Geneva Commonwealth
Capital: Geneva
Mine Town: Lausanne (Resource: Wine)
House Helvetii
Family structure: Asking any family spark, they would put Gramps Giovanni as #1 and themselves as #2. Generally, the head will appoint his chosen successor and keep it secret in a gem around his neck. Meanwhile, he or she will tempt the interest of the strongest and most ambitious Sparks to gauge their power and to placate their interest. It is, in many ways, very tribal.
Common characteristics: Generally very tall and thin, they have shining, “gem-like” irises. Instead of green eyes, it would be “emerald”. They also wear their birth gem almost immediately after birth, another when they come of age and a final one if they became a spark. The most recent gem is work around the neck-the others are rings.
Rise to Power: The great mountains of the Alps prove treacherous to any man, be he spark or not. It is almost a second wilderness, where great beasts and rampant clanks hide, mountain tribes horde warmth, and the weather itself seeks your death.
In the lowlands, small villages like Geneva formed. The mountains are a great source of mineral wealth, desired for their useage in Clanks. But they can also be a great source of death.
The Helvetii tribe’s leadership spontaneously developed sparks a few generations ago, and they begun dominating the mineral trade at Lausanne with their mining clanks. Geneva, however, gained most of the benefits as they throttled the trade with high tariffs. In a madness phase, the legendary Julius Helvetii massacred a Genevan army sent to collect tolls with a legion of Clanks, and the merchant town was placed under siege.
After this early incident, the two towns slowly grew together instead of apart. After a laboratory experiment that was destroyed by an intrusion of wild mountain men, the Helvetii moved to Geneva under the leadership of young Giovanni, the oldest survivor. After defeating and subverting any enemies, they rebuilt Lausanne and begun drawing up plans to conquer all of the Alps and enslave its wealth to their future ambitions.
Head Gramps Giovanni, Age 78 (Mineralogy (Non-Org Chem), Clockwork)
As a young boy, Giovanni was a clock-maker’s apprentice in Geneva. Although ambitious, he was relegated to maintaining Lausanne’s relative dominance over the city as an Ambassador. That changed when several Mountain Tribes attacked the Helvetii laboratory in Lausanne, where in the panic some incompleted experiments were activated and destroyed the complex. Taking command over the survivors, he consolidated power over Geneva with his great Charisma, making ranting speechs against the wild Mountain Men. Lausanne was rebuilt, and Geneva (which he now thought as his true home town) was made greater than ever before. Castle Helvetii now towers over Lake Geneva, and across the lake the Tower Lausanne peeks out over the horizon line.
He is old, but he is wise. Although none of his family understand what he means as he bumbles around the house, in a state of madness both mundane and sparky, they all respect him in his few states of clarity. He is near 7 foot tall, with sparse white hair and a great stringy, peppery beard. His fingers are delicate. He wears a ruby necklace, and two rings of Diamond.
*Deceased* Gramma Josephine Frankenstein, herself non-sparky but a daughter of one of the major noble houses of Geneva. She was blond in her youth and silvery hair in her age. She wasn't extordinarily tall or short, but she had great wit. Through her, Giovanni gained alliance of the former ruling house of Geneva and many connections, as well as several children. After she died Giovanni slowly descended into a semi-permanent madness (both sparky and mundane).
Uncle William, Bachelor, Age 36, (Mineralogy (Non-Org Chem), Hydraulics)
Only surviving son of Giovanni and Josephine, William spends most of his time in the mines of Lausanne, developing various clanks to use water pressure in mining operations while scheming to take over the family from the hands of Marie Bouvier and her children. He is much more like Josephine than Giovanni, with a full head of blond hair on his very tall but full frame. He wears a ruby ring and a sapphire necklace.
*Deceased* Papa Victor
Husband of Marie Bouvier, he was the favorite of Giovanni and seemingly prime to be Head before he died in a "laboratory accident". Sharing the same lanky frame as Gramps and sparse, if brown, hair, he specialized in Generalist Human medicine and anatomy as well as Electricity. He is set on finding the secrets of life.
Mama Marie Bouvier (Widow of Victor) Age 39 (Steamwork, Thermodynamics)
A spark Victor discovered in the countryside aiding her father's black-smithing business, Marie Bouvier is a dynamic and hotheaded redhead, short and stocky. She wears a Carnelian necklace. Married to former "favorite" Victor, she now tries to keep her small family together while trying to gain Giovanni's favor to transfer the Chief's title to her or her children. While William lives in Lausanne, Marie works in the "Clank District" in Geneva, wowing and disturbing the clock-workers there with her various steam-based gadgets. (Note, the Clank District refers to the large amounts of clock makers and such who can make "toy clanks" which are of little use in actual sparky-warfare, but fun to play with)
Borgia Age 18 (Electricity, Thermodynamics)
A tallish boy with sparse red hair and thin, pale frame, he wears a necklace of Peridot. George takes more after his father than his mother, seeking the mysteries of lightning and energy by spending long days (both mad and sane) in his laboratory.
Boccacio Age 15 (Mineralogy, Steamwork)
A boy still small, with sparse blond-brown hair and a stocky body with a necklace of diamond. Boccacio likes wandering outside with his mother, but he LOVES Uncle Will and often travels to Lausanne to visit the mines and clanks of the Mining town, chatting about water pressure and mineral content all the way.
Basically, it started as a weak house controlling one town and dominating another. (I guess, supplying the Wulfenbachs with metals). After several incidents Geneva gained importance, trade, and wealth, and Lausanne was later rebuilt and resettled. I need more family members, probably a bachelor or two and a main "Sparky" family (thinking a Widow, and some children.)