Doomum, The Great Houses

Mystralis is a continent in which hereditary surnames can and will define your life from the moment you are born, just invented words that could spell the beginning of an eternity of wealth, honor, and an undying legacy... or may spell the end of any and all life opportunities before you even exist. The accomplishment of your ancestry befalls on you as much as the many sins they've committed on their past lives.

25 Doomum existed at the beginning of time, established Dynasties founded by families that moved to this plane during the Great Migration, some houses come from old money, or old, foreign power, or unstable blood that has proven a valuable resource of intellect, inspiration, or magic... Most came from sorcerous pasts, but others gained their holding by more unconventional flows...

After the War of the Great Houses, many lineages were declared fallen, leaving only 8 families left to participate in the race for control of the most invaluable continent of natural magic the universe has ever witnessed. Furthermore, the few houses still standing have their voices heard in the House of Doomum of the Government's Parliament, right up the alley of the Golden Citadel of Yhernier, the Sacred Capital of the Sacra Monarchia, but their political and economic influence have long since dwindled, their power has never been this silent, representing a massive downfall that was further developed by the new Doctrine of the Government of Sánchez post-Coup, El Consilio...

This is a list of all 8 remaining "Great Houses", catalogued in Novarkan territory:

The Stormourn: a lineage recognized for their practice of "Storm Sorceries" and air magic, these sorcerers take pride on their ability to control the weather and the seas, there is nothing they support more than sailing their way into the toughest seas and the harshest tides, as they know they are the only ones who could bend sea to their magical will. However, the Ocean of Impassable Waters, as its name suggests, has proven the biggest challenge these sailors have ever faced yet, yes they can control the tide, but can they control being swallowed by sea creatures as big as an island on their way? Their Keep was established in the 8th month of the 2nd Year PSM at the shore of this Impassable Ocean, a place with such climatic activity that it is considered mortally dangerous. Even so, they decided to challenge mother nature with their unwavering arrogance, and, until now, they have been sufficiently proficient to do so.

The Ravenbrooks: the chosen of aberrant sorcery, the magic of the mind, the magic of manipulation, the art of control. Famous for their breakthroughs in neuro and behavioral science, they've learned to break and control even the most powerful humanoid minds in history, turning them into puppets or shells of their former selves, their methods of experimentation are not available to the public, but they are suspected to be... unorthodox at best. They are one of the only families that maintain their pre-war political influence, and the only one left that practices pseudo-feudalism and outright slavery in their private domicile, adjacent to the turbulent and gigantic Lake Bhloom, South on the Fae Forest minibiome. Their seat in the Parliament Chamber is the only one that has passed public policies since the Great War and, mostly, their private and morally questionable activities have managed to stay unbothered by governmental intervention.

The Dragonthorn: made by dragons, from dragons, for dragons. This family of primordials live in the environs of Drizarch, the Dragon Nest of the South said to expand thousands of miles underground, their bloodline is said to come from pureblooded dragons from the highest peaks of the material plane, but their blood was tainted by a foreigner long ago, birthing half-dragon offspring which then became dragonborn, and soon, humanoids with draconic blood, and therefore, Draconic Sorcery. Their tainted blood was such a disrespect they exiled themselves to the nest and implemented an isolationist policy of non-intervention, making themselves pacifist by nature. It is said they have fought against the policies of Ex-president Aegnor Narkhanar's Purge against the Southern Primordial Dragons that once dominated the region, the Purge wiped out most of the Ancient Dragons that lived on this coast, as they were unequivocally threats to the young Monarchy like no other... The Dragonthorn now have the remaining ancients under their protection, and the Monarchy hasn't touched them since, maybe as a consequence of the now president Ernesto Sánchez's more... pacifist policies.

The Stellaris: a family of order, progress and control, descendants of the greatest magical engineers, artificers, and scientist known to history, so much so that their famous Infinite Library is said to contain the deepest, darkest secrets the Weave has been hiding from humanoidkind, and they are said to use them to build the most powerful machinery the Material Plane has ever seen, like Spheres of Omnipotence or Cavalry Dominions. They come from a bloodline of Clockwork Souls blessed by the universe's overlord itself, Mechanus, and their knowledge. Rumors dictate that this house is one, if not the, Monarchy's favorite, since they've used their expertise to support the Monarchy's cause from its beginnings, no matter the administrations. They are so privileged that their capital is just a few miles off Yhernier, the Sacred Capital, where they have full access to the city and its infinity of resources. For this, they have been shunned by the other Houses throughout their history, cutting off relationships and making secret pacts to never give aid in case of emergency. However, thanks the King, the Stellaris have never needed the aid of any other house as of yet...

The Aetherveil: a family of divine origin and holy essence made up of Divine Souls, wielders of the power of Life, who got their faith betrayed by the Old Outer Gods, and now are looking to prove the faith exist even in places Gods do not, like Novarkan... Despite sharing their experience, their blood, their effort, and sacrificing their lives for their cause, they realized that the true ambitions of the higher beings were not what they seemed, but it wasn't too late... After the Sacra Monarchia saved them a place in the new world, they settled in the Central Plains, where they practiced the development and distribution of the new Faith in the King's name because, after the betrayal performed by their God, they indeed lost all hope. Most of the family members killed themselves in acts of penance, cleansing themselves of all sin and erasing their own souls so they couldn't be meddled by diviners anymore, but those who remained... those whose faith not in their god, but in themselves, stood strong and impenetrable, managed to continue on with their lives, and now they try to prove to everyone else that everything is possible when faith is unraveled. Since then, the location where they live has been claimed by the Forest of Decay, a position they use to their advantage to purify the unholy communities that plague that minibiome with pure evil and negativity..

The Silverstones: astrologers and astronomers dedicated to the metaphysical understanding of Stars, said to come from a bloodline tainted by stellar bodies themselves, practicing Lunar and Solar Sorcery. This family of scientists and explorers has been crucial to the advancement of universal science on the Rebel Planet of Novarkan. Official studies of its stars, the planet's seemingly random trajectory, and its recycled energy cycles are led by members of this family. Furthermore, they have been significant patrons of the Monarchy's educational development, supporting libraries, schools, training teachers, and writing books. But don't be fooled, many of their members study Magic of the School of Astrology one of the most destructive schools ever created by humanoidkind. The Silverstone where singlehandedly responsible for 100 thousand deaths just by their wizards alone, invoking stars, black holes, and gravity fissures all along the battlefield, without regard of who would be destroyed on the way. Take it as a "weapon experiment" of sorts. From that point onward, they've fallen real quiet on the world view.

The Shadowborn: a dark family with an even darker bloodline, practitioners of the feared and unholy Shadow Sorcery, said to live in a twilight state between life and death that gives them difficulty to relate with "normal" living beings of the world. A group hailing directly from the Abyss, their display of redemption and loyalty has earned them a privileged position in the Novarkan landscape. Many are aware of their existence, but they keep their location secret; little is known of their activities, they do not participate in the House of Parliament, and they are not vocal about their aspirations. Until now, they have been little more than a shadow in Mystralis, intervening from time to time to supposedly pursue their interests, like in the Great War, where they work with a grid of assasins that took out VIP targets without anyone else noticing, passing through force barriers, divination gates, and even armies of powerful wizards with magic sense. Their skill is undeniable, and their prowess fear accross the kingdom, this really begs the question, what are they doing with it now?

The Frostfallen: a family of unstable Wild Magic sorcerers whom decided to migrate North for the sake of their family and the Kingdom, the only remaining loosers of the Great Doomum War. It is said that the members of this family are unable to control their own magic, and are responsible for multiple accidents in the Central Plains they once inhabited. Their case isn't widely covered by the King's spokespeople or anything of the sort, but some observers describe their family dynamic as energetic and friendly, despite the fact that they have supposedly destroyed their capital city at least three times throughout history thanks to their drive for power and greed... This family is governed by a core of experienced individuals who saw the worst facets of war when they were of a very young age, so they took it amongst themselves to protect and take care of all those who dare oppose the royal administration and put their lives on the line for freedom of choice.



But these are not the only families that once inhabited Mystralis... as a Writer of El Instituto, it is in my obligation to pay tribute to all those houses of the Sanctum Faction that lost their lineages during the Great Doomum War, their blood might have been erased from existence, but their memory remains, and the legacy they've left by sacrificing their lives for the King's safety is unparalleled, these are the surnames of the 6 Fallen Houses that fought for Progress, Order, and Control:
 

• The Narkhanar House: a Golden lineage created by the Ex-president himself in his union with the forgone Galadriel Narkhanar, a Domination Sorceress with the power of a small wizard platoon. Domination Sorcerers are not unlike Favored Souls, the powers of Clerics, magicks of the Radiant School, and the resilience of a Titan of Old, with just one key difference. During the Coup led by Ernesto Sánchez, some of the most skilled children born from this union were put to the sword by the same soldiers that protected them when they were young, and the rest of the bloodline's survivors are said to be incarcerated or exiled in an undisclosed location where they are forever to rot, as punishment for their many sins against nature.



• The Stonewall House: a family of Stone Sorcerers proficient in melee combat, contracting many Artifexis, Martial Brawlers, under their ranks, and blessing them with Stone Protection and Divine Smites. Said to be one of the weaker families of the bunch, they stood their ground like no other, in a climatic last stand they defended the frontier between Yhernier and the Central Plains with bravery, but they ultimately fell when a Storm of Ice and Hunger rained over their ranks, sapping them of their martial strength, and making them easy targets for the War Mages.



• The Deathwood House: a lineage of undead being with cold blood and an affinity of negative energy, they were specialists of antilife and had all the means to debilitate soul, body and minds through their necromancy and their very own practice called "self-enslavement". They had a Keep which could teleport anywhere on the plane like a blinking castle, so they had the most reach and one of the biggest impacts during the war, being able to teleport entire armies of undead anywhere within the blink of an eye, but their plans were thwarted by a mole revealing their next teleport location, where an army of Clerics and an ocean of radiant energy was waiting for them, meaning their immediate demise, as is the weakness of the undead.



• The Moundbrow House: coming from an old lineage of Giants, they were the counterpart and main nemesis of the Dragonthorn House, raising the meaning of racial war to a whole other level. They used the magic of Giant Souls to gain resilience and the power of the elements of the "All-Father", a being which giants worship even if its no god. During the War, the Dragonthorn House, even though they were on the same side as the Moundbrows, they capitalized on the confusion, the chaos, and the lack of order in the battlefield, and secretly sent armies of primordial dragons to burn down the house in seas of fire, acid, lightning and frost, leveling their old keep and wiping out their entire lineage. Those responsible within the Dragonthorn House were executed, and their family exiled to the Dragon's Nest for the time to come in the name of treason, one of the harshest sins in the eye of the King.



• The Rivergold House: a pacifist house of Sea and River Sorcerers which vowed to clean and protect the Lordanis River that connects Yhernier to the Sea. They declared neutrality during the war and wanted nothing to do with it, but the war grew to such a big scale that they were given no option but to fight, since the Honorary Fraternity, the enemy faction of the Sanctum, summoned a Tsunami the size of a city from the water of the same river they were trying to protect, and used it to drown most of the Rivergold in just a single night, whilst they were sleeping with no precaution that they were going to be pulled into the war like this. The remaining forces fought on, buy they weren't enough, and so they fell, like many houses before them.



• The Hearthstone House: a family of genasi pyromancers, cryomancers, and electromancers, the founders of the School of War Magic and Dunamancy in the plane of Novarkan. They were sorcerers yes, but also wizards that studied the elements and how they affected souls. Most of the knowledge of the phenomenon of Scelerity and Elemental Radiation came from them and their experiments, and this knowledge they used to fight in the Great War with a big advantage, trying to induce Elemental Radiation in the souls of the opposing side, this tactic meant studying the souls of the Frostfallen and their allies before they fought, and so they tried, concluding in a mild success which made many soldiers of the opposing side collapse in pain and agony. But after the end of the war, their keep was found abandoned, pillaged, and destroyed, being slowly eaten by the ground below, as if the entire family was disappeared in a single night. No body has been found yet and all of their magical items and studies were either stolen by pillagers or confiscated by the Monarchy for further studies.