House Atemu
Holders of the easternmost lands of the Stygian Kingdom, and the defenders of the Sanguine Wall that has stood since the age of Musaf, though it has been torn down and rebuild and multiple occasions throughout its history. Yet still, do they hold their sacred charge in defending against the Sjeri hordes.
House Atemu has been molded by its sacred task of defending and holding the walls, their existence revolves around it and everyday Atemu soldiers die defending it. They value duty above everything, integrity and honor matters not on the wall, only that you fulfill your duty and hold, many outsiders view them as ruffians, gruff, rude, and often of disheveled appearance.
They have little patience for sincerity or placation and value only honesty, carrying this belief from their endless struggle atop the wall directly in the politics of the council, this honesty carries a certain trust to the other houses, but all know that the Atemu is always pragmatists before any other trait.
Though all the houses derive their might from magic and their knowledge and techniques of their ancestors, house Atemu has grown to have a unique view on how to utilize their magical techniques. A mage takes a long time to train if he is to be useful on the battlefield, but it takes a lot less time to train a man to fight but understand a single and at times simple but powerful spell. As such they train soldiers and regiments first and foremost with each member being bestowed a single technique which he must train to protect his regiment.
The most common would be the role of protector, such soldiers being learned to use the shield spell with great expertise allowing them to protect themselves and serve as an unbreakable line upon which their enemies may crash.
Archers being taught magic missiles allowing them to pinpoint enemy leaders and generals and strike them down with impunity as their magical onslaught homes in on their targets.
And finally the rarer role of the configurator, whose training may be long and arduous but their devasting spells such as fireball can change the battlefield in an instant.
Atemu land is a harsh land, with few areas able to support agriculture without the assistance of magic, but it is rich in iron and the sacred stygian stone, as well as rare roots used for beverage and medicine. Instead, the most common diet in these lands is Shimri eggs, harvested from carefully controlled hives.
Atemu is the last place in the kingdom where the old religion is still practiced, with the other houses taking on the worship of different gods or sticking to emerging traits like the other great cities and banning the worship of the gods. But in Atemu lands the red goddess is still worshipped, and her ideals of strength still held close, thus do they see themselves as the ones who are truest to Musaf, as they still worship his god.
The men and women of Atemu despise the thought of growing old and weak, and though few of them do, those who so desperately seek to be useful despite their age, many taking up training the next generation and the fanatical taking the oath of blood to let themselves be hurled from the walls upon the old sacrificial alters to their goddess. For they have lost the chance to die with honor and must now live in shame until they wither, and the old warriors are rarely shown any reverence or respect, it is a sign of cowardice.
The ordinary citizenry of the kingdom who live on Atemu lands view the Atemu as saviors and protectors, and it is a great honor to send one's firstborn to the wall to serve with their lords. The Atemu’s direct nature translate well too often simple lifestyle of the common man, they do not hide their intentions nor what they expect and the Atemu view their task of protecting the kingdom with great seriousness and this extends to those who live on their lands, thus do they take great care in inspecting their lands and any charges of corruption, for unlike the other houses they do not govern their lands directly instead of allowing the cities to select their own governance so long as they pay the tithe expected by their lords. Though this loose connection has been exploited before by the other houses, most the common folk have always stood by the side of the protectors and heroes, for they both bleed for the same land, and thus are equal in the eyes of the Atemu.
A tradition often viewed with disrespect from the outside is the 3-year circle, that married women of the House follow, as the house bears the heaviest casualties and death rate of any house, it is expected that every three years a child is conceived, a year to bear the child, a year to raise the child, a year to fight on the wall. This is the ancient tradition.
Structure
The Atemu family is ruled like a military organization first and foremost, with it's Autarch serving as the Grand Marshal, beneath him or she appoints the Garrison commanders to the different sections of the Sanguine Wall and those who must perform other nessesary duties such as Tief collection.
Undaunted
The Atemu bear the crest of their founding father, a great tower representing the walls of their lands, flanked by two arrows, to the background of red, or in stylized cases red crescents symbolizing the Red Goddess
Founding Date
1076
Type
Geopolitical, Great house
Demonym
Atemite
Parent Organization
Location
Related Ethnicities
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