Heartstopper House

The Heartstopper House is led by an Adventer, who is the most respected Elder cat elected upon the death of the last Adventer. Adventers are seen as religious guides as well as political leaders. It is believed that an Adventer is someone who could have ascended to Cat Heaven, but was chosen to remain alive to guide mortal dancing and communities.   Beneath the Adventer are the Elders, cats who are old and in high regards. To become an Elder, a cat must have put together or performed a "masterpiece" - a song, dance, art piece, or other activity deemed unique and compelling - during their stay with the House. Elders advise the Adventer and elect the new Adventer should the old one die.   The Spectaculars are the officers of the House who perform major tasks or important duties for the Adventer and Elders, and who gain significant status as a result. 'Conjurer Cats' are an entire sub-category of Spectaculars: these are essentially any cat proficient in magic, who casts for the benefit of the House.   Beneath the Spectaculars are the Lineages: groups of cats who teach younger apprentices in broad traditions. Lineages are often led by Line Fathers and Mothers, but are not formally systematized. Many are essentially social groups mixed with apprenticeships. Lineages are also the work teams of the House, used to harvest materials and gather food.   Cats who have not joined a Lineage are Initiates. Initiates are common grunt labor for the House and are highly encouraged to join a Lineage. It is considered shameful for the entire House for an Initiate to grow old without 'adoption' into a lineage, and the Adventer is known to intervene if a cat is left in limbo for too long.   Adventer Saltsky, the current Adventer, is a worldly cat who brought great coin to the House from their adventures in distant lands. They are aloof and philosophical, deeply committed to categorizing the world according to the Four Attributes. They can be somewhat critical of others, but are compassionate to the young initiates.

The Heartstopper House is genuine in its pursuit of the "perfect truth": the recipe for the ultimate style, often envisioned less as a formula and more as a perfect way of being. That said, they do like to be silly as well and to mix that silliness into their genuine beliefs in ways that befuddle or alarm outsiders. The House also sees hospitality and openness as keys to success and style. They welcome in any outsider and even open their colony houses to long-staying guests as long as they are willing to contribute to the House and remain clean.   Cleanliness is a major virtue among the Heartstoppers. While the fun and style may attract many recruits, the cleanliness of their spaces really sells the lifestyle to strays and wanderers. The close-quarters living of the colony houses demands cleanliness to prevent lice, fleas, and disease from spreading. Lineage leaders closely watch the cleanliness of their spaces as well as their foodstocks and water supply, to keep the basics clean and secure. The House takes these basics very seriously as the foundation of style and fun.

Cat history isn't measured well in years. Cats aren't fond of numbers, especially not these cats. Jellicle Balls mark the years effectively, but it would make them mundane to assign them numbers. The result is a history that actively tries to become legend.   It is said that, in the ancient days, the cats of Motosui were of two kinds: the Warrior's Legion in the forest (Traditionalist Cats), and the House Original in early Halamahi (Jellicle Cats). The two groups of cats fought terribly between each other and within themselves. Two cats, one traditional and one jellicle, fell into a forbidden romance and fled across the sea. There they learned great and powerful magical arts of Druidism. The Cat Heavens called them back to the sacred isles, where the two lover cats used druidic magic to commune with the newly founded Wardens of The Sacred Isles. They created a common ground for humans and cats to co-exist, which then led to negotiations to broker eternal peace between cats. The two cats have a series of magically blessed children who fought terribly, but who eventually communed with the otter Kailio to create a lasting enchantment of tranquility - a kind of bubble protecting catkind from discord, sustained by the goodwill and obedience of the cats. There is no actual material evidence of any such spell, but that is the story.   Many generations later the Jellicles and Traditionalists continued to live in peace, but the clans and houses kept in cycles of collapse and renewal as groups organized, rose, and fell. One such group was the Legion of Song, a group of disciplined and organized Jellicles who united all Jellicles under a single banner. The Legion of Song organized the cat colony houses, which helped cats live in greater density without conflict, and established the territorial boundary mapping used to this day. But the Legion's discipline conflicted with the Jellicle way. It lost the favor of Cat Heaven and so it collapsed.   The Diva Brigade was a group of elite bard and warriors within the Legion of Song, who were known for their exclusivity and secrecy. The Diva Brigade kept the peace between the colony houses after the Legion collapsed, but refused to sully itself by actually governing and leading. The Heartstopper House teaches that their founder, Diva Master Prince-X Heartstopper, was a member of the Diva Brigade who rejected the Brigade's isolationism and exclusionary elitism. Prince-X was a genderfluid savant, a true master of the bardic craft who was blessed by Cat Heaven with skill beyond measure. They earned the name "Heartstopper" when they performed so magnificently against the former leader of the Diva Brigade that their enemy's heart was stopped, killing them instantly and causing the entire Brigade to submit to Prince-X's leadership. Prince-X then organized a series of Grand Balls among the common colonies to determine who would lead the remnants of the Legion. Many colonies did not join, and went on to become other Jellicle Houses, but those that did were enchanted by Prince-X's otherworldly style and vision of unity. Prince-X wanted to bring the gifts of the Diva Brigade to all cats, that they should live in luxury and style together. To this end, they taught their apostles of the four attributes and the Diva Way.   Since Prince-X's magnificent ascension many generations ago, the Adventers of Heartstopper House have worked tirelessly to keep the Diva Way alive. This has meant a lot of boring work doing repairs and trades and gathering food, but Prince-X taught that one must grind in order to shine. And so, the House flourishes with a hard-work hard-play attitude that attracts many strays and youths to their banner.