Imperial houses are set apart from the normal group of houses. They are prevented from gaining new land or titles unless granted by the Empress herself. As Imperial houses have the greatest control over the Empire as a whole they are prevented from using this power for their own gains. Rather they are encouraged to push the Empire as a whole to further greatness as it is the only way to increase their own power. Some houses choose to pursue this ideal more than others, regardless most members are greatly invested in the future of the Empire.
House Veracor is the current Ruling House in the Eternal Empire. After the fall of House Huris, Anokis Veracor rose to the title of Emperor claiming his right by domination over the previous ruling house, much to the chagrin of many other houses who had planned to assert themselves after Marin Huris' passing. Emperor Anokis was killed in the thirteenth year of the Veracor Rule. Empress Elyssa Veracor, a quite popular figure, has since assumed the throne despite the prescence of Anokis' living heirs Arakis and Tyan. Elyssa has been heralded as a generous ruler, though some try to take advantage of her she has proven to be an effective leader thus far. House Veracor has a prescence far and wide due to their contribution to the majority of colonization efforts. Family members are fairly spread out, with Arakis taking residence on the old Veracor home of Racos and manages much of the family's non-Imperial interests. Tyan has travelled to the border to participate in the conflict with the Republic no major news of his success or failure has arrived thus far.
House Treyvan is unique, one the oldest and most venerable house, as of late there has been growing anger at the actions this House has taken. As the house of judgement, Treyvan house Executors administer the justice of Arbiters throughout the empire without any regard for laws, regulations or jurisdiction. Occasionally Overseers when treading on the domain of dangerous families will inform the leadership of their intentions, but all will continue their pursuit of justice regardless of cooperation. House Treyvan sided with the Veracor House during the Kailist Uprising despite their reservations about the Veracor. Lord Overseer Khalen Treyvan prefers to stay out of the politics of the court, and stays on Avion planning and coordinating his family from there, to fight chaos and corruption within the empire. The seat of the family has been left in the hands of Khalen's niece Lady Speaker Rhona Treyvan. This position is not as sought after in the Treyvan house as in others, but Rhona is still held in high regard. Those who trifle with the Treyvan should be wary of High Judge Lochsar Treyvan who acts as the champion for the Treyvans should one choose satisfaction against the house, Lochsar also leads a Treyvan strike team utilized for the highest profile and most dangerous Interventions.
House Kaithor has had unusual strength and success since the death of their patriarch Lord Bysis. His twin sons took control of the family immediately after his death, splitting responsabilities evenly and forming an unprecedented dual leadership. Though nominally Aison is in charge, and Ramis is the seat, Ramis as Imperial Advocate, represents the Empress as her Champion should the need arise as while as leading the Imperials Guards in their duties. Aison has abdicated his role as commander of the Imperial Guard in favor of managaing the more private affairs of the Kaithor house which has worked out quite while. Although Kaithor holdings have not increased, the influence of their house has been growing at an almost alarming rate. Bysis was a staunch supporter of the Empress during the Kailist Uprising, but the stance of his sons is still a great mystery. Although they have not laxed in their protection of the Crux worlds, the Kaithor have become more involved with court politics than ever before.
The Shekrito are the newest of the Imperial Houses but are still ancient by the standards of most other houses. Baron Jarkus has complete control over his house, with the Taui Shipyards so close to Karnos he does not need to provide a speaker for the Imperial Assembly. This is a fortunate turn as Jarkus closest advisor Tylia Shekrito feels much more at home at the shipyards than at the courts. Tylia is the main architect for the entire Eternal Fleet, the shipyard has been focused upon creating new colony and scouting ships, but the recent aggression on the frontier may give cause for a change in focus. Although the need for warships has become apparent, the shipyards cannot change overnight, it will take time for the Shekrito to readjust to this new stage. Shekrito have always taken a passive role in the politics of the Empire, but as of late have had adament support for the Veracor cause of expansion and colonization of new worlds.
The Etticor, like the Treyvan have a purpose that must be seperate from the regular Firmaments. As the law holders and writers of the empire they must be immune to any chance of increasing their own position. Even though there are many similarities between the Etticor and the Treyvan, their opinions on justice could not be more disparate. The Etticor's supervise and assist the peacekeeping forces of the Empire, the Imperial Wardens. They sit as neutral mediators and third votes on triumvirates when two families have problems that cannot be solved easily. The sitting head of the family Magistrate Setili Etticor only brings more bad blood between the Etticor and Treyvan families. Setili's brother and son were killed by a Treyvan strike during the Kailist Uprising where the Etticor family fought against the Empress, but surrendered after the Brakus family was broken. She therefore holds quite the grudge and still pushes to put the Treyvan Arbitration under the purview of the Etticor family, or better yet eliminate it all together. Since the Etticor write all the laws, and are tasked with interpreting laws there is little room for ambiguity, they are absolute. This leads to many issues with the enforcement of the Etticor laws in the dominions entirely controlled by another family, as they prefer their own management as opposed to Etticor rules.
House Ullisari manages Archives of knowledge all throughout the Empire, and are constantly watchful for new tomes, and new knowledge to add to their collections. The Prime Archive at Vasikorin houses every original that the Empire has collected. A great many artifacts have also found their way into Ullisari collections, but are stored in various Archives around the Empire. The Ullisri joined the Kailist Allliance during the uprising and fought against the Empress and her family, but after seeing the attacks on the Brakus they were the first to submit to the Empress. The Ullisari are very against the war in the far reaches of the Empire, trying to help find a diplomatic solution. Mek Ullisari has been trying to regain the Archives that were lost during the Kailist Uprising but many of the Domains that were built around various archives took control of them and are reluctant to give them up. Archive Master Barrique Ullisari is unliked by Mek, but due to his steadfast loyalty to the Empire during the uprising, removing him from power would be an insult to Empress Elyssa.
The Demense are a special variety of house, although they have no larger voting power than any other Firmament. These Demense houses have a specific territory carved out which is directly under their power. Although many Firmaments have individaul planets under their influence, a Demense must have four or more systems that they directly control, all connected without interruption by another house's territory. A Demense provides special powers to the house including tariffing, greater self governance, as well as the power to create new Vassaldoms.
The Veviscue family is one of the largest and oldest families in the Eternal Empire. Almost every member of the family serves the Empire as part of its armada, and the Veviscue provide the largest garrison of ships for the Imperial Armada. Anyone wishing to be a ranking officer in the Armada must train at the Veviscue family's military academy. Due to the grandiose nature of their family, the Veviscue are not as united as many of the smaller families. Despite this no Veviscue wants to compromise the Demense and therefore the internal strife is limited to political manuvering, actve engagements and violence are quite rare. Lord Commandant Habrian Veviscue leads his family from his flagship Valorious which leads Fleet IV Devastation. The seat of the Veviscue is not held by a member of the family, instead Habrian's former XO Myrus Jotuk leads Fleet I Hearth and represents Habrian's interests to the Assembly.
The Tellari became a demense much to the suprise of many other families. Several trades, purchases, and negotiations lead to a sudden spike in their consolidated holdings, resulting in the demense they now hold. The Tellari family is nowhere near the size of the Veviscue or Evarii family, their control is entirely based on economic gain and contractual obligations. Lady Anawet has no time to dabble in the politics of the Assembly, and spends most of her time traveling and cultivating new trade deals, holdings, and resources for her family to deal in. Tellari trade ships pervade the entire Empire and beyond, moving supplies from every world to more lucrative locations. Any captain with a suitable freightor can find work with the Tellari, but there are harsh punishments for late deliveries and missing cargo. Two of the world's controlled by the Tellari, Arawas and Kairus are major trade centers for the Empire and even traders not directly involved with the Tellari often have to deal with their tariffs and customs. After the demise of her brother Lady Anawet forced her daughter Maricent to take his place as the Seat in the Assembly. Maricent was reluctant as it forced her to discontinue her service in the Niscis Domain. As such she is always looking for a suitable replacement so she may return to her passion, but there are few true Tellari, and even fewer that Lady Anawet trusts.
House Evarii has the largest demense of the empire, long ago Evarii was it's own Protectorate conquering a path through space, but it met with resistance when it happended upon the newly formed Eternal Empire. After fierce fighting, the Evarii winning many planetary conflicts, but having no match for the Eternal Armada, the Evarii parlayed with the Empire. At the start just a non-aggression pact, turned into an alliance when the Chiss attacked, and eventually blossomed into a full fledged alliegiance to the Eternal Empire, with the Evarii throne becoming one of the most powerful families within. Lord Khius leads the Imperial Vanguard travelling with them to conquer new colonies and destroy the enemies of the Eternal Empire. His Father who abdicated the throne at an unconventionally young age, directs the entirety of the Imperial Forces as Leige Strategist Krenus. He resides upon the capital world of Karnos, and sits as the House Evarii representative for the Assembly. Krenus has focused the Evarii forces upon the planets of the Crux hoping to inspire stability in the capital worlds of the Empire rather then extend themselves trying to protect every colony. Khius disagrees with his father and has moved the Vanguard far out into the Wing and the Trianary. He is determined to drive the Republic from the Empire and will not stand to lose even a single world. As the true leader of the Evarii, Khius cannot be questioned in his crusade, but many respect and admire Krenus, and believe following his lead would be the best path for the Evarii.
A Firmament is a rank of house given to those who have signifigant enough influence to be awarded the right to vote in the Assembly. Most Firmament have one or two planets under their majority rule, but some are widespread and have not concentrated their power into one area, preferring to remain connected to a large scope of the Eternal Empire. Firmaments are required to have at least a small standing force to support the Imperial Armada or the Imperial Vanguard. In a time of war many will be asked to supply more troops and resources, but in most times, the Firmaments are only tasked with protecting their own holdings.
The trade caravan ships of the Quenin Family, are recognizable throughout the Empire. These collossal vessels slowly lumber from system to system collecting and offloading a plethora of different goods from every sector. They are well armed and travel with a flotilla of support ships. Due to their investment in these ships the Quenin family has little in the way of concrete holdings except for the Shipyard of Narus. Members spending most of their lives aboard the ships, travelling and trading throughout the empire. Each member of the family has a Behemoth commissioned for them upon their birth, and at its completion the ship is given to them as a coming of age gift and they set off upon their journey into the Empire. Due to their unique way of life, the Quenin are always on the lookout for skilled, and loyal advisors for new Count-Captains setting out on their own.
Every great Empire needs to have great cities, most of the splenderous architecture and soaring edifices are the result of Kaestrom influence. Long ago the Kaestrom became chief among the architects of the Empire. Now their influence is spread through their academy on Iri Khas. Still the most important buildings within the Empire are often designed by the proteges of the Kaestrom family. Their most profound responsibility is the Fortress Worlds. Key points throughout the Empire have been fortfied by Kaestrom design to provide vast defensive potential in the case of an invasion of the Empire, recently Fortress construction has begun on worlds near the Republic borders signalling Imperial assent that war is almost inevitable. These worlds were first created as a response to the war with the Chiss as many worlds fell, the heavily protected Ratohm weathered the storm despite being cut off from the rest of the Empire. Under seige for 1 yr. and 4 mon. when the Imperial Forces finally begin to halt the Chiss advance. Kaestrom forces, having suffered minamal losses, swarmed from their home and spearheaded the push against the Chiss forcing them back into the Edge. Despite no interest in controlling new colonies, in favor for the industrializtion and edification of already populated worlds the Kaestrom approve of the expansionist movement. The creation of city planets and Fortress Worlds is absolutely reliant on the raw resources brought in by the colonies of the Wing.
From the humble beginnings of simple guards, protecting the wealth amassed by Tellari, the House Oupion has slowly and determindly forced their way into the upper echelons of the Empire. Although Kairus is the throneworld of the Oupion, their true power lies in the vaults at Monali where the wealth of all their clients is stored. Trust built over ages of steadfast protection and vigilance has allowed the Oupion to amass great power, but as of yet they are still subordinate to the Tellari. This puts them in an interesting dillemna as their position on most issues is assumed to be that of the Tellari, as such alliances and deals with certain houses are difficult for the Oupion to cultivate. Despite such problems there is immense trust in the Oupion who have always kept their holdings with integrity. They profit due to the wealth of others, and so their prosperity is tied to that of the Empire as a whole. Their support for the Tellari had been unwavering until the events of the Kailist uprising where they refused to provide men for their overlords. Some viewed this as a betrayal, some as honor to the Empire, others as a business tactic, regardless of the reasons behind it, the relationship between Tellari and Oupion has become strained. After the war all of the Tellari holdings were returned to them, the Oupion intervention protected many of their assests from being used in the failed coup. This helped heal some of the scars left by the betrayal, but many of the wounds are still raw. Ultimately the relationship is at a turning point which could drastically affect the power of the Tellari in the future.
The threads of the Corempi House spread from the Crux to the farthest reaches of the Empire. They have stakes in countless companies, corporations, domains, guilds, and houses. With their vast wealth and brutal enforcement of loans they have accrued more and more holdings. This connects the Corempi intricately with all facets of the Empire. You never know who owes the Corempi, or who's on their payroll to become enemies with them is to be constantly on guard, only the most powerful, or stalwart houses challenge them. Many disagreements happen, but people are careful to reconcil with them, and avoid becoming the object of their rage. The Corempi avoid double crossing major houses, as a bad reputation could be the seeds of their downfall. They have crushed a great many minor houses, taking their holdings and properties to become the colossus they are. No longer having to stand on the skeletons of small houses they have moved to create long term mutually beneficial deals and alliances. For a long time major news of the Corempi has been minimal, appearing that they have finally found a stable comfortable position. Lord Darquis primarily works with the industrial sectors in the center of the Empire, and has no time for negotiation or bartering and has a reputation for opening with final offers. Lady Marquil has directed her focus on the colonization efforts of the other houses, offering monetary support in exchange for returns from the colonies later on after they've become established. To outside observers colonization effort seems to be quite the gamble, but bribes and offers to key members of the Miancor give Lady Marquil a unique edge on which ventures she deems worthy.
Forerunner are captains of the ships that hyperspace jump wildly into space searching for new planets to colonize, and new routes throughout the Empire. Outriders travel to new colonies to scout them out, survey them, help new colonists get set up, find good locations for colony ships to begin. Harbingers are the arm of the Miancor, they secure Imperial control over new worlds found by Forerunners. In times of war they act as rangers, landing in the wild areas of enemy planets, setting up base camp, and scouting out the enemy from the cover of the wild. Envoys- manage groups of Forerunners, Harbingers, and Outriders all together to coordinate the exploration, and responsabilities of all three. Lord Tykis has done well for his family, bringing them glory and riches from the colonies they've discovered and traded away. Selling the rights to the majority of colonies, has led to guaranteed profit from every set of coordinates that the Miancor can discover. The Miancor's proclivity for wild jumps has lead to a repuatation of insanity, and although some do jump with reckless abandon, most use advanced astrophysics, and astronomy to plot reasonable jumps with high percentages of success, but statistics and spatial measurements don't make for good stories. On the other side of the coin Envoy Pellick is quite mad, although it is unrelated to the Miancor's exploration. His chaotic tendencies give Tykis immense satisfaction, and allow him to keep his opponents in the Assembly completely off guard, though it does sometimes have it's downsides. Pellick is quite friendly though and is not dangerous, but has a twisted sense of humor, leading to some problematic episodes with members of other families.
The Nemsi family is dead. Due to casualties sustained during the Kailist Uprising the Nemsi line will end after Irakshi Nemsi dies. The Dekri are poised to take control of their holdings when he passes, though others lurk in the darkness hoping to scrounge some gain from the downfall of this once great house. Famous for their finding abilities, the Nemsi have a collection of relics that rivals the Ullisari's. Some of these relics are from the ancient houses, so some have wish to claim them despite the Nemsi's ownership. The immenent fall of the house has created a dangerous atmosphere. Other families have begun to wonder if the anger of the Nemsi, is worth the relics they could claim. A combination of cunning and investigation, as well as unique force practices, mean that the Nemsi can track anyone or anything with even the coldest of leads. The Dekri have for a long time been tasked with the discovery of strong force sensitive individuals within the general population for the domains as, well as unearthing of lost ancient force practices.
The Imori House began as a secret society in the Evarii Protectorate. They helped secure the Protectorate through clandestine means, assassinating, sabotaging and otherwise inconveniencing the enemies both foreign and domestic. They killed a great many house members during the Imperial Wars. Even ending a few houses over the many years of war and armistice. After the Evarii joined the Eternal Empire one of their first edicts as a Demense was to create the Imori Firmament. Since the Imori have their roots in a secret society only loosely related to bloodlines, the house has remained open to all with the proper qualifications, with adoption of the most important and impactful members being the norm. Though the Imori deny it, some still claim that the Ekri Ka, the secret society, still exists today and operates to keep some sort of secret Evarii Protectorate safe. As of late, Dynast Shal has been extremely busy, after contact with the Republic was made reconnaissance began at once, but only a few year laters the were discovered and war started with the republic. Providing intel on both factions, while keeping their own house secure has become quite difficult. Serious gaps in knowledge have been created by this strain and has contributed to the faltering of the Eternal Empire's success on the fronts.
The family tree of the Moraltin's is their primary strength. It has grown broad and strong, members of the family are so numerous that it seems every guard patrol has a Moraltin at its head. Children of the Moraltin lead much more sparse and disciplined upbringings than most of their counterparts. At first it was a simple matter of economy, Moraltin riches cold not be used to pamper so many offspring. At this point it has become such an expected regimine, that the Moraltin Great Hall is akin to a military academy. For most Moraltin, the only hope for power is prowess in battle, leading to promotions and glory. As they have a strong force heritige many Moraltin children exhibit powers which makes the Eternal Empire eager to accept their commisions in the Vanguard and Armada. They have proved to be valuable assests on the fronts against the force users of the Republic, and should prove a match for the Sovereignty in the future. Moraltin force practices provoke, ferocity, but only after one achieves single minded focus in combat. Thus meditation in order to seperate oneself from all things outside of the present is necessary and once this state of pure focus is achieved, initiates are instructed to release their entire being into that single focus until victory is achieved. Lord Aricus is famous for being obssessed with the wild beast hunts of his ancestors, something the Moraltin were once famous for. He doesn't seem interested in pursuing new game however and only wishes to relive and recount the hunts of his ancestors, frustrated when they don't go exactly as planned. His wife Lady Ayalla originally from the Quenin is much more politically minded, and seems to be running the majority of the house for some time. Using her influences with her relatives, she has leveraged a large mercenary power which is managed by various Moraltin warriors and commanders. Creating a large standing army strictly under the control of the Moraltin, with some Quenin influence of course.
The exemplification of the Lauir is in their technology. The Lauir family patrons a great number of scientists and engineers, in an effort to push the boundries of science and technology. Along side this, Lauir children are encouraged to be studious and contribute to the family through research or the management of those they patron. They laud explorers, engineers, doctors, archeologists, and all manner vocation, provided that it gains some sort of tangible yields for the family. Many memebers of the house spend their time away from the halls and politics of the Crux in favor of persuing their own interest. They have such little time in fact that their wishes in the Assembly are communicated via droid rather than waste a Lauir on, what is in their opinion, a menial task. The Lauir support during the Kailist Uprising is one of the primary causes of the early victories by the Kailist Alliance. Superior weaponry and sheilds lead to the early battles being won, but after the Treyvan's massive and brutal assault of Kailist Alliance leadership the Lauir surrendered. This early withdrawl combined with a severe lack of leadership helped cripple the effectiveness of land and space forces. Their actions are considered traitorious by the majority of both sides. This combined with Lauir stereotypical aloofness, has creates a general distaste for the Lauir in many houses. Lauir have thus begun to guard their technology even more jealously, witholding from even the Imperial Vanguard, creating a serious demand for their advancements, although some have taken it as a sign to begin relying on other means for scientific advancement.
The Jauk have a policy of constant investment, as they gain wealth from numerous factories, mines, and other businesses, they are constantly using it to improve or collect more assests. Not one to buy land, or establish colonies, they favor the accumulation of already established infrastructure, purchasing businesses that have already built themselves up, rather than investing in future returns. They have quite the expansive network and are the primary competitors for the Corempi in most facets of industry. They have little in the way of condensed holdings, few vassals and a penchant for using others to achieve their goals mean that to an outside observer the house may seem ill defended and weak, but alliances and the threat of supply shortages mean that many houses are obligated to keep the Jauk well defended and unhindered. The Jauk have often manupulated production to serve ulterior motives, causing false shortages or surplus to create problems for their enemies. Jauk goods are a staple of Imperial forces, and they are never lax in there production for the Empire, as remaining in good graces to the Empress is imperative. Viscount Yenta is a master manipulator, and her reach extends far into the heart of the Empire. The Jauk have gained further favor with the Empress, by providing droid troops and automated defenses for the outer colonies, as Imperial forces are currently occupied with the war. Some problems have occured as the Jauk try to exact recompense for their services rendered. Colonies have been forced to pay excessivly for their lives, as often Jauk abandonment would mean death.
The Craukin's became infamous for their assistance to the Empire during the Kailist Uprising. During the Veviscue assault of the Brakus Fleets, the Veviscue moved their fleet through a nebula to ambush one half of the Brakus pincer movement. This manuver was based upon false information planeted by the Ullisari. In reality the entire bomber force of the Brakus was waiting at the edge of the nebula to ambush the Veviscue, with no shields and targeting adversely affected by the nebula, the Veviscue would have been ravaged by even a single bombing run. A small contingent of ships was left at the edge of the nebula with the carrier ships to obliterate any who survived the bomber onslaught, while the main force moved to attack the world of Avion. The Craukin discovered the Ullisari plot, and ignoring directives from the Kaithor, jumped to the edge of the nebula, pushed through the Brakus forces and destroyed the bomber force before they had a chance to launch, thus saving the majority of the Veviscue fleet. After this success, the fleet was able to join the battle at Avion, crushing the Brakus fleet against the planetary defenses. For such magnificent self sacrificing efforts, the Craukin were awarded a Firmament though ill prepared, they rose to the challenge. They have created a small house, and are gaining a reputation of respect and honor. For many years Craukin was akin to the name of outlaw, or pirate, but as they gain influence they do everything they can to shake that stigma. Lord Elacar has been quite supportive in the war against the Republic, through means of deception, and cunning, he has kept the location of hyperlanes from Republic and Sovereignty space to the Eternal Empire largely a secret. This tactic more than any other has kept the inner systems safe, from the Sovereignty and The Republic. Captain Genevas, is one of the old guard of the Craukin, he wishes to harkin back to the raiding of his old days, but has been pressured constantly by his lord and his peers to avoid such things. He still manages the Corsair Fleet, and is popular with the Captains, but his position as Speaker for the Craukin has been a way for the others to keep him from using his influence to push others to go back to the old ways.
PC's in the Eternal Empire must learn to navigate the intricate and clandestine political climate of the houses. Every player will have chances to interact with this political state by using one of five Influence Actions. These range from gathering information about political rivals, to all out assaults on houses. Rolls are determined by the skills of the PC Two passive Influence Manuvers can be used per week, or one active Influence Action.
| Influence Action | Summary | Skills |
|---|---|---|
| Plot | Improvement of your position by the use of nefarious means, add new contacts, add to supplies, create middlemen | Deception, Charm, or Negotiation |
| Mobilization | Moving of personnel or resources to new areas, in order to allow for other Intrigue and Plot to be performed. | Deception, Leadership, or Negotiation |
| Intrigue | Commiting acts of clandestine nature such as assassinations, theft, destabilization, kidnapping, framing, planting evidence or other secret plots. | Deception, Stealth, or Skulduggery |
| Intel | Collecting intellegience or planning new actions, finding weaknesses in enemies or useful information about Firmaments, Demense, Dominions or enemies of the Empire. | Computers, Charm, or Skulduggery |
| Resources | Collecting or arrangement of new resource under your control, personnel, weapons, ships, and others to be used directly by you. | Mechanics, or Negotiation |