Great House Violet Clouds
One of nine current Great Houses, charged by Astralshaper to manage all aspects of Divination, from handling and harvesting to Transmutation and particulate bonding. The origins of Great House Violet Clouds are as warped and exaggerated as the history before the Meridian of Stars' Eternal, and perhaps even more arcane than Astralshaper and Her empire. What is known is that the countless Tabaxi clans - being an inherently nocturnal race - owed their beginnings to cults and tribes that worshiped the eternal night, though were little more than just a disparate collection of unalike sects that interpreted the heavens independently. Drafting horoscopes and celestial maps as a form of ritual, the clans often quarreled among themselves to resolve their extreme differences in opinion as to what the stars truly predicted and more importantly; what they demanded.
If anything, they were a thorn on the side for any neighboring nation or city-state that should find themselves the target of said clans, as the erratic nature of tabaxi often led to violence in their perpetual effort to attain the offerings needed to sacrifice to the night. Said offerings were arbitrary and random, ranging from living persons to colored dyes depending on their current interpretation. Astralshaper, being a goddess of Divination and the manifestation of the night itself, shared many interests with the neurotic clans, whom in turn chose to willingly worship her instead of the silent void.
Flattered and annoyed by their persistence, she incorporated whatever clans happened into her territory with open arms, segregating them to isolated townships so that they may not bother her or any of her other subjects. They proved to be an incredible asset, securing swathes of immense wealth and land, as well as demonstrating an innate proficiency as proselytes by converting the masses of unruly regions to devout followers of Her cause. This expedited the growth of her empire, as well as quashed any semblance of dissent, as the clans were more than adept with words, and disturbingly, were well-prepared in the event those they were trying to convert weren't receptive to their gospel. Their successes could be attributed to either their unique skills, or the fear they wrought in any townships under the clans' influence, though it was likely a combination of the two. While loyal, the clans under Astralshaper continued their eternal infighting, all for the attention and love of their new-found Goddess of Night, squabbling for dominance and power to impress Her and only Her. Due to their immense list of contributions to the Meridian; the costly damages from their never-ending crusades on rivaling clans; as well as being a general headache to Astralshaper, they were awarded honorary Great House status, thus uniting the warring clans under the all-encompassing newly-formed super-clan of Violet Clouds, bringing a measure of stability. Since that day, the countless Tabaxi clans formed an administration that suits their fiercely competitive nature and religious structure. Representatives of the clans formed a massive senate named the Circle of Stars, whose sole responsibility was to delegate the Will of Astralshaper, as well as regulate the delicate balance of power internally within the Great House, ensuring no single clan overpowered the next. The Circle endlessly convenes with no rest, proposing numberless suggestions on how to best please Astralshaper as Her self-proclaimed right-hand as well as who to distribute the responsibility of executing said suggestions should the Circle find them feasible.
Each clan, by pooling their resources to Violet Clouds; declaring suggestions; and ultimately seeing them through with results that exceed the excepted outcome earn them reputation, which may land them seats of higher respect in the Circle of Stars, thereby gaining them additional political leverage in the greater operations of Violet Clouds. However, a single appointed member serves as the mediator between ideas and foreign powers, forcing decisions to be made if progress is stagnant; such a coveted position essentially marks the owning clan as the "leader" of Violet Clouds.
As a result of this peculiar merging of clans, they also consolidated their ancient repository of divination rituals and tradition, becoming the sole proprietor of Divination production and exports despite the monopoly the Meridian has placed on the practice of that particular school of magic. They are most known for being the only method of trade between civil perimeters, able to reliably protect convoys with their escorts for a fee, as well as being responsible for the construction and maintenance of many Anchor-based facilities across the empire. That is not to say that others have not attempted to stop Violet Clouds from practicing Divination - namely, the Vicarvoyancy - it is that they cannot be stopped. Great House Violet Clouds sees the use of Divination practices as a means of attaining Her favor, perhaps bringing them closer to true ascension where they may eventually join their beloved Goddess side-by-side; without the clearly inferior Vicarvoyancy as the intermediary. Under Great House Violet Clouds, there are four subsidiary Major Houses:
If anything, they were a thorn on the side for any neighboring nation or city-state that should find themselves the target of said clans, as the erratic nature of tabaxi often led to violence in their perpetual effort to attain the offerings needed to sacrifice to the night. Said offerings were arbitrary and random, ranging from living persons to colored dyes depending on their current interpretation. Astralshaper, being a goddess of Divination and the manifestation of the night itself, shared many interests with the neurotic clans, whom in turn chose to willingly worship her instead of the silent void.
Flattered and annoyed by their persistence, she incorporated whatever clans happened into her territory with open arms, segregating them to isolated townships so that they may not bother her or any of her other subjects. They proved to be an incredible asset, securing swathes of immense wealth and land, as well as demonstrating an innate proficiency as proselytes by converting the masses of unruly regions to devout followers of Her cause. This expedited the growth of her empire, as well as quashed any semblance of dissent, as the clans were more than adept with words, and disturbingly, were well-prepared in the event those they were trying to convert weren't receptive to their gospel. Their successes could be attributed to either their unique skills, or the fear they wrought in any townships under the clans' influence, though it was likely a combination of the two. While loyal, the clans under Astralshaper continued their eternal infighting, all for the attention and love of their new-found Goddess of Night, squabbling for dominance and power to impress Her and only Her. Due to their immense list of contributions to the Meridian; the costly damages from their never-ending crusades on rivaling clans; as well as being a general headache to Astralshaper, they were awarded honorary Great House status, thus uniting the warring clans under the all-encompassing newly-formed super-clan of Violet Clouds, bringing a measure of stability. Since that day, the countless Tabaxi clans formed an administration that suits their fiercely competitive nature and religious structure. Representatives of the clans formed a massive senate named the Circle of Stars, whose sole responsibility was to delegate the Will of Astralshaper, as well as regulate the delicate balance of power internally within the Great House, ensuring no single clan overpowered the next. The Circle endlessly convenes with no rest, proposing numberless suggestions on how to best please Astralshaper as Her self-proclaimed right-hand as well as who to distribute the responsibility of executing said suggestions should the Circle find them feasible.
Each clan, by pooling their resources to Violet Clouds; declaring suggestions; and ultimately seeing them through with results that exceed the excepted outcome earn them reputation, which may land them seats of higher respect in the Circle of Stars, thereby gaining them additional political leverage in the greater operations of Violet Clouds. However, a single appointed member serves as the mediator between ideas and foreign powers, forcing decisions to be made if progress is stagnant; such a coveted position essentially marks the owning clan as the "leader" of Violet Clouds.
As a result of this peculiar merging of clans, they also consolidated their ancient repository of divination rituals and tradition, becoming the sole proprietor of Divination production and exports despite the monopoly the Meridian has placed on the practice of that particular school of magic. They are most known for being the only method of trade between civil perimeters, able to reliably protect convoys with their escorts for a fee, as well as being responsible for the construction and maintenance of many Anchor-based facilities across the empire. That is not to say that others have not attempted to stop Violet Clouds from practicing Divination - namely, the Vicarvoyancy - it is that they cannot be stopped. Great House Violet Clouds sees the use of Divination practices as a means of attaining Her favor, perhaps bringing them closer to true ascension where they may eventually join their beloved Goddess side-by-side; without the clearly inferior Vicarvoyancy as the intermediary. Under Great House Violet Clouds, there are four subsidiary Major Houses:
House Balloon Party
A disloyal House serving as the majority provider in raw Divination particulate, believing themselves to be the chosen of Astralshaper due to their success and often circumventing Violet Clouds policy and ignoring the quotas of the same.House Apricot
A small loyal House primarily focused on the production of advanced alchemical Divination pharmaceuticals, also in the process of constructing imbuement manufactories for Divination alloys.House Magic Crafters
A very loyal House with no focus, expanding uncontrollably with no regard for House politics and reputation, constructing and manning dozens of facilities to produce seemingly random goods that they believe will turn a profit. No one sleeps in Magic Crafters. No one is allowed to sleep in Magic Crafters.House Crimson Clouds
A very loyal House that may as well be considered insubordinate, as any wish of Violet Clouds is carried out with zeal at the expense of all others, often to the detriment of their Great House overlord. They often are the providers in high-grade Divination particulate and weaponry.Structure
Violet Clouds in anarchic in their belief on how a Great House should operate, disregarding the idea of Minor Houses in favor of countless Tabaxi Clans that each have their own voice to pitch in. All of the clans comprise a massive senate of 2,840 restless and chaotic Tabaxi called the Circle of Stars, tasked with the deliberation of propositions that they believe bring the Meridian and Astralshaper the most good, but also bring their clan and perhaps Violet Clouds as a whole the most prestige. By declaring suggestions, regulating the unstable internal power balance, and in general enacting the will of the Goddess earns a clan more political leverage and voice in the Circle. As such, this is a sleepless cycle that knows no start or end, the 2,840 Tabaxi constantly bickering and screaming about how to best appease the empress; and if they do need rest, they rest within the Circle's chamber. The clans also must decide on a single member to represent Violet Clouds in the realm of foreign policy, and also to mediate ideas within the Circle so that progress can be made should talks become stagnant. This member and their clan are immediately elevated to the most prestigious seat within the chamber, presiding over all discussions and bringing order to an otherwise utterly uncontrollable cluster of perpetually enraged Tabaxi. This Mediator is essentially the "leader" of Violet Clouds, as they are responsible for coordinating foreign relations, presenting state-level issues to the Circle, and delegating responsibility to the clans when a plan is to be executed. Additionally, they oversee the direction of the independent Major Houses underneath Violet Clouds whom are their own entity entirely separate from the Circle, ensuring they enact the will of the night. They are completely independent, and thus must often be swayed with promises of glory or gold, but some are content enough serving Violet Clouds so that they may be closer to Astralshaper, and closer to removing the Vicarvoyancy.
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