Great House Riak
"[...] and Lord Riak was crowned the new king. No one objected. No one dared to object. Standing between Martin and the throne is a death sentence. A fact the old king learned all too late." - Lunir TyrralPeace, prosperity, stability. The cornerstones of civilization. A fact that is central to the farumens' worldview. A fact, in direct opposition to everything shurrans believe. The first farumens to settle in Hallia were scions of lesser noble houses from the farumen homeland. Before them, only refugees, outlaws and escaped slaves settled in Hallia, mostly from Shurrah. Technically both shurrans and farumens sought the same thing, independence from their old country's rigid hierarchy. To this end they worked together, initially in peace, but as time went on there were more and more bad blood between the two factions. On the farumen's side, House Riak lead the eventual charge against the original founders of their kingdom. They were victorious and Martin Riak took the mantle of king, leading Hallia into a new age. Hopefully.
Structure
Family: The noble family, whom the house is meant to serve.
House member: A person, who is subject to the noble family. The member is not directly related to the nobility.
On the top of the hierarchy sits the head of the house, a single person - man or woman - who's word is absolute. The head is a member of the family, often - though not always - the eldest of the family.
The head is aided by the House Council. The council's role is to advise in all kinds of house business. To this end, the member are selected carefully by the noble family. The council is usually made up of the general(s) of the house army, the caretaker of the estate and older family members. Any house member can potentially rise to the rank of council member, but never higher.
Other family members hold various positions within the organization. These positions often include the army leader or the estate caretaker.
Non-family house members carry out the orders of the nobility. They range from mercenaries and spies to craftsmen, treasurers and healers. High ranking army officers are also granted membership.
Servants and peasants serving House Riak are not granted membership, but they are also ruled over by them.
Public Agenda
House Riak is focused on the betterment of Hallia. Their first step on this road is to achieve peace within the kingdom.
History
George Riak was a lowly scion from a farumen noble family. He stood no chance of inheritance in his family. When he heard of shurran settlers building a new kingdom to the south, he decided to gather his few servants and companions and move to the south. The alternative was to murder his brothers and cousins, which he'd rather avoid.
In the south they were granted large holdings as gift in exchange for an oath of loyalty to House Missar. On their land they found a large deposit of salt, which they began to mine. From this, they gained a wealth that eclipsed most other landowners in the south. Instead of luxury and vanity - like their ancestors back in Farum - House Riak used their riches to build an army, a strong seat of their power, Crystalmound, and most importantly, they bought the lands of their neighboring landowners and integrated them into their own noble house. Recognising their power and importance, the king granted the head of House Riak the rank of Duke, elevating them into high nobility.
For a while the Riaks were satisifed with their place in the kingdom, but relations between Houses Riak and Missar eventually started to sour. The head of the house at the time, Martin Riak, was dissatisfied with the Missar leadership. All northern refugees were granted titles and land, which made the Riaks feel insignificant. As well as a general lack of attention for the various problems the kingdom faced on a day-to-day basis.
Riak tried to rally the other great houses behind them. Great House Tyrral was easily convinced, but Great House Northguard betrayed them to the king and that's how the king learned of Martin Riak's treachery. A civil war broke out in Hallia. By the end of it, Great House Missar along with many of the lesser houses was eradicated and Great House Morwen broke away from Hallia to form their own kingdom.
Since the war, House Riak rules as the royal house of Hallia, its head the king.
Through War, To Prosperity
The star was the emblem of the farumen royal house the founders of House Riak hail from.
The heart stands for the new life they made for themselves in the south.
The red line dividing the two symbols represents that House Riak is now separate from the old kingdom.
Type
Geopolitical, Great house
Capital
Training Level
Semi-professional
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Leader
Parent Organization
Location
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
