Baudin House
Summary
The Baudins own much of the farm land. They were a very powerful family in the last generation, but a combination of bad investments and a lost battle against the LaPointes have left them worse for wear. They are still big enough you have to look at them, but it's possible if they don't reverse fortunes soon, they will slip out of major status. The main problem as diagnosed is that the patriarch is too old but won't relinquish power to the next generation. A civil war could break out there any day.Business
- Agriculture
- Textiles
- Engineering - Infrastructure
- Assorted Trade and Manufacturing
- Patron of Catholic Church
- Close Contact of French Colonials
Cultural Presence
French House
Primary Family Members
Fabian Baudin - patriarch, widowedGenevieve Baudin - daughter of Fabian
Key Staff
Jacquette Fortier - seneschal
Type
Political, Family
Mutual Avoidance
After an initial show of basic support to let the Americans stay, the Baudins have never wanted the Americans to ever have any foothold in Ecumene politics, and have worked quietly but actively to thwart their interests. The Harrimans for their part have no history with the Baudins except to see them as impulsive and reckless agents of chaos. The Harrimans have no interest in being tainted with an association with such a sloppy House. Both groups make it a policy to pretend the other doesn't exist for the most part, and aside from very simple deals around trade and commodity purchase, they basically don't intersect at all.
Growing Tension
The Foracks and the Baudin fought on the same side during the Guerre de La Lamproie, but they were never allied. That would imply some mutual non-aggression between them, but the recent Léandre-Weekes lawsuit has made the Foracks wary of Baudin scheming. The Baudins seem to be attacking everyone at once, and the Foracks are responding with heightened suspicion and caution.
Increasing Annoyance
The Outterridges agree with the LaPointe appraisal of the Baudins from the last House war; they are a lamprey trying to attach themselves to bigger fish. The Guerre was just hopeless and stupid in the Outterridge perspective, and the current lawsuit is even stupider. To the Outterridges, the Baudins are the recklessly dumb player at the poker table, making stupid bets and screwing up everyone else's game. If it keeps up, the Outterridges will need to flex their muscles, but for now, they are just hoping that the Baudins either flame out or are hit by someone else first. For their part, the Baudins see the Outterridges as crude bullies who deserve to be taken down, but they don't have any particular hostility to them.
Impatience
The Baudins don't have any particular grudge against the Foulds. They see the Foulds as a necessary independent entity and leave them alone aside from longstanding business relationships. The Foulds however are getting very tired of Baudin antics. The Foulds have been actively setting up defenses against potential Baudin attacks that have yet to have actualized and, since the beginning of the Guerre de la Lamproie, have helped anyone attempting to contain Baudin aggression. The Baudins have soured on the Foulds because of these actions, but there's no direct hostility between the two sides yet. Whether that remains true for the Fould House is an open question.
Confusion
In the last House war, the Weekes backed the Baudins in an attempt to take a peg out of the Outterridges and the LaPointes. That did not end will for the Weekes, but following their normal conservative approach, the Weekes didn't invest enough to get too hurt. Given their alliance and the Weekes walking away only minorly harmed, you would think these two Houses would be quite close, but the Léandre lawsuit has destroyed all of that. The Weekes feel betrayed and are angry enough to really start fighting. The Baudins for their part haven't explained anything about why they suddenly turn on their ally, which is all the more infuriating to the Weekes. This is one small step away from outright war.
Open Hostility
The LaPointes just crushed the Baudins in a war called the Guerre de la Lamproie, a war which began with Baudin aggression. The LaPointes already didn't like the Baudins, and then the Léandre lawsuit happened. The LaPointes are just short of openly declaring war on the Baudins, as they perceive the lawsuit as essentially a declaration of war on them. The only thing they are not doing is physically attacking each other at this point.
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