The House of Bloodhelm was founded by Tresh Thasher. He was a stout man, the picture of Knighthood, but he couldn't seem to keep blood off of himself no matter the size of a battle. Thus he took on the sir name of Bloodhelm. He knew he was not a man of numbers or a man who ran much of anything smoothly so he took on advisers who did and married a woman who basically ran the House of Bloodhelm until his eldest son inherited.
The coat of arms for Bloodhelm is a bloody helm and glove on a field of black. The House colors are black and red.
Bloodhelm is a third of the way up the western coast of Tiana.
The city of Bloodhelm imports red meat, textiles, art, wine, ale, silks, cottons, spices, dwarven goods, and magic items. The city exports fish, glass, grain, fish oil, ore, and mercenaries. The population of Bloodhelm around the time of the High King's Sword is about 70,000, one of the smaller cities, most of which is human. This is a fishing and shipping port and boats and ships are coming and going at all hours. The nearby farms supplement the fish, but cotton and textiles are hard to come by.
Bloodhelm is a small House which usually stays to itself, hording its military and resources as much as the High King allows. House Bloodhelm is led by the third son of Tresh Bloodhelm, Caz. Caz is a spiteful man, having initially been passed over as heir. Both his eldest and 2nd eldest brothers (Trav and Caz) died in hunting accidents, but the other House Leaders don't buy such reasons. His mother, still grieving for her husband and sons, hasn't bothered to see the truth yet.
The alignments common here are Chaotic Good, Neutral, Neutral Good, and Lawful Evil.
The Noble Houses of Bloodhelm nine. For a small House they have a lot of loyal noble Houses. Taladian, Merlinus, Draedon, Aevthela, Dumatri, Ganlian, Phaedius, Thunderclaw, and Whitehorse.
This is the center of my High King's Sword series, the House leadership wanting nothing better to put their own heir upon the throne of Peter. They hope the Northern Alliance breaks, but is planning for any eventuality. My main character, Tarkil Bloodhelm, is the third son of the second son and he's the House spy. His life becomes mired by having to choose between his House and his country over the course of my novels. So Bloodhelm is one of my more fleshed out cities. I hope, later, to take you on tour of Bloodhelm, which would help to make a good roleplaying base for your adventures to start from.
Tomorrow: House Eton
Showing posts with label Houses of Martapa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Houses of Martapa. Show all posts
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Houses of Tridon, Part IV
The House of Brightwater was founded by Hugh Brightwater, the son of backwoods mages who helped local farmers by cleansing water. He always wanted to be a shipwright so when Peter began to assign locations for the Houses of Tridon, Hugh jumped at the chance of being on the coast. He had made huge ship building berths over the time of his reign as Leader of House Brightwater, and now only the best built ships come from this port.
The coat of arms of House Brightwater is an anchor and sword upon a white field. The colors of House Brightwater are gold and white.
The location of House Brightwater is on the east coast of the southern tip of Tiana. It is northeast of Bloodhlem, but north of Cole. It is 37 days by horse to Brightwater from Cole.
The city of Brightwater imports Elven Goods and trade goods from the south. Exports are trade goods from the mainland, magic items, dwarven goods, southern goods, and ship supplies, along with trade ships.The population of Brightwater is around 150,000 (by the time of the High King's Sword), about 5% actually dwarves. The dwarves have a small conclave here and get along with the humans just fine.
Brightwater is the biggest port city in the north, though it does not have an armada of its own. Ships from Ariella and the Dwarven Islands come here to trade. Every nationality lands upon this city's shores and it's not unusual to find magic wares for sale. Jason Brightwater, the son of Hugh, has rule for ten years since his father was poisoned. No one has been found guilty of the murder, but House Brightwater harbors feelings that House Landshire's heirs did the horrible deed but they have no proof. (This is only valid, of course, if you play right after the Houses are founded.)
The alignments common here would be Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, Neutral, and Lawful Neutral, though any alignment is possible.
Noble Houses of Brightwater number seven: Avis, Linter, Dulcis, Nemus, Albus, Aurum, Shipwright
In the time of the High King's Sword the House is neutral, though leaning toward the Northern Allicance.
Tomorrow: House Bloodhelm
The coat of arms of House Brightwater is an anchor and sword upon a white field. The colors of House Brightwater are gold and white.
The location of House Brightwater is on the east coast of the southern tip of Tiana. It is northeast of Bloodhlem, but north of Cole. It is 37 days by horse to Brightwater from Cole.
The city of Brightwater imports Elven Goods and trade goods from the south. Exports are trade goods from the mainland, magic items, dwarven goods, southern goods, and ship supplies, along with trade ships.The population of Brightwater is around 150,000 (by the time of the High King's Sword), about 5% actually dwarves. The dwarves have a small conclave here and get along with the humans just fine.
Brightwater is the biggest port city in the north, though it does not have an armada of its own. Ships from Ariella and the Dwarven Islands come here to trade. Every nationality lands upon this city's shores and it's not unusual to find magic wares for sale. Jason Brightwater, the son of Hugh, has rule for ten years since his father was poisoned. No one has been found guilty of the murder, but House Brightwater harbors feelings that House Landshire's heirs did the horrible deed but they have no proof. (This is only valid, of course, if you play right after the Houses are founded.)
The alignments common here would be Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, Neutral, and Lawful Neutral, though any alignment is possible.
Noble Houses of Brightwater number seven: Avis, Linter, Dulcis, Nemus, Albus, Aurum, Shipwright
In the time of the High King's Sword the House is neutral, though leaning toward the Northern Allicance.
Tomorrow: House Bloodhelm
Monday, August 23, 2010
Houses of Tridon, Part III
The House of Cole was founded by Olaf Cole a very cunning man who was always getting in trouble when he and Peter were young, trying one scheme or another. He was an averaged size man with tousled hear and his later years walked with a limp from their first skirmish at the village of Last Stand.
The coat of arms for House Cole is white/orange checker pattern with a fox, the House colors white and orange.
So Violet from The Eager Readers Blog (a good site for young adult book reviews) was kind enough to show me how to embed images. So tomorrow I hope to have an actual map to reference all these directions for you. But today let me just say Cole is in the southern part of Tiana, north east of Bloodhelm along the opposite coast, 23 days of horse travel away.
The Gods most likely to be worshiped here would be Pezuta, Catian, Sarjon, Sircarius, and Aiyana.
The city imports grains, fruits, livestock, jewelry, ore, elven and dwarven goods. They export deep sea fish, timber, salt, pearls, and Salay warhorses. These horses are the finest, most sought after horses in all of Tiana and people pay top money for them. This is a major fishing port, with repair services and a small boat building port for large fishing vessels, not trading vessels.
In the years right after Peter becomes High King, Cole has become an unlucky House. The leadership has already passed on to the first grandson of Olaf Cole. Tresh Cole came to rule on his 18th birthday when his own father, the only child of Olaf, died in a boating accident. His mother helps him rule and both wish only the best for the House. But Tresh's great uncles wish the House for themselves. Already two attempts on his life have occurred, one of poison and one of a lame horse. Neither has been linked to his two greedy great uncles, who are only in their mid sixties but many in court know they were responsible. Tresh's mother, Mary, is hoping to strengthen their holding by matching Tresh with one of the Brightwater daughters.
For those who are concerned with alignment in their campaign Lawful Good, Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, Neutral, and Lawful Evil would be common alignments here.
Noble Houses of Cole number four (and these are later on, a few hundred years after Peter): Swordfish, Carpenter, Seafoam, and Boatwright. (The sea is very important to Cole.)
In the time of the High King's Sword, Cole is a neutral entity, neither wanting to put forth a High King of their own or join up with the Northern Alliance.
Tomorrow: A Map of Martapa (Hopefully)
The coat of arms for House Cole is white/orange checker pattern with a fox, the House colors white and orange.
So Violet from The Eager Readers Blog (a good site for young adult book reviews) was kind enough to show me how to embed images. So tomorrow I hope to have an actual map to reference all these directions for you. But today let me just say Cole is in the southern part of Tiana, north east of Bloodhelm along the opposite coast, 23 days of horse travel away.
The Gods most likely to be worshiped here would be Pezuta, Catian, Sarjon, Sircarius, and Aiyana.
The city imports grains, fruits, livestock, jewelry, ore, elven and dwarven goods. They export deep sea fish, timber, salt, pearls, and Salay warhorses. These horses are the finest, most sought after horses in all of Tiana and people pay top money for them. This is a major fishing port, with repair services and a small boat building port for large fishing vessels, not trading vessels.
In the years right after Peter becomes High King, Cole has become an unlucky House. The leadership has already passed on to the first grandson of Olaf Cole. Tresh Cole came to rule on his 18th birthday when his own father, the only child of Olaf, died in a boating accident. His mother helps him rule and both wish only the best for the House. But Tresh's great uncles wish the House for themselves. Already two attempts on his life have occurred, one of poison and one of a lame horse. Neither has been linked to his two greedy great uncles, who are only in their mid sixties but many in court know they were responsible. Tresh's mother, Mary, is hoping to strengthen their holding by matching Tresh with one of the Brightwater daughters.
For those who are concerned with alignment in their campaign Lawful Good, Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, Neutral, and Lawful Evil would be common alignments here.
Noble Houses of Cole number four (and these are later on, a few hundred years after Peter): Swordfish, Carpenter, Seafoam, and Boatwright. (The sea is very important to Cole.)
In the time of the High King's Sword, Cole is a neutral entity, neither wanting to put forth a High King of their own or join up with the Northern Alliance.
Tomorrow: A Map of Martapa (Hopefully)
Friday, August 20, 2010
Houses of Tridon, Part II
House Vandez was founded by Sean Vandez. He was Peter's best friend and protector from the village of Stormvale. A large man, he was a gentle giant with his friends, but very protective. Nothing angered him more then to see his family and friends in harms way. He married a small, petite woman who had always been smitten with, but it was she who approached him. She loved him without question, but she was the more outspoken of the pair.
The symbol of House Vandez is a sword behind a tower in the colors of purple and green.
I'm going to reference the location of all places to Bloodhelm, since this is where my High King's Sword story takes place. So Bloodhelm is on the western coast, nearly all the way south on the most southern tip of Tiana. Vandez is up the coast about 15 days of travel by horse. (I do measurements in days of horse travel because I needed to know, originally, how long it took my characters to get places.)
This is a port city, and does some repairs on boats, but does not build ships. Population depending on which time period is around 200,000, mostly humans though you might find a few dwarves. (The population is going to be smaller if you start a campaign right after Peter becomes High King). Government is obviously a monarchy, with a Leader being the head of the House and his brothers being Knight-Lords. The oldest son is the heir, though younger sons may be made heir if the oldest die, if the Leader finds his oldest unfit, or if the oldest feels he is not capable and gives his power to the next brother.
The Gods most likely to be worshiped here are Catiana, Iktoma, Sarjon, and Pezuta.
The city imports textiles, livestock, silks, magic items, furs, leather, elven and dwarven goods. They export cocoa beans, foodstuff, weapons, armor, mercenaries and fine Vandez ale. This is a major farming community (granted not right in the city of Vandez) and there are a lot of druids in the area.
For those who concern them with alignment in their game the major ones would be Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, and Neutral, though you will always find a little of every alignment everywhere.
Noble Houses of Vandez number eight. Noble Houses are usually nobles who are related to the House and remain loyal, in theory, to the House, providing a tithe to the House and troops. The names of the noble Houses: Hollow, Manaius, Bluerose, Starwolf, Silverstone, Infinity, Ignis, and Stiria.
In the time of "The High King's Sword" Vandez is at odds with the other Houses, wishing to put their own person upon the High Throne and provides me with my two main antagonists.
Monday: House Cole
The symbol of House Vandez is a sword behind a tower in the colors of purple and green.
I'm going to reference the location of all places to Bloodhelm, since this is where my High King's Sword story takes place. So Bloodhelm is on the western coast, nearly all the way south on the most southern tip of Tiana. Vandez is up the coast about 15 days of travel by horse. (I do measurements in days of horse travel because I needed to know, originally, how long it took my characters to get places.)
This is a port city, and does some repairs on boats, but does not build ships. Population depending on which time period is around 200,000, mostly humans though you might find a few dwarves. (The population is going to be smaller if you start a campaign right after Peter becomes High King). Government is obviously a monarchy, with a Leader being the head of the House and his brothers being Knight-Lords. The oldest son is the heir, though younger sons may be made heir if the oldest die, if the Leader finds his oldest unfit, or if the oldest feels he is not capable and gives his power to the next brother.
The Gods most likely to be worshiped here are Catiana, Iktoma, Sarjon, and Pezuta.
The city imports textiles, livestock, silks, magic items, furs, leather, elven and dwarven goods. They export cocoa beans, foodstuff, weapons, armor, mercenaries and fine Vandez ale. This is a major farming community (granted not right in the city of Vandez) and there are a lot of druids in the area.
For those who concern them with alignment in their game the major ones would be Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, and Neutral, though you will always find a little of every alignment everywhere.
Noble Houses of Vandez number eight. Noble Houses are usually nobles who are related to the House and remain loyal, in theory, to the House, providing a tithe to the House and troops. The names of the noble Houses: Hollow, Manaius, Bluerose, Starwolf, Silverstone, Infinity, Ignis, and Stiria.
In the time of "The High King's Sword" Vandez is at odds with the other Houses, wishing to put their own person upon the High Throne and provides me with my two main antagonists.
Monday: House Cole
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Houses of Tridon, Part I
After Peter and his friends rescued Tiana from the ogres and their kin, the business of making a functioning government had to happen. Of course, this is never a good read since none of us really like worrying about government in the real world. But I thought about it long in hard since it is very central to my plots for not only my High King's Sword series, but my original War of the Gods series (which needs serious work on them) as well. So following are the Houses of Tridon after Peter. Those with asterisks after them fall before the War of the Gods to Shaniko's minions, all of which are on the east side of Tiana:
1st House: Vandez
2nd House: Cole
3rd House: Brightwater
4th House: Bloodhelm
5th House: Eton
6th House: Goldleaf
7th House: Weatherworn
8th House: Pathfinder
9th House: Greenthorne
10th House: Merryweather
11th House: Calabay
12th House: Varanath
13th House: Tayke*
14th House: Landshire*
15th House: Sunvale*
16th House: Karoon*
Of course over all of these is the House of Peter Thorson, the throne of the High King in Stormvale. In the next few weeks I will take you through a brief history, location, trade goods, emblems and colors, and other tidbits of each House, to give you a good working idea of the ruling class of my world and the places they call home.
1st House: Vandez
2nd House: Cole
3rd House: Brightwater
4th House: Bloodhelm
5th House: Eton
6th House: Goldleaf
7th House: Weatherworn
8th House: Pathfinder
9th House: Greenthorne
10th House: Merryweather
11th House: Calabay
12th House: Varanath
13th House: Tayke*
14th House: Landshire*
15th House: Sunvale*
16th House: Karoon*
Of course over all of these is the House of Peter Thorson, the throne of the High King in Stormvale. In the next few weeks I will take you through a brief history, location, trade goods, emblems and colors, and other tidbits of each House, to give you a good working idea of the ruling class of my world and the places they call home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)