House {Orc}

Among the Orcs, and especially those of the Darklands, a House is a quasi-autonomous, largely dynastic organisation dedicated to the protection of a site of great historic or spiritual significance. The term house is also applied to the organisation's main residence. Formed when a group of orcs takes responsibility for such a site, the group gains House status when its custody is acknowledged by the local rulers and passed on to the next generation.
Members of a House may be linked to the founders by blood, but the Houses also take in foundlings and orphans of all ages, and may also adopt adult warriors and adepts with no other affiliation who feel drawn to the duty. A House will usually have its own ways of training fighters and spellcasters to fulfil the duty, and only rarely and in the worst scenarios will they request outside aid.
There are two types of house. Custodial Houses take responsibility for the tending and protection of a sacred site, somewhere tied to a great ancestral hero or victory. Garrison Houses, meanwhile, contain areas deemed tainted by the touch of the Dark Lords. Custodial Houses preserve, defend, venerate and curate to site and related relics, while Garrison Houses serve the dual purpose of containing any spiritual corruption lingering at the site and defending it from those who would exploit it.

• The House of Spears Sheathed in Night
• The House of Perdition

Type

Political, Family