The Stokenshires

The Stokenshires are one of the most prominent and long-lived families in the world. The majority are merchants or craftsmen famous for their skill and expertise, though many excel in artisan or other fields. No matter the profession, Stokenshires are known to be excellent in whatever field they’re in. They are also known to be exceedingly honest, trustworthy, and philanthropic. It is said that a promise made by a Stokenshire is as good as the word of the Fantasma.
The Stokenshires are one of only a handful of families that utilize the Cognomian Clause of the International Marriage and Family Act. In short, the family name of “Stokenshire” is registered, which means that no person can use or be given the surname unless it is approved by the appointed family head. Anyone falsely claiming to be a Stokenshire can face fines or even jailtime. This means that even children born to a Stokenshire cannot inherit the name. All members of the Stokenshire family have to adhere to strict family traditions, requirements, and tenets in order to maintain their status. If they do not, then they are be stripped of their name and family assets.
Though not well known, the protection of the family name is due to the family’s link to the Daughter of the Sun. Publicly, the Stokenshire’s are well known to collectively be the largest doners to the Sunnin Social System. Privately, they have a very close and secretive relationship with the chosen line of Ester and are as loyal to the Daughter of the Sun as guardians are to the Fantasma.
Earning the name Stokenshire is arguably harder than any other family the uses the Cognomian Clause but also comes with many benefits and a high level of prestige.

Origins

The Generous Tailor

Though the Stokenshire name was officially registered in 705 TS by Lewis Stokenshire, its origins can be traced back much further to the beginning of the TS era when an obscure tailor named Terrence Stokenshire met the first Daughter of the Sun, Ester Fantas, and her daughter, Sarah Fantas. This fateful encounter and one random act of kindness would eventually launch the family into greatness.
Terrance was a tailor talented at channeling, which meant he could infuse quartz with mentus for various effects. Though this was often done when making armor, it was much more difficult with regular clothing as it required a lot of creativity embedding quartz crystal into clothing in a way that looked stylish. Typically, this meant only using tiny quartz rocks as adornments, making the effectiveness of any embedded mentus very limited. Terrance was working on a way to overcome this limitation, so a few years after graduating masters school, the 26-year-old tailor used all of his savings to setup shop in the small town of Keeler, north of the Trinidadian Lake, and start his research.
After only a year, disaster struck when the town was destroyed due to war. It was in the aftermath of this war that Fantasma, Ester, and their ten-year-old daughter, Sarah, were surveying the town. It was only the second year since the Fantasmal Government had been established and the fledgling bureaucracy was still trying to determine how to help people adversely impacted by war. Ester too, was new in her role as Daughter of the Sun and was uncertain how much influence she truly had. In the end, they determined that the most they could do was help people relocate to a larger, more established city so they could start over.
However, Terrance had lost almost everything when his shop was destroyed and didn’t have the funds to start over. There was very little left of value in the shop except for a few prototypes he made using an experimental procedure to bind tiny particles of quartz in the lining of clothing. Surprisingly, they were all completely undamaged. One of the prototypes was a small yellow sundress.
It was while Terrance was salvaging everything he could from the ruins of his store, that Ester and Sarah happened to pass by. Sarah noticed the yellow sundress sitting outside the shop and was fascinated by it. Having grown up poor, she’d rarely gotten new clothing, and to her, the sundress was beautiful. She’d never seen anything like it, and she ran up to the dilapidated storefront to examine it, much to her mother’s chagrin.
When Terrance saw how enamored the small girl was with his dress, he offered it to her as a gift, even going as far to embed mentus into it to adjust to her size. At first, Ester wanted to refuse, but Terrance said that he was happy that the young girl seemed to truly love the dress, and he wanted her to have it because of that.
Sarah was elated at the gift, and though Terrance didn’t know it, she wore the dress countless times over multiple years. The dress even continued to adjust itself slightly over time to fit her as she grew. No matter how often she wore the dress, it never seemed to wear out, and it could be easily cleaned so that it always looked brand new. In the end, she kept the dress as a memento and eventually gave it to her own daughter years later. Because of this, Sarah never forgot the kind tailor who’d gifted her the amazing dress even after he’d lost everything.
For his part, because he had no means to start over, Terrance had to go work for another, more prominent tailor in order to earn money. He rarely got to work on his own designs and concepts as a result, though he still did so at every opportunity. It took over sixty years, but he finally reached a point where he had discovered a way to turn quartz into a type of fiber and was on the verge of making it thin enough to be turned into fabric. He then decided to strike out on his own again so that he could perfect the process. He soon opened his own shop in the Estern town of Elinar.
In a tragic case of déjà vu, Terrance met with disaster again. Within a year of opening his shop, Elinar was attacked by a neighboring town and suffered extensive damage. Though the entire town wasn’t destroyed like before, Terrance still lost his shop and most of what was in it. Now-at 87-years-old, Terrance had spent a little more than half his life trying to establish his shop and special techniques only to meet with constant setbacks through no fault of his own.
It was in the aftermath of this attack that fate had him cross paths once again with Sarah Fantas, who was now the Daughter of the Sun, her mother having passed away a few years prior. Sarah, who’d grown up learning the roles and responsibilities of the Daughter of the Sun from her mother, was extremely proactive and often visited places that were plagued with war to try and broker peace between the warring domains. It was because of this that she was visiting Elinar, and completely by chance, ran across Terrance as he was trying to salvage his shop.
Sarah immediately recognized the tailor and explained that she was the little girl he’d gifted the dress to all those years ago. Terrance remembered her and was surprised to learn that the dress he gave her still looked almost brand new, and that Sarah planned to one day give it to her granddaughter. When she heard the tailor’s story about how he’d once again had his shop destroyed, she was heartbroken. Because Elinar suffered far less damage than Keeler had years before, Sarah was able to use the Sun Stone to restore the destroyed buildings, including Terrance’s shop, thus preventing him from loosing everything a second time.
Sarah was also quite fascinated with Terrance’s research into using quartz more extensively in clothing. Having seen and used one of his early prototypes, she could tell that the tailor was extremely talented but had never had the opportunity to put his ideas into practical use due to the huge expense and multiple setbacks. So, she used her influence as Fantasma’s daughter and invited the tailor to come work at the mountain. She promised to give him all the resources he needed to pursue his research, and he could open a shop within the mountain’s fledgling town of Teedmount where he could sell his wares. Her only request was that he come up with a unique and durable uniform for the staff members within the mountain.
Terrance was stunned by her generosity and graciously accepted. He moved to Fantasmal Mountain and immediately got to work. Within a year he’d finally perfected the quartz-based fabric, ustus. It was a revolutionary invention. Not only was the fabric resistant to being soiled, worn out, or damaged, but mentus could be embedded directly into it. This was the culmination of Terrance’s life’s work, and Sarah made sure that the Fantasmal Government did not try to claim ownership of the ustus creation process just because he perfected it while working in the mountain. This ensured that Terrance had full rights to his creation.
Using ustus as a base, Terrance created special robes as an answer to Sarah’s request for unique and durable uniforms for the Fantasmal Staff. The first robes were white with purple belts and special symbols denoting position in government. The concept took off with staff members who liked the idea that they could wear whatever they wanted under their robes, and that the robes themselves were light, breathable, and had pockets with embedded mentus that allowed them to hold objects of all sizes.
Fantasma also loved the robe concept but wanted people in higher positions to have different robes to better mark their status and rank. Using adimus aura colors as a starting point, Terrance developed what would eventually be the template for what each robe and belt combination meant, allowing them to be used as an outward sign of adimus rank. Specifically, he created purple robes with silver belts for the guardians, blue robes with silver belts for the mind mages, and a purple robe with a gold belt for the Fantasma.
Terrance also made twelve robes specifically for the epouranals, making sure they were of the highest quality. With Fantasma’s permission, he presented the robes, blue with gold belts, at the next Epouranal Council and much to his surprise, the twelve epouranals not only accepted them, but from that point forward, whenever any epouranal was seen in public, they were wearing their robes.
It was because of this that ustus robes exploded in popularity and the once obscure tailor became an almost overnight sensation. Terrance’s life was a whirlwind after that. He took on apprentices to teach them how to create ustus and opened shops around the world to sell robes and other clothing. For almost a decade his stores were the only ones capable of making ustus clothes. Eventually Terrance leased the rights to other tailors, masters schools, and even the Fantasmal Government. The quartz-based fabric revolutionized the clothing industry and society as a whole. Terrance soon became the most influential merchant in the world and amassed a wealth that has not been matched in the thousands of years since.
It was partially due to Terrance’s invention that the Global Trade and Commerce Authority was established under the Fantasmal Government. The department codified the robe rank system, adjusting it as needed over the years, and regulated silver and gold ustus by embedding it with the Fantasmal Signature to prevent fraud. They also established the rule that patents and rights to inventions could be held in exclusivity for no more than three hundred years after registration, meaning that Terrance and his family could only profit from the rights to create and use ustus for a finite period of time.
This did not bother Terrance, as the patent would long outlive him and even his children, allowing for his family to have wealth for generations to come. Instead, he made a point of being very philanthropic and giving back as much as he could. He specifically helped Sarah in her endeavors as Daughter of the Sun. Though she had influence as the daughter of the Fantasma, she couldn’t use the government’s money and resources freely, so Terrance used his own money to help fund her projects and the two became great friends.
Terrance eventually married late in life and had two sons. He raised them to have a high respect for the Daughter of the Sun, not only because of the work she did to help people, but because of what she had personally done to help him, reinforcing countless times that everything their family had was due to Sarah Fantas, so that they would never forget the debt they owed her. He also instilled in them the importance of being generous and kind, for it was generosity that earned him the opportunity to change his fate.

The Eternal Vow

By 700 TS, the Daughter of the Sun was no longer a figure of prominence. Ester Fantas was the first Fantasma’s wife, so she was able to wield a great deal of influence. Sarah Fantas was the Fantasma’s daughter, and she too was able to wield some level of influence. However, as the bureaucracy grew, it became increasingly difficult for Fantasma’s extended family, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, to wield any sort of influence in the mountain. After the first Fantasma died in 323 TS, the title of Daughter of the Sun was almost completely forgotten. Though the firstborn daughters in the line of Ester continued to pass down the legacy, they could affect very little change as they had no resources to draw from.
On the other hand, the Stokenshire family had become one of the most prominent in the world. Not only had Terrance Stokenshire’s legacy as a mentant tailor been passed down through his descendants, but several Stokenshires branched out into other fields creating their own legacies in the areas of blacksmithing, carpentry, and quartzsmithing. Though Terrance’s children and grandchildren helped the Daughter of the Sun in any way they could, in respect to his wishes, as the Daughter of the Sun’s influence fell off, so did her connection to the Stokenshires.
Things would have continued in this way if not for the intervention of High Mage Lenora Megsworth. In 700 TS, the Parmeo Epouranal Mage visited the clothing store of Lewis Stokenshire in the city of Ramilda. She told him that he had a legacy to fulfill on behalf of his ancestor Terrance and that he would understand more by accessing Terrance’s memories in the family nexus, which was a quartz-based device that held powerful memories from deceased family members. Unwilling to ignore the word of an epouranal, Lewis did as instructed. He already had the Stokenshire family nexus and used it to access Terrance’s memories, the first person ever attached to it.
Lewis not only received a rush of powerful memories from the nexus concerning Terrance and Sarah Fantas, he also had a rare encounter where he was able to receive a message from his ancestor, an echo from the past that spoke directly to him. Terrance explained that he and all of his descendants had been blessed because of the Daughter of the Sun. It wasn’t just because she helped him when he’d lost everything, but also because of his commitment to aid her in all of her endeavors throughout the years. That symbiotic relationship created a powerful bond that manifested as a blessing on the name Stokenshire.
Though the Stokenshires had done well to continue to prosper beyond Terrance, they would soon be at a crossroads. Their legacy could fade away over time, as all things do, or endure forever, depending on the choice they made. If the Stokenshires committed to fully serving the Daughter of the Sun and helping her fulfil her duties, just as Terrance did, then the blessing on their name would persist and even grow.
Lewis was stunned by these words and at first didn’t know if he could believe them. However, remembering that it was an epouranal who had given him the initial push, he knew he couldn’t take the warning lightly. He summoned his four cousins, all Stokenshires, to consult with him on what he’d seen. All of them used the nexus and received the same vision which was confirmation enough that they needed to heed their ancestor’s warning.
So, Lewis used his considerable resources to find the current Daughter of the Sun, Angela Terrain. The young woman ran an orphanage in a small town in southern Candovia, doing her best to help in whatever small way she could. Lewis explained who he was and why he’d come, and to his surprise, Angela told him that she too had received a vision from her ancestor, Ester Fantas.
As the first Daughter of the Sun, Ester had the ability to reach out to any of her descendants when they were in need, and she explained to Angela that it was time to fulfill her duty as chief caretaker of the planet. Now that the Daughter of the Sun was no longer linked to the Fantasma, people would be able to see her as an independent member of world leadership. Ester explained that everything would start to come together and that someone was coming to find her and help her build her legacy. It was clear that person was Lewis Stokenshire.
Upon hearing this, Lewis immediately swore that he, and the rest of his family, would devote whatever resources necessary for Angela to build the vision she had for an organization devoted to directly aiding the people of the world, bypassing the bureaucracy of government. With the Stokenshire’s help, the Sunnin Social System was founded. The Daughter of the Sun quickly rose to prominence after she was recognized as the chief caretaker of the world by the epouranal mages, cementing her place as a world leader.
Lewis helped Angela with all of her endeavors and his family fully funded the Sunnin Social System for many years. Even as other organizations and domains started to lend support, the Stokenshires continued to be their largest benefactors. In addition to this, because Angela trusted them, the Stokenshires were the only one’s privy to the secrets of the Daughter of the Sun, and they helped her in many private and personal matters as well.
The Stokenshire’s status and prosperity grew exponentially as they worked with Angela. No matter how much money they poured into Sunnin, they still had vast wealth, proving that their connection to the Daughter of the Sun truly was a blessing to them. Their influence led them to found the merchant city of Weaver’s Road, with help from several other prominent merchant families, and they used that as a base for all of their endeavors.
Though Lewis and his cousins served Angela faithfully for many years, he realized that just like what had happened before, as time went on, the Stokenshires could end up drifting away from the Daughters of the Sun. To ensure that would never happen, and to make sure their vow to serve the Daughter of the Sun lasted for all time, Lewis proposed a radical idea to his cousins. They would register their family name with the Fantasmal Government and solidify their principles and vows permanently. This way, the Daughter of the Sun would know that she could always trust in the support and fidelity of the Stokenshires.
The others immediately agreed and they went to Angela to tell her of their decision. They wanted to make sure that every descendant of the Daughter of the Sun could trust the Stokenshires without question, so they formed the core of their family tenants around one vow: “As long as the name Stokenshire remains, we will always serve the Daughter of the Sun.”
Angela was, of course, taken aback that they had done something so drastic to ensure their family’s continued loyalty, but Lewis revealed his ancestor’s words, explaining that the Stokenshire line was blessed because of their connection to the Daughter of the Sun, which meant that the only people who should ever have that name, and in turn that blessing, are people who would dedicate themselves to serving her.
From then on, the Stokenshires continued to serve the Daughter of the Sun. Publicly they are known for being the largest doners to the Sunnin Social System and many people are also aware they hold a seat on its board, codified in its charter. However, few people truly understand the depths of the connection between the Daughters of the Sun and the Stokenshires, the family honor bound to serve and protect her legacy beyond anything else. In the over 4000 years since the family was registered, the Stokenshires have managed to uphold their vow, making sure to only give the name to those who understand the weight of it and expelling anyone who breaks it.

Family Covenant

The covenant of a family is an official document that can be added to its registration. It dictates the various requirements and/or benefits given to official family members. It is not required, however if one is in place, a 70% majority of the registered family members is required to change it, unless specific exceptions are allowed within the covenant itself.
The Stokenshire Covenant covers the prerequisites, requirements, and benefits of family members

Prerequisites

In order to obtain the name Stokenshire, you must first be a blood or adopted relative of an existing Stokenshire, no more than two generations removed. In addition, you must be registered by the current family head. These conditions are the ones explicitly specified under the Cognomian Clause of the International Marriage and Family Act.
Beyond this, the Stokenshires have three requirements of those who wish to gain the name. First, and foremost, they must demonstrate significant knowledge of the history between the Stokenshires and the Daughters of the Sun. Most children born to a Stokenshire are taught this history growing up. They must also demonstrate an understanding of the family’s obligation to the Daughter of the Sun, not just financially, but in every conceivable way.
Secondly, they must excel in an area or field befitting a Stokenshire. This is typically at the discretion of the family head, but in general this includes all manner of merchants and craftsmen and can extend to artisans, engineers, and architects. Various outliers have been added, notably renowned authors, scholars, and professors. Explicitly excluded are summoners, guardians, and weather masters, due to their conflicting loyalties. They do not have to be recognized as the best in the world in their field, however they must have demonstrated high skill and have high prestige even if just among a small circle.
Third, they must demonstrate generosity, kindness, honesty, and humility. They must have a proven track record of serving others in their community, using their money and resources for the public good, and treating their customers and clients fairly.
The family head has the latitude to require references or a sponsor from within the family, or to consult other family members for opinions about the applicant. In the end, however, it is the family head’s decision.

Requirements

All members of the family must uphold the family creed and tenets.
Family members must donate no less than 10% of their annual gross income to the Sunnin Social System, or more if the family head mandates it. They must also provide an additional 3% of their income toward the family account with a maximum of 5% if mandated by the family head. The family account funds the purchase, upkeep, and maintenance of family assets as well as other family expenditures or emergency needs.
Stokenshires must be active in their profession or field until they reach the designated retirement age for their adimus rank, as established by the family covenant, unless extenuating circumstances prevent it.

• Nons – 70
• Mentants / Channelers – 90
• Other Mentant-Nons – 120
• Mandants / Mind Mages – 190

Family members must be community members in good standing, meaning they pay any requisite taxes, do not participate in criminal activities, and abstain from violence except in domain sanctioned wars or in the protection of self or others.
A family member must consult the family head before changing professions or fields or changing the geographical location of their shop. This is to prevent family members from actively competing with one another.
Upon the death of a family member, at least one of their properties (residential or commercial) must be bequeathed to the family. If this is not done, then the equivalent value of the largest property must be paid from their remaining assets.
Above all requirements, family members must honor requests made by the Daughter of the Sun and strive to serve her in any way needed.

Benefits

Properties & Assets
Family members may use any family residential property for the following purposes

• As a home when starting or relocating a business for up to five years.
• As a vacation home or location for parties, business retreats, or other events
• As a retirement home, as long as they’ve reached retirement age
• As a temporary home for up to five years when primary residence has been damaged or destroyed
• As a temporary home for non-Stokenshire children of family members attending mentant, advanced mentant, or masters schools

Family members may use any family commercial property as a temporary or permanent location for a store, office or business related to their profession.
Family members also have access to the family’s fleet of ships In all cases, permission must be obtained from the family head in order to avoid conflicts.
Other Resources
Family members have access to the Stokenshire’s private library in Elberton, which contains, among other things, trade secrets accumulated over the years for various crafts and private documents related to the Daughter of the Sun.

• Family members have access to the family’s private melnet and communication crystal network.
• Family members can use the family’s security team and quickeners.
• Family members can request communal money and resources to start a shop or business. Permission is granted by the family head.
• Family members (along with their family or guests) can use the reserved seating at any of a myriad of hyperball stadiums around the world where the family has a VIP box.

Rights & Privileges

Merchant family members who live in Weavers Road are automatically members of the merchant council and have unrestricted access to the city core.
Merchant family members are recognized by the dwarves of Glorandor as trustworthy trading partners
Family members have access to Sunnin Mountain and the mountain’s library unless restricted by the Daughter of the Sun herself. The family head or proxy also sits on the board of the Sunnin Social System.
If a family member or their child finds themselves in financial or other serious trouble not born from their own gross negligence or wrongdoing, the entire family will come together to protect and help them in every way possible.
In addition, because of the reputation tied to the name Stokenshire, they are afforded a great deal of trust and latitude in all business dealings. Very few people would question the word of a Stokenshire. This prestige comes in handy in a myriad of situations and carries a status comparable to a high ranking noble.

Family Creed & Tenets

The Stokenshires have strict family tenets, which have existed since the family was first registered. Anyone holding the name must adhere to the family creed and tenets or be expelled from the family and lose all family assets.
Family Creed: As long as the name Stokenshire remains, we will always serve the Daughter of the Sun
The highest duty of the Stokenshires is to serve the Daughter of the Sun in any way that she needs. Nothing else takes priority, no other loyalty is more important, no other promise takes precedence.
Family Tenets
A Stokenshire does not cheat. They are fair, honest, and honorable in all business dealings. They do not use deceptive or subversive tactics in order to gain the upper hand in a deal or negotiation.
A Stokenshire is always kind. They are generous, give a helping hand when they’re able, and find ways to serve their community.
A Stokenshire always strives to excel. They are never satisfied with the status quo, always try to break boundaries in their field, and do not rest on the accomplishments of those who came before them.

As long as the name Stokenshire remains, we shall always serve the Daughter of the Sun

Page Contents

Organization Profile

Org Type	Family
Founded	705 TS
Founder	Lewis Stokenshire
Headquarters	Weaver's Road

Library Info & Links

Type

Family

Leader

Franklin Stokenshire

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