Dawn groups

Overview

There are many important noble houses, knightly orders, and weaver cabals in Dawn. Despite the number, only a comparative handful are involved in the affairs of the Empire (that is, attend the seasonal summits at Anvil). Their influence can wax and wane, and involvement in Imperial affairs is not always a reflection of their prominence within the nation itself. This page presents in-character information about the groups that attend, or have attended, Anvil — the kind of thing that someone who asked about them might uncover from talking to their peers. In each case, the information is provided by the players and edited before being put on the wiki.

The majority of groups listed here are made up of player-characters. You should not create a character who is part of a group, or has personal history with one, without first clearing it with the appropriate players. You should also check before including other players' groups in your background. The background team are unlikely to approve a background that significantly impacts or involves another player character group without their permission. There are also a handful of prominent NPC groups included for completeness, but they are not intended for use by player characters.

Noble Houses

The noble houses of Dawn represent the best - and occasionally the worst - of what the nation has to offer.

Houses of Astolat

House de Coerdefeur

• Location: Winterbourne in Astolat, just south of Weaving
• Heraldry: Black, a gauntlet silver grasping a crescent moon, two crescent moons silver
• Colours: Black and silver
• Earl: Zadkiel de Coeurdefer

House Coeurdefer

House de Coeurdefer predates the Empire; memory of its forming has fallen into a legend. It is claimed that a knightly band gathered to destroy a nest of Winter-touched drakes, with their leader giving her heart's blood and her life to seal a twisted regio. Troubadours sometimes say Castle Ironheart, their principal seat, was created magically out of dragon bones and her steel cestus to stand guard against the threat returning. Since the founding of the House, the Earls have traditionally been of Winter lineage, with a strong line of naga from the weaver cabal that lives and works with them, the Coven of Ouroboros Twining.

The House is known for Loyalty, Ambition, and Pride. Over the centuries, the House declined - numbers fell, as the dour draughir stayed at home with their packs of wolfhounds. They have a strong tie to their neighbours and cousins in House de Rondell, and the Earl de Rondell's call for support at Anvil following the death of Empress Britta brought them out of their towers. Most of the nobles who attend Anvil on behalf of their House are from the naga weaver cabal rather than the draughir House, and Earl Zadkiel is of their blood. If and when others ask him for a Test, he's likely to offer a simple-seeming puzzle or challenge to enact at Anvil or in battle. They are usually more complex in practice, and focus on clever planning or the recruitment and leading of allies in a challenging situation.

House de Gauvain

House de Gauvin

• Location: Astolat
• Heraldry: Golden phoenix on flames; nobles often have their own personal heraldry
• Colours: Red and Gold
• Earl: Enchantress Rosalynne de Gauvain

Ser Edric de Gauvain is perhaps one of the most famous names in Dawn, thanks to a recent curse which befell the territory of Weirwater; but what of his House? Nestled in the bucolic Astolat countryside, the de Gauvains (pronounced gor-van) reside in the pleasant market town of Caer Faucon. It is far from the front lines of the Empire at war. Few monsters stalk their lands. Their keep looks out over sheep scudded hills, drooping orchards, and peace. Wealth breeds prosperity, and hospitality. Noble and yeofolk rub shoulders, and do so gladly; bloody experiences during the Marcher revolt taught them the error of their older, haughtier ways. The de Gauvains’ door is always open for travelers and wanderers, but one should never mistake warmth and generosity for placidity or cowardice. They have glorious deeds to match.

The house is best known for its weavers. Rich supplies of textiles, and a deep-seated love of glory, have led to a great interest in the Summer realm. This power in magic and realm-wisdom is matched on the battlefield; the House’s knights and war-witches march as part of the famous Winged Lion lance.

House Larmallevés

House Larmallevés

• Location: Brightway, Astolat, west of the De Warrenne Way
• Heraldry: Crowned Phoenix in Gold on Field of Purple
• Colours: Gold and Purple
• Earl: Enchantress Areloe Larmallevés

The House Larmallevés traces its history back to before the rise of the Empire, founded by King Bréanainn who won the grand tourney with armour and arms of his own design. Ever since that early day the House has always sought to elevate to it’s ranks through anyone who claims great skill, on the battlefield or as a creator, as such they have a tradition of setting Tests of Mettle aimed at the abilities the knight-errant claim to be best with.

Over the generations the house has seen repeating cycles of growth and prominence followed by an inevitable fall and in these days has receded to little more beyond the ancestral hall known as the "House of the Second Dawn", named for its great ceremonial fire pit. The house now looks to be beginning a new rise to prominence under the leadership of the new Enchantress who is once more looking to recruit warriors, skilled artisans, mages, and healers into the house.

House Sepulchre

House Sepulchre

• Location: Winterbourne, Astolat
• Colours: Red, gold and black
• Heraldry: Black hound
• Earl: Enchantress Olivia Sepulchre

House Sepulchre traces its roots to Mira (later Rolande), a warden of Varushka who came to Dawn to bury her family and, eventually, the magician who killed them. Her bloodthirsty quest won her glory and land where she could mourn and remember in quiet contemplation. Over the years the graves and gardens spread further and further as House Sepulchre sought to collect tales and songs of the glorious dead as well as providing them with a fitting resting place (sometimes as statues stationed around the gardens and grounds). It suffered something of a decline when it was revealed that a heretical cult of Hope had spread throughout the ranks of the nobility. It was only thanks to the swift action of a newly ennobled knight that Sepulchre endured.

The house is known for having a string of draughir earls, but is now under the custody of Enchantress Olivia Sepulchre, who seeks to rebuild Sepulchre’s ranks, and teach all of the house’s noble and yeofolk the value and importance of magic. Sepulchre accepts knight-errants from every walk of life, and its Tests of Mettle are often designed to encourage imaginative thinking, to test resolve, and to crush any lingering shreds of optimism in the aspiring noble. Particularly of note is the Sepulchre graveyard, upon which when a knight-errant passes their Test of Mettle, they dig their own grave, a symbolic burying of their old life to start anew.

House Videre

House Videre

• Location:Astolat, The Chase
• Heraldry: A golden gryphon passant, on a parted field of red and green
• Colours: Green, Red and Gold
• Earl: High Enchantress Iseult of the Phoenix

A House founded by royal retainers in pre-Imperial times, the name Videre has seen better days. Nearly destroyed in 276YE during a failed attempt to capture the Barrens, and again in 330YE with the split of House de Carsenere, its recent reputation has been that of a House with a great history, but no future. Still, House Videre persists, determined to clear its name and live up to the shadow it once cast. A strongly magical House, Videre nobles are always led by Enchanters. They find their Glory in seeking out others in need of aid, magical and otherwise – whether they know it or not.

All Videres, whether Knight or Yeofolk, are dedicated to Love and Loyalty above all else, and their Tests of Mettle usually challenge a candidate's loyalties to their breaking point. This zeal has earned them as much wariness as it did respect, and while they eagerly follow the Way, their relations with the Imperial Synod have long been strained. The House also has an unusual tradition of challenging both parties during Tests of Ardour, even when one of their own nobles is leaving to join another noble household. This has frequently led to heated arguments with other Earls.

The seat of the House is a small hillside fortress on the border between the Chase and Elvette. Once used as an outpost during the conquest of Semmerholm, it now guards the Hall of Blooms, a large floral maze which the Videres claim contains a sample of every flower that grows within the Empire.

Houses of Semmerholm

House d'Acier

House d’Acier

• Location: Semmerholm, Estmure
• Heraldry: Black Tower before a Golden Sun on a Green field
• Colours: Green and Gold
• Earl: Enchantress Vivienne d’Acier

An older, weathered House in the process of rebuilding itself, greater than ever. Following a recent period of unstable leadership that saw the House verging on collapse, a new Enchantress was chosen through the trials of the Iron Duke, bringing renewed Glory and purpose. Deeply Pride-aligned, House d’Acier draws from the life and lessons of Paragon Richilde to guide its way. Its members eschew direct martial might, instead leveraging their magical, medical, and diplomatic talents to steer the course of Dawnish politics.

D’Acier nobles and yeofolk are found on the fringes of great tourneys, elections, and other gatherings of note. They foster connections between Houses, provide healing and magical assistance, and help elevate those they believe will bring the most Glory to Dawn. Theirs is a Pride that speaks softly but looms large. Located near the Adamant Gate, House d’Acier’s once mighty stronghold was ravaged by recent Druj incursions and, much like the House itself, is currently being rebuilt. The House’s history is intimately tied to Dawn’s claim to the Barrens, and they work tirelessly so that one day, the Dawnish banner may fly over those lands. They are also heavily involved in the politics of the Summer Realm, helping to foster positive relations between Dawn and the Eternals of Summer, particularly the Iron Duke. In recent years, the House has garnered a reputation as one of the historian Houses of Dawn and are currently the custodians of a great relic of Richilde.

House Corbeau

House Corbeau

• Location: Semmerhom, near Drycastle
• Heraldry: Raven and tree
• Colours: Gold, burgundy, black, and white
• Earl: Lord berethor Raven

The fiefdom of Château Corbeau stands near the border with Holberg. Consisting of a few nobles, their estates include a small settlement which maintains a local democratic parliament. The House wealth comes from farming, mining, and a cadre of knights and armed yeofolk. The nobles of the house all wear black cloaks, and the House has a motto "knowledge is power, and with that knowledge glory ". The Corbeau began as a guild in Holberg, but settled in Semmerholm when they came to Dawn, claiming the ruined castle that formed the foundation of the Château. Always small, over the years several other smaller noble houses joined but House Corbeau largely avoided Anvil. The current Earl was one of the first to venture to Anvil seeking trade and diplomatic allience, and possibly some new members, as well as to strengthen their relationship with the Empire.

House Tour de Cendres

• Location: Axmure, Semmerholm
• Heraldry: Solid gold chevron on black behind a dragon resplendent on a tower
• Colours: Black and Gold
• Earl: Earl Lupo

House Tour de Cendres was formed when the Ashen Tower, a military company from the League city of Holberg emigrated to Dawn, in 381YE. They claimed lands in Axmure in the wake of the Druj invasion and retreat from that province in the same year. Under the dynamic leadership of their changeling Earl Lupo, they have attracted new yeofolk and knights to their banner and rebuilt their lands. Their estates are a wide valley on the Drycastle road, with several villages and a fortified manors, sometimes called the Hearthhold. Their primary concern is prosecuting the war with the Druj, and as such they are a martial and aggressive House. Most recently, their knights and companies have marched deep into Druj territory with the Dawnish armies invading Ossium and the Forest of Ulnak.

Houses of Weirwater

House Berinore

House Berinore

• Location: Weirwater, Weirmoor
• Heraldry: Two antlered hippogryphs, rampant before a gold chevron on a red field
• Colours: Red and gold, with black.
• Earl: Lord Percival Berinore

Those who dwell within Castle Gristemere's walls claim it to be one of the oldest castles in the Weirmoor, raised not long after the Dawnish first arrived in these lands, laying claim to the dangerous forests and mastering them. Despite their ancient claim, the house held no one of note until recently. Its previous Earl, Lord Eridon, had tried to capture some of the acclaimed glory the castle lacked, travelling to tourneys and feasts with the hope of forming friendships with more acclaimed Houses. While the Earl and his wife spent much time away from their keep, their fame did not grow but rather they sunk further into debt and obscurity.

Following the earl and much of the court's deaths in a doomed hunting trip into the dangerous Weirmoor, Lord Percival assumed the title of Earl. Five years later, with the house's affairs set in order, at last, House Berinore makes its way to Anvil to pull itself from obscurity with the thought of true glory at the forefront. For where was the glory in abandoning those who depended on you? Where was the strength in partying at tourneys with no thought to the sacrifices others made to enable that life? True glory for House Berinore acknowledges the contributions of nobles and yeofolk alike, each bringing glory in their way.

House Castellan

House Castellan

• Location: Highwater Keep, Western Weirwater Vale, Weirwater
• Heraldry: A white Hippocampus on a field of blue, with red accents.
• Colours: Blue with red and white trim, and a red chevron, in various configurations.
• Earl: Enchanter Baldwin Castellan

House Castellan was founded in the dim and distant past, at the foundation of Dawn as a nation in the pre-Imperial age. The first Earl, Lord Kaldwin Castellan, sought to bring law and safety to the wild frontier of Weirwater, and so established the Castellan Hunt, an order of questing knights, knights-errant, and yeofolk intended to travel and patrol the territory to keep honest people safe from monsters, bandits, orcs, and the trials of life in a wild land.

From the seat of Highwater Keep the house and the Hunt have kept to this duty diligently, striving to embody the very concept of knighthood and nobility in their deeds, but never previously taking an interest in Anvil, slowly sliding into forgotten obscurity as a result. Now, that isolation has ended. House Castellan looks from the deeds of the past toward the glories promised by the future, and its people step from the mists of Weirwater into the light of Anvil. The house is noteworthy for its extremely large numbers of knights-errant, resulting from a combination of challenging Tests of Mettle and strong dedication to the Hunt’s duties as wandering protectors of all that is virtuous and right. House Castellan’s nobles, knights-errant, and yeofolk are expected to bring virtue, determination, and skill to all they do, and match their deeds with honesty, kindness, and respect.

House Remys

House Remys

• Location: Weirwater, Weirmoor
• Heraldry: A snake coiled around a silver goblet, poison dripping from its fangs
• Colours: Red and Silver
• Earl: Enchantress Claudia Varkulova Remys

Chateau Remys stands on a windswept hillside on the edge of the Weirmoor forest. Once the land was fertile and produced fine wines but several generations ago the land was devastated by a sickness that wiped out many of the nobles and decimated the yeofolk. The house was founded by a Varushkan boyar who left Volodmartz during the reign of Emperor Barabbas. Strongly touched by the realm of Winter, she began the tradition of tasking all aspirants to take on the draughir lineage as part of their Test of Mettle - to this day no noble of the house has borne any other lineage.

The house is headed by the Enchantress Claudia Varkulova Remys who took over from her mother in YE382. The new Enchantress Remys has sworn to continue in her quest to restore House Remys to its former glory and show the Empire the power of the Winter Realm.

House Rion

House Rion

• Location: Wickmoor, Weirwater (Near the Weirwater Vales)
• Heraldry: Gilded White Stag Rampant, emblazoned upon a blue field
• Colours: Main colour royal blue, secondary colours silver and white, tertiary colour black
• Earl: Andred Rion

House Rion is a moderately young house in comparison to the more established houses of Dawn. Founded during the reign of Empress Brannan by the first Lord Rion, a questing knight who had found his true love. Settling in Wickmoor, not far from the Weirwood Vales, Castle Rion was built, and the house grew around its foundations. Since then, most of House Rion’s Earls have been enchanters (including the “Mad Earl Rion”) specialising in Summer magic. The proximity of Castle Rion to the haunted Weirwood trees is to blame for many of the strange occurrences and events which seem to be commonplace on the House’ land.

During the re-taking of the Barrens, almost all of the houses’ Nobles and a sizeable force of the yeofolk under their command were slain by the Druj in a surprise attack, in which the previous Earl died. House Rion are most notable for having a higher-than-average number of war witches and enchanters in their house. Almost all their nobles are Summer mages, and more than half are battle mages. On campaign and in battles, House Rion are usually deployed as skirmish lances to support houses with heavier lances.

In recent years, the House has begun the brewing of ales and the distillation of fine wines and spirits.

House Vexille

House Vexille

• Location: Semmerholm, previously Barrens
• Heraldry: Dagger crossing a key
• Colours: Green, Gold & Black
• Earl: Guissart Vexille

A centuries old house, previously based in the Barrens until the Druj forced them to flee in defeat, House Vexille have a reputation for their hard-line attitudes, extensive use of Night magic and a penchant for luxury and excess. Their methods in achieving Glory have often been questioned, especially actions which saw them declared as sorcerers for a time for their suggested abuse of magics…a measure which was only recently overturned.

House Vexille proudly declares that they "Hold the key to Glory" - considered metaphorical by many, they believe that their extensive pushing of boundaries is the key to true Glory. The Tests of Mettle set by the Vexille earls are notoriously difficult; the current earl, Guissart Vexille, takes great pride in the fact that dozens of those wishing to join his house have failed to meet the exacting demands he places upon them. To this end, the house supports a larger than average number of yeofolk who spend years testing themselves personally before attempting to bring their requests to the earl to join the household. Those nobles who have passed their test are usually arrogant as a result; inevitably embittered, grizzled individuals who display extreme character traits, their outlook on life influenced by the necessity of life on the Barrens' borders.

Most recently, several knights of the house have formed a band of questing knights, dedicated to the destruction of vallorn as a great and glorious quest, under interpretation of the Synod’s statements on these creatures - urging knights from other houses to join them.

Knightly Orders

The knightly orders dedicate themselves to the pursuit of glory over all other considerations.

Weaver Cabals

The weaver cabals master magic, maintaining a studied neutrality in the politics of the nation.

Other Groups

Moon and Stars Cabal

Moon and Stars Cabal

The Moons and Stars Cabal was formed in 377 as an ambitious attempt to create a cross-House Dawnish Night coven. The Cabal aims to bring together Night mages from across the nation of Dawn to both aid the Empire and bring Glory to the individual Weavers within the Cabal. The Cabal is named after the heraldic devices used by the Houses who were present at the founding of the endeavour. The Cabal was originally formed, primarily, by mages belonging to the famous House De Rondell and a house that has since fallen.

The members of the Moons and Stars Cabal are active participants in the business of the Imperial Conclave. Weavers from the Cabal have held many important positions in the Conclave; these include Grandmasters, warmage, and the Imperial Seer. The Moons and Stars Cabal are celebrated for using their arcane powers to gather information, provide protection, break curses, and deliver curses. They are also widely known to regularly employ a range of novel and innovative rituals to achieve unusual and original results. They often use heraldic magic in their rituals although individual styles are encouraged.

NPC Groups

These groups are made up of non-player characters; their members are portrayed by Profound Decisions NPC crew.

House de Casillon

• Location: Castle Spiral, on Weirmoor, in Weirwater
• Heraldry: A hand with fingers spread marked with a spiral
  
• Colours: Azure, Gold, and Violet
  

The de Casillon are an old house who hail from Spiral Castle, a pre-Imperial keep that stands at the heart of a powerful Summer regio. Their estates lie in Weirmoor in the territory of Weirwater, and until very recently they lived in voluntary internal exile protected from the outside world by a wall of swirling magical mists.

House de Casillon

Many of the nobles of the de Casillon family claim descent from Empress Richilde, and are said to cultivate their bloodline in the way a vintner might cultivate a strain of fine grapes. They are usually possessed of a strong changeling lineage - it is very rare for anyone who is not a changeling to seek the Test of Mettle from the house and even rarer for them to succeed. Much of their business in the outside world is handled through the Castellan of Spiral Castle, an Imperial title re-established in Spring 380YE.

Almost all the de Casillon nobles are witches, and their earls have always been potent enchanters. Their yeofolk are likewise trained in magical arts, although many of them choose to embrace the path of the artisan. Even before their seclusion behind their wall of mist, they were known for hedonism and self-indulgence and it seems that several decades isolated in a Summer regio have merely heightened these tendencies - left to their own devices they would while away their lives in tourneys, in hunting, in feasting, and in other diverse amusements. There may be some weight to the concerns of some troubadours who worry that the de Casillon have become more like the inhabitants of the Summer realm than citizens of Dawn.

House De Ledure

• Location: Weirwater
• Heraldry: A gold star on an argent field
  
• Colours: Silver and Gold
• Earl: Enchanter Geoffrey de Ledure

A relatively new house that was once part of House de Rousillion, they split from that house in in 358YE, ten years after Hugh de Rousillion took the Throne. Several knights of House de Rousillion and other knights who were after more action rather than tournaments joined the house. The house’s estates are based in Weirwater, and under Earl Hugh’s reign, the house was successful in having a senator twice - whilst they were at the peak of their power. Today the house is led by the Enchanter Geoffrey de Ledure, who is from a line of powerful summer witches. It is believed that the house has won some powerful boons from the eternal Hayaak, and they generally refuse to deal with other eternals.

In 378YE a marriage between House de Ledure and the rival House Blyrale was disrupted when the youths involved ran off to join the Navarr. This act ultimately cemented a union between the two houses and House Blyrale joined House de Ledure. According to gossip, the two houses are partially united by their anger at the Dawnish nobles who encouraged their scions to abandon their duty and flee the nation.

House Lionsgate

House Lionsgate

• Location: The Chase, Astolat
• Heraldry: Two red lions facing each other before a black gate
• Colours: White, Red, and Black

House Lionsgate was founded in 283YE by descendants of the disgraced House Lyongate, who disbanded shortly after the disastrous loss of the original Gryphon's Pride army in a failed attempt to capture the Barrens. The founders attracted a number of knights-errant and questing knights, and slowly rebuilt their house - although they never again enjoyed the prominence they had lost along with the army.

The Lionsgate estates in Astolat are small but well maintained, and lie in The Chase. In recent years, the House has reclaimed some of its prominence as it has forged closer ties with a number of smaller noble houses - especially the cunning de Coyne of Dawnguard and the proud de Helios of Astolat. In 379E, then earl Lady Cassandra contacted several Dawnish nobles active in Imperial politics and offered aid in the re-establishment of the Gryphon's Pride. The loose coalition of smaller houses managed to secure a number of wains of mithril to help with the mustering of the fourth Dawnish army, seeing in this endeavour an opportunity to reclaim some of the pride they had lost over a century before. it remains to be seen if, now the army has been completed, they will continue to involve themselves in Dawnish politics or retreat to their estates.

Contributing

Any player character group in Dawn can submit an entry for this page. The entry should come from the out-of-character group leader and be emailed to plot@profounddecisions.co.uk.

It should contain the following information:

• Group archetype (noble house, weaver cabal, knightly order). If your group doesn't have one of these archetypes, it will be listed in the "other" section.
• Territory and region where the groups lands are physically located. Noble houses have estates, but both knightly orders and weaver cabals will be tied to a physical location that serves as their base of operations. If you are a group in exile that has fled the Barrens you can mention that
• A description of your groups heraldry, with an image if desired. All noble houses have heraldry, as do most knightly orders and weaver cabals.
• If your group has specific colours, you can mention them here.
• If your knightly order has a publicly known oath you can include it in this section, bearing in mind that the best oaths of this nature are short and pithy
• The name of your earl if you are a noble house. If there is someone in your knightly order or weaver cabal that serves as the in-character leader of the group, you can mention them and their title here

You should also include up to 250 words of description, detailing the kind of things that other characters might know about your group. Have a look at the description for a noble house, or at the archetype pages for weaver cabals and questing knights for ideas on the kind of information that is useful. You must also include a few sentences of history, especially around the circumstances of the house's formation or origin.

Some other questions to consider include:

• If you are a noble house, do you have a particular Test of Mettle for which they are known, or a noteworthy method of choosing their earl?
• Are there one or more particular archetypes the group is particularly associated with, either noble of yeofolk? Obviously knightly orders will contain questing knights, and weaver cabals are expected to have weavers among their number, but is there a noteworthy archetype that might be unexpected or has a special role?
• Does your group have a particular ambition which helps unify your members?
• Is there anything notable about the lands you claim, or about the physical buildings that serve as your home?

Things to avoid include:

• Too much worldbuilding detail — this represents information other characters may know about your house. It's not a place to define elements of the game world
• Lists of character names — this isn't a place for getting your name on the wiki
• Too much emphasis on the past — while it's useful to have a few lines of history, what matters in Empire is what your house does on the field at events

It's possible to update the information on this page over time (for example if your earl changes) with an e-mail to plot@profounddecisions.co.uk.