House Key

Leader: Lochlan Key

Great House: None. House Key is uniquely unaffiliated, serving all Great Houses equally (for the right price).

Province: Oavenzeg

Motto: "The Keys to success"

Economy: House Key’s wealth comes exclusively through its signature offering. The Keys themselves. They are a house of highly trained servants, butlers, stewards, advisors, and arcane aides-for-hire. Nobles pay exorbitant fees to lease the services of these elite retainers, each rigorously trained in arcane utility, etiquette, Noble customs, cryptography, and even assassination prevention. These fees flow back to House Key’s central estate in Oavenzeg, where they fund new training, research, and quiet political manipulation. Employing a Key is considered a symbol of status while firing one is often a silent declaration of financial trouble or a looming scandal.

Military: While they maintain a modest guard force for their Oavenzeg estate, House Key does not field a standing army. Every Key, however, is trained in self-defense, non-lethal suppression magic and many possess expertise in protective wards, anti-divination enchantments, and rapid object retrieval

Culture: House Key lives and breathes discretion, protocol, and anticipation. From the day they are old enough to hold a tray, members are groomed to serve with poise and precision. Discipline is everything and each Key wears a plain black uniform embroidered with both their master’s crest and their own house crest. Internally, the house is hierarchical and methodical. A central archive keeps detailed service records on every noble they've ever served and what they’ve learned. Keys are loyal, not out of affection, but out of contractual obligation and drilled discipline.

History: Founded roughly 500 years ago by a disowned House Villichi cadet with a gift for etiquette and enchantment, House Key rose quietly through usefulness alone. They offered their services as a solution to a growing problem: too many Nobles, not enough trustworthy help. Rather than risk the ambitions of lesser houses or the disloyalty of commoner staff, the Noble Houses began turning to House Key. From the halls of Castle Lock to the jungles of @hound, Keys now whisper in ears and clean up messes across the Oligarchy. Though neutral, their extensive knowledge and access to every Great House has made them feared. It’s whispered that House Key has enough blackmail hidden behind warded vaults in Oavenzeg to collapse the Oligarchy in a single night.

But until then, they serve.