House Lapis
Officially, noble houses have lost their power and political influence with the end of the Mage Wars and the establishment of the Council. Ever since the happenings of Alden's Folly,the noble houses realized the mages would not let the status quo stand in their way again, and soon they sought to find a way to survive.
Unlike House Balthenaire, who quickly allied themselves with the Crown of Ice, and House Laithalin, who avoided any encounters with the warring parties, House Lapis declared themselves true neutral.
Military units would not be allowed inside Stoneport, as their Seat was called back then. They were free to send a few soldiers to ration up, and bring their wounded for treatment, but to do so they had to surrender their weapons. Since most of them were mages, this proved to be a bit of a headache at times, and after a while House Lapis announced they would set up a station where hosts could order ration and have them delivered, to avoid clashes and conflict inside the city.
"I'm sure you understand, good sirs. We need to think of all people here. Our port is the largest port in the area, and risking to lose trade because the city gets ravaged when you fight over it would not only mean risking a famine, but also severely limit your abilitiy to procure foci. No, Stoneport and House Lapis will remain neutral to all. If we can, we will provide you with rations and goods when you come to buy - no excpetions. Neither for you, nor any of the mage factions. You see, I'm just a merchant. I don't pretend to understand the difference between you and your enemies, and even if I were to try and find allies - how would we make sure their enemies would not be able to trick me? No, a true neutral port will benefit all."Miraculously, this neutrality actually survived the whole length of the Mage Wars. At one point, waht would become the Veil tried to take Stoneport by force, but as soon as they heard, the other orders marched to help out Stoneport. Even then, Count Reynold insisted on keeping Stoneport open for trade with anyone. The effort and suspicion needed to succesfully exclude one faction from trade, but staying open for others was not something he was willing to take on, especially not with alliances between the orders changing over and over again.
"As much as this attack hurt me and the city, we need to stay true to our pledge of neutrality. The war has waged too long already, the people are bleeding, and food grows scarce. The same argument that was valid at the beginning of this calamity applies now: We all need the influx of goods coming over the sea, no matter on which side you fight today or tomorrow. I'm not going to pick a side, even now. I do, however, invite all of you to leave an ambassador here, so that you always know whether an attack is imminent or not. Maybe this can also help all of you, good sirs, to keep negotiations alive for a peaceful coexistence.Count Reynolds should not live to see the end of the war, and neither should the people who started it. But as the descendants grew used to the long war, so they grew used to Stoneport amd House Lapis being neutral. Some scholars believe that it was his neutrality that kept the influx of goods running which allowed the war to run for as long as it did, other believe that his suggestion of having ambassadors helped greatly with the eventual end of the war, since negotiations were already set up and could not be interpreted as a sign of weakness. Whatever view they subscribe to, on one point all scholars agree: the neutrality of House Lapis was an important reason for Stoneport being chosen as the new capital, and for House Lapis to still be a powerful family. When the mages agreed on the establishment of the Council of Archmages, the current leader of House lapis, Count Rainier, supported the move, even though it meant House Lapis would loose their authority over the place. Still, he knew that the combined might of the mages would effortlessly take over Stoneport one way or another, and the only way for House Lapis to keep some influence was to sacrifice the larger part of their power. Honoring Count Reynolds farsight, House Lapis to this day listens to everyone at least once and carefully weighs their options. It's rare to gain the open support of any member of House Lapis, and they pride themselves in seeing both sides of a coin and trying to mediate in a conflict. Their commitment to true neutrality is respected by all factions in the Council, and is the reason why the Harbormaster's office traditionally goes to a member of House Lapis. Usually the decision is up to the current head of the family, and he brings it up to the Council and discusses it with the Archmages, but so far their suggestions have always been followed.
Neutrality is a value in itself.
Type
Family
Alternative Names
The Mediators
Location
Controlled Territories
Related Ethnicities
House Lapis takes its name from the color of the sea. They have always been dependent on marine trade, and their founder is thought to have compared the ocean to an "endless supply of Lapis Lazuli, ever replenishing itself and thus sustaining us". Lapis Lazuli had always been important as a focus, and it is easy to see the similarity in color on a bright, sunny day, when the sun rays play on the water and imitate the gold veins inside the stone.
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