House Luneste
House Luneste, relative newcomers to Banteave, are a foreign house who have secured land and holdings here through careful legal maneuvering and mercantile savvy. Far from their home in Dunefalle, they nonetheless command extensive influence. Through intermarriage with ruling houses, they have a tenuous legal claim to the throne… but can they back it up through military might? Their holdings in Banteave may be scant, but the power of their navy and their boundless coffers could allow them to buy their way to the throne, securing another kingdom under Dunefalle’s reign.When King Symund Dillestone assumed the throne after the death of Robern of Sandoreale, he faced a kingdom on the brink of ruin. Robern's disastrous war with Ostamber had bankrupted the royal coffers, and a series of drought-filled summers had left the commonfolk on the brink of starvation. Symund needed more than a few good harvests... he prayed a miracle.
And House Luneste answered.
Hailing from distant Dunefalle, House Luneste offered to broker a deal between the two kingdoms; in exchange for a considerable sum of coin and shiploads of grain to stave off bankruptcy and starvation, House Luneste would be granted land and titles in the Kingdom of Banteave, along with guarantees that their cultural and religious practices would be protected from prosecution by the Church of the Six Saints. King Symund agreed, and the Dunefalli Bargain was struck, solidifying ties between the two kingdoms and granting House Luneste their first foothold in Banteave. The baronies they received were not spun out of thin air, however; King Symund revoked the holdings from defeated House Sandoreale as further punishment for Robern's folly before being sold to House Luneste.
Over a hundred years later, Luneste has made their mark upon Banteave. They have strengthened their position in the kingdom through careful marriages, courted and converted the scions of rival houses to the ways of the Golden Prophet, Resshe. The harbors at Estos teem with ships and sailors, and the gardens of Siarque are the envy of all of Summershore. Servants of House Luneste are present at the royal court, always a whisper away from the ear of the King, listening intently.
They can sense turmoil the same way a shark smells blood in the water. And behind their radiant smiles, they quietly take stock of potential allies they might rely on in the days to come. The last time Banteave was rocked with a war for the crown, Luneste managed to buy their way into the kingdom.
If war comes again, could a Luneste find themselves on the throne?
Culture
House Luneste straddles two continents and two cultures, and must do so carefully to maintain their status in both realms. Become too Banteavan, and they risk alienating their family and allies overside in the Dunefalle. Bring too much Dunefalli culture into their court in Banteave, and they risk jeopardizing their standing among the great houses and the commonfolk.
History
House Luneste was created during the marriage of two merchant families in distant Dunefalle. During the Great Bargain of 1330, House Luneste offered to cover the debts that King Robern had saddled the Kingdom of Banteave with, in exchange for land and titles. As punishment for dragging the realm into costly, pointless wars, King Symund of Dillestone punished House Sandoreale by selling their holdings along the Seaward Coast to House Luneste. Through careful negotiation, House Luneste also secured religious rights for their family and court, ensuring that their worship of the Golden Prophet would not be persecuted by the Church of the Six Saints. The faith, however, has spread beyond House Luneste into the local populace, a fact that vexes the Church greatly.
By Golden Sails
Founding Date
1198
Type
Geopolitical, Great house
Capital
Leader
Family Leader
Currency
House Dunefalle trades in both Banteavan coins and Dunefalli laurels.
Official State Religion
Location
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Friendly
Years of political marriages between their Houses have solidified good relations between them, despite their cultural differences.
Peace
Sandoreale is partly responsible for Luneste gaining a foothold in Banteave. They never capitalized on their mercenary might... but they may have reason to in the future. That said, Luneste's foreign religion could drive a wedge between them.
Peace
Peace
In order to settle the country's debts, House Dillestone sold titles stripped from House Sandoreale to House Luneste , granting them a foothold in Banteave.
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
Luneste is responsible for the introduction of the Cult of Resshe into Banteave, which is rapidly spreading. The Church has already come down against the sect, and while a few Luneste have converted to the Six Saints as a show of good faith, the Church still regards them coldly. Only a full renunciation of their heretical ways will appease them... or a suitable donation.
