The Great and Lesser Houses


*** IMPORTANT NOTE:

    Unlike other Advantages, Pedigree: Great House (3 Pts)

    and Pedigree: Lesser House (1 Pt) are ONLY available to

    your character if it was initially built on a maximum

    of 5 Advantage Points.  This is done for the sake of

    continuity:  the rulers of Kasuria are not super-furres.

    Also, you may NOT buy this Advantage with Advancement

    Points later.

***



THE GREAT HOUSES OF KASURIA:

        Ayoubis      Giovarri     Pala

        Balsamud     Haala        Risharrd

        Carthamine   Kavillaur    Sabine

        Desdicara    Moon         Yasmeen

  

   The twelve Great Houses are all between three and six

   centuries old.  Rules of inheritance are strict, and a child

   must be born in wedlock to take the family name.  Magical

   ability is said to run strongest in the veins of the Great

   Houses, who often arrange marriages to members of other Great

   Houses for this reason.

    

   The Great Houses are responsible for the "external" affairs

   of a land, such as sending merchant-diplomats to encourage

   shipping from other counties, and the capitol's defenses.  The

   King may call for each Great House to contribute troops to

   Malgrave's Garrison, and ships and sailors to the Royal 

   Kasurian Navy.  In return, the King's forces keep the peace

   and coordinate trade throughout all Kasuria, and protect her

   from invasion from other countries.



THE LESSER HOUSES OF KASURIA

        Akaba        Keung      Mundi

        Broderick    Kithain    Paolo

        Glissamord   Kosani     Shalimar

        Kelmothand   McDagger   Sherazi

  

   The Lesser Houses are the allies of the Great Houses.  Unlike

   the Great Houses, they don't have any Countships, and they

   have considerably less influence and wealth.

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A LIST OF GREATER HOUSES



Risharrd     

  Ruler:  Countess Anne ti'Risharrd K'Desdemond Am'Lorren

  Heraldic device: Left half of field white, right half of 

    field red, with a light blue raptor standing in the middle,

    facing to the left.

  Makeup: Small slender Mustelines; dates back to the Kingdom

    of Tellish.

  Allied to: House Glissamord.



Kavillaur    

  Ruler:  Countess Kesondra ti'Kavillaur K'Malcom 

    Am'Conrad Ix'Am'Sarn

  Heraldic device: A field of gray, with a thick palm tree 

    flanked by a white glove on the left and a black glove on

    the right.  

  Makeup: Heavyset Mustelines; dates back to the Kingdom of Tellish. 

  Allied to House Kelmothand.



Carthamine   

   Rulers:  Countess Gladtail ti'Carthamine K'Symbidia Am'Jake

            Count Dragar ti'Carthamine K'Aldric Am'Leejah  

   Heraldic device: Field blue, with  three horizontal yellow 

     stripes evenly spaced.

   Makeup: Lupine/Vulpine (Wolves and Foxes).

   Allied to: House Broderick.



Desdicara

    Ruler:  Count Harrystile ti'Desdicara K'Rovarri Ix'Am'Tanya

    Heraldic device: Field dark blue, with a circle of white,

      and a dark gold eagle with outstretched wings in the circle.

    Makeup: Dogs and some Lupines.

    Allied to: House McDagger.



Giovarri

    Rulers:  Count Niccolo ti'Giovarri K'Montakerri (Mt. A'Kerry)

             Countess Reffa ti'Giovarri K'Kosh Ix'Am'Kronin

    Heraldic device: Field yellow with a dark red wedge coming

      from the top; a white wolf pawprint on the lower half.

    Makeup: Dominated by Wolves.  The most prestigious Canine 

      clan.

    Allied to: House Keung.



Pala

    Ruler:  Countess Velamay ti'Pala K'Ralston Am'Londorric

    Heraldic device: Field white, with four fat blue teardrops,

      their points radiating out from a central point to the

      diagonal corners.

    Makeup: Rodents, mostly Rats.

    Allied to: House Akaba.



Moon

    Rulers:  Count Dax ti'Moon K'Challis Am'Laylah Am'Ardra

               Ix'Am'Corrinthia Ix'Am'Peaches

             Countess Felicity ti'Moon K'Sormegar Am'Freddy

    Heraldic device: Field black; three yellow crescent moons

      point-up in a vertical line, the one at the top larger and 

      the one at the bottom smaller.

    Makeup: Smaller Felines.

    Allied to: House Shalimar.



Sabine

    Rulers:  Count Solomon ti'Sabine K'Sontray Ix'Am'Zendra

             Countess Sethla ti'Sabine K'Lithe Na'Kalthyr

    Heraldic device: Field blue; a white cross.      

    Makeup:  Felines; originally from P'ree in Frrance. 

    Allied to House Kosani.



Haala

    Rulers:  Count Bloodclaw ti'Haala K'Harfang Am'Lessa Am'Dori

             Count Gemini ti'Haala K'Spreekle Am'Jordan Am'Sheila

    Heraldic device: Field dark brown, with a golden sunburst

      in the center over a thin horizontal white line.

    Makeup: Lions; ancestors from the Aegyptian Lands.

    Allied to: House Paolo.



Ayoubis

    Ruler:  Count Emirava ti'Ayoubis K'Tranzish Am'Sunmare Am'Dara

    Heraldic device: Field dark green, a white tent, like a circus

      tent, with a triangular black open doorway.

    Makeup: Horses; pride themselves on being "purebreed", and

      do not permit members of other races to even enter their

      private quarters.

    Allied to: House Sherazi.



Balsamud

    Rulers:  Count Fenwyr ti'Balsamud K'Glasny Am'Lin Ix'Am'Korrin

             Count Laslyn ti'Balsamud K'Hurpha

    Heraldic device: Field dark red, with a silvery lamp (like a

      genie lamp) at the top center.

    Makeup: large Felines; reputation for scholarliness.

    Allied to: House Mundi.



Yasmeen

    Rulers:  Count Alnor ti'Yasmeen K'Darvin Am'Dor Ix'Am'Dianna

             Countess Yazeel ti'Yasmeen K'Raideth Am'Stephano

    Makeup:  Equines; famed for their opulent quarters.

    Heraldic device: Field rich purple, with five gold balls in a

      diagonal line from upper right to lower left.

    Allied to House Kithain.



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A LIST OF LESSER HOUSES



Kithain

    Makeup: Felines; descended from sea raiders.

    Allied to: House Yasmeen.



Keung

    Makeup:  Tigers; trace their lineage to exiled Taigorian

      warlord Jiyarr Keung.

    Allied to: House Giovarri.

    Allisia



Akaba

    Makeup: Equine; descended from Kohazzi nomads.

    Allied to: House Pala.



Sherazi

    Makeup: Equine; descended from the famous Stallion Malponi

      Sherazi.

    Allied to: House Ayoubis.



Shalimar

    Makeup: Entertainer Mustelines; dates back to the Kingdom

      of Tellish.

    Allied to: House Moon.



Kelmothand

    Makeup: Semi-aquatic Mustelines; dates back to the Kingdom

      of Tellish.

    Allied to: House Kavillaur.



Glissamord

    Makeup: Black Ferrets.  Trace their ancestry to the Tellish

      Prince Svultan K'Glissamord, called `Golden Eyes'.

    Allied to: House Risharrd.



Broderick

    Makeup: Canines.

    Allied to: House Carthamine.

    Richter



Mundi

    Makeup: Canines.

    Allied to: House Balsamud.



McDagger

    Makeup: Rodents, with relatives in Clan McDagger from Eriu.

    Allied to: House Desdicara.



Kosani

    Makeup: Rodents, mostly Mice; famous as a banking family.

    Allied to: House Sabine.



Paolo

    Makeup: Oddly enough, a family of Cats and Mice.

    Allied to: House Haala.



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TRADITIONAL HOUSE ALLIANCES



  These are the traditional alliances of Great and Lesser Houses.

  Most of them began as arrangements between the

  old-blood/old-money of the Great Houses and the military or

  merchanting prowess of the Lessers.



        GREAT HOUSES          LESSER HOUSES

        Ayoubis (Equine)......Sherazi (Equine)

        Balsamud (Feline).....Mundi  (Canine)

        Carthamine (Canine)...Broderick (Canine)

        Desdicara (Canine)....McDagger (Rodent)

        Giovarri (Canine).....Keung (Feline)

        Haala (Feline)........Paolo (Feline/Rodent)

        Kavillaur (Musteline).Kelmothand (Musteline)

        Moon (Feline).........Shalimar (Musteline)

        Pala (Rodent).........Akaba (Equine)

        Risharrd (Musteline)..Glissamord (Musteline)

        Yasmeen (Equine)......Kithain (Feline)

        Sabine (Feline).......Kosani (Rodent)





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MALGRAVE AND THE COUNTIES OF KASURIA

Malgrave the Capital

     RULED BY King Constantine the XII

       ti'Haala Am'Dillandra Am'Phaedria Am'Cilosia Am'Buttercup

       Rightful Ruler of all Kasuria,



COUNTY   (CAPITAL CITY)  RULED BY

Lithe    (Port Payne)    House Sabine

Kosh     (Kreegor)       House Giovarri

Hurpha   (Freemarket)    House Balsamud

Spreekle (Alkus)         House Haala

Aldric   (Dragonclaw)    House Carthamine

Raideth  (Treebore)      House Yasmeen

Sormegar (Raffamond)     House Moon



     Lithe, Kosh, Hurpha, Spreekle, Aldric, Raideth, and Sormegar

     are referred to as the Highlands or the Cold Counties.  They

     are sparsely populated, and poorer because of the shortage of

     Raptors.  Raptors, Ostrix, and Kiwi don't do very well in 

     the cold, and Raptors will not lay eggs here.



COUNTY   (CAPITAL CITY)  RULED BY

Mt. A'Kerry  (Skyhaven)  House Giovarri

Malcom   (Songhigh)      House Kavillaur

Glasny   (none)          House Balsamud

Ralston  (Sephion)       House Pala

Sontray  (Zellis)        House Sabine

Challis  (Challiston)    House Moon

Darvin   (Ram)           House Yasmeen

Rovarri  (Falbert)       House Desdicara

Harfang  (Zaydore)       House Haala

Symbidia (Bannisard)     House Carthamine

Desdemond  (Saffingwell) House Risharrd

Tranzish (Moorim)        House Ayoubis