Crispian

Of all the most powerful family names in The Empire of Belyos, the one most will not be aware of is that of Crispian. Claiming heritage from the first days of the Empire and before, it had links to many of the old Imperial Houses and previous Imperial dynasties, yet has remained out of the front line of politics in all its existence. This is intentional, as the leaders of the family have always maintained that true power lay behind the throne, not on it. Instead, they slid their proverbial fingers into most of the Imperial institutions and trading networks, managing to keep, at the very least, its wealth, through civil war, barbarian invasion, and the rise of Til-Yaltur.
In the days of the reunified Empire, the family has lost some of its political influence, as the structure with the Elector States is much harder to influence, and most of its holdings in the south of the Empire were lost. However, it still remains one of the wealthiest and influential factions in the Empire, and it would be a brave Emperor who failed to at least take their opinions into consideration.

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Structure

The family presents itself as a unified whole to outsiders, and it careful to maintain an image of familial unity and a strong bond between members. Indeed, retributions on transgressors against the family are often quick and brutal, and no part of the family neglects to help in this endeavour. However, the family is split into several 'Bloodlines' which vie for control and influence within the organisation. Each Bloodline claims descent from the original family, but through differing offspring, and each claim that their ancestors were the oldest and original. Bloodlines are not large, perhaps consisting of only a couple dozen members at any time who can claim to be 'full blood', although the list of related members can be quite large. Althought it is not common, new Bloodlines can be created as families grow, and, even rarer, old Bloodlines can go extinct if there are no children to pass on the name, or if inter-family conflicts result in one Bloodline being destroyed.
The head of the family is the Pater, leader of the oldest and most powerful of the Bloodlines, called the Vetustissima, the only Bloodline with a heritage that no member of the family disputes. The Vetustissima remain detached from the family politics, and are more concerned with maintaining their influence over the Imperial Throne, or with the various Elector Lords. Each of the Bloodlines has its own head, called the Caput, but each Bloodline tends to arrange its internal structure differently after that.
The Pater and each of the Caput meet at a council called the Concilio Capitum which in theory is expected to resolve inter-Bloodline issues and ensure a unified face is presented to outsiders. Whilst the unified face is achieved, resolution of issues is rare. However, it does help keep the family connected, and the respect of the Pater and the Vetustissima is upheld.

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History

The Crispian family has kept meticulous records of its heritage, and as such can claim descent, with reasonable accuracy, all the way back to the founding of the Empire. The earliest records show that the Crispians were an important family back then, with several members mentioned being allocated regions around the Inner Sea to colonise and manage.
Over the following centuries, their influence grew, but never to the point where they would be able to mount a serious challenge for the Imperial Throne, and were never considered big enough to be considered an Imperial House. At some point in the family history, this became a deliberate decision; their wealth and trading influences were tied to a number of Imperial Houses, and either growing to the point where they would be one themselves, or allying themselves to a specific House, would harm their widespread interests.
With the The Great Schism, the Crispians, like most important families at the time, split between those who remained loyal to the Empire, and those who left with the formation of The Confederation . Unlike the Imperial Houses, whose splits were formal and defined, the Crispian split was only on the surface, and the family continued to operate as a single entity in private. The collapse of the Confederation, and the regional coalescence of secessionist Imperial Houses, allowed the Crispians to remain geographically diffuse, and their profits from trading grew substantially.
Throughout their history up until this point, despite spreading their influence all over the Inner Sea region, Belyos had remained the heart of the family, with its villa on Atunhill rivalling the Imperial Palace for opulence and luxury. The invasion of the Sakamohr saw a massive disruption to this state of being. The important members of the family, like a lot of Belyos's wealthy, fled the city in advance of the Sakamohr, and along with the rest of Belyos's buildings, the villa was sacked, its riches looted and the few people who remained killed or taken into slavery.
The focus of the family shifted to Ashris for over two hundred years and away from political intrigue into trade. They were some of the first Imperial traders to being trading with the Sakamohr, recognising a large market for Imperial goods, and were initially vilified for their decision, but as others saw the profits involved, their decision has been justified in hindsight.
With the Sakamohr's rule dissolving into civil war, the Crispians were amongst those who pushed heavily for the retaking of Belyos and provided considerable funding for the endeavour. Once Belyos was captured, their interest waned, and some commentators have suggested that the lack of Crispian influence and opinion in the latter days of the Sakamohr expulsion was why the political unity dissolved. 
The family's focus returned to Belyos, and they became some of the most important sources of wealth for the rebuilding of the city, and were often considered the unofficial rulers, although the Temple Guard who had provided authority until that point often disputed their word. The Crispians also extended their influence over the largely neglected lands of the southern Empire, and had raised their holdings to rival that of many Imperial Houses by the time of Til-Yaltur's crusade.
The upper echelons of the family failed to recognise the significance of Til-Yaltur, and during his meteoric rise to power neglected to offer him much attention at all. When Belyos was ceded to him by the Temple Guard, they were not present at the handover, and were largely ignored by the young general who needed neither their money, or their contacts. As he swept across the Empire, the Crispians saw their carefully cultivated network of influence and power be dismantled, as Til-Yaltur replaced established nobility with his own people and rebuilt the Empire from the ground up. By the time he was finished, the Crispians still retained most of their wealth, but their contacts were gone.
In the two hundred years since, the Crispians have rebuilt a lot of their political influence, but are far from the kingmakers and hidden power that they once were. Their wealth is substantial, and no one can deny that their trading network is potentially the largest in the Empire.

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Granted Divine Powers

The most closely guarded secret of the Crispian family, and the main reason why they have remained steadfastly out of the light of power and authority, is that the highest ranking members of the family; the Pater and the major members of the Vetustissima, and the Capet and closest families of the oldest of the Bloodlines, are effectively immortal, and have lived for centuries, with the Pater having been alive since the 4th century. This immortality does not come without a price, as although they cannot die from old age, they are not entirely immune to the ravages of time, and the very oldest of the family are frail and physically weak, with an appearance more like a corpse than a living person. Their minds remain sharp and whole, and their control over their families is absolute, centuries of experience and learning making them intellectually formidable.
This immortality was gained by the Pater and his seven children in 384 IY, and is claimed to have been bestowed on the family as payment for providing a stable, long-term memory of the Empire. Whatever its origins, this immortality was passed on through generations, although its appearance cannot be guaranteed in subsequent generations. It is this inherited gift that has forged the family into such a strong organisation, despite the seemingly distant relation between Bloodlines. The Pater maintains his watch over the Empire, although he frequently bemoans that some of the 'younger' generations, who inherited their gift, neglect this most important aspect of their family's existence.

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Notable individuals

Name: Pater Epidicus Crispian
Age: 1522
Arguably the most powerful person in the Empire after the Emperor and the ten Elector Lords, although the level of his influence and authority is far less obvious, and much more subtle. He has been confined to his bed for the past six hundred years, lacking the energy to even raise his head any more, and relies on constant care from his closest family and retainers. Resident in Belyos for most of his life, the exile to Ashris and subsequent return taxed his frail body more than he viewed as wise, and now remains sequestered in his luxurious room in the Crispian villa in Belyos. Despite his physical deterioration, his mind is as sharp as a pin, and his faculties unaffected by age, and he rules the Crispian family with an iron will, having guided them for over fifteen hundred years. It is a foolish person indeed who neglects to heed his wisdom, and although most the Emperors who have reigned and died during his life were unaware of his existence, they paid at very least lip service to his advice relayed through trusted confidents.

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Honour. Wealth. Family.

Type

Family

Alternative Names

The Family (to members)
Vel Princeps (to rivals)