Silvermour Family
The Silvermour family is an old noble family used to luxury, opulence, and preferrencial treatment. They still live in the good old times and expect people to do the same when they are concerned.
The Silvermour family is the last relevant supporter of an old cult-style religion that believes, among other things, that when twins are born, one is bound to become a devil.
The Silvermour family is also notorious for taking in children in a boarding-school type of institute to teach them the art of war, honour, and how to be a noble like them. There is also a fair share of religious indoctrination involved. The pay off for the children and their families is that it grants them a sort of social prestige, and the eternal protection of the Silvermour family. Nowadays, it’s more of a self-perpetuating cycle, with the children of those who went to the boarding school making up the core group of its current members. Attending the school also costs a considerable amount of money, unless a child can demonstrate talent and religious vocation worthy of the Silvermour name.
Structure
The Head of the family is also the Head of the cult supported by the Silvermour. The next Head can technically be chosen from any of the current Head's children (the cult encourages its members to have a lot of children), but it is usually just passed along to the oldest one.
Public Agenda
The Silvermour want to dominate West Tolona's religious sphere, even though their particular religious brand has been in decline for over a century.
History
Bishop Silvermour was the Head of the family until his death in 1995. He was married three times (the cult's marriage traditions differ both from the wider societal norms and that of the noble ones and had a child with each spouse. His first wife was Holly Goldsmith, and their son was called Pope Silvermour. When Holly took her own life a few years late, Bishop claimed it was because she was 'insane' and did not know what she was doing. In fact, Ivy killed herself because life under the Silvermour's control was unbearable. Bishop's second wife was called Holly Rowan, and the son she had with Bishop was called Pontifex. Holly died in an accident a few years later (and Bishop was not involved). Bishop's third wife was called Ivy Spruce. She and Bishop had a daughter named Safira. Bishop never liked the girl much, though, and declared her 'insane' from an early age, hiding her away to avoid 'public shame'.
Pope Silvermour grew up to be just as his father expected, and not surprisingly became the next Head of the family and cult. Pontifex, the second child, grew up a rebel and dabbled in the so-called "Dark Arts" (anything not cult-related) at the age of fifteen. When his father found out what he was doing, he called Pope and they both confronted Pontifex. An argument and physical fight ensued, and it ended with Bishop and his wife dead, and Pontifex on the run. Pontifex later changed his name to Sigmund Scheizer and lived in hiding for a few years. He would later join the The Dragons of Tolona and take particular pleasure in tarnishing the nobility's reputation.
With his father's untimely death, Pope Silvermour became the Head of the family. He gained political influence through religious (and monetary) favours and arranged for his sister Safira to marry Ferdinand, one of his best Knights. Ferdinand agreed to take on the family name, as Pope was unfortunately unable to have his own children and continue the family name. Safira had no say in her marriage to Ferdinand, though she knows very well that he only agreed to marry the “loony” for her money, prestige, and to be in Pope’s good favour. With both her brother and husband still keeping her away from people, Safira felt constantly lonely.
Much to Pope’s disgust, Safira and Ferdinand had twin children. He blamed his sister for this catastrophic development and as a punishment made her the only care taker for the twins in their early life. By the time they became old enough to go to school, he thought it was clearly which of the brats was the demon and which was “normal”. Pope moved his whole family to his new training centre, where his niece and nephew would live side by side with the five trainees.
In the new house, Safira was promptly locked away in the house’s top floor (Pope claimed her madness was worsening as per the demon’s influence) and prevented from seeing her children. Pope and Ferdinand personally encouraged the trainees to bully Molocken, the “demon” child, and turned a blind way when the bullying became physical. Celeste, the “normal” twin, was, on the other hand, treated like a princess. Her father and uncle would severely punish any trainee who made her upset or laid hands on her.
Celeste was discouraged from relating to her twin brother. Pope was afraid the “demon” would hurt her. Celeste, however, turned out to be a kind soud who loved her brother and mother very much, and would do whatever she could to make them happy. At the age of 12, Celeste was used to sneaking behind her uncle’s back to spend time with her brother at night, and she had befriended the trainees enough to get them to help her bust the lock to her mother’s room so that they could spend time together.
Disbandment
Eventually, the family’s treatment of Molocken and Safira will come to light. Pope and Ferdinand will go to prison and Safira will be sent to a place where she can get help for her afflictions. Molocken and Celeste will be sent to a foster family (the Misugi-Eustácia household) while Safira recovers, though the expectation is that she will soon be able to be reunited with her family (and the foster family takes the children to see their mother frequently). The trainees will be sent back to their families and the Silvermour will be ordered to pay back their fees.
The cult headed by the Silvermour will be declared unlawful due to some of their most prejudiced beliefs (including the treatment of twins and the abusive marriage rules), and the training centre will be forced to close permanently.
Safira Silvermour will eventually recover and be able to have her children back. She will have to rebuild the SIlvermour's family legacy from scratch.
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