Great Houses of the Dawn Empire - Fotgral Kegbrand

To outsiders, the expanse of the Dawn Mountain Range can seem empty, barren and cold. While this was true in previous eras, the Dawn Mountains are now the most interconnected region in Potestatem . This sudden urbanization and growth in importance can be attributed to the nine great families which help run and manage various aspects of the empire. I, Fotgral Kegbrand am creating this short book to aid those unfamiliar with the great families. I have organized this essay according to my estimation of the importance of the nine families; the most important families being first and the least important being near the bottom.
On the marks and their importance: It should be noted, each of the nine great families are associated with a mark of power. Why their bloodline bestows these marks is uncertain. The most commonly held belief is that the mark is a sign from the temple above that the great families have holy providence to continue rulership over the nation. Others assess that an ancient ritual preformed by Bunulbilg is responsible for the marks. Regardless, these marks are a quick and easy way to assess if a person if part of one of the great families.

(Ouranos - Money grubbers. Don't expect to ride for free! I tried hitchhiking once and got thrown off the train to the goblins.)

We begin our examination of the great houses with House Ouranos which in my estimation is the most powerful house in the Dawn Empire. It is associated with the Mark of Passage which lends all house members extraordinary affinity with travel based magic.
The source of Ouranos's power derives from their total monopoly over the lightning rail system which runs throughout the Dawn Empire. Thanks to House Ouranos, the disparate corners of the empire have been connected like never before. All trade, communications and commerce must go through the lightning rail giving House Ouranos leverage on all other great houses.

(Dirnsi - Some say they protect the Dawn Empire, I think they are just brutes who like bullying others)

House Dirnsi is an interesting case. While historically less important than most of the great houses, the importance of House Dirnsi has grown exponentially since the conquest of Memphia. By my estimation, it is the second most important great house. It is associated with the Mark of Sentinel, which gives it's bearers strong defensive abilities.
The source of House Dirnsi's power is their power and influence over the Dawn Empire's military. While their ability to act unilaterally in exerting that power has historically been limited by the other houses, the recent conquest of Memphia has seen the oversight of the other houses decreases massively. This has caused House Dirnsi to have effective authoritarian control over much of Memphia and the fringes of the Dawn Empire.

(Hephstus - If a member of House Hephstus asks if you want to hear about his schematic, run. You might starve to death before he finishes talking about it.)

House Hephstus has historically been the most important great house in the Dawn Empire. (The recent bellicose nature of the Dawn Empire has left the house with less influence than any point since the empire's founding.) The house is associated with the Mark of Making. The mark has caused House Hephstus to have the greatest Artificers in the world. It has been their guidance and creative usage of the power inherent to marks of power that has lead to the many inventions of many of the Dawn Empire.
The obvious source of House Hephstus's power is their ability to create wonderous items embowed with various magical properties. While their Artificers are skilled, it has been the various creations House Hephstus has made in partnership with the other great houses that truly gave their house influence in the Dawn Empire. The Lightning Rail, Warforged and the various airships which fly the skies of Bundelbilg were created in partnership with House's Ouranos, Dirnsi and Windlind. These three inventions are only the tip of the creations House Hephstus has created. I give thanks to House Hephstus every time I take an airship between levels in Bundelbilg.

( Bunul - Snobbish scribes who think they are better than you)

House Bunul traces it's roots back to Bunulbilg himself. As such they are as stuck up as the temple flies. This is because, they see the maintenance of the empire as their sacred duty. House Bunul is associated with the Mark of Scribing which gives abilities related to writing, communication and language.
The awesome and unfathomable size and complexity of the Dawn Empire's bureaucracy is managed by House Bunul. While the house does see the maintenance of the empire as it's sacred duty, it wields it's control over the bureaucratic system to it's advantage on occasion. If house Hephstus makes the wonderous magical creations in the Dawn Empire, House Bunul manages the land it is built upon.

(Sherling - No one likes the police.)

House Sherling is responsible for internal policing of the empire. They possess the Mark of Detection which helps them in figuring out crimes and locating criminal activity.
Sherling, gets political power by it's influence over the police and the court system. Similarly to House Bunul, House Sherling occasionally bends the rules to favor their own interests. Police captains, guard commanders, notable detectives and important judges are all common occupations for bearers of this mark.

(Whorris - Only in Bunulbilg is the underground also run by a noble house.)

House Whorris has the most sinister reputation among the great houses. How much is truth and how much is fiction is a matter of debate. House Whorris is associated with the Mark of Shadow which gives abilities related to illusions and deceptions.
How powerful House Whorris is overall... is hard to pin down. Unlike the other houses, House Whorris does not have any central organization keeping the mark bearers unified. The house is also the largest in terms of the number of denizens with the Mark of Shadow. As such, Whorris members can be found as criminal bosses, information brokers, spies and diplomats. (Among many other things.)

(Perisi - Like House Hephstus but with an inferiority complex.)

Many consider this house more Perisian than true Dawn Mountain stock. The House Perisi is associated with the Mark of Warding which allows for the summoning of magical energy and the creation of complex magical runes.
The house has much influence in academia but little real world pollical clout. Despite many in the house being highly proficient wizards, the Dwarf preference for Artificry has relegated his house to a second class version of House Hephstus.

(Windlind - Up jumped sailors.)

If I had to name a house which I thought could supplant House Ouranos in power and influence, it would be House Windlind. House Windlind is associated with Mark of Storm which gives them control and power over wind elementals and magics.
The most natural usage of such abilities is sailing. As one would imagine, having a large merchant fleet and running ferry services in a land locked mountain empire naturally resulted in Windlind being relegated as a second class house. This is rapidly changing with the advent of airships, which are controlled by using the Mark of Storm. If trends continue, airships might eventually replace lightning rail as the most important mode of transport and thus make Windlind one of if not the most important house.

(Lifgivender - Like the good version of House Ouranos.)

My personal favorite house. Lifgivender is something truly special. They possess the Mark of Healing which gives their members extraordinary healing abilities.
They are the least powerful of the houses, their members run and operate most of the healing centers in and around the empire and even travel abroad when plagues' hit foreign lands. Incredibly, they operate entirely off of donations. This makes the house very popular with the general public and House Lifgivender members can always count on a free ale at the tap house when they indulge in such things.

I hope you found my brief essay on the great houses helpful to your understanding of the Dawn Empire. For more, please read my collection of Dawn Empire knowledge in Kegbrand's Encyclopedia of Everything.

Type

Geopolitical, Great house