House Mendel

Leader: Fuse Mendel

Cadet Houses:
Fire House- Emberthorne, forge stuff.
Makes some weapons and armor to outfit Mendel's and their vasal armies

Water House- Wellspring, controls water distrubution

Earth House- Evergarden, agriculture

Air House- Stormhaven, synthesizes stuff

Vassal House:

House Evergarden- One of their various farming vassals. Grows a wide variety of medicinal and magical plants due to their fey members. One notable example is a balm that slows the rate at which House Charon's undead armies decay, a key palying in diplomacy between the houses.

Economy: Supported by the elemental houses it controls, House Mendel has grown to become a relative technical marvel. Their main export is knowledge, which is an expensive commodity. This has resulted in a soft rivalry with the minds of House Wheelnameitlater over technological influence. House Mendel also trades with The League of Iamel-zed more than almost any other house does, as there are a small number of fey in all of its controlled houses.

Military: While House Mendel has a sizable military formed from the totality of the various houses for internal threats, their main defense is simple diplomacy. They use their position as the bread basket of the Oligarchy to make it far too risky to be attacked. Should a threat arise from the other Noble Houses, the remaining houses are likely to step in to defend them due to their reliance on their various magical herbs, food or convoluted alliances. This has so far worked in their favor but House Gha'ard has recently begun making aggressive moves, their simplistic and militaristic outlook causing them to get ideas. Still, diplomatic measures with House Wheelnameitlater, House Villichi, House Dinn and even the independent province of Moonband have been able to keep enough pressure surrounding House Gha'ard to keep them from making any moves

Culture: House Mendel has a surprisingly peaceful and unified attitude with their Vassal and Cadet houses. Using a combination of diplomacy and social pressure, House Mendel has so far been able to create relative peace between the various houses in its lands. With most of them either being a cadet or vassal of House Mendel, they are able to present a unified front to the outside world. On the rare occasion when relations breakdown between internal houses, A special court is convened in the capital of Mendel territory. The houses involved send representatives to argue their cases, and the houses that are not involved send representatives to judge. The judgements aren’t technically legally binding, but the social pressure to listen is enough that it has yet to become a problem. At least openly.

History: As Mendel was not a founding member there was a House that occupied the area before it's rising to power. Who that house was is pretty much lost to time, but it is assumed by the people that it did not fall so much as it slowly changed into what Mendel is today. Since it's founding, Mendel has relied on trade and diplomacy to not only survive, but thrive. That is not to say they are free from the darker aspects of ruling in the oligarchy, more that they have differing means of approaching things. One of their main defenses is their position as the Oligarchy's historical bread basket. For another house to conquer them by military might would result in large swathes of ruined land, making it difficult for other houses to feed their large Serf and Commoner populations, likely resulting in large uprisings as they have in the past where food becomes scarce.

One other example of Mendel's diplomatic measure for them to thrive, is their reaching out to the citizenry of the League. By approaching them with offers of becoming members of their Noble Houses, they enticed many to immigrate to their lands bringing a wide variety of skills, knowledge and agricultural expertise with them. This agreement did bind the fey to the houses and land, in a similar manor to that of a Serf, but this did not extend to their children. This has resulted a new generation of Fey with no ties their own land and a greater degree of loyalty to the Oligarchy and their houses to hopefully continue their parents skills with out the necessary binding contracts and risk of reporting back to the League.

Founding myth: Eight hundred years ago, when the oligarchy was new, a wandering water Genasi named Geyser found himself trekking in the desert. A scorpion stung him, and he spit towards it in retaliation. Where his spit hit the sand it turned into green grass, and the grassy spot grew and grew until hundreds of miles around was fertile farmland. Grateful for this miracle, the oligarchy granted him dominion over all of it. Geyser had 5 children during his life. When he died, he split the land. The younger four were given dominion over an element each and the eldest was put in charge of his siblings. He founded his house and called it Mendel, signifying the house’s eternal task of mending together the elemental energies