Katha Theodoros X4 - A Report on House Theodoros, circa. 280 E.K.
Stratopedarches,
I hope this report finds you in confidence. The full census for the many Houses of the Clan, young and old alike, will require additional work owing to some lackadaisical foolishness amongst some of those tasked, so instead I am presenting this excerpt ahead of time for your perusal, following my own studies into the fate of my relatives after the death of Protostrator Nagaeon Theodoros. I hope you will forgive the temerity of this junior, for I do believe that insight into the politics happening between the former Branches of the Vanguard will prove enlightening.
Rest assured that the politicking happening between my relatives will have no impact on the Clan's efforts during the next twenty years. There has been an unofficial 'freeze' on efforts to reestablish the old Vanguard as all available resources are put towards the next incursion by the Fifth Sea. The process itself, however, has been slow going, though I would emphasise that it will do little to affect the resources of the Clan, albeit for different reasons; there simply aren't very many Vanguard left.
The rest of the census will be on your desk within the week. I will make sure Xiaolin finishes her part of the Blighted Lands survey in time, by hook or by crook, or I will have her mohawk. Unless you would prefer to do the honours?
Regards,
Hestia Lycurgeos
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Foreword:
Once, House Theodoros was one of the Great Houses of the Clan. An old family, with ancient legacies dating back to the days of the Sea-Conquering Army, they were famed and feared for their prowess in battle and their ironclad discipline. This, anyone who has delved our histories would know. Just as they would know of their fall from grace and imminent decline.
In recent times, the decline appears to have reversed for the Main House, and it appears that the former Branches are following suit as well. But make no mistake: House Theodoros is hardly in any position to take advantage of the prosperity of the Great Era. Its scions are too few, its Cultivators too weak. It is sad but certain that a family that once could staff the billets of an entire Legion would barely fill up a Century right now, but it does mean that it is highly unlikely for House Theodoros, even were it to reform, to have any particularly great impact on the power of the Clan. Though, the power of the Blood of Iron and its resurgence cannot be dismissed, either.
House Theodoros - Vanguard of the Legion
Their Overview:
All know of the fearsome reputation of the
Theodoroi of old. The Iron Legions of old, dating back to when the Clan ruled from the mountains, were the principle striking arm of the Clan, and the loss of that institutional knowledge with their decline contributes to
Protostrator Sheng Yu's current headaches by no small amount. All also know of their recent resurgence - or at least of young Katha Theodoros' many escapades, as well as the current grievous state of her injuries. These details obfuscate the truly dire nature of their position.
Their Situation:
While House Theodoros is nominally still the head branch of the former Great House, they are by far the most numerically and inferior branch of the family, only relevant due to their stewardship of the family's old estates and records as well as the continued martial excellence of its scions.
House Theodoros, at the moment, is merely eight members six of them scions of the Iron-Blooded, three of
those but children. Of the remaining three, two are Experts - one in the Great Circle and the other still newly ascended - and the third is a Disciple, powerful but ultimately still irrelevant until her own Ascension - something that can no longer be considered a sure thing.
While the strength of a House remains in their strongest grade of Cultivator - and through that lens they are not doing poorly at all - the problems that House Theodoros do not end there. All already know of the grave injuries suffered by their most famous scion. Though her bravery is not at all in question, her continuing utility very much is. And with the permanent loss of an eye, even were she to recover again it is uncertain whether she would ever excel like she did before. Katha Theodoros had been crippled once before already, and her recovery was nothing short of miraculous. Expecting her to repeat that feat is unreasonable in the extreme. Not for a family so unfortunate.
The problems continue. Rathos Theodoros, another similarly brilliant scion and the expected Heir, is currently missing. His children are all missing, for one reason or another, ensuring no continuity of lineage through him, and his wife - Marlissa Quintia, a scion of a branch of the Great House Quintia, herself no small talent - is missing as well. Functionally, House Theodoros numbers only three; Tormenos Theodoros, Katha Theodoros, and Shu Enya, a Disciple of no great talent who will soon die of natural causes.
The name Theodoros is old and influential, and the deeds of both Tormenos and Katha, to say nothing of all their predecessors who have since died, are great and multitudinous indeed. But a single Foundation Establishment Expert and a crippled Qi Condensation Junior do not a House make.
There are other political factors in play as well. All know of Saria Duca, one of the newly risen Silverlords of the Clan. What is less known, though by no means secret, is that Saria is the second daughter of Tormenos, the less talented sister to the late Riala Theodoros. Tormenos' decision to marry Saria off to the Duca was considered controversial even then, though the other families kept their peace, but now that she has become the first of the
Theodoroi to reach Core Formation in a thousand years, yet has entirely rejected that side of her legacy, it has become another knife in Tormenos' efforts to unify the House under him and the main branch. What had once been a quiet shame has now become total outrage, and it is hardly certain if anyone else who claims ancestry from the Iron-Blooded will ever reach Core Formation, even in this exceptional time.
Nevertheless, there remain some factors in Tormenos' favour. His service in the Legions, though many decades past at this point, is the most distinguished of all the Vanguard Houses, and while he is not the only Expert in the Great Circle he is certainly the most powerful of them. No small thing, especially for a family that values martial accomplishments as strongly as the Vanguard do. He is also an Array Engineer of no small talent, enough to have been a capable Centurion of the 3rd Legion
Farflung Death, and help in maintaining the Glass Spear Array that polices our borders and territories.
In addition, it is still clear to everyone that House Theodoros, while the most numerically inferior of the Vanguard Houses, remains the most qualitatively superior of them all. Not only is Tormenos the strongest of the Vanguard at present, Rathos Theodoros is not far behind, and they are the first of the Houses to reawaken the Blood of Iron. And were Katha Theodoros to successfully ascend to Foundation Establishment, there is little doubt that she would be a terrifyingly potent Single Pillar King.
Their Status:
As stated above, at the moment House Theodoros numbers only Eight members, of which
only Six bear the blood of the Vanguard; Shu Enya, the father of Katha and Rathos, and Marlissa Quintia, the mother of Mia, Evander and Alistair, do not have any Vanguard ancestry, Shu inducting into the Clan from common stock and Marlissa hailing from a branch of the Great House Quintia. Of the six descendants,
Three are still mortal by the reckoning of the census, all children;
One is a Qi Condensation Junior; and
Two are Foundation Establishment Experts. House Theodoros has
No Core Formation Elders; though Saria Duca has ancestry, she has rejected all ties to her old family and as such does not qualify under this census. Considering the family's noted circumstances, the rise of another is considered possible, but unlikely.
House Theodoros is the first to have awoken the Blood of Iron, though its first emergence went unnoticed. Given the signs in some of their new generation, it seems clear that the Blood still flows strongly in them, despite everything. Though, there may be signs that the Blood of Iron was never truly bred out of them; the Damascus Crucible Constitution, as they called a fusion of the Bronze and Iron, has reappeared time and time again, last in the late Riala Theodoros.
Financially House Theodoros is still in dire straits, though better than they were a century ago. Their primary holding is a
Small Spirit Stone Mine on the outskirts of Emporikopolis. They have
no Legions to their name,
no Waycastles, and
administer no towns or villages. A far cry from the
Theodoroi of old, the disparity frustrates them - and us - to no end. However, with the added incomes of another Expert and a powerful Disciple, up until recent events the Main House was doing the best they have been since Nagaeon died.
Their Notables:
Katha Theodoros needs no introduction. She is one of the star talents of this generation of the Clan, even rising into the
Thirteenth Heavenstage despite her injuries at the hands of the Yuan Bandit, Hou Ju. Badly crippled, missing an eye, her meridians burst and her dantian boiled, it would take a miracle for her to survive the coming Trials.
Rathos Theodoros is the elder twin brother of Katha, another talent of the Clan if not as dramatically as his sister. He currently stands in the
1-Pillar (Early) Stage of Foundation Establishment after ascending from the
Tenth Heavenstage. Currently cultivating with the Whirlpool Yin Art, granting him a female body. The appointed heir to Tormenos, he is currently missing in the Qiguai Secret Realm, his survival unknown.
Tormenos Theodoros is the great-grandson of Nimian Theodoros, the heir of the Last Elder, Nagaeon. Standing in the
7-Pillar (Great Circle) Stage of Foundation Establishment, he is currently the strongest Cultivator amongst the Vanguard Houses. With the disappearance of one heir and the crippling of the other, he is also currently the only Cultivator from House Theodoros to have Vanguard ancestry capable of fighting.
House Agamennos - Children of Greatness
Their Overview:
House Agamennos is the oldest of the
Theodoroi's branches, in many regards a fully independent House that simply claims the same heritage as House Theodoros. Even before the
Theodoroi fragmented, the
Agamennoi often competed against the Main House in all manner of deeds, martial and cultural, but in those days the competition was friendly and their loyalties ironclad. There would be no disagreement between the Vanguard, and all would march to the same cadence.
Today, however, the
Agamennoi are perhaps the most successful of the Vanguard Houses by far, with wealthy holdings and numerous scions to their name, dwarfing the modern Main House by an order of magnitude. Of late, House Agamennos has been agitating the hardest of all the Vanguard Houses to reestablish the Great House, with themselves at the head.
Their Situation:
House Agamennos is a wealthy and well-equipped House in its own right, administering many lands and contributing many resources to the welfare of the Clan. As the most numerically superior of the Vanguard Houses and the second most senior and affluent, they also consider themselves more than capable of leading the
Theodoroi into a new age under better leadership.
In Cultivators alone, it is clear that House Agamennos is highly capable, with thirty three Qi Condensation to their name and six Foundation Establishment, two thirds of that number bearing Vanguard ancestry. These are all tasked to renowned Legions, well equipped with Gravebronze Panoply and many Treasures to maximise their strength. Every member of House Agamennos is also a crafter of some skill, and are encouraged to maximise their abilities where possible.
The secret to
Agamennoi wealth, however, lies in their close relationship with the Hong Xuan Clan. They are but one of the many contacts the Hong Xuan have with the Clan, but they enjoy good relations with the Vassals, a number of them even joining the ill-fated Hong Xuan Expedition and surviving to return home. House Agamennos has even acquired lands in the Burnished Crags to develop in order to better trade with the Hong Xuan, exporting their goods further into Clan territories and to other vassals.
Yet, Agamennos is not without critics. Their broader focus has often lead to accusations of cowardice and greed, and it must be said that though they have far more Cultivators than any of the other Vanguard Houses, they also have some of the fewest military accomplishments to their name. This has lead to claims that Agamennos would happily let their kin die to line their own pockets, a direct insult to the heritage they claim justifies their right to lead.
In addition, there are rumours that the
Agamennoi are jockeying for position in the midst of the unofficial 'freeze' in the politics of reunification, not quite pushing their agenda but also committing resources to supporting their agenda rather than prepare for the next Centennial Trial.
Nevertheless, it is hard to disagree that House Theodoros does need a capable leader, and Agamennos is, if nothing else, capable of leading them away from destitution and certain extinction. They are the only one of the Vanguard Houses to have largely staved off attrition into nothingness, with their numbers still declining but much more slowly than their fellows. It remains to be seen whether the rumours surrounding Agamennos are true or not.
Unusually, House Agamennos has not had any Scions who have awoken the Blood of Iron, though it is likely only a matter of time.
Their Status:
House Agamennos numbers One Hundred members, of which
Eighty bear the blood of the Vanguard. It counts under its banner Thirty Three Qi Condensation,
Twenty Three of whom are Scions of the Vanguard, and Six Foundation Establishment,
including Four of the Vanguard. In every category, House Agamennos is the most numerous of the Vanguard, and in addition they also have the
only other Great Circle Foundation Establishment Expert in the Vanguard Houses; Jastion Agamennos, the Patriarch of House Agamennos. Statistically, it is highly likely that the next Core Elder with
Theodoroi ancestry to rise will come from House Agamennos, but only time will tell, given that they, too, have failed to raise one ever since Nagaeon died - and even since before him, given Nagaeon belonged to the Main House alone.
Financially, it is no contest. House Agamennos are famed for being capable merchants and fine craftsmen in addition to the discipline and bravery of their warriors, and have managed many holdings well over the centuries. They own
numerous small Spirit Stone Mines, oversee
Territories within the Burnished Crags, and
own exclusive contracts with some families of the Hong Xuan Clan.
Their Notables:
Jastion Agamennos is the Patriarch of House Agamennos, and has reached
Foundation Establishment 7-Pillar (Great Circle). A capable crafter and a shrewd businessman, in recent years House Agamennos has grown wealthy and influential under him, and has been able to use those Contribution Points to further expand their sphere of influence. He has been the primary agitator for
Theodoroi reunification under House Agamennos.
House Dianeid - Seekers of Truth
Their Overview:
House Dianeid are the only Branch of the Vanguard to still have the name and deeds of their progenitor, Diana Theodoros, who had the epithet of The Just. In the days of the
Theodoroi, Diana and her heirs would be the Adjudicators of the crimes of the Iron Legions; it is under them that the harsh methods of punishment described in the surviving manuals and writings of Vanguard
Protostrators were written down, and it was by their hand that these punishments were meted out. Yet, they did not do so out of cruelty, but in the name of fairness.
Given what we know now, the brutality of
Theodoroi punishments might just be because their bodies are simply that tough.
In the days since the
Theodoroi fractured, however, they have done their best to live up to Diana's example as The Just, and have proven to be incorruptible and fair-minded Cultivators, protecting mortals and punishing criminals and Cannibals in all corners of the Organ Meat Desert. The martial talent of the
Dianei are well known, and their current Matriarch, Valeria Dianeid, is currently serving as one of Protostrator Sheng Yu's aides, assisting in the training of the Clan's Offensive Legions.
They are the second most numerous of the Vanguard Houses, but are largely uninterested in the reestablishment of the Great House. As such, they are a major wildcard in the proceedings, possibly even being a kingmaker's position.
Their Situation:
House Dianeid has never had the strength to challenge the Main House militarily, nor have they ever tried to do so; their role as Adjudicators and Law Keepers of the Vanguard have always lent them a strong position, and a heavy responsibility to go with it. Their martial prowess is not to be underestimated, however; the Dianeid have the second most impressive roll of honours amongst all the Vanguard Houses, after the
Theodoroi themselves, and their Scions take their study of War very seriously.
This, naturally, has put the Dianeid naturally at odds with not only Blood Path Cannibals, not merely the criminals that are regularly culled within Clan territories but especially any Clansmen who have fallen to the use of such methods. Those who succumbed to the Blood Mist are held in contempt, with only a modicum of respect reserved for those who promptly paid for their lapse in judgement with their own deaths, and the
Dianei make it a point to hunt down former Clansmen who have gone rogue to sate their hunger for Blood Qi. Even those who use Blood Path methods without falling prey of the Curse - and only on the deserving - find themselves the subject of their scorn. For this reason, they often find Single Pillar Kings disagreeable, for reasons they cannot quite place.
The
Dianei also disagree with many of the more distasteful practices of the Clan, in particular the use of Poison in battle. The Iron-Blooded in general disdained the use of Poison, and Poison Cultivators have a special place of disdain in the Vanguard, but the
Dianei take this dislike to a whole new level. They find such methods distasteful in the extreme, and even if they do not deny their effectiveness are ill-inclined towards their use unless absolutely necessary.
Their Status:
House Dianeid has Forty Eight members,
Thirty of whom have Vanguard ancestry. Of these, nineteen are Qi Condensation,
Thirteen scions, as well as three Foundation Establishment Experts,
Two of whom bear traces of the Blood of Iron. As the second most numerous of the Vanguard Houses, House Dianeid tragically does not have anyone in the Great Circle of Foundation Establishment; their last such died in the 200 E.K. Trials, a hundred years ago, one of the unfortunate few to have done so.
Notably, House Dianeid has awoken the Blood of Iron in its scions, the most recent to do so.
Financially, House Dianeid
hunts Bandits and
administers a number of villages in the
Uncast Molds. They are not as wealthy as House Agamennos, but are wealthy enough that they can sustain their number of Cultivators as well as equip them sufficiently. Their study of War makes them valuable for the Department of War as well, especially given
Protostrator Sheng Yu's more aggressive posture.
Their Notables:
Valeria Dianeid is the Matriarch of house Dianeid, a
Foundation Establishment 3-Pillar Cultivator. She is aide to the
Protostrator and the most militarily talented member of the Vanguard thus far, going so far as to raise a Dao Pillar of War. Paradoxically, she relishes peace, and fights for the sake of putting an end to War, though she does not believe it is possible in her lifetime.
Maximilian Dianeid is the first of the Dianeid to be born with the Blood of Iron, demonstrating great strength, speed and toughness alongside the tirelessness written of the Iron-Blooded. Still young and in the
6th Heavenstage, he is expected to Ascend after the end of the Trials.
House Charos - Midnight Sentinels
Their Overview:
House Charos were always different from the rest of the Vanguard. Their bodies, though forged from Iron from the stars just like the rest of their kind, were not as indomitable or enduring as those of their kin. They could not fight on the frontlines, fight ten men at a time, throw aside killing blows and dare to ask for more. But what they were was tireless, to an extent that astounded even the tireless Vanguard. It was said that those of Charos had little need for food or shelter, that they could pursue targets for months at a time without pause, that they could hold their breath for eons. Of statues that would come to life to strike down their target, decades after they had been passed from one purveyor to another, apparently nothing but a curio.
They were House Charos. The Midnight Sentinels. They who did not tire, who struggled for nothing but purpose and who hungered not for food but for the death of their enemies. And it was they who would complement the Eyes and bring the fury of the Legion upon those marked for death by the Imperator.
That was then. Now, House Charos is like any other. Bronze, enduring, knowing little fatigue but less of strength as well. But while they have gotten the deeds of their progenitor and the duties they once performed, never has Charos forgotten the purpose they were made for. Even today, Charos works closely with the Department of Intrigue, and are some of Xie Xinya's most favoured spies for long term infiltrations, where it was possible. With the advent of the Blood of Iron within their ranks, their newfound lighter complexion may make them even more viable for such sensitive missions.
Their Situation:
House Charos is doing well. Not great, but not terrible either. That has ever been the case for their family, which had never been particularly numerous even in the days of the Vanguard's zenith, but even today after untold hardship, they are neither the most blessed nor the most cursed of the Vanguard Houses. They have suffered, they have toiled, and they have known small occasions of fortune. That is and remains the state of House Charos' affairs.
Not especially numerous, House Charos has an unusually large number of scions who have ancestry to the Iron Legionnaires of old, but surprisingly few Cultivators. This is simply the state of affairs; House Charos, like other Houses focused on providing intelligence services to the Clan like House Theophylaktos, maintains strong networks of informants bound by blood and familial ties. House Charos, however, suffers from the same struggle with Tribulation that all Vanguard Houses do, and without the same strength and endurance of its scions it has to be selective with the ones it does focus upon.
As a result, despite having an astounding seventy scions to its name, the
Charoi have only ten Qi Condensation Legionnaires to their name, and only one Foundation Establishment Expert. Part of this is due to the Blood Mists; though House Charos' scions largely withstood the blood hunger, it suffered somewhat to those who did succumb, losing some Juniors. However, it customarily only has one Expert at a time, for various reasons. With the return of the Blood of Iron into House Charos, however, it may soon be time for the resurgence of the House to begin.
Politically, House Charos is close allies with the Main House, both due to a disdain for and rivalry with House Agamennos as well as having a closer relationship with the Patriarch of the
Theodoroi, but ultimately the reason is due to loyalty. House Charos believes that if the
Theodoroi are to return in full, then they should do so as they were, not in some unknowable shape that would shame their ancestors.
Their Status:
House Charos has Eighty members, among them
Seventy Scions; of its Thirteen Qi Condensation,
Ten have Iron-Blooded ancestry, and its
Sole Expert is of the Vanguard. It is unlikely that the next Core Elder will come from House Charos, but they are currently firmly in the middle as far as numbers and power are concerned; they have not the honours of the
Theodoroi or
Dianei, but they have not the wealth of the
Agamennoi either.
More importantly, House Charos is the first family to have reawoken the Blood of Iron after House Theodoros itself, and their Iron-Blooded Scion, Skander, is a great talent indeed, having risen into the Tenth Heavenstage in eighty years, not far behind the famed Katha herself.
Their Notables:
Tarsun Charos, Patriarch of House Charos, stands at
Foundation Establishment 2-Pillar. Recently ascended, he seeks to better understand the Blood of Iron, and collaborates frequently with the
Theodoroi, assisting him in his research and exchanging notes regularly. But where the past nature of the Vanguard often horrifies Tormenos, it fascinates Tarsun.
Skander Charos, first of the Iron-Blooded after Katha Theodoros, stands in the
Tenth Heavenstage and is expected to Ascend right after the Trials. Bearing an unusual variant, Skander lacks some of the incredible strength and endurance of the customary Blood of Iron, but has sharply reduced need for sleep or even basic sustenance, in excess of a Cultivator of his Great Realm.
House Lycurgeos - Iron Oathkeepers
Their Overview:
House Lycurgeos once administered to the laws and rites of the Vanguard. They managed the oaths the Vanguard took, recorded the traditions they lived by, and collected the tithes that the Clan needed. In the old days, they took this duty seriously, never taking too little or too much. All would give their fair share, and the
Lycurgeoi made sure of it, even of themselves. To them, graft was heresy, punishable by death.
In the modern day, death is much of what they know. Not doing well even prior to the Blood Mists, they of all the Vanguard Houses suffered in the aftermath. Many of their Cultivators and even some of their scions fell to the Bloodhunger, consuming those around them. In the aftermath, Lycurgeos was left with nothing - and if nothing is done for them soon, they will become nothing.
Their Situation:
When the Blood Mist descended, many of their Cultivators were still patrolling the desert, and enough proved susceptible to the hunger that they began to consume one another. When the haze finally lifted and they returned to their senses, the shame that filled them drove them to claim their own lives, to ensure that their blighted existences would stain their family no longer. Unfortunately for them, they were only partially successful.
Unique amongst the Vanguard Houses, Lycurgeos suffered greatly from the Blood Mist, not from the attacks they suffered but from their own lack of will. This proved unforgivable, particularly in the eyes of House Dianeid, who disdain those that would fall to the Blood Path even under coercion. While amongst the other Branches there were sympathetic ears, the disdain of the
Dianei made associating with them in the aftermath of the Mist all but impossible, lest one face
Dianei judgement, and so the Lycurgeos were simply never able to recover.
Suffering greatly, the
Lycurgeoi no longer have Experts to their name. They hardly even have Disciples; without resources, it is difficult for them to raise new Scions, and the fact that they like the
Agamennoi have failed to produce even a single Scion aligned with the Iron has only continued to make them pariahs in the eyes of the rest of their family, without the resources of the
Agamennoi to make up for it. As a result, they are falling in line with House Agamennos in their desperation for resources and allies alike, and they are the
Agamennoi's primary allies in their efforts to become the new Main House of the
Theodoroi.
Their Status:
Suffering greatly, there are only
Thirty Lycurgeoi, all of them Iron-Blooded; those who were not have either abandoned the family or perished in the Mist. Of these, only
Eight are Qi Condensation, all scions as well for the same reason. Of these, there is only one who has reached the Ninth Heavenstage; the current Patriarch, Galan Lycurgeos, himself a nephew of the previous Patriarch, who struggles to face Tribulation.
Financially, the
Lycurgeoi are in more dire straits than all but the
Theodoroi themselves; they still have their holdings,
a village in the Uncast Molds that grows spirit herbs, and still have ample reserves to rely upon, but these reserves will soon run dry and will mean nothing in the face of the Trials. In light of these struggles, there is little wonder that they are turning to the
Agamennoi. The children of House Lycurgeos also typically serve the Department of Administration, for such matters come easily to them, and they were renowned as the least bellicose of the Vanguard in times past - a reputation that does them little good now.
House Lycurgeos has produced none who bear the Blood of Iron, a matter of no small distress to them.
Their Notables:
Galan Lycurgeos is the current Patriarch of the House by dint of survival and seniority, despite his young age compared to the other House Heads. In the
Ninth Heavenstage, he is ready for Tribulation, but worries about his ability to succeed, especially with the Trials on their way. He knows that the reunification of the Great House is the only way that House Lycurgeos will survive at all, and has thrown his full support behind reunification, no matter the cost.
The Conclusion:
Separated as they are, the surviving Vanguard are largely ineffectual on a large scale, their only ability to influence the affairs of the Clan done through the efforts of individual talents, which the Main House has a monopoly over - and who are all either missing or crippled, possibly beyond the hope of recovery. Even reunified, the numbers paint a concerning picture. Simply put,
there are not many Theodoroi left alive; only slightly more than two hundred survive to still claim ancestry to the House Theodoros of old, of them only fifty five Legionnaires and a paltry nine Experts.
However, it is clear that the Ratios are favourable to the
Theodoroi, proving substantially better than from more common stock and even some of the younger Houses. The long ancestry of this Old Family has done them good, and given time it is clear that House Theodoros will be able to make a resurgence. However, one must consider that historically,
Theodoroi numbers have only ever gone down over time, disproportionately compared to the rest of the Clan; after the bloodletting of a Trial, it is rare for their strength to recover to even their old level before the next set of Trials happens, without anything of note happening in the century that passes between Trials.
Ultimately, it is difficult to conclude anything but that House Theodoros is in dire straits and that reunification might not be able to resolve their greatest problem; attrition. But in this Era, anything might be possible. Given the evidence, however, I would advise preparing for the extinction of the embers of another Great House within the next two centuries. Without a miracle - hell, a dozen miracles - they are certain to suffer greatly in the coming set of Centennial Trials.
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A/N: Wanted to set up some info on House Theodoros and its branches as well as their general relationship, which I've alluded to glibly a few times but never really gone into. However, given Katha's recent wounds, it's time for Noble Politics to take centre stage, while she takes a nice long vacation at the Oasis Neutral Lands and their very nice hot springs, blissfully ignorant of the absolute nonsense going down at home. Hopefully you enjoy what is honestly a pretty depressing document.
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