[hider=House Viriathus] [b]House Name:[/b] House Viriathus [b]Head of House:[/b] Edryd Viriathus [b]House Specialty:[/b] House Viriathus has recently become renowned as innovators in the design and construction of plate armor. Thanks to their ore-rich lands and strategic location in Gwethydd, along with the careful fostering of a now-famous smithing guild, House Viriathus rightfully boasts the most advanced armor in all of Ethica. [b]House Ancestral Artifact:[/b] Although not nearly as potent as the relics given by Kammeth, House Viriathus has (at great cost to the House) purchased an enchanted dowsing rod from a Magus in Solcere. This rod is used to find new ore deposits in Viriathus lands. [b]Important Members:[/b] [u]Lord Edryd Viriathus (23 years)[/u] - A man of muscular build, Edryd stands at 5'11, and weighs roughly sixteen stones (160 lbs). His arms are slightly longer than normal, and his hands are heavily calloused. Edryd has a clean-cut face, and a closely cropped haircut. His eyes are deep set and dark green. He possesses strong, angular facial features, along with thin eyebrows and a small nose. Most would consider Edryd at least moderately handsome. Edryd works hard to come across as a graceful man with a noble demeanor. Off the battlefield, his words brim with charisma and eloquence; on the battlefield his tone is clipped, strict, and brokers no debate. He has cultivated a reputation as an honorable man, though he has demonstrated a streak of ruthlessness in his past; though nothing that goes against the rules of chivalry. Edryd is incredibly ambitious, and possesses the utmost confidence in himself, bordering on complete arrogance. He is a cunning and opportunistic tactician, and these traits follow him off the battlefield as well. He values friendship very highly, though he holds long and sometimes petty grudges. He is prideful of his abilities and though he does not outright boast, he lets everyone know of them. He is oft said to be somewhat stubborn, absolutely convinced of his abilities. [u]Lady Gwendolyn Viriathus (17 years)[/u] - The younger sister of Edyrd, Gwendolyn is pale-skinned, has light green eyes and auburn-red hair. Her freckles have mostly faded as she's reached young womanhood, but there are still some visible, dusting her cheeks and nose. She has a ready smile and is considered one of the most eligible maidens in the realm. Gwendolyn is quite educated and intelligent, often surprising others with her quick wit. She is a hopeless romantic, though not the most proper of young women. [u]Lady Aerona Viriathus (46 years)[/u] - The mother of Edryd and Gwendolyn, Aerona is a statuesque woman with long, fair hair and a refined, beautiful face. Though well into her middle years, she looks surprisingly young. Aerona is extremely intelligent and used to enjoy participating in the political arena but as she grew older, and after her husband died, she became more straightforward and less concerned with social standing and reputation. She can be coy and sometimes a little manipulative, a remnant from younger days, but is every inch the noble matron: gentle, strong, and keeps a clear mind in a crisis. [b]Realm:[/b] County of Harndon (southern province in the Kingdom of Gwethydd) [b]Sigil:[/b] [hider=House Variathus][img]http://i.imgur.com/gecMkbp.png[/img][/hider] [b]Flag:[/b] [hider=Harndon][img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Gascogne.svg/2000px-Flag_of_Gascogne.svg.png[/img][/hider] [b]Region/color on map:[/b] [hider=Harndon][img]http://i.imgur.com/PA8xdOa.jpg[/img][/hider] [b]House Motto:[/b] Honor et Virtus [b]Race name:[/b] Gwethyns; Harndons [b]Racial appearance:[/b] Besides being a bit more tan on average, they look like normal Gwethyns. [b]Racial traits:[/b] Harndons are a famously hospitable people, willing to open up their households for all manner of strangers. They have a very dry sense of humor, delighting in telling jokes that fly over some unfortunate's head. Besides that, they bear little difference to their brethren Gwethyns. [b]Capital:[/b] Albinkirk was originally founded two centuries ago as the fortress of Montfort. Constructed on a hill overlooking the Albin river and miles of flat plains, it allowed whoever holding the fortress to control huge swaths of land. As Montfort grew in importance, villages sprouted up around the fortress, and it eventually became a trade hub. When the lands of Harndon were granted to the House of Viriathus seventy years ago, the House declared Montfort as its seat and constructed the city of Albinkirk around it, thereby making Montfort the citadel of the city. Since then Albinkirk has exploded in growth, becoming a major economic center in not only Harndon but in the entire Kingdom of Gwethydd. [b]Capital Population:[/b] 27,000 [b]Population:[/b] ~240,000 [b]Other Major Settlements:[/b] [u]Wealdstone[/u] [i](8,500)[/i]: A medium-sized mining town in the heart of Harndon. [u]Dumbria[/u] [i](6,000)[/i]: A somewhat small town on the lake serving as the main thoroughfare between Gwethydd and its neighboring countries. [u]Portlethen[/u] [i](12,500)[/i]: A large port, at least by Gwethydd standards, on the eastern coast of Harndon. [b]Culture:[/b] Harndons bear little difference culturally to the rest of Gwethyns. [b]Type of Government:[/b] Similar to the King, the Count of Harndon is advised by a small council made up of the lower nobility who are proficient in their respective fields, such as theology, politics, etc. [b]Influence and relations:[/b] Being a relatively new, albeit prosperous, House, Viriathus has few good relations beyond those with their liege lords. Whether through jealousy, perceived slight, or the break in the heavily-traditional nobility, House Viriathus has made few friends in the court. Even so, they regularly import horses from Dreiden and have a very strong influences on the merchant and trade guilds in Gwethydd. [b]Military -[/b] Crimson Company: [i]1,200 Professional Soldiers[/i] Full Levies: [i]5,000 Men[/i] Normal Levies: [i]2,500 Men[/i] [b]Unit demographics:[/b] Edryd heads the Crimson Company, a professional army-for-hire consisting of two-hundred fully equipped lances, which is roughly twelve-hundred soldiers. Each lance has six members: a heavily armored man-at-arms (plate armor, barded horse) and his similarly equipped squire or page, a slightly lighter armored serjeant (plate armor, half-barded horse), and three longbowmen in the Gwethyn fashion (coat of plate). Every soldier is mounted and has at least two horses; one for riding and one for battle. Besides the Crimson Company, Harndon is able to raise perhaps five thousand levies and equip them somewhat well with partial mail and leather armor. Levies are armed in the Gwethyn fashion. [b]Landscape:[/b] Harndon is full of rolling hills and wide plains. Towards the west are mountains where the majority of ore mines are located. The north contains a large citrus growing industry involved with the export of grapefruit wine. The Albin river cuts through the center of the province, on one stretch which the capital of Albinkirk sits. [b]Economy:[/b] Harndon is a fairly prosperous province as far as Gwethydd counties go. While the majority of the population are poor serfs, Harndon has a thriving merchant class and many large trades Guilds. [b]Religion:[/b] Harndon is traditionally imperial in their theology. [b]History:[/b] Harndon was granted to the House of Viriathus after the previous House holding it died out. Viriathus had previously been a small chivalric house without land and possessing little more than their title of nobility. However, due to their well-regarded integrity and attentions to the chivalric code, Harndon was granted to them. The House quickly set to work with their new lands, turning what had been a province of under average wealth to a relatively prosperous realm with large trade and merchant guilds. The development of Albinkirk was heavily invested in, as well as new roads leading to the city and a wharf to facilitate trade over the Albin river. The ore mines in the western hills and mountains were expanded, and the farms to the east were reinvigorated. The House continued along this course of development and investment for two generations, including under Edryd's father. However, when Edryd came of age, he left Albinkirk to pursue his dreams of adventure and fame. He was not likely to inherit the family lands for many years, and believed he had learned all he could from the city. He sold the the majority of his worldly possessions and took some small loans to recruit the first five lances of what would come to be known as the Crimson Company. One of these lances persist to this day, and make up some of Edryd's closest advisors, commanders, and friends. Initially he took small work such as reinforcing garrisons and driving out bandits, marauders and the like. However, as word spread of the professionalism of his company, he gained ever more lucrative contracts, which in turn allowed him to expand his company. Eventually the Crimson Company was hired by a minor Ethican county in their war against two of their neighbors. There, Edryd displayed his tactical prowess by achieving an incredible victory against an army three times his size while leaving his company relatively unscathed. He would go on to achieve several more impressive feats of arms over the following years. Following his father's untimely death, Edryd has returned to Albinkirk with the Crimson Company. He has already made several changes to the estates, further developing the trades guilds and completely revamping the Harndon military. He has adopted the non-traditional (in Gwethydd) style of war involving heavy cavalry and infantry, though retains the Gwethyn longbow as the standard over other bows. [b]Strengths:[/b] Modern and well-equipped army, ore-rich, relatively wealthy [b]Weaknesses:[/b] Upstart house (animosity, few friends, small house, few connections), young city and somewhat lacking in infrastructure. [b]Export:[/b] Iron, Tin, Copper, Stone, Grapefruit Wine [b]Import:[/b] Horses, Timber, Cotton [/hider]