Great House Drakken

The First Great House. Born directly from the end of the Long Winter. This House was the first created by the Jade Emperor. Originally comprised of primarily Dragonborn loyal to the newly born dynasty. Now has become a center of learning and education and trade and now features a grand collection of different cultures and races within the Summerwild. Rich fields and the bounty of the Golden Delta support most people throughout Drakken territory. The people have reputations for being accomplished weavers, skilled diplomats, and cunning merchants. Books and literacy are also common throughout the land, understanding and writing in draconic is the norm and writing in Elvish is a close second. It is rare to find things written in human common, and the work of scribes, cartographers, musicians, and storytellers is as well regarded. The people of Drakken believe themselves to be the inheritors of a heroic tradition, and each person owes it to themselves and to society to strive for greatness. Beyond Drakken's common folk, a few groups that hold noteworthy standing are detailed here. House Drakken acts as the host of all the Great Houses within the Dynasty Capital of Xurugan. The Emperor has decreed that House Drakken be the chairman of handling the diplomacy and discussion between the Great Houses. It is said House Drakken commands the Source of Inspiration, the boundless Song of Creation that existed in the Feywild before Planegea broke.

Structure

The Twelve
A council of philosophers called the Twelve serves as the ruling body of House Drakken. They are elected by popular vote among the citizens of Drakken and serve for terms of eight years at a time. They are supposed to govern by philosophical principles of justice and social order, and many of them do strive to uphold the highest ideals in their decisions. Others are more grimly realistic, and a few are deeply corrupt, serving only their own interests. The most senior member of the council is recognized as its leader and is known as the Listener, responsible for bringing the assembly to order and moderating its debate. Currently, this position is held by the renowned philosopher and orator named Dao Krul who directly listens for the decrees of the Jade Emperor. This power allows fantastic architecture and wonderful cities to be founded. Two large cities of Dundorma and Xurugan are at testament to this power. House Drakken supports Dundorma the city of Hunters and was one of the first houses to establish the Hunter's Caste as a recognized form of nobility within all Summerwild society.

Culture

People of House Drakken
The people of House Drakken take pride in their city’s grand architecture, especially the great temples to the Sky Network. They value philosophy and other intellectual pursuits, especially the practice of ether bending. House Drakken's army is known for its discipline and its scientific devotion, and Drakken's reserve navy is unparalleled. The cities of House Drakken observes every one of the Dirge’s holy days in various ways, and most residents try to live according to the philosophies of Dirge. Philosophers
Though they aren’t necessarily heroic, philosophers are highly valued in Drakken territory, which is renowned as the center of philosophical thought. They form a privileged class, often coming from wealthy families but also supported by stipends from the houses academies and their own students. Different philosophical schools hold political as well as intellectual power in the house, with five schools of philosophy dominating Drakken discourse. Zhe-Yimi. Dao Krul’s optimistic Zhe-Yimi school currently predominates Drakken thought and politics. The Zhe-Yimi school strives to put ether and philosophy to use in improving the lives of all Drakken citizens. Zhe-Yimi casters embrace ether in all its forms. Formalists. Formalist philosophers believe in a realm populated by abstract entities such as numbers and theories. They focus their efforts on trying to improve the moral fabric of the house, hoping to create the ideal society, where people live together in peace, and where war and crime disappear. Hehu-Lunli. This school emphasizes logical reasoning, rhetorical excellence, and theories of ethics and virtue. Lunlian's are eminently practical governors who seek to balance ethical ideals and realistic necessities. Ming-yun. Ming-yun philosophers teach that reason or destiny underlies all of reality, so that everything that takes place must unfold just as it does. These philosophers train themselves to accept and endure whatever befalls them, enjoying good fortune but not grieving its loss. Kuai-gan. Kuai-gan philosophy embraces the fine delights of life: the pleasures of love and friendship, fine food and drink, art and music. Kuai-ganian's have few strong opinions about governance, except that an ultimate good end should be kept front of mind in all decision. Foreigners in Drakken
Drakken strives to be a beacon to all of Summerwild's people. Well-intentioned members of any culture are welcome on Drakken streets, and the house's people work to earn the trust of their neighbors. Of all the houses, Drakken has the closest relationship with the Tritons of the Celestial Sea. Several communities of tritons consider the harbors of the Golden Delta and secluded coastal sanctuaries their home. Many take part in work near and under the water that other peoples are ill-suited to, but increasingly tritons find work not related to the sea, with triton restaurants, chemists, and members of the Reverent Army being increasingly common. Drakken maintains a fragile peace with house Kirin of the Sekumea Desert, engaging in regular trade. Due to the bad blood that exists between the Drakkenblood Dragonborn and Nerevaren Dragonborn

Public Agenda

The Dengta
Many Drakken speak of the “edifice of knowledge,” referring in the abstract to the sum of all learning and scholarship. Every citizen is expected to help improving this edifice for the good of the house, whether through philosophical exploration, advancements in ether technique, investigation into the nature of the Sky Network, or perfection of techniques in crafting and trade. But the edifice of knowledge in House Drakken is a literal structure as well as a metaphorical one: the Dengta, is a glowing stone tower standing near the coast. It is literally formed from the collected learnings of the house, recorded on carved stone tablets and glowing letters hovering in the air. At night, the Dengta shines like a lighthouse where the sea wall meets the shore, gleaming on the waters of the Western shore of the Celestial Sea. A decade ago, the Dengta was partly demolished by a kraken that attacked the city, but it has been repaired and continues to grow, reflecting the continued learning of the house's citizens. The Dekatia
House Drakken boasts many centers of learning, but the preeminent academy for philosophers and casters is the Dekatia academy located in Xurugan. Students who display remarkable promise over the course of their earlier education can go on to spend up to ten years in arduous training at the Dekatia, apprenticed to master priests, thaumaturges, philosophers, and military heroes. Those who manage to complete this decade of training are renowned as the wisest of the wise and the bravest of the brave, combining all the essential learning of the house into one heroic package. The Observatory
The Observatory is a tall viewing platform and a windowed structure offering a splendid view of the sky, renowned as a place to study of planar portals, Special crystals shaped by thaumaturges and blessed by the Song of Creation to enhance the view, making it easier for observers to see the workings of the planes among the stars and constellations.

Assets

The Reverent Scale Army
The hoplites of Drakken practice battlefield tactics in an environment saturated with scientific devotion. The military force of the house is called the Reverent Scale Army, and aims as much to exalt the glory of the emperor as to defend Drakken. The soldiers are clever and resourceful, believing their scientific understanding leads to their mother Auriga to smile upon them. More likely, though, their extensive training in battlefield tactics and casting gives them an edge over other soldiers, with most Reverent Scale hoplites knowing at least a little ether. They have received training from Death's Hand, the enigmatic general of the Jade Emperor. Thaumaturges
Drakken view ether bending as one of the greatest art forms, and they call the most accomplished casters thaumaturges (“wonder workers”). Many Drakken casters are trained at the elite academy in Xurugan, but countless smaller schools and private tutors teach the ether arts. These lessons in ether bending typically include a well-rounded education in the sciences and philosophy. Some thaumaturges find their ether studies aligning with popular Drakken philosophies and choose the schools of ether they focus on based on such teachings. The mark of a true thaumaturge, though, is a gift of the esteen Astral Mark; even the most accomplished student of ether can’t earn the title without such a mark.

Territories

House Drakken's Surroundings
House Drakken sits on the coast of the Western side of the Celestial Sea, surrounded by rivers and lakes, thick woodlands, and vast, stepped grasslands. Fields of barley provide sustenance to Drakken and their animals. Well-trod roads wind their way through the region, but most locals travel along the Golden Delta in simple boats. Or taking an Air Elemental Sky Ship to Xurugan. House Drakken Holdings
Cathar. This small walled city is famous for Dao Krull's intervention to protect it from a kraken, Cathar now has Dao Krull's face on nearly every building and wall in the entire city in gratitude. Kalitea. is a small coastal town that would be completely unremarkable, except that it’s accumulated a truly impressive library. The bulk of the town’s economy revolves around maintaining the library and meeting the needs of travelers who come to visit it. Molokh's Cry. Renowned as the home of Anapse, a famed philosopher who founded the Anapsian school, the village of Molokh's Cry attracts many philosophers who share Anapse’s delight in the pleasures of a simple life. Seydna. This is a fortress marking the southern Ikardan border between Drakken and Kitsune. The civilian population is hardly less disciplined than the members of the Reverent Army stationed there. Jio-Talado. The residents of the batch of small cities of Jio-Talado are famous for traiining monsters of land and sea with great skill. They train monsters and animals to be combatants, working animals, aquatic mounts, and companions. Dundorma. The capital of the Kharguk peninsula. Home of the Dragonborn originally. It has become the capital and migration spot for the Hunter's Caste. Becoming the city of Hunters, it is a rich history and stands as an important city in both the Great Dragon War and the Long Winter. It is rumored that the Beastlands were here before Planegea broke. Verudo. This is a quiet town with a notably wealthy population, consisting largely of merchants and the lesser Dwarven house Verudo that supply the territory with great wealth and sophisticated security and locksmithing services. Yashiro. A medium sized lakeside village, Yashiro is most noted as being the literal “end of the road” for travelers venturing south from Xurugan. This marks the southern border of Drakken territory. Balmoru. This coastal town is known for the way many of its buildings are on stilts to accommodate the changing tides. Sitrium is famed for its skilled shipwrights and handles a great trade route from the Fiery Straits. Securing relations between the neighboring houses.