House Duran

[Jacket]

A blood-soaked name.

"I fear greatly for our people, more than anything else. To think a neighbor, or even a friend, could possibly turn to such vile acts on the face of Esshar... while their reasons can be considered, they can never warrant their actions. These occult rituals... these... these... Black Arts... Witchcraft, Demonology... these acts, these heresies, will not guide us to a radiant future Esshar should be resolved to reach. They only prove to bring us closer to downfall I never hope to see."
-High Priest Solon Duran, before the Monarch, explaining the reason to his tenacity and the necessity of his actions in the trials. Apx. 816AC.

The founding and prominence of House Duran can be approximated in time somewhere between the years 808AC and 824AC, more commonly referred to as the earlier years of the Witch Trials where the fear of Witches was becoming apparent. The individual solely responsible for the reputation and ennoblement would be none other than Solon Duran, second son of the house and the Faith's High Priest of Phos. It was Solon, determined, who most vocally pushed for much of what would occur during the witch trials. It was Solon, tenacious, who helped discover a means to discover a witch through relentless research once truth potions began to falter. It was Solon, unwavering, who created the atmosphere of devotion to the True Faith and repression of the arts of witchcraft and demonology. Though opinions were mixed up him, among most, it was certain that he aimed to put an end to the surge of witchcraft.

By the end of the era of Witch Trials, House Duran was ennobled by the Monarch, recognized for its tenacity, and there were none that didn't know its name or the House's head. However, as the presence of witches declined and demons became less of an occurrence over the stretching years, the fame of House Duran fell idly. The sudden death of Solon as he neared his old age, yet not there just yet, was likely a nail into the coffin for the house. Though Solon had left all the next Heir would need, the house's main purpose fell into a slow irrelevance as time passed. Forcing the hand of the heir to find other means to build upon the legacy Solon left in the appropriate manner. It was found that aiding the church proved the most notable.

There have been none who had made a great name for Duran than Solon had, though there have been few who presented similar tenacious acts that can be remembered. Though, in the current day, with the witch trials long-since-ended, various perspectives float about in regards to the house Duran. Both small tales that speak good of its past deeds, and rumors and speak that tell ill of many of its accomplishments or even its lack of use besides dogs of the church. Yet it is undoubted among the perspectives people had that the Duran expertise and methods of combating the occult, in particular, was second to none in the times of their grand limelight and even to the current day, few could hope to rival it.

If the house was an evil among Esshar's lands, it was a necessary one. Yet, that opinion varied person to person.