Lesser House application- House Muq
Birthed from a local revolt over illegal raising of corvee and tax-raising that quite changed to being led by a handful of true Exalted and their loyal mortal cliques, that soon ballooned into a larger issue due to their resistance, and was brought directly to the Empress' attention. The Scarlet Empress would graciously grant the rebellion much of their claims and institutionalize them through turning them into a lesser house- the Exalted and their family ennobled, the rest made vassals. In a stroke, she strengthened her position and issued a clear warning to any house that let such troubles happen on the Blessed Isle.
This beginning marked the house through to the current day, as they shifted into the position of protectors of the maligned and underfoot, from quasi-proven heretics to simple peasants, pushing their interests at court and locally. Though their center remains the same as it begun, if somewhat expanded, a more general expansion of influence among the aforementioned groups has bloomed to a degree. As long as they continue these acts, they will be seen as friends by the lowly, but this position has always left them one step behind the rest of the houses, one step from falling to the dust. Only the Magistrates, and the strict support given to them by House Muq in recognition of their common interests and the need to have at least one ally, have allowed them to survive this long.
Traits:
If Only The Empress Knew: Having fallen under attack by more underhanded sorts before, Muq has gained a network of connections and infrastructure to mobilize lower classes under their command and in their defense. [Some form of easier levy recruitment]
A Shoulder To Lean On: With a hard-build reputation as protectors at court and at home, Muq can usually count on friends among the people and those seen negatively by common authority. [Popular support]
Location: The Plains of Rusted Iron, with their host of dissidents yet loyal to the Empress, has always been the base of House Muq.
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@Maugan Ra Edited my Lesser House claim according to your suggestion, please do inform me if it's still off in some way.
House Muq is approved, with the following traits:
The Empress is Far Away - House Muq may grant its levy assets the 'militia' tag. This allows them to function as military assets in offensive actions against targets in the same or adjacent provinces, or as defenders against any hostile action taken against friendly assets in the same province.
Ear to the Ground - Any action you take that could benefit from a 'defenders of the common folk' tag is assumed to possess it. Additionally, you may ask the GM one question per turn about the state of civil discontent and peasant opinion in the Realm and get an accurate and comprehensive answer. Whenever a popular rebellion would erupt in your lands or those of your allies, you will be forewarned and presented with ways to appease them before violence breaks out.
Lesser House Application - House Senek
An old patrician house, they are known for training and breeding a variety of animals, including cattle, horses, dogs, elemental-blooded horses suitable for use with Dragon-Among-Horses Exaltation, and more exotic beasts. They often sell rare pets and work animals to Dynasts, and are known for keeping what dragon blooded are born in their house by gifting their most valuable animals in exchange for sponsorship. These dragon blooded are commonly sent on trips to collect the most dangerous and hard to find animals.
Centered in the Dragon's Blanket
Unique Tags
Highly Mobile - House Senek's military forces are nearly always mounted. Even economic assets tend to be easy to move - a farm or place of business must be sold and rebuilt somewhere new, but a herd of cattle can simply walk there.
Unique and Precious - House Senek's most valuable assets tend to be near one-of-a-kind animals. While these are not necessarily more valuable than other assets, their uniqueness means that the right person may be willing to do just about anything for them.
Hmm. A House focused around animal rearing and exotic beasts is theoretically viable, but I'd like a better idea of how you see them fitting into the society and culture of the Realm and their relations with their neighbours before I give a final judgement on this one.
I'm unsure about how a trait focused around Wu-Jian would look, so I've just put something descriptive there.
House Nissar
The Dragon Unseen Beneath the Waves
A most trusted outcaste castellan of the Lords Criminal of Wu-Jian was rewarded for his betrayal of them to Imperial assassins and the Imperial Navy by the Empress granting him his own Cadet house, folding the Lords' other surviving lieutenants — and a smattering of other local outcastes who'd thrived under the Lords' rule — into his family.
Many years have passed. Divides form through the house, the Elders and Traditionalists wish to continue to ruthlessly expand their merchant empire and martial power through the west, while the Youths and Idealists they have fostered with great houses and invested their future into desire proper stewardship over the tangled mess of Wu-Jian and something more permanent than mercenary tribute-extraction. Surely it is the rulers responsibility to grant their subjects their proper places?
Traits(I'm unsure about mechanics, so have left vague):
Road to the West - something about their merchant makeup
Stewards of Wu-Jian - Wu-Jian is a mighty city that already is a powerful asset, but Nissar's control is light at the moment, maybe benefits for establishing further sovernity over Wu-Jian?
Direction would be the west/southwest, if possible there could be assets in some of the less important western provinces like golden sun or steel wind.
House Nissar is approved, with the following traits:
Gateway to the West - You have the legal right to raise fleets, which gain the veteran tag by default. All non-military assets gain a single free tag representing House Nissar's various mercantile and underworld ties. When your fleets forage or plunder, you may exempt a given class of targets from being victimised by the efforts (such as all Realm vessels).
Stewards of Wu-Jian - You cannot dissolve your Custodian faction. While it is rated at 3+, you are informed of any non-covert assets moving to or being developed in the West. Depending on circumstances, you may be allowed to oppose said development or attack the assets in question.
House Name: Simendor
Bio/History: House Simendor exemplifies all of the Realm's fears about sorcery. Its scions are dissolute, insular, moody, and relentless — always ravenous for new spells and knowledge, and for such luxury, wealth, and political power as permits them to pursue their obsessions at leisure. The entire house is a deadly game of one-upmanship, with favor and influence granted in proportion to discoveries rather than loyalty. Even their ancestral tradition of sorcery is built on a foundation of decadence and pride, drawing power from their pursuit of hedonism.The house's current incarnation is named for Daimyo Simendor the Hellblade, one of the first Threshold lords to pledge fealty to the Scarlet Empress, plying her with gifts of magical lore and artifacts, and tutoring her in certain sorcerous arts. Doing so secured her good will, which has for centuries discouraged Mnemon satraps from looking too closely at the more troubling practices— demonic pacts, mortal test subjects, and the like — surrounding the house's pursuit of sorcerous knowledge. Now, in the Realm's twilight, House Simendor is a microcosm of the coming civil war — perched on the edge of extinction, the house will either rise anew in glory or crumble into dust.
Traits:
Sorcerous Scions- Universal Occult tag
Tithe in Temptation- Every 2 Decadence created by the actions of your House also creates one Manpower
Location: Daoshin Peninsula, Brilliant Autumn Shades
Just putting it out for review
House Simendor is approved, with the following traits:
Dubious Lore - All Simendor characters gain a single free tag representing their sorcerous expertise and experimentation. Non-character assets may gain a single free positive tag representing enhancements and augmentations imposed on them by their lords, however doing so means they also gain a negative tag (such as Specialised Needs, Horrifying or I Never Asked For This)
From Indulgence, Power - Decadent actions do not count towards the normal limit of one action/turn for which an asset may be tapped.
As an aside, in canon Simendor are located in the southern threshold. If you want to move them to the Isle that's fine, I just wanted to check first.
House Name: Charono
Bio: Charono has been placed at the northern ascent of the imperial mountain, and by old traditions they are the ones that have the right to act as waystations upon the mountain for all that come from the northern reaches. The Empress created the house after a child of hers was unbecomingly mournful after her childs death, and so she was advised to keep herself to Winters Blossom if she cared so excessively for the dead. Since then the house has tried to understand the nature of death , all within the borders of the imperial faith, but rumors talk about strangeness upon the anima banner of some of their members. Nevertheless, they are well known for their expertise in controlling the expansion of shadowlands.
Traits :
Waystation to the Imperial Mountain: Obtain a toll from visitors coming via the northern reach. The house must invest into the safekeeping of pilgrims, leading to a great familarity with its strangeness.
Thanatologist : Might invest influence to reduce the effect that battles and mass death have on the local geomancy.
Not sure about the traits there, and if I might be moving into to many directions at once?
Location: A windswept ravine in the side of the Imperial Mountain in the Province of Winters Blossom.
House Charono is approved, with the following traits:
Morbid - All of your characters gain a single free tag representing their familiarity with and use of the forces of death, such as 'Mortuary Student' or 'Unflappable'.
Scholars of the Grave - Every province you have a presence in which holds a shadowland, mass grave, old battlefield or similar place of death generates a covert asset under your control, representing the ghostly servants and whispered secrets you derive from such places. Such assets may be tapped to generate over assets of similarly deathly or mournful nature.
