House Ulsteris

Crest: A forest green elk on a background of autumn orange with rich purple grapes wreathing the outside.
Motto: "Reap What is Sown"
Relations: To be determined.
Head of Household: Lord Oberin Ulsteris

History

The Ulsteris House and its bondsmen have descended from Sundren settlers that looked to till the fields. Their lands lie mostly north and west of Sundren city, and own a decently large portion of the farms and fields in that area. Not known for very involved participation in the games of nobility, the Ulsteris House has been a quietly loyal, steadfast noble house since its inception.

Perin Ulsteris was a farmer on the edge of the Viridale forest around 1215 DR. A famous woodsman, and known for his affinity for animals and farming, he was hunting in the wood one fateful afternoon when he saw signs of a gnoll encampment with an elven prisoner tied to a stake. He crept quietly forward until he was able to make out that the gnolls were a scouting party for a large contingent of gnolls. The woman, or so he gathered, was an elven druid that had tried to warn the nearby settlements of impending attack.

Thinking quickly, Perin set traps along an old forest path, and carefully took aim with his bow. He shot the gnoll leader so perfectly that its skull split in two. The gnoll followers went after Perin, and fell to the cleverly disguised traps he had set.

When all of the gnolls were dead or incapacitated, Perin went back and freed the elven druid. They warned the fledgling Legion in time, and the gnolls were driven back. For his service, Perin was granted the fertile lands that his family holds today as well as a knighthood. Known as the 'Knight of the Wood', Perin had a single child by the elven druid before she vanished into the forest, leaving the babe with Perin.

Perin eventually remarried a human woman, but he named his first child his heir. The son, who built the estate in which the Ulsteris family is housed, died fighting in 1340 during an orc skirmish on the Mossdale. His human heirs now rule the house with the affinity for nature that he and his father had, and are very popular with the Sundren common folk.

Family

                   Perin Ulsteris(1196)--|--Faernyth Wildwood (Vanished 1217)
                                         |--Talia Aumar (Married in 1220)
   (Yet to be determined)                |
                                         |
                                       Oberin (1328)
                                         |
                                         |
                        Quintin (1355)---|---Haldrin (1351)

Head of Household

A thin man with a slashed scar down his left eye, Oberin Ulsteris is known for his warmth and generosity among his lands and the people who live on them. He is deceptively strong, often seen helping farmers fix wagons and sowing fields. A lifetime of hard labor has made him into a lean whip of a man, who has a passionate love for his land and people.

In his younger years, he fought alongside the Legion at the Viridale Posts against the Mossclaw Alliance in the light infantry as a Velite. He's known among them as a fearsome enemy for his prowess with his spear, named Lant'elen for it's ability to bring swift death to any who he aimed and threw at. It was said that whomever saw it only saw a twinkling of a star before the spear pierced their skulls. Oberin rose to the rank of Salararius in the Legion before he quit the field, but rumors persist that he has connections to the secretive organization known as the 13th Legion.

Now older, and removed from the battlefield, Oberin seeks to preserve his land and his people from whatever threats may arrive. He frequents the noble circles when visiting Sundren City, and does his best to procure allies in what he see's as an inevitable clash between the lands of the Ulsteris commoners and the array of enemies that face Sundren.

Stories say that Oberin and Nicantor, the leaders of their respective houses, once dueled over a half-elven woman that gave Oberin the scar on his left eye. Oberin is tight lipped about these rumors, and folk rarely mention them within his presence. However, even if they do, he will not have any reaction besides one of momentary pain and tenderly touch the scar.

Resources

The house resources are rooted in the fields outside Sundren City. The rich, fertile earth has been blessed by Chauntea, some say, and provides a vast majority of the crops for the city and its inhabitants. This money is funneled into a large portion of caravan and crop trading, leaving the Ulsteris house reasonably wealthy and powerful. Its people also have close ties with the Exigo Syndicate and the Legion, frequently providing its vast amount of craftsmen and laborers to both organizations.

The house also has a tenuous relationship with the Wardens of the Vale, trading and working with the rangers for supplies and home-made goods. Not a few Ulsteris have been known to dart off to the Wardens in search of adventure and excitement.

Reputation

The house has a decent reputation in Sundren, as with all things, is mixed. In the fields and in the common towns, the house is considered to be benevolent towards its people. Within the cities, the Ulsteris family are regarded as country bumpkins who couldn't tell a spoon from a knife. Despite their reliance on the crops that its lands provide, the majority of Sundren's elite has a dim view on the 'Farmer Family' as they condescendingly call them.