House Collwell is Founded

Diplomatic action

The founding and linage of the Collwell Family

The lost islands were named as such for the belief that they were utterly without resources, military advantage, solid ground, or indeed any reason to enjoy living their at all, save for those who preferred extreme isolation. Some blame the fact that it was the location where Nummer Kulla withered his wife and children to begin his attack on Tera'tun. Nevertheless there were those who chose to reside in such places.   Over time, as scientific and magical pursuits were conducted in safe and remote areas, a few dozen such practicers of the arts chose to live in the far-off islands. Amongst these people was the Vedalken Lady Eza Collwell.   A scientific genius who utilized her naturally long life, Eza learned all that there was to learn about biology, fascinated by the necrotic arts. She never practiced them herself, rather she studied them as one studies an opposing general with the goal of ending their attack. She learned and developed tools to help combat such works. Perhaps the earliest recorded tool of hers is a rudimentary version of the Feretrum.   Lady Eza founded the house due to her expansions in such areas. For many years, she remained single, more focused on her work than her love life. However she did end up marrying once. Her husband was Walter the Just whom wedded her in 1542 FM. From this marriage would be born several children: Alexander, Jennifer, Kia, Quill and Zera. Walter passed away in 1601. She earned the title of the Raven Mother, for she never was compassionate to her many children.   Her next recorded lover was Luta the Elf in 1684 to 1721. The elf was very passive and he reportedly vanished from the house one night without public explanation. However, Lady Eza never did seek the elf out or seek to punish him. It is presumed they parted on good terms. While a few brave souls did question Lady Eza about her elven lover, she gave no comment.   Her final recorded lover was Gur’latal, the Githzerai in 1823 until Lady Collwell's death in 1832, and he was the only lover to outlive the Lady while still living in the Collwell manor. However, after she passed, he was evicted by the new Lord, Alexander Collwell.   Lady Eza was known to be uncommon dispassionate. She was calculating to a fault and would entertain no requests from those in her area for comforts, only necessities or things that might aid in their work. Nevertheless, she was so effective in this that none rose up to challenge her rule.   Alexander as the first-born child of Lady Eza and Walter the Just took over the seat of power in 1574. While he was mostly human, he clearly retained his mother’s mind and was wise beyond his years and fiercely intelligent. He began to open the island to the uses of new magics and sciences, even putting the Collwell family at odds with certain mages who felt they were being foolish. He often strongarmed his opponents into positions where they had no choice but to accept his terms and even outsmarted an elven tribe into offering their most beautiful woman to be his queen, leading to his marriage to Variden in 1580, despite her being far older.   Their marriage was neither a hot nor cold affair. It was openly treated as a political move and they ate and sometimes slept in separate rooms. All the same, they had a pair of twin children together: Ala’keen and Ela’keen.   After their birth, there was a matter of some debate who would receive the leadership of the house, being as they'd been born on the same day and neither had a full claim to the title of firstborn. However, in their twenties Ala’keen renounced his claim to his twin, and agreed to serve as council to her, while he pursued his own studies, which primarily revolved around ships which at the time were rudimentary things solely powered by physical power or poorly-aligned sails, left to the fate of the winds.   Lady Ela'keen served for over a century and was responsible for many of the traditions carried on by the family to this day. It was she who began burning bodies to prevent necromancy, and invented the second version of the Feretrum. It was this little device that would be used soon by the White Guard when transporting bodies to the Lost Islands, so that they might not be turned during the transport. Ala'keen helped invent many of the faster ships now utilized for trade, including some of the designs still used by airships today.   She married a human by the name of Carter in 1672 and they gave birth to Di’duna and Cilla’lal. She died in 1723, on the same exact day as her brother. While there have been numerous accusations thrown around due to their simultaneous deaths, no one has ever proven anything concretely.   Inspired by his mother and uncle, Lord Di’duna used the newly invented boats to help create a trading empire and put many of the old ships and trade routes out of business. This led to a brief war between the Collwells and the mainland. However, the war ended before either side was wiped out and an agreement of peace was reached. What the war was more well-known for is placing both the Lost Islands and the Collwell family into the public perception as capable and viable. This saw the first generation of immigrants to the Lost Islands. While they were primarily poor or those who preferred isolation, the population did increase.   As part of the treaty Di'duna married Xia’long the Firbolg and they had two children: Ula’ka and Runatall, both Firbolgs.   When she came of age in 1833, Ula'ka took the seat of power. People often refer to Lady's ruling as the long reign. It was during this era that many people knew contentment and peace. Lady Ula’ka, having a much longer lifespan than man or indeed many races, was slow to make decisions and distrusted outsides. Nevertheless she was very careful to watch over her family and those under her rule. She was oddly compassionate compared to her ancestors and some suspected her of having alternative motives. If she did, they were never brought into the light. She married the Tortle Queg, but they ended up baring no children, both being more interested in their own studies.   Overall, she was a good, if subdued ruler. There was growing darkness in the mainlands that would eventually become The Destruction, but through a mixture of wits and good planing she managed to keep it out of the Lost Islands.   Given that Lady Ula'ka outlived her brother, her nephew, Lord Delnis the triton took the seat of power in 2321. Being a creature of the water and sea, Delnis was a perfect Lord for the exploration and underwater expansion of the Lost Islands. It was under his rule that the lands saw much of their devotion to the Sea God. It was Delnis who first made contact with the Water Genasi and Locathah and brought their existence and needs to the light of the mainlanders.   He married the Githzerai, Orina, and they had three Githzerai children: Ashelya, Liral and Nugur.   He was slain by a kraken in his final year of rule.   Taking the seat only five years early, Lady Ashelya considered herself ready for the challenges of ruling. A strong-headed and strong willed leader, Ashelya lead the charge left behind by her father. Her siblings and she announced their presence to the world, declaring themselves responsible for the world’s dead, and ensuring that The Disaster would never happen again. She lead the kingdoms practices to the God of Death. Her siblings helped establish and build up the White Guard, making the Collwells into the family they are seen as to this day.   However, the Lady never married and left no heirs. Her siblings, reluctant to take up the lordship in their old age, both rejected the rule. And so the line of Delnis died out, making her grandnephew, Hilton the Half-elf, the next direct lord.   Lord Hilton took power in 2466 ruled for a little under a century. Having parentage from the mainland caused many of the mainlander’s traditions and practices into the country. He was also inexperienced in the manor to which the islanders had become accustomed. So good-intentioned as he was, he was known as the Outlander Lord. His greatest act was formalizing the ruling of The Lost Islands when Tera'tun was united, though there was no doubt as to whom that territory would go. He had married the Genasi Char, and left three children: Grime, Ocean and Hiss, all Genasi.   Lord Grime took over the Collwell family in 2542. He had a rough time during his lordship. His name and parentage left many suspicious or even openly mocking the lord. He turned angry and vengeful towards the people because of this and openly punished many, frequently drowning those who mocked him or spoke against him.   Due to his harsh nature, he never married and so when he eventually drank himself to death, his niece inherited the throne upon his death.   Lady Evelyn, a human girl, was only three when she inherited the Ladyship of the Lost Islands in 2672, and so her father, Ryon oversaw much of the day-to-day business of the kingdom. Many objected to this as he was an outsider, and a human atop it.   However, he proved to be a kind man and passed away on his daughter's 24th birthday in 2683. She was still younger than most would've asked before she inherit, but proved to be a brilliant and talented leader nevertheless. Her focuses have been largely centered on repairing her uncle’s damage to the Lost Island’s inhabitants and reputation. As such she is locally known to some as the carpenter ladyship.