House of Crows

Structure

Headmistress: The absolute leader of the Household.
Raven Herald: An elite religious agent, sworn to the Death God to uphold virtues of the immortal soul.
Machina Steward: The highest rank within the technological circle. Handles matters of science, manufactury and architecture.
Head Treasurer: A goblin with intents
Handmaiden: High ranking female only stewards, elite warriors and officers of nobility that rule their own minor households with sworn alligeance to the Crow, or in rare cases the Raven.

Culture

Heritage

The House of Crow's are as Morstein as Morstein comes. They never left the area which served as their labour camps and instead adapted to the lives they already lived, yet with freedom in mind. The Crowsworn are known to be a resourceful group that value innovation, creativity, knowledge and family above all else. They take arts such as engineering and metalurgy seriously and pride themselves with the technological advancements and adaptations which their house has managed to achieve for both themselves and various other factions.

Fashion

By tradition, members of the household tend to dress in the colours of black and deep shades of purple. Signifying mystery, danger and royalty. Though the colours of brown and black are not rare to find among the Crowsworn, as though they lack cultural significance it's become a norm and uniform among it's sister household, known as the Raven. Overall the current fashion statement of the organization is a mix between traditional sharp yet minimalistic coats and shirts and a more rugged and ornamental style common among human nobility. It's citizens also tend towards carrying visible arms against most Dyskhari tradition, as proud hunters and gunslingers.

Traditions

The Feast for Crow's is a celebration where the members of the household engage in hunts among the nearby woodlands and mountains. By using their avian companions, they'll hunt various game in overpopulated areas to cull down their numbers and preserve the order within nature. This hunt generally takes place between the late autumn or early winter, depending on the amount of grown beasts that roam the lands. The hunt itself is between a week to two long and is also a way to stock up on food and warm furs for the full winter season and a good amount of the comming spring. The hunts end always kick off the winter celebrations with a lavish and decadent masquerade orgie, where the hunting families split up to join various parties where each attendant bring something to the feast. Be they goodies the hunters prey, baked goods, fresh vegetables which is often grown in the cold or preserved fruits and drinks. The drinks themselves most often being juice as the alcoholic free option, or mead and finer wine.
Todesnacht is a night of solemn contemplation where each Dyskhari family within, underneath or somehow culturally connected with the greater household await midnight in the middle of autumn, to say their prayers to the dead. The tradition demands a small altar for the ancestors be put up in Sarak's name and then for a black candle to be lit with blue alchemical light. The blue fire signifies the soul and is said to bring out the souls of the passed to once more dance alongside their family. The night also call for vegetarian dishes the day before as no blood is allowed to flow before the right, as the flesh of the dead is said to frustrate the spirits.

Public Agenda

The house is a known bastion against corruption and threatning magical entities such as the abyssal lords. One of their grand enactments is to fight the corruption of the abyss in all it's forms and to go on a holy war with factions that seek to pervert the purity of death. Effectively making them defenders of passing souls.
They are also the funding source of the Dyskhari revolution to turn the Imperium into their ideal of a Free Nation, which puts an emphasis on peace, technological innovation and the abolishment of slavery in exchange for a free willed choice in interractial servitude. This is also accompanied by the non-offical imperial races and cultures working underneath the house, or their sister house to be granted full citizenship. Races already offically part of the Imperium are also to be culturaly elevated from subcultural groups to be allowed and form their own provinces.

History

Origin

Though they are one of the smaller houses, the House of Crow's has a rich history which has played an effective role in ensuring the growth and success of the Imperium.
Their roots start within the aptly named Crow's mountains. A cruel looking hollow at the southmost foot of the northern Dragonmountains. The location is infamous for the crooked rocks and pointy spikes of stone that stick out from the mountain walls to offend the skies above the hollow valley. It is also a place rich with natural resources in the shapes of fine stones, ores and gems. Thus it once made it a perfect location for the Sylvhar elves to set up a slave colony among their own lower castes. A people that'd soon be turned and twisted into the Dyskhar of both past and today.
Though most houses left as soon as they could, or escaped even during their servitude, the Crowsworn adapted their mines and occupied the Sylvhari keeps to fortify defensive positions against the homeland reinforcements that sought to seek them punished for uprising. By utilizing guerrila tactics within the nearby woods, they mottled down and demoralized the enemy forces, before making slow retreats to the mountains. They then used the forbidding cliffs to hurl bombs at the remaining invaders, while keeping themselves hard targets for avian units. Lastly, bottlenecking what remained of the forces with deathtraps and deadly gauntlets within their connected keeps and mines.
Though most Dyskhari stood little chance against their Sylvhar masters, without delving into the occult and ruinous magics, the Crowsworn repurposed everything they had into weapons and armour. Creating bombs and steel weapons from mined resources, as well as dark carpace armour from the slain underground creatures and insectoids.
Eventually their bastion was further secured by additonal Dyskhari houses being established around their borders, laying the formations of their realm. Held underneath their first headmistress, Lady Edelgard Nachtbringer.

Revolution

Close to the present day, the House of Crows used to be a driving force within slavery themselves. While they still treated people like people by having pristine conditions within the mines along with giving the servants proper clothing, food and drink, small lodgings and days off for free time, many still craved free will or to be returned to their families.
After a successful slave raid to Scarnza and the Âzhgaardian Empire during the Dragoncrusade, one among the captured men were a Blackblood known as Arathon Caras. The current Crow's daughter saw the man as an omen of the god Sarak and became infatuated with him to the point she went against her mothers demands to release him from servitude.
Asking for his hand in a relationship, the young Ophelia Nachtdrinker agreed to the demand of releasing his kindred to their families and to sway her mother to abolish slavery. This request was not met well and in an attempt to to punish her daughters insolence by torturing and executing the servants, a blaze of rage within the young woman had her feed her own mother to the crows. Literally.
Though the threat of execution had Arathon Caras break his chains and free with his kindred before he could engage in any relationship, the newly inherited Crow while saddened still kept her promise. Issuing a decree of freedom though leaving an open offering for any servant to willingly remain a member of her realm. To which one third swore her fealthy.
A few months later, the House of Crow's had offically cojoined with the House of the Raven as led by Ophelia's prior exiled half sister Amelia. Together they would join in with the Twin Serpents revolution for a Free Dyskhari Nation, by using their vast wealth and technological advancements within airships and gunnery warfare to support the cause. Ever since, they have been considered less of an Imperial house by the rest of the world, with open trade, tourism and cooporation with certain human and Sylvhari elven factions.

Territories

The house lays claim to two regions, known as the Crow's Mountains and Ravenwoods. The mountains themselves are considered ancestral lands, as held against storms and blizzards against anyone who'd seek to take their homes from them. The Ravenwood however was the home to a species now known as the Corvax, a tribalistic beastkin tribe that practiced mytical arts, untill the Sylvhar drove them out. Once the lands were laid claim by the Dyskhari, they allowed the Corvax to once more rule the province side by side with the rest of the Imperium.

A Thousand Eyes~

Military

The Orden Militarius for the house are known as a fourclover of armies that ensures the security and decrees of the household.
The Rabensturm Institute is the gunnery segment of the fourclover. Specializing into artillery, infantery and machinery. Lead by the madwoman Kris Rabensturm they defend the borders of the house with serious firepower and electrical might. Utilizing the powers of steam, electricity and coal to develope new and terrifyingly effective ways to purge corruption and battle magic with.
The Mystarium is the magical wing of the house. Though it consists nearly only from Corvex mystics and warriors, they are still ruthlessly loyal to their house. The Mystarium works in close relation with Barrkad to investigate and research magical anomalies considered haunted, corrupted or in some way or form touched by ruinous powers.
The Ravenknights is the aerial wing of the order. Lead by Magnolia Dolchenfeuer, the knights ride ravenlike greatbirds among the woods and mountains to protect and safeguard the realm from any possible threats.
The Crowsguard is a mercenary army lead by none other than the goblin treasurer Goldbert Hagglewire and his Raven Company mercenary band of rugged outlaws and gunslingers. As men and women who'd gladly put their life on the line for coin, their loyality is unwavering for as long as they're paid. Thus making them excelent guards and protectors of the Crow herself.

Religion

The house are faithful believers of the Death God, otherwise known as Sarak. The religious institution known as the Harbingers of Sarak is strictly followed by most members of the organisation due to their close ties with the deity. Even so, by Sarak's own decree they remain openminded and far from zealous, fighting only in their name when it comes to vanquishing primordial evils or cults which madly interpret Sarak's wisdom.

Type

Geopolitical, Great house

Alternative Names

The Crowsworn

Formation Type

Bladedancers

Training Level

Elite

Veterancy Level

Decorated/Honored

Demonym

Crowsworn

Leader

Ophelia Duskblade

Ruling Organization

Dyskhari Imperium

Leader Title

Bladesister

Currency

Mynt

Legislative Body

The Serpentine Circle

Judicial Body

House of Crows

Executive Body

The Nightbringer Knights

Subsidiary Organizations

• Crowsguard
• Mystarium
• Rabensturm Institute

Related Traditions

• Battle-harem

Related Ranks & Titles

• Handmaid/Houselord

Related Professions

• Raven Herald

Controlled Territories

• Crows Mountain
• Dolchstadt
• Ravenwoods

Neighboring Nations

• House of Serpents

Related Items

• Stormtech Weapons

Notable Members

• Goldbert Hagglewire
• Kris Rabensturm
• Magnolia "Magpie" Dolchenfeuer

Related Species

• Dyskhar

Related Ethnicities

• Morstein

Diplomatic Relations

Due to releasing the captured Âzhgaardian slaves prior captured, the House of Crow's earned the forgiveness of the Empire and have from there built a steady relation of friendship with them. They are also on a good foot with Barrkad, for taking a stand against tyrannical use of magic. They are also well recieved by foreign worshippers of the Death God, due to their dignified handling of the religious pantheon,

Laws:

Though most laws remain the same as the wider Dyskhari Imperium, they are far looser interpret for the freedom of it's citizens. Beyond slavery being abolished, it's still legal for races and ethnicities not offically part of their realm to swear allegiance and citizenship to the household. To do this, one needs to sign a contract with a handmaiden or higher ranking status figure such as the owner of a company or an official organization which grants work to new citizens. Then they also require to learn the Dyskhari language accompanied by their culture. The crowsworn are also the only ones to allow open carry of firearms and explosives in public areas, as long as the invidiual has a license or is supervised by someone with one.