House Antyre
House Antyre represents the ancestral crowned kings from a time before Banteave was even called Banteave, and openly profess their dedication to The Red Sisters , old gods deemed heretical by the Church of the Six Saints. The Untamed Clans of the northern reaches stand behind them; can their ancestral ways bring them the rule they have craved for centuries? Will they seek the support of unsavoury allies to see the restoration of the old ways and clan rule?
But on and on the wheel turns, and the House Antyre of today is quite different than the one first forged at the dawn of the Kingdom of Banteave. Though treaties have been drawn preserving the ways of their ancestors in the Highlands, the Antari culture continues to suffer a slow death by a thousand cuts. The Church of the Six Saints lures away more and more of the next generation, and now the Cult of Resshe has bought its way onto their shores. Of the hundreds of shrines to the Red Sisters scattered across Banteave, only a handful survive today.
It is only a matter of time, and House Antyre knows it. One day, the Church will find a reason to send its faithful soldiers north, to topple the last shrines and burn down the sacred grove where the Red Sister sleep. If not this generation, then surely the next, the last pillars of their culture will be subsumed by the Banteavans, and even with all the warriors they command, House Antyre would be powerless to stop it.
Unless, of course, an Antyrian sat the Banteavan throne...
Culture
While still adopting many Banteavan traditions, House Antyre's cultural mores are rooted firmly in Banteave's past. The ways of the Antari Highlanders are routinely practiced in their lands, though pockets of Banteavan settlers do exist in carefully negotiated settlements.
History
House Antyre was elevated by the first King of Banteave to ensure that the truces signed between the Norvalled adventurers and the Antari Highlanders would hold. House Antyre was the Highlanders first voice in the royal court, and have influenced their politics over the course of hundreds of years.
Demography and Population
The majority of people in House Antyre's holdings originate from the Antari Highlanders. They follow the old ways, leaving out their sacrifices on the roadside altars to the gods of Carrion, Mare, Verdegris, Fenris and the Red Sisters. Banteavan settlements do exist in their lands, but they are always small and isolated, keeping to themselves and forbidden from openly preaching the ways of the Six Saints.
Military
The ranks of House Antyre's military are largely comprised of Antari highlanders who have come to fight for the noble house in exchange for coin and promises of land at the end of their service.
First among the Antyrian forces are the titual Swords of Antyre, the rowdy and boisterous honour guard of the House. Swords of Antyre are often the loudest patrons of any tavern they find themselves in, and their reputation as warriors is well-earned.
Antyre can also call upon the mustered might of the Antari clans if needed, using ancient treaties signed with their forefathers during the founding of House Antyre. While the full numbers are not openly known, rumour has it that Antyre could call forth a great host of warbands from Echen Crag and beyond should the situation demand. Powerful and undisciplined, the warbands are capable of inflicting staggering casualties on enemy ranks, and few relish the notion of facing down a howling wave of northern marauders who think dying in battle earns them a revered place among Carrion's flock.
The levies of Antyre are also notable; as hunting and herding is such a common profession in the Highlands, there are many levied peasants proficient in bow and sling. While they might be considered irregular forces that will break under a concentrated onslaught, their value as skirmishers cannot be understated.
Lastly, but certainly not least, are the devoted Druids of the Red Sisters. When riled to war, the cultists of the Blood Goddess of War anoint themselves in sacred woad and begin a reign of terror against their sworn foes using subterfuge and sorcery. They are known as The Death, and countless warband leaders have found their unexpected end at the tip of their knives.
First among the Antyrian forces are the titual Swords of Antyre, the rowdy and boisterous honour guard of the House. Swords of Antyre are often the loudest patrons of any tavern they find themselves in, and their reputation as warriors is well-earned.
Antyre can also call upon the mustered might of the Antari clans if needed, using ancient treaties signed with their forefathers during the founding of House Antyre. While the full numbers are not openly known, rumour has it that Antyre could call forth a great host of warbands from Echen Crag and beyond should the situation demand. Powerful and undisciplined, the warbands are capable of inflicting staggering casualties on enemy ranks, and few relish the notion of facing down a howling wave of northern marauders who think dying in battle earns them a revered place among Carrion's flock.
The levies of Antyre are also notable; as hunting and herding is such a common profession in the Highlands, there are many levied peasants proficient in bow and sling. While they might be considered irregular forces that will break under a concentrated onslaught, their value as skirmishers cannot be understated.
Lastly, but certainly not least, are the devoted Druids of the Red Sisters. When riled to war, the cultists of the Blood Goddess of War anoint themselves in sacred woad and begin a reign of terror against their sworn foes using subterfuge and sorcery. They are known as The Death, and countless warband leaders have found their unexpected end at the tip of their knives.
The North Endures
Founding Date
962
Type
Geopolitical, Great house
Capital
Demonym
Antyrian
Leader
Family Leader
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Alliance
Bound by blood and ancient tradition, Loyal Clan Echen and House Antyre have worked together over generations to secure the Antari Highlands in the name of the Kingdom of Banteave.
Peace
Peace
The Church sees Antyre's tolerance of the Old Ways as a weakness, and up until recently was the main focus of their ire. The arrival of the Cult of Resshe in Banteave, however, has shifted their priorities.
Peace
Neutral
House Antyre's staunch traditionalists are inherently suspicious of House Lunestes foreign ways and alien gods. House Luneste sees the Antyrians as backwards and chained to the past, but some among them could potentially be brought into the light of Resshe.
Peace
House Antyre is upset over the recent seizing of The Reach by Iseabail McCloughhaven in House Ildrafn's name. They seek to have the holding returned to the Barony of Farran's rightful jurisdiction. Early negotiations between both parties have yielded little, and some fear the matter may be settled with swords on the field of battle if cooler heads do not prevail.
