House Sentel
One of the Great Houses because of their great Keep Sentel within Hero’s Rest. Sentel is wealthy as they are the House that mines all Iron and stone for the empire, which the kingdom is based off. They control the Stone Labyrinth and all its towns. The House is one of the oldest, established during the Iron boom. Their sigil is a labyrinth of stone-grey and iron-silver stretching out from two bloody, gouged-out eyes on a banner of orange, the color of burning iron.
Simplified, their banner is a dark orange with iron accents, or a grey and silver surcoat brightened with orange.
Sentel is wealthy as they are the House that mines all Iron and stone for the empire, which the kingdom is based off. House is one of the oldest, established during the Iron boom. Members of the Sentel family are distinguishable by their very pale skin, red-ringed eyes, and large arms.
House Sentel holds only one remaining Principal House, as all others have been absorbed. However, the towns absorbed by Sentel are filled with sworn bannermen.
Other Stone Labyrinth Houses absorbed into Sentel through marriages over the years. Now only one distinct House remains. Bluestone. The names of others can be found in history, but they have no named children to uphold them in the current. All were sworn bannermen and principal Houses of Sentel. This has resulted in a massive amount of true Sentel members, and not many in surrounding minor Houses.
- House Calburn
- House Erree
- House Bridgestar
- House Silverford
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Markas Sentel , Duke of Stone Labyrinth, Praesitor of the Shield, the Gargoyle, Seat on the Emperor’s Council. Good friends with the High Witnesses of the Iron Creed. Nicknamed the Gargoyle because of how he sits in the council meetings. Later betrothed to Vid Vaele for the emperor election which is broken when Darrik murders Arice Vaele and Khasmus swears loyalty to Carantus. Son of Paulus and Shana Sentel. Great-great-grandson of Roderick Sentel the First and the Witness’ Blood. Great-grandson of Roderick Sentel II and Armenia Sentel of House Glore, daughter of the Emperor Isidorus Glore.- Elivance Sentel of House Bluestone, Wife to Markas. Died in childbirth giving birth to Markas III. Cousin to Brerides Bluestone.
- Markas Sentel II, the Omen, Firstborn son of Markas and Elivance Sentel that died from absorbing a soul accidentally. Bad omen of soul eaten by a Soul Eater.
- Shalen Sentel, Teenage daughter of Markas and Elivance. Betrothed to Blarat Bluestone.
- Markas Sentel III, the Hope, Infant son of Markas and Elivance.
- Nyra Sentel, Younger sister to Markas. Nicknamed the Manless for her refusals to get married. Lady of Silverbridge.
- Brunn Sentel, Younger brother of Markas. Dean of the Thorn. Lord of Kings Cove. Married to Gwyth Sentel of House Cortys, who is the sister to the Lord of Blood Mountain, Sir Galienes Cortys, and the granddaughter of Vesuvius Glore, the First Soulsworn. Together they have a son named Branton Sentel, a Soulomancer at the Thorn.
- Cayle X Sentel, his daughter. Married Dawend Aegis. Dawend refused the Carantus tradition that Cayle X wanted to continue of naming their child Cayle, and named their son Roderick.
- Sir Roderick Sentel/Aegis IV, Lord of the Gold Grotto's, son of Dawend Aegis and Cayle X Sentel. Married to Eltath Sentel of House Blackthall. Sir Roderick IV was forced to take the name Sentel and forego Aegis, leaving House Aegis to his younger brother, Walter Aegis in a ploy by the younger brother. Roderick IV then in turn fathered Raina Sentel and Roderick Sentel V, continuing the great Roderick name after it was foresworn by Sir Roderick Sentel III, grandson of the Sir Roderick II.
- Cayle Sentel IX, daughter of Galon. Married Billon Strickland.
- Sir Cayle Carantus VII, son of Galon, known as the Forsaken after he betrayed his House Sentel for Carantus in the Taint of Devotion. The Forsaken Cayle has a Bastard Cayle Carantus, betrothed to Aelia Maxler.
- Sir Roderick Sentel II, his son. Married Armenia Glore who took the name Sentel, daughter of Emperor Isidorus Glore and Loeria Glore.
- Myke Sentel, Roderick II's son. Married Ellya Sentel of House Calburn and fathered Paulus Sentel and Hersy Sentel. Paulus became Duke of Stone Labyrinth, and Hersy married Vesuvius Silverford, but kept the Sentel name in herself and her children, of whom were Aethelon, Valeris, and Galon Sentel. Paulus Sentel fathered Markas Sentel, Nyra Sentel, and Brunn Sentel.
- Hostilia Sentel, the Emberling, Roderick II's daughter. Banished to the Ember Dominance for consorting with them. It is believed she mothered many children there whose heirs started the Battle of the Inferno in an attempt to fight the Empire because they could tie their own blood back to House Glore through Hostilia Sentel.
- Witness Arin Sentel, second son of Roderick II. Was an unfaithful witness and had a child despite his vows and was killed for it. That child was Sir Roderick III.
- Sir Roderick III, Arin's son. In the event that started the horrible Taint of Devotion, Roderick III declared his love for a common woman, Aislin, and named her as a Sentel in the eyes of God. Many believe that Roderick III was always tainted due to his conception from a Witness, others believe that he was just a fool in love. But in the end Roderick III was forced to fight his fellow Sentel's and was later slain alongside his wife, but not after fathering two sons.
- Witness Titus Sentel, Son of Roderick III and Aislin Lowborn. Second cousin to Markas Sentel and brother to Tullus. Became a Witness to atone for the sins of his father.
- Witness Tullus Sentel, Son of Roderick III and Aislin Lowborn. Second cousin to Markas Sentel and brother to Titus. Became a Witness to atone for the sins of his father.
- Kars Sentel, betrothed to Cheldi Bluestone
- Kardath Sentel, betrothed to Alssa Bluestone.
- Kenrick Sentel, betrothed to Grisada Bluestone
- Myke Sentel II, betrothed to Seia Bluestone
- Katerine Sentel, once of House Silverford, last of her House. Married into the Sentel family and mothered Kardath and Kenrick Sentel.
NAMES
Traditionally, Sentel names favor towards the 'ck' and 'k's. This is because it was a prominent consonant in the old language spoken by the tribe that the First Witness came from, long ago when Veler, the Tempest appeared. However, scattered throughout are also names more akin to the style found in House Glore, long and elegant and usually ending in 'ius' or 'us'. These are odes to their rulers, and the time spent on Old Iron together. Sentel uses these older names to show their rich history reaching back just as far as the Glore's. Examples:- Markas, Rickard, Roderick, Myke, Kardath, Kars, Mickel, Kenrick
- Hostilus, Vesuvius, Titus, Tullus, Isigorus
Culture
The Sentel's are known as complex thinkers with a wealth of knowledge passed down through the long generations. They oft live long, healthy lives and most famous and infamous Sentel's made their mark at an old age. It is often remarked that their minds are laid out like their capital city, the Stone Labyrinth , and that they take random routes and turns to try and get to the one exit. Their tapestries tell of the slaying of cave-like Lost monsters that live in the labyrinthine passages of their home, cows and bulls morphed by human souls into strange half-human, half-animal hybrids known as Minotaurs. It is said that the Minotaurs were a surviving species of horrible creations akin to those that destroyed the world outside, creations of Ydall, God of Life. The Labyrinth is laid out to connect the center to all surrounding mining towns, while impenetrable to outsiders, coursing below and above ground, through mountains and in streams. However, this leaves many a hidden crag for hostile insiders such as the Minotaurs.
A faction within House Sentel that fight against the nobility have taken their names from the mythical Lost that used to call the Labyrinth home. The Minotaurs. This faction use the labyrinth like no others, striking at caravans and noble travelers in an attempt to one day bring down the hierarchy.
Public Agenda
House Sentel is the center of iron production in the Empire, and their agenda reflects that. They are in charge of making sure that they are constantly producing quality mineral and ore, and constantly venturing further into the great Virnach Mountains. They oversee its exportation to various parts of the Empire, and control what areas get what amount of iron, making them very good friends or dangerous enemies.
They are also closely aligned with The Iron Creed due to their ancestor, the First Witness, and are constantly pushing to spread the Creed's words and power to neighboring land. They are swift in punishment to non-believers and fund the raising of many Necrosects.
The motto emphasizes House Sentel's connection to the stone labyrinth and the valuable resources they extract from it. The phrase "From the Labyrinth's Depths" acknowledges the challenges and dangers involved in their mining operations, including battles with minotaurs. The use of the word "Rise" suggests the triumph and success that House Sentel has achieved despite these obstacles, and may also allude to their association with the blood of the First Witness. The motto could also imply that House Sentel has ambitions beyond their current wealth and status, and may seek to rise even higher in the future.
Assets
Sentel control the mining hub known as the Stone Labyrinth, main source of income from minerals. It is a place of richness and is one of the only Iron cities that is high up in the mountains, making it hard to travel between unless very wealthy. Connected to the stone labyrinth are an assortment of small towns dedicated to mining. All connect and surround the stone labyrinth like a spiderweb. The Stone Labyrinth encompasses a baker’s dozen of smaller mining towns scattered throughout the mountains, all exporting stone and iron as fast as possible. Each mining town is rife with minerals and ores essential for the economy of the Iron Empire. The Stone Labyrinth is the biggest exporter of iron and all other ores.
House Sentel also possesses the Bloodlust Plate, a Xandrian artifact worn by Sir Roderick during the Battle of Blood. It adorns the walls of the Stone Labyrinth, a relic.
Sentel possess the Bloodsteel sword Xyraxis.
History
The First Witness was a Hero of great innate power, believed to be the first Soulomancer by House Sentel, although passages in the Hallowed Writ tell of a weaker man who had his potential brought out by Veler. But both accounts agree that he fought alongside Veler at the end of the Blood Age. He witnesses the glory of Veler and Glorius, and witnessed the entirety of the Yellow Campaign, and the beginning of the Storm Age.
In return, Veler showed him the great stores of iron and what it could do beneath Mount Ferrum, on what becomes Old Iron as the First Witness settled there alongside Glorius. The First Witness was the only one who knew how to mine the substance and forge it into great weapons or tools with his magical power as they had no forges yet, and he did so, bringing the science to the people of the future empire. Soon after this first excavation, the people of the Iron Kingdom created forges and mines and the blacksmith techniques, but they would have never gotten there if it were not for the First Witness. In return, the First Witness carved out his own eyes to better see Veler in his great holiness. However as time went on, the Witness found himself unable to father any children and continue his blessed line. He used a great, unholy spell to create the Witness' Blood, a hermaphrodite homunculus of pure blood that later birthed Sir Roderick Sentel I. Because of this, the members of House Sentel not only view themselves as descendants of a Hero of the Blood Age who fought alongside Veler, but also descendants of the man who found iron and showed them how to use it, and a being of pure magic that connects them to the Gods and gives them better sight once they have taken their own eyes. Now as head of the Witnesses, they show others how to access this magical sight and worship the Gods anew.
The Taint of Devotion
The Taint of Devotion can be summarised as House Sentel infighting that caused great ripples through all the Houses of Iron. It started when Sir Roderick Sentel III married Aislin, a lowborn commoner and turned his cousins Markas, Brunn, and Nyra against him, who followed the words of the Witnesses above all else. He fought back for his right to marry whoever he wished, but the Witnesses came down on him as marrying a lowborn is tainting the divine blood of Sentel, descendants of the First Witness. And thus, the Stone Labyrinth was divided by blood. During this time, Cayle Carantus, the Forsaken, turned his back on Sentel and raped the Gold Grottos. Dawend Aegis came to Sentel's aid, and his son took the Sentel name to rule over the Gold Grottos, unaware of their destruction. The Taint of Devotion resulted in A Battle of Blood. Fought within the twisting alleys of the Stone Labyrinth, Roderick III and his bannermen fought the others of Sentel. More can be seen in the History of Vaskeer. Since then, House Sentel has set about taking over all their own Principal Houses by occupying them through political marriages and alliances. They want the entire Stone Labyrinth under the name Sentel. All that remains is House Bluestone.
From the Labyrinth's Depths, We Rise
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