House Deudermont

House Deudermont is most well known for being the nobles of the southern sea and for their corsair activities. The Deudermonts play by their own rules and always have, they have little presence in Nexus preferring to spend most of their time and resources in the southern sea, their ancestral home. The people of the isolated islands of Mintarn, led by House Deudermont, joined the Kingdom only a relatively short time ago and are still fiercely independent. The Deudermont family has vowed to control the unruly waters of the southern sea and tame the pirates who skip it's waves. The nobles of the family are gruff and crass with ruddy weather worn skin and sun bleached hair, they scarcely consider themselves nobles and act accordingly.

Culture

Deudermonts are sailors first and foremost, each noble captains his or her own ship and is expected sail the waves in search of their most hated enemies, the marauding pirates that infest the waters of the southern sea. Hunting pirates is more than a lifestyle, it is a solemn vow taken by each generation of Deudermonts to the people of their island home. The 2nd most important thing for them is the freedom to operate the way they choose, they are very flippant towards the King's laws and Judges. Their independent attitude comes from their long isolation on the Mintarn Islands and the old saying: "on a ship the captain is king"; they feel they are perfectly able to govern themselves and make the appropriate decisions for their own homes without monarchical intervention.

Public Agenda

House Deudermont serves the King on paper only and they care little for his decrees and expectations; in reality the Deudermont family's and the King's goals align, that is, getting rid of the pirate scourge. So House Deudermont continues to appear to bend the knee to the King in public and in return the King turns a blind-eye to the noble house's alleged indiscretions at sea. The Corsairs run a constant arms race with their prey for the newest ship designs and building materials, a hull shape that can cut the waves faster, a better treated wood to make canon balls bounce off the belt line, sails made of pure silk etc.

Assets

Mintarn Islands

Shipyard and Dry-Dock

Fleet of Corsair Ships

Sea Silk Snail Farms

Brinewine vineyards

History

Since the beginning of recorded time the inhabitants of the Mintarn Islands have been isolated from the mainland, they lived their lives oblivious to the existence of other kingdoms and peoples . One family of Mintarni rose to power and governance over the rest of the island dwellers and that family were the Deudermonts; by that time pirates led by the Pirate King were regularly looting mintarn settlements and sinking mintarn fishing vessels. With forests being too few on the island it was difficult for the inhabitants to make anything larger than a row boat. The Deudermonts had a bold plan to finally rid themselves of the pirate scourge but it was a life or death gamble: Everyone in the settlements would take apart their boats and scavenge the wood necessary to build a ship large enough to take on the Pirate King.

Once the ship was built and named, a Deudermont at it's helm, it sailed out to meet the pirates. The Sea Sprite achieved victory after victory against the Pirate King's forces and each vessel they captured was given to a member of the Deudermont family to captain. Soon only the King remained, his ship was swift but the Sea Sprite's dogged chase sent him into open waters; still captain Deudermont pursued, further than any Mintarni had sailed before twice over and further still. Then they saw land, a land much more vast and lush than their island home. The Pirate King beached his ship and jumped off, running inland to a stone keep not far from the coast. That is when the first Mintarni met the Kingdom of Calradia, the knights of the kingdom of men assaulted the keep and easily vanquished the weakened Pirate King and his remaining soldiers.

The leader of the knights met with captain Deudermont and thanked him, because the pirates were raiding the Kingdom's shores as well. The commander of the knights was surprised that the Deudermonts did not recognize the king's authority and in fact had never heard of him before.

Eventually the King at the time granted the Deudermonts a place of honor in the kingdom, they would be considered a noble family in the eyes of the people despite them not being of angelic descent; This was done as a compromise in an effort to stave off a war against Mintarn since it's people would not recognize the King as their ruler. It was considered wrong that the Kingdom of man would attack another human settlement and so they came to an agreement: The Deudermonts would be able to establish much needed trade with the Kingdom and they would unofficially rule the southern sea with little interference from the Kingdom. In exchange they would pay taxes to the King and pledge fealty to the Kingdom.

Religion

House Deudermont are fervent believers in the old gods, particularly Umberlee, the Bitch Queen and Talos, the Storm Lord. They regularly offer prayers and even sacrifices to the 2 gods whom they fear and respect.

"Of the Sea, Land and Sky"

Type

Geopolitical, Great house

Alternative Names

Corsairs, Silken Sails

Leader

Robillard Deudermont

Parent Organization

The Noble Houses

Notable Members

• Robillard Deudermont