House Grimmore
House Grimmore is one of the three Major Noble Families of Osrona, representing the Lion's Paws of the Constellation of Leonaus. The dynastic heraldry of the Grimmore family is a clutched red dagger upon a green field on a stormy night.
Contents
History
In the Golden Age of the Petrakis Monarchy, the Grimmore family was proud and unyielding in their role in relation to the Crown and Kingdom of Esshar. Typically diplomats, it was not unusual for a Grimmore to be a well respected diplomat for Esshar, handling most foreign diplomacy. While it was something of an open secret, the Grimmores also traditionally served as Spymasters and intelligence operatives for the Kingdom, and most Essharan spy networks could be eventually - but not easily - traced back to a member of the Grimmore family. Loyal to the extreme, a Grimmore could always be trusted to put the Kingdom first.
This changed in the mid-to-late 1700s. First evidenced by the betrayal of Regulus orn Grimmore, at that time Lord of the family, the Grimmores’ reliability came into question, and though they sided with the Crown over their Lord during the war with Myllenoris, by the beginning of the 19th century the Grimmore family had withdrawn from the remnants of the Kingdom of Esshar and refused to recognise the Archmagidom of Osrona as their overlord entirely, becoming an antagonistic force against the city of Osrona itself until it's return to the fold in 1813 AC under the Lordship of Atticus ven Grimmore.
After sending a call to bring upon a new generation to House Grimmore, he found success in the Jianghese emissary, Esther ven Grimmore. Taking over as house head in 1825, the tradition of passing the celestial armor Tertzenai Imperi to the Grimmore head began. Since their reconciliation with the Archmagidom, House Grimmore restored their values and brought upon a new religious fervor. This led to House Grimmore becoming close confidants to multiple Archmages and Stellus alike. Most notably, until the restoration of the monarchy, the Grimmore family would be in charge of the Archmagidom's treasury. It was as well during this time period that House Grimmore began the tradition of keeping the star a child is bound to a secret, as it was believed that self discovery led to a more impassioned bond.
Customs and Traits
- The Grimmore family - like the Astor and Pelleaux families - may be identified by the particles 'ven' and 'vey'. The ‘ven’ particle is for the main branch only; i.e. the branch down which the Headship passes. If the Head of a noble family has three children (Child A, B, and C), all three hold the particle ‘ven’. If child A becomes the Head of the family, child A’s children will hold the ‘ven’ particle; the children of child B and C, however, will be ‘vey’, as they have passed outside of the direct line of succession.
- Naturally gifted with cosmic magic like the other major nobles of Osrona - in particular the technique referred to as ‘Crimson Overdrive’. This blessing of their blood has several side effects, including a generally greater affinity to Crimson stars amongst their members and - perhaps more unusually - the complete lack of any non-human Grimmores ever being born. Indeed, the only recorded case of a ‘non-human’ Grimmore was Regulus orn Grimmore, who became a Teraphim in his thirties, and his daughter Eurydice Hargrave, who was born with some Teraphim traits such as pointed ears - though she remained for all intents and purposes otherwise human.
- Perhaps one of their most notable physical traits, Grimmores are often born with red hair. While anomalies exist to this general rule, said anomalous Grimmores occasionally manifest sienna eyes. The two traits have never been recorded to overlap, however.
- Grimmores are worldly by nature, with it not being uncommon for a member of House Grimmore to have travelled to at least one foreign country prior to the age of ten.
- Heir Designation plays a part in inheritance, with several notable cases of heirs being named of different branches despite the Lord at the time having trueborn children.
- Those of the Grimmore bloodline are among the few who are bound to a star by birth. While this allows the knowledge to be given freely to those bound, the main family branch in Osrona uses this blessing as a learning opportunity by keeping the a child is bound with secret until they can discover it on their own. Started by a small Jianghese emissary branch of the family, Esther ven Grimmore popularized it in the main branch during her reign as House Matriarch. The core belief of this practice comes from the concept that red stars are most powerful when connected through passion. Since each red star of Leonaus embodies a different passion, not knowing can spark a journey of self to find which passion feels the most natural to them, and once they have uncovered themselves, the star they are bound to will become clear. This moment is known as an Astral Awakening.
Notable Members
Ardes ven Grimmore - 1598-1710 AC
One of three Lightbringers of the Order of The First Light in 1650 AC, Ardes ven Grimmore was head of the Grimmore family and a well known warrior. Having lost his arm and leg in a failed attempt to defend King Aris Petrakis III, Ardes was assigned as lead General in the Conquest of Rhoynur by Queen Ariadni II Petrakis as an opportunity to regain his lost honour. The Lightbringer decisively won a victory at the Battle of the Red Sunrise, and then led the First Light on a successful campaign into the Tribelands of Rhoynur that culminated with the capture of the Rhoynish High Lord Lucian Shar, returning to favour with the Queen and as a famed war hero to the Essharan people.
He fought in future conflicts in defense of Osrona, including in the Demon invasion of 1685 AC, where he lost another leg in the thick of the fighting while defending the Messaris district. He retired once the Demonic threat had been satisfactorily dealt with.
Ardes died peacefully in 1710 AC as a result of advanced age and old wounds. His legacy is dubious amongst historians of the 19th century; while he bravely defended the Kingdom of Esshar and was unquestionably a war hero, he was also one of the chief proponents in the ‘indentured servitude’ clause of the Treaty of Hessalia, which legalised the enslavement of the Rhoynish people.
Regulus orn Grimmore - 1707-1741 AC
Arguably one of the most important figures in the Kingdom of Esshar in the early 18th century, Regulus Grimmore served in the Essharan Diplomatic corps from the age of seventeen, thrust quickly into wartime diplomacy during the first Barsburgian Invasion of Esshar. A rising star who made a name for himself organising prisoner exchanges usually more beneficial for Esshar than Barsburg, Regulus found himself Lord of House Grimmore following his father’s assassination in 1728 AC, where he shortly thereafter is believed to have near emptied the House’s coffers in a brutal but successful assassination campaign of Barsburgian officials that resulted in internal chaos for the empire, helping bring an end to the war.
Named Royal Spymaster shortly afterwards, Regulus remained active in a diplomatic role, helping smooth over tensions between Myllenoris and Osrona and ultimately becoming the linchpin in an alliance following his arranged marriage with High Lady Asta Hargrave. The architect of the doomed Treaty of 1733, Regulus was stripped of his titles and declared a traitor following the events of the wedding reception of Alexander II Petrakis, where he and his wife fought their way out of the castle, a charge his House did not contest, starting a war with Myllenoris.
The disgraced nobleman served briefly as the Lord Chancellor of Myllenoris following his forced exile, became the first human Wayfinder of the 18th century, and was the architect of the original framework of the failed Osronan Republic. Having somehow become a Teraphim, Regulus died in 1741 AC with his wife Asta, the cause of death the breaking on-death of the two’s Teraphim bond during the siege of Osrona.
Lannis ven Grimmore - 1787-1811 AC
A Lord of House Grimmore while the family was independent of Osrona, Lannis inherited the Lordship of the family from his brother, Vales ven Grimmore, in uncertain circumstances. An ambitious individual with few scruples, Lannis laid claim to the Osronan throne shortly after becoming head of the family. While the exact details of how his claim was legitimate was never truly explored - generally agreed to be through distant Petrakis ancestry or right of conquest - Lannis established a powerbase by drawing the Fireblooded of Garljing’s Coat, pirates of the Deep Company and the Tribes of the Moxtli to support his claim, capitalising on pre-existing tension between the groups and Osrona.
A capable warrior, Lannis bolstered his already notable natural power with a dark pact he forged with a cursed crimson star in exchange for half of his natural lifespan, making use of the Grimmore relic known as the Tome of Antares. Though seeing some early success against Osrona, his coalition of Drakanites, Sirenians and Beastkin ultimately collapsed following the death of Orodyn Vartuul and several defeats, and he was unceremoniously murdered by a Warchief of the Moxtli in 1811 AC. With his death the Tome of Antares returned to the Grimmore manor, and the chaos it was likely to unleash motivated Lord Atticus ven Grimmore’s expedition to seal the tome away in the following years.
Atticus ven Grimmore 1792-1862
One of the most important Grimmores of the early 19th century, Atticus was the Lord of House Grimmore immediately following the death of Lannis ven Grimmore, whereupon which the young nobleman claimed the Lordship of the family despite being a member of a branch family. When none contested his claim, he began preparations immediately for a return to the once status quo, ultimately negotiating the return of House Grimmore to the fold of Osrona with Amori, Archmagi at the time.
Atticus served Osrona with distinction both as a Lord and master artificer, ensuring the Grimmore family once more became a credit to the city. Issuing a call to the other Grimmores, he invited members of the family to join him in Osrona to help strengthen the city and House Grimmore’s ties to it. A master Wayfinder - possibly the first Grimmore to master the art after Regulus orn Grimmore, though he certainly surpassed him in skill - Atticus led an expedition to the Grimmore manor following Lannis’ death to seal the Grimoire of Antares and prevent it being used to further hurt anyone else, sacrificing half his lifespan to do so.
Having healed the rift between House Grimmore and Osrona, Atticus soon passed the Lordship of the family to Esther ven Grimmore and retired, dying peacefully of accelerated old age in 1862 AC.
Esther ven Grimmore - 1807-Present
Born and raised in a Jianghu embassy, Esther was destined to be a diplomat until a calling from her uncle Atticus ven Grimmore came from overseas, requesting a new generation to help maintain House Grimmore's reunion with Osrona. Heeding the call, Esther traveled to Esshar, and by the age of eighteen Atticus stepped down from his position as Patriarch of House Grimmore and the position fell to her. At the start of her reign as Matriarch, Archmage Amori ven Pelleaux hired her as his secretary and gave her a seat on the council.
She was then among those who journeyed to consult Eos when Amori retired from his position. At the end of the expedition Eos personally granted her a lost a book from times of the first Petrakis. Deciphering it with Headmaster Ehtric Athelier, it detailed the ancient Eosian religion outside of Celestialism. Under the reign of Archmagi Rhesus DeLaurentis she became his personal advisor who handled any sort of prisoner trade, and actively worked to revive the dwindled clergy with Stellus Valeria ven Pelleaux and Zhrani Gardios. After Archmage Rhesus was slain at the Battle of Silverwall followed by Valeria ven Pelleaux's sacrifice in 1843 AC, Esther ascended to the role of High Priestess, serving as the now Stellus Zhrani ahk Gardios' right hand.
During this time Esther became a pivotal voice in re-focusing Celestialism away from Eos and back to its roots. As a veteran member of the council Esther was also among those who elected Land lux Metras to become Osrona's third Archmagi, and after she handled the treasury under the last two Archmagi, he officialised her as Osrona's first Lady of Coins. By the time Asphodel rose as a power, she had become a wizened and venerated voice in Osrona and used her influence to prepare and train the faithful to combat the vampiric kingdom. She eventually retired in 1852, passing her political titles onto her eldest daughter Aurelia, and was able to spend her autumn years in peace.
Relics
Grimoire of Antares
A forsaken, cursed object that was sealed at the pits of the ruins of the Grimmore Manor - Abandoned and left behind due to its nefarious nature, when the noble family wished to start anew after the fall of the kingdom.
The black iron seal at the front of the leather-y skin of the tome can only be unlocked with the blood of a direct descendant of the Grimmore lineage, and the one that reads the Atmosian chants within are bound to the Black Book until they take their final breaths. Should one be so bold as to make a pact with the living object of fel magic - They would sacrifice half of their lifespan in exchange for a link to the cursed star Antares. With this connection, the passion of a thousand souls might be ignited through their eyes, as a form of ocular magic. The toll it takes on one's psyche is maddening, where the bearer will gradually lose themselves to their carnal urges the more refined their mastery of the gift becomes.
Tertzenai Imperi
An arcanium chainmail of overwhelming high quality, likely worked out by a set of hands belonging to someone nay an inch shy of masterful in their art. Silver linings cover the conjoined areas of the attire, thus conforming an apparel that very notably resembles the sets of armor the modern Radiants of the Second Dawn now wear.
The main difference however, apart from its slightly superior edge in function, comes in the way of the runic language imprinted throughout its surface. As a series of spacial runes innately attune the golden and cyan metals that hold it together, vast attunement to an uncommon cardinal star through them.
A piece of noble-worthy battlewear, attuned to the silver star Argimi, containing the seal and herald of House Grimmore in its foreface.
Crafted by Atticus ven Grimmore in the year 1815 AC.
