18
Nov
-1000 : rise of hyborean empire. Known world conquered.
-500 : decline
-86: Reign of Malegrys the Grim in the West. The East is ruled in his name by Darius II.
-36: Malegrys the Grim – Last of the Hyborean Sorcerer Kings – defeats his own sons’ rebellion.
-32: Four years later he dies of grief, leaving no descendants.
18
Nov
The fall of great Hyborea, as told by the inhabitants of a lost tenple under the mountains.
Once, Hyborea was great and mighty. We ruled many lands and many peoples. The Great Spirits protected and guided us. Then fell the Long Night. Through treachery, barbarians invaded and destroyed Great Hyborea. Upon its smoldering ruins, they fought among each other. Civilisation was diminished forever – no longer could Hyborea be the shining Light of the world. Now only darkness, confusion and uncultured barbarism reigned. Brother fought brother, men became cannibals and art and books were nothing but kindling for the fires that raged everywhere.
21
Aug
There are many mighty families and Houses in Celenos, but most will agree that there are five Great Houses that truly deserve that title. These are old, strong Houses, that have pledged their loyalty to the queen. Before Queen Selene I, the Great Houses ruled Celenos, and they still command a great deal of respect and power. Each House effectively governs its lands as if it were a minor kingdom. Smaller houses swear allegiance to the Great Houses, and the Great Houses to the Queen alone. A Great House does not normally interfere in the business of the others.
House Barnassos
Banner: A black bear armed with a hammer on a field of Yellow.
House Barnasos takes Duty very, very seriously. It is an open secret that the members of this House do not truly believe in the divinity of queen Selene. In public, however, they act as if they do. Duty demands it. House Barnassos is almost famously loyal to the crown. As such, it falls upon them to defend the eastern border of the Kingdom from the things that lurk in the Hyborean Wastes.
The seat of House Barnassos is the Claw, a stronghold cut into the rock of a mighty hill. It is said that this keep has access to many of the ancient caves that riddle the landscape around the city Kos.
The current Master of the House is Lord Nikodemos Barnassos. A giant of a man, he is rumoured to only ever eat meat and berries, and to change into a bear come the full moon. More realistically, Lord Barnassos is the wielder of the Albyan steel warhammer called Regret.
House Spartes
Banner: A silver moon on a field of Blood
House Spartes commands great respect and fear. It’s warriors are relatively few, but have no equals in ferocity and zeal. The House trains many Paladins – who may later become the personal bodyguards of the Queen. House Spartes is fanatically loyal to Queen Selene. Many members of this House will acknowledge the existance of the Great Spirits, but deem them lesser than the Spirit of the Moon and Queen Selene. They find the worship of Spirits distasteful at best.
The seat of House Spartes is the mighty Citadel of the Moon in Northern Celenos. Inside the Citadel’s white walls the Paladins train. The grounds of the Citadel are decorated with wondrous red trees, which blossom on nights of the full moon. The Citadel itself is an ancient Hyborean building, built to protect their northern borders from invaders from what is now Tolmeccia.
The current Master of the House is Lady Thekla of Spartes, herself a Paladin of great strength and renown. Rumor holds that she whispers much in the ears of the Queen, and that she dreams of war against Gaulia. It is also said that her voice can calm any beast and even has the power to heal. Lady Thekla rides a massive horse, that seems to shimmer with a silvery white colour. The animal seems unusually intelligent and is ferocious in battle. It is called Meneteras, the moonbeast, and no other man or woman has ever ridden it.
House Dimitres
Banner: A lion over two flaming spears on a field of Red
House Dimitres guards the Celenosi border at Erèd Argaen – the Silversheen Mountains. Although most barbarian tribes and dangerous creatures have long been driven from these lands, House Dimitres is ever watchful. House Dimitres governs rather fertile lands. Sadly, the lord of this Great House has very little interest in anything other than glorious battle, and leaves much of the governing to his stewards.
The seat of House Dimitres is the great Saltbreeze Tower, which overlooks the bay south of Thessos. The tower is of great strategic importance, but only a small garrisson is stationed here. Lord Dimitres likes to keep his soldiers active and sends them out on patrols that crisscross House Dimitres’ lands. Instead, Saltbreeze tower is filled with stewards, custodians and servants under Grand Warden Adrastos.
The current Master of the House is Tychon Dimitres the Elder. A man well in his eighties, lord Tychon is stubbornly refusing to slow down. He has no taste for governing, it is said, and he therefore leads raids into the Hyborean Wastes himself. Lord Dimitres holds the Sunspear Decay, which can burn anything it pierces to ash. The lord is almost never at Saltbreeze Tower, and rumours say that Grand Warden Adrastos likes this to be exactly so. Tychon Dimitres the Younger (son of Tychon the Elder) is a fifty year old man who has lost all hope of ever governing. It is said he has taken to religion and has decided to become a Paladin under Lady Spartes.
House Tenebra
Banner: A blackened moon on a field of Silver
House Tenebra is a young House. When Celenos expanded along the Silversheen Mountains, the fighting men of Tenebra drove away the local barbarian tribes with ruthless efficiency. For this – although some say it had more to do with the Tenebra soldiers stationed at the Royal Palace at that time – their Master received a Lordship. House Tenebra now governs their land with the same ruthlessness that helped them claim it. There is but one law in Tenebra lands: obey.
The seat of House Tenebra is Moros, the Gloomkeep. A Haunted, forbidding structure, Moros dominates the island it stands on. Few people go here by choice.
The current Master of the House is Lord Tenebra. His first name is unknown. Rumour says that Lord Tenebra is not Celenosi, but Gaulian, hiding his face behind a gruesome mask. The Lord leaves his keep little, preferring to trust on the strict obedience of his captains. Foremost among these is Bargle the Infamous – said to be a vile, powerful sorceror. Very little is actually known about House Tenebra. While the other Great Houses are forced by Duty to tolerate Tenebra, they certainly do not trust him. Many Great Houses would pay handsomely for accurate information about these lands.
House Seidonus
Banner: A barred gate over a blue sea on a field of Green
House Seidonus rules the sea around the tip of the Celenosi peninsula. We hold the key is their official motto, and this is all too true. Most trade to and from Celenos is by sea, and House Seidonus monitors, protects and controls all of it. It is the Duty of House Seidonus to keep the trade routes safe to use, and they do not take this task lightly.
Because the fleet of House Seidonus keeps potential raiders away, and guarantees safe passage into the bay of Celenos, traders from around the world come to find a save haven here. Traders who dodge taxes, however, or those who somehow raise the ire of House Seidonus lose this protection. Somehow, mysterious pirate ships always seem to find these ships…
The seat of House Seidonus is the Great Lighthouse which stands on the hills at the very southern tip of the peninsula. It is an imposing building, but hardly a castle. The true defense of House Seidonus has never been walls, however, but their fleet.
The current Master of the House is Eudora Seidonus. She is the undisputed Captain of Captains, commanding the entire Seidonus fleet. She is rumoured to know the secret language of the Sea, allowing her to speak with animals and spirits of the waters. It is also said she drinks only salt water. Whatever the truth of this, it is known that she has a literal nose for lies and betrayal – she seems to be able to smell untruths. Eudora’s eight sons and three daughters are all captains of their own ships, returning to the Lighthouse only once a year.
15
Aug
The armies of Celenos are split between the Great Houses. Some houses armies have more men, some have greater experience in battle, but all are -in theory- at the command of Queen Selene.
Before the queen, when the Great Houses ruled Celenos, there were many skirmishes, raids and outright battles over land and privileges. Today, these old feuds have been set aside in the name of a greater Duty: that to the Kingdom. The Lords of the Great Houses work together now, but it is a fool indeed that thinks old slights are ever truly forgotten.
11
Aug
A test post, nothing to see here.
