleged Unseelie High King in exile. House Fiona Sidhe are creatures of extremes, and the nobles of House Fiona are no exception. Lady Fiona and the sidhe of her house stayed on Earth during the Interregnum so that they could continue to explore its pleasures. Some even sat that the house's founder rejected the call of Arcadia because of the love of a mortal man. This would not be surprising in the least; Fiona thoroughly immerse themselves in Earthly pleasures. Fiona sidhe are overly fond of food, drink, drugs and sex, and are often called away from higher pursuits by appeals to their baser needs. Anything that gives them a rush is fine with them. When the chance to indulge presents itself, they descend into their Unseelie Legacies until their lusts are slaked. These reckless nobles continually flirt with disaster. They love to taunt the status quo, even going so far as to aid their enemies to bring about a little discord. Still, when called upon to fight, this passion takes a different focus; Fiona fae are fierce warriors who live for the fury of battle. The thought of dying in battle and tempting fate by fighting recklessly fuels this passion even more. More often than not, each member lives by his own rules and his own code of honor. Theirs is also the most accommodating of all houses. Fiona rarely pull rank on commoner Kithain. For this reason, its members are beloved by the commoners and fiefs ruled by House Fiona are happy ones, if a bit on the wild side. The blazon of House Fiona is gules, a lion passant reguardant argent. ( that make any damned sense to you? Didn't think so. Here's translation: A silver lion walking on a red field, looking back over its shoulder ) Exile The love story of Lady Fiona and her mortal lover has been told, retold and changed a thousand times. Like many Arcadian tales, no two versions are the same, and no one can fully remember the details. In every version, Lady Fiona dies tragically, and the fae of her house descend from Arcadia to attend her wake. Each year on the same day, a sidhe troubadour speaks to her in dreams. Another legend tells that the current High Lord of House Fiona was exiled from Arcadia by a jealous rival. Placing the honor of his house at stake, he challenged his rival to a duel. In losing, he sentenced the 13 members of his entourage to Earth. Nonetheless, many Fiona sidhe insist that they left Arcadia to show their fealty to Lord Rathsmere and their contempt for the High Lords of Arcadia. House of Gwydiom is house is perhaps the most 'noble' of all the houses. While others retreated to Arcadia long ago, the Gwydion sidhe chose to face the Sundering head-on. Gwydion sidhe believe that their lord and founder has been reborn again and again as a noble sidhe. He is said to have been resurrected as a paladin serving Charlemagne and a major-general serving Napoleon. Rivals swear that he must have aided Machiavelli as well. Members of this house are conservative, duty-bound Kithain who place the well-being of their kingdoms above their own. Unfortunately, they let everyone know this. Their rule is often marked by extreme arrogance and they categorically state that only members of their house are fit to rule ( snotty little buggers, basically ). From there, each member of House Gwydion proceeds to state that she is more fit to rule than her brethren. The internecine feuds that result can only be halted by one thing: a threat from outside the house. The members then band together to prove the superiority of House Gwydion. When the threat ends, its back to business as usual. Their anger, like their rivalry, is legendary. When confronted with something that offends their honor, they have been known to go berserk. Furthermore, when a fae of House Gwydion is presented with a rival that he cannot overcome, he becomes Unseelie until he can find some way ( any way, no matter how base ) in which he can triumph. Once triumphant, he returns to his typical Seelie arrogance. The blazon of House Gwydion is vert, a falcon maintaining an oak leave or ( A gold falcon, facing left, with a gold leaf in its beak, wings raised, legs splayed, against a green field. ) Exile Kithain of House Gwydion insist that they returned to Earth by their own choosing. Enemies attest that a high ranking Seelie in Arcadia exiled them to Earth as punishment for their arrogance. In the mundane world, they reasoned, Gwydion sidhe would be forced to live up to their bold claims. House of Liam The quietest ( and some say the wisest ) of all the house founders, Lord Liam was exiled to Earth for his eloquent defense of mortal folk. Centuries ago, the earliest Kithain held a great contempt for humans. Many saw them as the cause of rapidly spreading Banality, and some argued that revenge against them would remove this curse from the world. For many years, Liam stood alone against those who argued for retribution against humans. The outrage against Lord Liam was so great that all who supported him were condemned by the High Lords of Arcadia, and his followers were exiled to Earth. Members of this house don't see humans as perfect - far from it. They do, however, believe that humanity has earned the right to exist undisturbed. They fiercely despise Ravaging and Banality; their peaceful demeanors can turn wrathful when they encounter such. Kithain of House Liam do not advertise their allegiance. Other houses revile them, although Gwydion sidhe will not allow Liam sidhe to be mistreated. Exiles or not, they're still sidhe. Despite their secrecy, House Liam is the most widespread house, and its members travel all over the world. Liam sidhe serve as sages, loremasters and storytellers who remember earliest fae societies. House Liam can rarely rule openly, but they do accept just about any changeling under their banner. Despite this, even the most common changeling would never accept a title in the house. They do quietly hold claim to some territories, but many of these are barren and despoiled by urban fiefs. Liam's blazon was struck and discredited when the house was exiled. The symbol has since been erased from all faerie records, although certain members of Liam still possess shields displaying the heraldry of the house: an oak tree blasted and eradicated, argent ( A silver oak tree with bare branches and exposed roots on a bare field ) Exile There was no need to pronounce exile upon House Liam. The silent followers of this fallen house took up the quest to return to Earth when the opportunity presented itself. Once the gates of Arcadia opened, they fled to where they could hide from persecution. |
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