Hartunian Family
The Hartunians, at one time, were a clan of woodsfolk humans who lived deep in the untamed mirk of The Impenetrable Forest of Birkwud, before the violence following The Kobold Accord nearly wiped them out. They fled their homeland to the capitol, Craysilt, and went about leveraging their minor nobility into a lumber and logging empire.
With a variety of good political and business decisions, the Hartunians leveraged their resources into a more substantial title, and a dukedom outside of Greynor. The land they inherited had been ungoverned for quite a long time, and was fairly self sufficient, so the Hartunian Matriarch at the time decided (quite unconventionally) that she could better win over these hardy, rustic folk if she simply provided the population resources and a basic governing framework, and let them do their own thing. Her nobles and heirs were oathbound to serve their people, as was customary, but she took it a step further and stated that it was "by the will of the people that they serve".
Structure
It is a generally merit based structure, with either a matriarch or patriarch to ostensibly lead the affairs of the family and navigate the unavoidable bureaucratic red tape involved in the affairs of the upper nobility. This red tape often takes the form of intrigue and interminable court drama. The Matriarch or Patriarch, while generally the oldest and wisest of the clan, need not necessarily be so, and votes of no confidence or accusations of wrongdoing or negligence are taken very seriously by the de facto heads of each of the families. The family heads, or hetmen, meet twice a year by long tradition. And, while generally just like any other extended family comprising drama and angst, these people come together to celebrate their love for each other...if not for the person, themselves, then for the fact that they are family.
There are many times when the heads of these smaller families-which are small "clans" in their own right comprised usually of grandparents who generally inherit the position around the time their children's children would be rearing broods of their own-who are wise with the tribulations of age, do so quite reluctantly.
Culture
Honor and altruism are the keys to best serving the people. Empathy and generosity are the keys to the people's hearts. Power and punishment are the key to their fears. All of these are tools in a public servant's toolbox. The former two are strong! Love and country and all that; separately these are very strong motivators. Love of country is stronger, still, denoting a fanatical loyalty bordering on worship. Both of these bonds are hard to obtain and easy to lose. They both take time to proliferate, and grow. They take work to maintain. But when the time comes (and it will), the people will break their backs to save us and our families, trusting us to save what is left of theirs and set up them up to flourish anew. Trusting us, with their lives, to keep up our end of the unspoken deal we make with them every day. That trust is worth dying for, ourselves, in order to save them. The nobility and the people live in relative harmony and peace, in this scenario, even the poorest amongst our countryfolk able to eat good food and find clean shelter.
[aloud]
This is not pure conjecture. Our family has records dating back a thousand years or more at Hartunian Manor; it is quite clear that throughout history, those of us who lived up to our oaths were much more capable of engaging with the populace. They were much beloved by their people. Much hated by their enemies!
The latter, however, fear; fear is a different story. Fear is to be feared by the one wielding it, oftimes more so than the poor soul being crushed beneath it. Fear can be the strongest motivator of all. It is the quickest, most thorough method of population control known to exist. It takes little to no work to maintain; in fact, the less done, the more chaos and confusion will reign and your fear factor will do nothing but grow. All one need do is feed the rumor mill the right rumors.
Then, one day, the people will turn. It will happen. Not, it may happen, or it might happen. They absolutely will turn on the nobility. And then, the fighting begins. The death toll rises every day. Countryman against countryman; ofttimes brother against brother, the fighting will be. It will be a generational trauma that will last more than a century after the fear has been removed and the people's faith has been restored.
Our people are hardy and strong willed. They deserve leaders that respect them as humans.
[/aloud]
A transcript of a conversation between Hetman Guildfoyle and his son, Justinian
Public Agenda
To serve their people to the best of their ability, and with their people's best interest at heart at all times.
Assets
- Hartunian Manor, in Greynor
- The Lockes Manor, in Craysilt
- The Lodge, hunting lodge on the banks of Lake Wutjorn
- Hart Cottage, which lies halfway between Greynor and Craysilt as the crow flies.
- Carrigan's Keep in Craysilt
- Popeye's Fisheries in Craysilt
- Popeye's Savings and Loan in Craysilt
- Popeye's Warehouse in Craysilt
- Popeye's Boatwrights in Craysilt
- Founders of the townships of Stormyr and Fallow
- The Trans-pax Travelway
- Stilton-Head Savings and Loan
- The Bank of Greynor
- Eastern Craysilt Real Estate Holdings
- GreySilt canal maintenance and construction company
- Hart Gondola Travel in Greynor
- "Closer to the Hart"; a string of massage parlors and holistic health shops in Greynor and Craysilt
- White Stag Millwrights in Stilton Head
- White Stag Teamsters Co. (Pax-wide hauling)
- The Golden Swan and other Inns/Taverns across the land
- The Hetman Mining Co., sporting copper, gold, platinum, tin and silver mines in the Stonytop Mountains, as well as consulting for the Llank-Ryu Monastery on Mount Grey, the most prolific gold mine known in the Kingdoms. The Hetman Mining Co. has become the gold standard in mining safety, productivity, and employee satisfaction.
By the will of the people
Founding Date
4341
Type
Family
Capital
Alternative Names
The White Harts
Demonym
Hartunian
Leader
Ruling Organization
Leader Title
Family Leader
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Gerontocracy
Power Structure
Semi-autonomous area
Economic System
Market economy
Currency
Stilton Ounce coins
Legislative Body
The People's elected representatives
Judicial Body
The Court of Kings
Executive Body
The Paramount
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Plots
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