babbysama — Roleplayer Guild

House Name

Great House Antar, ruling house of the Merchant-Kingdom of Voltaani

Sigil

A spartan, yet striking icon: a white-gold disk on a field of undulating chevrons of burnt umber, the symbolism of House Antar’s sigil is twofold. Principally, the disc represents the cyclicity which lies at the heart of Voltaani’s Diosaean belief---but it can also be seen as a direct manifestation of the sun, a powerful icon in the culture of the Huanapada, the indigenes of the Verge whom the Voltaani displaced following their exodus, and a symbol which reigns in the hot and arid lands of the kingdom. 

House Words

“Sun and Steel”

House Specialty

Shrewd Tradesmen: Whether it be trading in silks, spices, precious minerals, wine, oil, and even flesh, House Antar are renown for being one of the wealthiest houses in Orlandis, in no small part due to their successful forays into commercial enterprise. The Antar maintain scrupulous relationships with the great merchant families of Voltaani, and have their finger on the pulse of trade in the region and throughout Orlandis. This has led to the adoption of the appellation of “Merchant Prince” to describe certain members of the house. 

Ancestral Weapon

Oagílas, roughly transliterated into modern Voltaani as, “Amber Tongue”. The ancient blade of King Ignál---the ruler who founded the Antar dynasty far in the mists of antiquity---who, according to mythological record, forged the sword from the smouldering ore of a fallen meteorite and the tears of his virgin daughter. Even today, the erudite smiths of Voltaani have been unable to replicate the techniques which were used to craft the sword. An icon of unparalleled mythical significance, Oagílas has been kept close throughout the centuries and has followed House Antar across the waves to Orlandis---not even in the confusion of the Rape of Gran Voltá was Oagílas lost. 

Important Members

Character Summary: A man of forty-seven years, Aquilino has retained the lithe frame and curled mop of hair of his youth, though that hair has greyed at the temples and his long face of sharp angles and aquiline peaks and ridges has been drawn into wrinkles. His eyes---large, deep, molten, the color of rich coffee---have lost none of their curious vigor. Known for his calm temperament and erudition in a wide range of subjects, since his ascendance to the seat of power Aquilino has ushered in an era of untold prosperity and stability for the Kingdom of Voltaani, thus well-earning his appellation of “The Steward”.
Traits: Scholar, Shrewd Diplomat, Master of Administration
Flaws: Cold, Prone to Mood Swings, Not a Warrior

Character Summary: The daughter of the prominent merchant House Dalphés, Inés is a woman of forty years who, like her husband, has retained her youthful freshness. Known as a great beauty, her hand was vied for by nearly a hundred hundred suitors before the King himself made offer. With skin the color of deep bronze, honeyed eyes, and dark hair, Inés is the archetypal Endosi beauty. She and her husband make an odd couple---he, not by any means naturally gregarious, while she is known as the “Host of Léonez”: charismatic, outgoing, and a raucous partygoer. Her marriage to Aquilino has been known to be tumultuous.
Traits: Charismatic Negotiator, A Worldly Woman, Weaver of Webs
Flaws: Unfaithful, Likes to Argue, Hedonist

Character Summary: The heir to House Antar, only twenty, has proven himself already a successor of his grandfather rather than his father. Onofre is a master of sword, spear, and bow, and an adept falconer---rather than cloister himself away like Aquilino, he roams the country, often surreptitiously and without an escort. At twenty, he has already sired a bastard---Aquilino was wroth to such a degree that he had the boy whipped in the Plaza of the Azaleas before an audience. Thus, he and Aquilino are not on the best of terms---like Aquilino and his father, Onofre and he are diametrically opposed.
Traits: Warrior, Falconer, Attractive
Flaws: Strong-willed to a Fault, Lustful, Hedonist

Character Summary: A spitting image of her mother, Josefa-Bibiana promises to eclipse her beauty. At the age of ten, she already had a throng of suitors vying for her hand. Josefa has however seemed to inherit her father’s fascination with the realm of scholarly inquiry. From an early age, Aquilino doted on her---she was the only child allowed in his library, and he sought to expound to her the wonders and miracles and terrors and mysteries of the world. Now fourteen, she has frequently voiced her distaste at the thought of marriage to her mother, unless a proper suitor has been found. Her protests have been scoffed at.
Traits: Homosexual, Scholar, Shrewd Diplomat
Flaws: Shy, Surly

Character Summary: One of only two legitimate sons (the other being Aquilino) of the late King Godofredo XI, Efraín appears a hybrid of his brother’s erudition and his father’s brawn. Once desirous of the throne, at age forty-five Efraín has long since abandoned his ambitions in favor of building a merchant empire in his own right. A shrewd tradesman, he and his partners represent one of the premier merchant enterprises in Voltaani, importing everything from exotic woods, fruits, textiles, and spices to rare foreign armaments and, most infamously, eastern slaves and whores. Called, “The Richest Man in Orlandis” (a claim which may or may not hold up to scrutiny), he, along with his brother’s administrative maneuvers, have brought newfound wealth and stability to the kingdom. He is also the founder of the Order of the Palm, a state-subsidized mercenary company with clients all over Orlandis and in Atularis. Married to Princess Ursulina Caspár.
Traits: Mighty Warrior, Shrewd Tradesman, Able Administrator
Flaws: Slave Trader, Tendency towards Cruelty, Hedonist, Lustful

Character Summary: The only legitimate daughter of King Godofredo XI, she was born shortly before he died and thus is much younger than her brothers, at twenty-nine years of age. With her eldest brother Aquilino ascending to the throne and busy with the affairs of state, her only recourse was to find a father in Efraín, who at that time had not yet embarked upon his grand commercial enterprises. Thus, she is an experienced warrior, and an adept in the art of horse archery. To this day, she is one of the Grand Captains of the Order of the Palm---though it was determined that she should not lead the Order, fearing that the men “would not follow a woman”, a lamentable consequence of the times. She remains unmarried and mostly aloof from the rest of her family members.
Traits: Warrior, Falconer, Strong-Willed, Chaste
Traits: Cold, Shy

Character Summary: One of Godofredo’s three legitimized bastards (his illegitimate bastards are countless), Erasmo is the eldest (fifty-one) of all of Godofredo’s brood. He was brought to the palace shortly after Aquilino was born, and the two grew up together as fast friends. Even when Efraín was born, none could trespass upon their fellowship. Erasmo is known as Aquilino’s “right hand man”---he serves as the realm’s Chancellor, and resolutely enforces and assists in the drafting of the King’s ordinances. Warm, outgoing, and prone to laughter, Erasmo is a more inviting extension of Aquilino. The King was once quoted as saying, “Without him [Erasmo]---perdition.” He is married to Yona, a trader from Atularis with whom he fell in love.
Traits: Gregarious, Master of Administration, Amateur Warrior
Flaws: Alcoholic, Getting Fat, Honest to a Fault

Character Summary: The youngest (twenty-eight) of all Godofredo’s children and another of his legitimized bastards, Ximena is the second of House Antar’s so called “Warrior Princesses”, along with Úrsula. The spawn of a Euritian whore, Ximena was kept by Godofredo due to her, “lucid eyes”---indeed, her eyes, of a cool cerulean blue, are her most striking feature, other than her powerful body and long, aquiline nose. Boyish, uncouth, rude, and quite pushy, Ximena has never been one for the luxuries of court living. She often accompanied her half-brother, Efraín, on his falconry trips, before Úrsula repudiated her---in fact, the rivalry between the “Warrior Princesses” is just as famous as the princesses themselves. The two are almost polar opposites---Úrsula is an adept with the bow, cool, calm, quiet, and chaste; whereas Ximena is an acolyte of the spear and of close-quarter combat, and is hot-tempered, rude, loud, and something of a hedonist. She once said, “Any man who can make me climax is the man I will wed, and no other.” To this day, none have accomplished the deed.
Traits: Mighty Warrior, Athletic, Falconer
Flaws: Uncouth, Hot-Tempered, Lustful, Hedonist

Character Summary: Little now is known of Joaquín, the last of Godofredo’s legitimized bastards. At the age of thirteen, he was kidnapped by highwaymen on a falconing trip with the castellan, Raúl, and, despite the best efforts of the royal guard, he was never recovered. It is not known whether he lives or perished, though there has been rumor of a mercenary “with Godofredo’s eyes” at work in Orlandis.

Courtiers & Retainers

The Small Council

Chancellor: Prince Erasmo “The Wise”
High Priestess: Ajora, Keeper of the words of the Santo’Libro and voice of Saint Jovita 
Marshall: Duke Carlomagno Ojeda y Fantón of the Duchy of Montáz 
Sage: Faisal, a Brother of Weisheit from Atularis 
Sentinel: Ser Basajuán Estèbe, Captain of the Royal Cavaliers  
Spymaster: Ibiza, also from Atularis 
Steward: Leandro Dalphés, heir to the merchant House Dalphés 

Courtiers
Ser Enzo Huertas, Constable of the City Guard of Léonez
Ser Barnabas “The Tankard” Axto, a famously drunken cavalier in the service of House Antar.
Princess Ursulina Caspár, wife of Prince Efraín 
	Princess Lupita, eldest daughter of Efraín and Ursulina, age sixteen
Prince Teodór, only son of Efraín and Ursulina, age thirteen
Princess Rigoberta-Flores, youngest daughter of Efraín and Ursulina, age nine
Princess Yona, wife of Erasmo “The Wise” 
	Prince Fabrizio, eldest son of Yona and Erasmo, age nineteen
Prince Orlando, youngest son of Yona and Erasmo, age fifteen
Mirabel, Xevera, and Isidora, courtesans in the service of Prince Efraín
Aurelio, the Court Bard
Antón, the Court Jester
Portas, the Royal Chef

Vassals

House Artejo, ruling house of the Duchy of Ordón (3)
House Ibrál, ruling house of the Duchy of Calmejos (5)
House Edur, ruling house of the Duchy of Txau (1)
House Navaraño, ruling house of the Duchy of Ximénes (7)
House Borocón, ruling house of the Duchy of Miramanto (9)
House Uvadarse, ruling house of the Duchy of Zuerta (6)
House Ignáz, ruling house of the Duchy of Montas (8)
House Umbertamos, ruling house of the Duchy of Umbería (2)
House Llose, ruling house of the Duchy of Orgales (4)

Realm

The Merchant-Kingdom of Voltaani, the Verge of Orlandis

Primary Holding

The Grand Port of Léonez, Capital of the Merchant-Kingdom of Voltaani
Léonez, being situated at the easternmost tip of the Verge, serves as the gateway to Atularis and is perhaps the most bustling port of Orlandis. It was the landing point of the exiles of Voltaani, uninhabited (or so they surmised) and near fresh water, and thus the foundations of the city were laid shortly thereafter. The Quayside is the largest district of the city and where most of the port’s trade is conducted---large shipping houses line the water's edge, constantly abuzz with the activity of exchange; all manner of tongues, creoles, and pidgins can be heard, and seamen and traders from a thousand nations can be seen; hawkers cry their wares, selling oysters and clams and sweets and all manner of foods that titillate the sea-weary sailor; at the far end of the Quayside there are the public houses and whorehouses, offering the two things irresistible to sailors. Few habituate the district, however, for the scent of fish and mud and the raucous clamor of the wineskins do not let up until dawn. 
Adjacent to the Quayside is the Bell Quarter, where most of the city’s wealthy live. Here can be found the grand mansions of the Great Merchant Houses, and the first chapterhouse of the Merchant’s Guild. But a short walk from the Bell Quarter is the Plaza of Annunciation, in which stands the sweeping spires and steeples of the Templo del Refugio, one of the two seats of the Diosaean faith in the known world and a site to which many pilgrims flock. Rising above even the Templo del Refugio, shimmering atop Mount Cascalboa stands Ignál’s Holdfast, the home of the royal family and the seat of government. 
Below that stretches the craftsmen’s district of Berlanga’s Ingle, so named because of its smoke from the forge fires. It is in this quarter that the great smiths craft the fabled Voltaani steel. Adjacent to “The Ingle”---as it is known to locals---stretches the ancient Bazaar Carbajal, where most of the city’s trade is conducted. It is said that anything known to human beings has passed through the Bazaar, and that in some nook or cranny of the marketplace, if one looks, one can find peddlers selling the dust of faeries and the powder of dragons’ bones. 
Finally, the smallest district of the city is simply referred to as “The Slums”, for that is exactly what they are. Once a monasterial complex which was lost to fire, the city’s poor live out their miserable lives in sight of some of the richest people in the world. 
The outskirts of the city offer some of the most excellent farmland in Orlandis, and many plantations have been erected there. The principal crop is sugarcane, but date palms, oranges, wine grapes, wheat, carob, pistachio, almonds, prickly pear, olives, figs, and pomegranates also thrive and feature heavily in local diets. Further in the interior, many tropical foodstuffs---custard apple, avocado, coffee, and some cultivars of banana---introduced from Atularis, have been introduced and found some success. 
Vassal Holdings

WIP 

Influence & Relations

The remnants of the Imperium of Vndos: The Kingdom of Voltaani is the largest piece left of the once proud trading empire that it came from, but other parts exist. The Republics of Ortan, Orm, Nevra, Ralos, and Naeos are seemingly mere provinces compared to their might at the height of the Imperium, but they are both invaluable as trading ports, and the few pieces of the Imperium that escaped the collapse following the Voltaani Exodus. (taken from Cerberov)

WIP

Exports & Imports

Wine: Wine is ubiquitous, both on the tables of freemen and of nobles, and Voltaani is known for its fine sweet wines. The hill country of Calmejos and Orgales in particular are renown for the fine vintages they produce, and these are some of the most prized wines throughout Orlandis. Date and fig wines are produced in the south, and while few beyond the cultured gourmand has developed a taste for these in Orlandis, they are extremely popular in the former trade republics of Vndos.
Gold: The eastern mountains of Voltaani are rich with gold veins, and while the majority of this gold is minted, the remainder is taken by jewelers and goldsmiths, who turn it into works of art and jewelry designed to cater to nobility. Gold is by far Voltaani's most lucrative export, though the current difficulties of finding ore in the mountains have slowed trade. (taken from Cerberov)
Spices: Voltaani itself produces a variety of spices, such as cassia, olibanum, cumin, poppy seeds, and saffron, but is heavily involved in the Atularian spice trade, and thus provides Orlandis with much of the spices valued by the nobility and in doing so reaps a fortune.
Mercenaries: Foreign mercenaries are commonplace in Voltaani, comprising much of the military power of the nobility---yet the Order of the Palm, the state-subsidized mercenary company, is commonly hired out by the squabbling lord of both Orlandis and Atularis and famed for their prowess on the battlefield.
Wheat: Voltaani is one of the “bread baskets” of Orlandis, and provides many areas with climes inclement to wheat with the valued grain.
Sugar: Grown in the subtropical lowlands near Léonez, it is exported in the form of stamped muscovado cakes all throughout Orlandis. A common crop in Atularis, Voltaani exports almost all of its sugar to Orlandian clients, who in the past have satisfied their sweet tooth with carrot, beet sugar, or honey.
Textiles: Voltaani exports silks, fine damasks, and light cotton vestments to a mostly aristocratic clientele around Orlandis.
Slaves: Infamous even in Voltaani though not entirely illegal, slaves gleaned from Atularis comprise one of the most lucrative Voltaani enterprises. Many Orlandian clients have even begun selling to the Voltaani in hopes of cashing in on the trade. Most slaves are touted as status symbols by aristocrats in Orlandis, though they are gaining traction as field laborers to some of the more affluent plantation owners in southern Voltaani. Still, they are far too expensive to ever replace the peasantry.

Recent History

WIP 

Other Information

WIP 

Characters Played By babbysama
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