The House of Masks

The House of Masks is one of the great houses given the privilage of holding an elector position in the Mithrilheart Elected Monarchy.
The House of Masks is not a traditional great house in the sense that it has land and holdings, but instead derives its name from the network of citizen observers who are under contract with the Great House. These observers reside in every hold across the Kost system, living and working alongside the rest of the citizenry. Only the The Enigmatic Countess of the Faceless Order and her closest annoymous subordinates know the identities of the rest of the House of Masks.
The power of these informed and organized citizens has been recognized by the other electors across the planet, and in a peace-making measure from earlier polity days, a vote has been given to both House of Mask members who vote by secret ballot, and The Enigmatic Countess themselves. House of Masks members keep their affiliation a secret. It is common not even to reveal this affiliation to a spouse or children so as not to compromise them, should the paranoid lord of a hold go on a hunt for spies in their midst.
Communications with other members of the House of Masks and its leadership occurs through dead drops, elaborate re-routing electronic communications portals, one time compads, and an evolving alphabet of sigils carved into surfaces of buildings.
The House of Masks does not openly recruit. New members are commonly referred by existing members, and a long period of probation is often the first milestone one will pass before a formal induction into the house. Large gatherings are infrequent. Membership in the House of Masks has never been declared illegal, but it is not uncommon for suspected members to be dragged into the dungeons of their lordships, never to be heard from again.
Despite not wanting to be watched, the lordships and other electors do realize the value of an informed and functioning network of citizen spies. Small fortunes are often paid for comprehensive intelligence gathering about a subject or rival organization. This has made the House of Masks something that the Mithrilheart Elected Monarchy does not want to live with, but cannot live without.

Type

Geopolitical, Great house