House Hyerfern (Major): A powerful banner of House Siegaesc in its own right, House Hyerfern used to be one of the strugglers for dominance of the Haeder Valley until the dominance of Siegaesc returned. Halden Hyerfern’s sister was married to Unferth Siegaesc, and was able to fight against his bitter enemies of Grafford in the war over Aethelred’s inheritance. While victorious, House Hyefern became retainers to House Siegaesc after the war. Halden Hyefern, 67, is the head of the house, and is old and grey, and has aged rapidly in the past few years, but still desperately clings to life. Some say he is desperate to ensure his son Bryndan, 26, has as little time as possible to ruin the house. Despite Halden’s six wives, his only son to survive to adulthood is Bryndan, be it through sickness, battle, and accident. Bryndan, unlike his brothers, is a coward and a bit slow, though he is a very well meaning and just man. Halden Hyefern has a daughter, Haria, 23, who is known to be far more intelligent, though a bit cold. House Hyerfern’s lands are rich, and is anchored by it’s seat Windfast. They also hold the keep Winghearth House Hyerfern’s sigil is a purple hawk on a white field. Their words are “The winds bring change”.
Halden Hyerfern, 67: Once a great and powerful warrior that terrified the battlefield, and a man who made great alliances to make his house great, Halden is a shadow of his former self through his sickness and depression. His last war, taking up the Siegaesc’s banner against Farian Schlett, caused him to lose ten of his sons in the war, sinking him into a major depression. His house is strong now, but Halden only had the most incompetent of his sons, and his daughter, left. And soon, the sickness will take him.
+ Wise
_Amoral
-Sickly
-Arrogant
Bryndan Hyerfern, 26: A man who is kind, gets along with everyone, fiercely loyal and with a strong sense of justice. A good man, he would be any serf’s vision of what a lord should be. However, his fatal flaw is that he is absolutely, and grossly incompetent. Though he was never expected to be heir and therefore, never trained, his incompetence is simply staggering. His swordwork was awful, and had no head for numbers, strategy, or anything like that. At court, he is easy to take advantage of, but some of the kinder lords take pity on him. He had dreams of being a knight before and jousting, but his father refused to allow that. He desperately wants to win his father’s approval.
+Loyal
+Kind
+Just
+Friendly
_Moral
_Idealist
_Proactive
_Pious
-Incompetent
-Vain
Haria Hyerfern, 23: A much more ambitious and competent member of the family, she is the only daughter of 14 children. With only Bryndan left, Haria sees herself as the natural successor to the family’s holdings, viewing her brother as an idiot (for his part, Bryndan seems oblivious to this, and sees her as a sweet younger sister). As her father grows closer to death, Haria seeks out potential allies to make herself ruler of Windfast.
+Attractive
+Wise
_Amoral
-Distant
-Cruel
House Lien (Major): An odd house, the Lien are new bannermen of House Siegaesc after Aethelred crushed much of the opposition of the Haederic Valley. House Lien saw an opportunity to gain new lands against the enemies of House Siegaesc, by fighting against Farian Schlett, and was rewarded with new lands and prominence. House Lien now situates as second in status only to the House Hyerfern. House Lien is known for making a general mockery of the ideas of nobility and knighthood, despite their head Cirraw being the ideal Greyling warrior and general. When the House’s founder was told to pick a sigil for the house, he reportedly simply chose the Log he was standing on. The House’s sigil is a dark brown log, on a field of a lighter brown, an embarrassment for their bannermen, but an absolute delight for the members of House Lien, with some of their enemies calling him them the sh**lords (or whatever you call excrement). Their House words are “The Log Rolls”. They hold two keeps, one of Oakhearth, the other of Fairhaven. The patron goddess of the House is Nyli, with lesser devotions paid to Yrea.
Cirraw Lien, 51: A man anyone would be proud to call a father or husband except those who actually have to call him such, Cirraw was a key player in the Siegaesc’s bid for a return to power, and was justly rewarded. Cirraw was the man who dealt Farian Schlett his first defeat and was the wall that Aethelred eventually crushed the Schlett-Grafford armies into. After catapulting his house into prominence, power and wealth, Cirraw is unsure of his next move. His children are disappointments, with his eldest’s odd preferences and his younger son’s arrogance, while his daughter simply cannot obey anything he says. Even worse, as they grow older, they are all still unmarried.
+Master (General)
+Master (Swordsman)
_Patient
-Distant
-Temperamental
Mabel Lien, 43: The daughter of an Athsarin merchant, she certainly was not married for her looks. Her quick tongue and substantial dowry was a major boon though, and Cirraw enjoys his wife in spite of her looks. Mabel enjoys gossip and court more than anything, except of course for expensive clothes and jewelry. She is growing quite hefty lately.
+Clever
-Ugly
Eddard Lien, 23: The eldest son and heir to the head of the house, Eddard is a very intelligent man, very experimental, and an incredibly hardworker. When applied to war, Eddard has already seen the fruits of his mind pay off, and has helped his father win many victories. Whatever he might have in his mind is offset by his body though, where he is unable to move in armor, much less pick up a full sword. As such, his talents as a general are applied at the rear of the army wearing silks. An open secret though is that Eddard posses a wide variety of dresses and other women’s clothes that he enjoys wearing. It is not a matter of sexual preference, but it seems he simply enjoys it, perhaps to help hide with the awkwardness of his body. Outside of his family, the only one that knows his secret is his father’s liege lord, Aethelred Siegaesc, when they served as pages together. Aethelred not only kept his secret, but supported him, causing Eddard to develop a fierce loyalty towards him.
+Innovative
+Diligent
+Smart
+Skilled (General)
+Loyal
_Patient
_Cynical
-Distant
-Depraved (Crossdresser)
-Vain
-Weak (Physically not very strong)
-Unattractive (Less extreme than ugly?)
Victus Lien, 21: Were it not for the worry that he would drive the house into ruin with his decisions, or that he might die after giving his opponent one too many chances, Victus would likely have been made heir over Eddard. Victus enjoys dueling immensely, something that greatly worries his father.
+Friendly
+Skilled (Swordsman)
-Arrogant
-Vain
-Slow
Jialia Lien, 16: Rather unremarkable in all ways except for her enjoyment of painting, Jialia is still unmarried, and has very few friends. Recently, Eddard has been coming to her room to watch her paint. As of yet, the two have yet to speak, and she continues to paint, though she is highly confused why her brother has taken a sudden interest in her.
+Artistic
-Shy
House Kaol (Minor): A minor house, with little land, House Kaol is known for raising the highest quality of cattle and bull. Led by their Lord Karruc Kaol, 46, he has two daughters, Yulia, 17, and Kalia, 16, and married to Faeria Schlett . Staunch traditionalists, they are fiercely loyal to House Siegaesc, due to the protection afforded to them, and while they have few men at arms to contribute, they have plenty of wealth to contribute to their coffers. Their seat is Canagon Hall. Their Sigil is a Bull with a red flag on a field of green. Their house words are “Honor will guide us”. House Kaol is full blooded Greyling, with all of its children having traditional Greyling looks. Their patron god is Breln.
Karruc Kaol, 46: Dependable and strong like the bull that adorns his banner, Karruc's most important thing is family pride and honor. As one of the most ancient Greyling houses, he is constantly on guard of the family's reputation. He hates Jael Thamden. He is considering calling one of the cadet family members of House Kaol to marry his daughter to keep the family line intact and to carry on the Kaol name.
+Hardy
+Loyal
_Moral
_Idealist
-Tempermental
Faeria Kaol, nee Grafford, 33: A woman who, as she gets older and does not produce a son, has her husband look at her less and less fondly. She cares not for what a dumb bull thinks of her though, and is fiercly protective of not only her status and privileges, but her daughters as well. A member of one of the off shoots of House Grafford, she holds little loyalty to the now extinct main line.
+Clever
_Amoral
-Cruel
Yulia Kaol, 17. A smart girl, and a hard worker, Yulia dreams more of learning than she does marriage. As of recent, her biggest interest is delving into the Gods and their mysteries.
+Smart
+Literary
+Diligent
_Idealist
_Pious
-Shy
Kalia Kaol, 16. Not the brightest of girls, but she is quite a sight to behold….Sometimes will fight with her sister, and it usually ends with Kalia unsure of what had just happened. She dreams of being married to a Knight, and would give anything for it.
+Attractive
+Friendly
-Slow
House Thamden (Minor): A recently created house from the ruins of House Grafford, House Thamden was created by one of the loyal Siegaesc knights, Jael Thamden, who supplied a group of men at arms for the war against House Schlett. Now ruling his new names, he and his men have taken to...ahem… increasing their serf population. However, while Jael is a depraved individual, he has eyes on bigger prizes. He notices House Kaol with two daughters and no sons, and has taken to aggressively courting Yilia Kaol, much to the embarrassment and fury of Karruc Kaol. House Thamden’s seat is Thornhill, one of the keeps held by House Grafford, and while its lands are fertile enough, House Thamden’s more important role is as a guard against House Lovell. Their sigil is a collection of weapons, an ax, a sword, a spear, a mace, and a hammer, with a green wreath wrapped around them, on a white field. Their house words are “Onward to Victory”. House Thamden has no former lineage, and is very mixed, with Jael Thamden having black hair, and green eyes.
Jael Thamden, 26
+Trained (Knight)
+Hardy
_Proactive
-Wroth
-Depraved
-Cruel