House Rhaedan
Rhaedan.jpg
Heraldry for House Rhaedan
HOUSE INFORMATION
Kingdom: Rhaedan
Seat: Rhaedan
Fortification: Rhaedan Castle
Motto: "The righteous are mighty"
Colors: Red and Gold
Liege: None
Vassals: Auldholme, Riedel, Westmark, and others.
LEADERSHIP
Rank: King
Honorific: The Northern King
Head of House: Breac Rhaedan
Predecessor: Lydell Rhaedan
Heir: Jerric Rhaedan
MILITARY
Military Emphasis: Balanced
Cavalry: 130 Men-at-Arms: 400 Archers: 150

RhaedanMap.jpg

Overview

House Rhaedan is the ruling House of the North since the day of the Split. With the Rothim River at their feet and the Bornas Mountains at their back, Rhaedan lands are heavily invested in mining the ores buried deep within the rocky terrain.

Proud and fierce, House Rhaedan believes itself descended from the true ruler of Eikeren. They are warriors to the bone, passing their martial skills carefully from generation to generation. Most of House Rhaedan are light in features and complexion, and nearly all possess some form of defensive or weaponry skill.

History

When Rhaedan Eikros settled himself on the throne amongst the ancestral palaces of Eikeren, his people believed him to be the rightful ruler of the kingdom. After all, his younger brother had fled the lands and proceeded to amass an army - truly the actions of a guilty party, yes? Now deeply steeped in the belief that Taniford had killed their father and fled his due punishment, a saddened Rhaedan gathered his loyal men and commanded they retrieve the prince and put him on trial. The time it took for Rhaedan to talk, mingle, gather, and eventually collect the loyalty of the vassals north of the Rothim River allowed Taniford to do the same in the South. Thus, when the time came to march on the south and arrest Taniford, war was absolutely inevitable.

In order to solidify the relationship with their closest ally, House Riedel, Rhaedan was wed to the Count-cum-Duke Arron's oldest daughter - Teyja - who would later give birth to six of his children - four of whom survive long enough to perpetuate the family line. The eldest of the six was a son, Mikhal, through whom the Rhaedan line - and the traditional patriarchy - would continue for generations to come. It was Mikhal's decision for the family to shed the old surname of 'Eikos' and adopt the rightful ruler's name as their own to symbolize their standing in Eikeren.

Thus, House Rhaedan was born.

Culture and Society

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The Rhaedans are widely known for their fondness of fighting, although this nature has often been misconstrued in such offensive terms as "bloodthirsty" and "violent." Without an impending conflict or war in which to exorcise this desire, the Rhaedans have turned to hosting an array of tournaments to entertain themselves and their subjects. They are a jolly lot, and in times of peace tend to host parties at a nearly constant rate. The love of ale runs nearly as deep as their love of war.

Unlike the secretive Tanifords (and those of the south in general), House Rhaedan has an open-door policy with regards to rulership, and they take the counsel of their vassals into consideration when big decisions come into play. They tend toward being boisterous and loud, and find the idea of keeping secrets to be generally distasteful and a sign of a shady, untrustworthy personality. Rhaedans tend to prefer to handle conflict face-to-face in combat - whether physical or verbal sparring - but generally place less importance on words; in fact, one particular Rhaedan king was once quoted saying: "If a word could kill a man, kingdoms would rise and fall in a day." (There exists a particularly heated, ongoing debate about whether this quote was made by King Mikhal II or his great-great-grandson King Adest.)

As a whole, House Rhaedan is less prone to divulging in fripperies. They tend toward a no-nonsense attitude in regards to things like art and architecture, although they are heavily invested in music; in fact, theirs is a partially oral tradition of passing down history through epic ballads. More accurate versions are still recorded in writing, however.

Because their lands are less hospitable for greenery, plants are grown only for necessity, and it is very rare to see a garden housing flowers of a non-medicinal nature. Furthermore, it is uncommon for local families to have such things as vegetable gardens, and most of their food is obtained through grocers who import Taniford goods via Laketown. The only farming in the North tends to be done closer to the coasts and in the southern flatlands near the river.

Neuschwanstein Castle as Castle Rhaedan

Current Members

Ruling Family

King Breac Rhaedan - the ruling King. NPC
Queen Arwydd Rhaedan - wife of Breac. NPC
Prince Jerric Rhaedan - oldest of the Rhaedan siblings, a knight. PC
Princess Kerilyn Rhaedan - second child. PC
Prince Stefan Rhaedan - youngest son, a knight. PC
Princess Niniane Rhaedan - Ambassador to Taniford and twin to Stefan. PC
Princess Amira Rhaedan - youngest child. PC
Lord Tomas Rhaedan - King's nephew, Steward of Rhaedan PC
Princess Guinevere Rhaedan - Daughter to Duke Neale. Married to Prince Jerric. PC

Extended Family

Wanted

When necessary, names are given for certain Wanted Characters who have been established in canon elsewhere. Any character without a given name is free to be named by their player. If you have any questions about these characters, please contact Azrael.

Extended family, Aunts, Uncles, cousins. A solid BG for the role will be required.
Marshall of Rhaedan
Deputies for the Marshall
Healer to the Royal Family
Apothecary to assist the Healer
Master Smith(s) (as Guildmembers) for the production of Armor and Weapons for the royal family.

The Royal Guard

The Royal Guard is an elite group that serves the Royal family. The contingent that travels with Jerric is comprised of a handful of carefully selected men and women. Each is given a highly polished set of chainmail over which is worn a fitted brigandine. The surcoat of each Royal Guard is deep red with the Sigil of Rhaedan on the left breast and across the back. Each member is hand-picked by the commander of the House guard and submitted to the Prince, wherein a decision is made from the list.

Once a candidate is accepted as a Royal Guard the Appointment Ceremony is scheduled. In the Main Hall of the Candidate's home, if possible, the candidate will kneel before the attending Royalty where he/she will swear fealty to the Royals and to all of Rhaedan. Placing service to the Kingdom as a whole before him/her self. Then the Red Cloak will be presented along with the Royal Guard Broach. Once the formal ceremonies have been completed a Feast shall be hand with the new Royal Guard seated next to the attending Royalty.

The design of the clasp has been unchanged since it was first commissioned by the Rhaedan's over 400 years ago as a reminder to all those that have served before. Created by the most skilled craftsman of the North, the finely filigreed lion brooch is a piece of art, as much as a testament to the wearer's position. Detailed down to the fierce lion's extended claws, this brooch, no more than a few inches high, bears the regal animal's countenance and strength. Mimicking the upright stance of the Rhaedan sigil, a drop of a blood red gem glitters from the one eye.

The normal attire for a Royal Guard is: full mail, tooled leather brigandine, the surcoat, the read cloak, the weapon of choice by the Guard. He/she also will be issued: steel gauntlets or for archers leather gauntlets, a visored helm or for archers either an open faced helm or hard leather helm.

Commander, Royal Guard Appable

Royal Guard

  • The Silver - male, age 28 Appable
  • The Hammer - male, age 21 Appable

Political Relations

thumbnail.jpg The Kingdom of Taniford: The opposing kingdom built upon the lies of a murderous traitor and coward. It is hard to look upon them as anything but whiny weaklings, but the treaties tell us we must behave. For now.
thumbnail.jpg House Riedel of Brivey: Our closest allies since The Split, House Riedel has proven its loyalty time and again. From them, House Rhaedan pulls its most trusted advisors - and occasionally its most trusted children for marriage.
thumbnail.jpg House Auldholme of Margrave: As loyal as their peers, Auldholme has supplied the most well-trained infantry our kingdom can ever hope to see. They are among the fiercest of warriors and another trusted and respected House.
thumbnail.jpg House Westmark of Sipdon: The youngest of the baronies in Rhaedan lands, they could be considered untrustworthy upstarts. While their methods are less than conspicuous, the results are hard to ignore. They shall be given a chance to prove themselves worthy of the trust placed upon them.

Family Tree

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