House Aurelianus
Crest: A gold eagle on a white field with a gold globe in one talon and a small silver knife in the other.
Motto: "Restore What Is Broken"
Relations: Father house of Blackburn, one of the founders of Sestra.
Head of Household: Lord Baernorn Aurelianus
History
House Aurelianus was born from the efforts of an Ilmateri wanderer with the same name. No one is quite sure where the man came from, but he arrived during the tumultuous period of the Bloodmaim Wars. Offering aid and succor to the Legion, Aurelianus single-handedly fostered the growth of the Legion's medical corps and the Ilmater faithful in Sundren. He was known as a great healer, and wise in medical lore. His knowledge came in especially useful when facing off against enemies. He used his blade with exact precision, slicing tendons and arteries in the rare times when he was called into combat.
His knowledge was compiled into the Medica: a tome that spans across every nerve and bone in the human body, and other races besides. For his efforts, the Arbiters granted him lands and a title. He eventually married, and his family has spread into various facets of Sundren life. Some joined the Legion, others the Arbiters, even the Exigo. The Aurelianus family is well respected by most, if not all medical practitioners and its members are frequent followers of Ilmater and other goodly gods.
Family
Aurelianus
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Tavarian---------------|-------Rasiene------Florian
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Baernorn(Head)---|-----Julius |
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Sosthene Aurelianus(KIA) | |
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Lynnette Aurelianus Esmond Aurelianus Marcarius Aurelianus
Noble Ties
The Aurelianus family has always been on good terms with the Legion and Temple of the Triumverate. It has donated a good amount of coin annually to the medical facilities and priesthoods that promote well being. As for other noble houses, the family has gotten along relatively well with most with the usual amount of intrigue and happenstances. They have a working relationship with the Meriadoc family in the ports, as well as one with the Ulsteris house in the fields. They are relatively well connected to the Lacroix family, even marrying one or two of the lesser cousins.
The only houses that the Aurelianus nobles have any unsavory history with are the Pendraigs and the Hellstroms. The Pendraig's penchant for violent pursuits on and off the tournament field have cooled relations between the two houses, and the Hellstroms have always been a natural opposite due to their financing of the Blackwood mercenaries.
Head of Household
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https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/51980673/NWN2/Sundren/Baelnorn.jpg |
Born not long after the Bloodmaim Wars, Baernorn grew up in the bloodthirsty courts of Sundren nobility. After the threat of the Bloodmaim was contained, and the cities and lands rebuilt, the previous bond that had held the nobility together during times of war splintered and buckled under the strain of personal motivation and conflict. This in turn led to several long years of inter-court warfare and intrigue, resulting in anything from assassination to sabotage during the power plays of the courts. Baernorn watched as his father, Tavarian, struggled to remain the man he was in the face of such cruel plotting and terrible manipulation. He was a man of the previous age, one of nobility and chivalry. He didn't have the strength (or lack) of character to deal with this entirely different threat. Baernorn learned the court's ways by watching his father fall prey to them, and he sought the help of his elder uncle, Florian. Florian taught him the means to think not only as a warrior, but as a noble. Baernorn tirelessly thwarted plots against his house and his family until he came of age, and his father passed on to Illmater's embrace. As the head of the house, Baernorn consolidated his influence within the courts, and was key in staving off several power grabs by both Hellstrom and Pendraig. The blonde noble shows no fear, no pain, and certainly never anger. He is known as the 'Lord of Frost' behind closed doors, and few will directly challenge him. He has married an Ulsteris daughter, Fiona. His eldest daughter, Priscilla, is the known contender to become head of the house against her cousin Esmond. |
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image by artastrophe |
Resources
The Aurelianus House has had the benefit of a very close history with the Arbiters and the Sundren government. Since Aurelianus himself practically built the Legion's medical corps from the ground up, his family has had close ties with the Legion, in particular the 2nd. The house lands fall outside Sestra near the Elthazar River, hugging the riverbanks and its trade routes from Ulsteris lands. However, while the holdings are relatively medium sized, the real power that the Aurelianus house holds is economic in nature. They have shares in several key shipping companies and caravans, alongside their partnerships with the Waukeen clergy within Sundren City. There are not a few caravans and other trading organizations that have an Aurelianus member as a main owner, and this brings in significant monetary influence and value to the Aurelianus name.
The services they do provide also extend to protection, and they are constantly fighting the influence of the Hellstrom House and their Blackwood mercenaries.
Reputation
The House, as a whole, has a good reputation with the people of Sundren. Known for charitable generosity, the Aurelianus name is well known in the goodly temples of Sundren, including the Helmite and the Triumverate. Sundren City has the highest opinion of them, with that reputation decreasing as one leaves the capital and into the ancestral lands of the other noble houses (such as the fields for the Ulsteris, the Port for the Meriadocs, etc). They have a reputation for honesty in trade, and fairness in unseen disasters.