[Matthew]

"Runes are the language of magic. If we can uncover their secrets, we can write history with a simple penstroke. Within them are the potential to solve any problem, the road to a perfect society. A simple scribe certainly has the ability to better his community, but we can do so much more. One rune at a time, we can end humanity's suffering."

House Morneau

When one thinks of a noble house dedicated to academics and research, the major House Pelleaux is typically the first to come to mind. And for good reason, individuals of their bloodline have become synonymous with wisdom even outside of their school. But, there is another up and coming house that strives to uphold many of the same values that the Bluecloaks have become known for. It is for this reason that one wouldn't be surprised to discover that House Morneau are actually distant relatives of the famous Pelleaux bloodline.

The surname Morneau has evidence of dating back to the early days of Esshar, but their rise to nobility was something that occurred relatively recently. This happened after a man named Estevan Morneau married Paris Pelleaux in 1600 AC, a woman that wasn't a direct inheritor but belonged to a branch of the major house. The couple had five children, all sons, which inherited the relatively unknown name of Morneau rather than the much more prestigious and great noble bloodline of scholars.

While this was unprecedented, it allowed House Morneau to rise from humble and unassuming beginnings to enjoy the limelight of nobility for the past three generations. These cousins of the Bluecloaks are known for academics, although their focus is a bit more specialized than the wealth of knowledge that the major house they stole their fame from.

House Morneau can trace their lineage back to modest beginnings, historically a family of low to middle class. They were still knowledge seekers in these days, but their claim to fame was in their runescribing. Having amassed a knowledge of the art over the generations, the Morneau bloodline has used their recent rise to high class in order to further push the art. And due to their connections with the Starlight Scholars, their research in the field has been aided by the largest magical school in Osrona.

However, House Morneau didn't enjoy only benefits from their marriage into one of the major houses. A quick ascent to nobility is bound to create many critics, of which there are quite a few. Many families; especially those of lower class, look upon them with scorn for what they believe was snaking their way into the aristocracy. Even some members of the Pelleaux bloodline themselves aren't eager to accept a family of nobodies who used their great bloodline to rise to the higher echelon of society.

This has created something of a rivalry between the two academic families, as the most recent generation of House Morneau must rise to the occasion and prove that they are worth standing beside such an esteemed legacy of academics. They seek to do so in their one claim to fame, the runes that their family has researched for generations.