House Anlan

The origin of House Anlan is steeped in myth: the first member of the house is said to have been birthed as a grown man from the waters of The Bastard, about two hundred years after the death of Luseysi. A travelling group of priests witnessed this event, reported it by messenger to the Pale City, and the man known as Casald was granted land on the northern reaches of the Goldwater as a minor lord. The truth behind this is, of course, disputed, but records show that the first Casald of House Anlan was actually a well-known metal smith, and in exchange for years of fine crafting work was granted land and rank in absence of coin by an impoverished local lord.

"The Bastard" itself, along with "The Lord" and "The Maid" (a trio of lakes; names that were once more, but forgotten) were all historically blessed by Luseysi not long after landfall in Jyotnun. Indeed, the citizenry that currently compose the Anlan domain are typically of Elder Blood, even after more almost a thousand years of existence. Anlan funeral rites are some of the most bizarre in the realm, and they notably practice burial as opposed to cremation.

Throughout the empire, House Anlan is currently known as a house in debt. Despite the age of the house and the sanctity of its lands, it is the subject of many jokes and jester songs. Upon its founding many centuries ago, the Anlans relied on a productive gold vein in the Shit Covered in Gold Dust Mountains (you name this Lucky, instead of relishing in laziness and criticizing my names). Several generations of lords indulged in extravagent lifestyles, culminating in some of the most decadent lifestyle choices documented during the middle of the Solemn Age (~1000-1100 A.R.). By the end of the 12th century, House Anlan had exported much of its wealth and had wound up in dire financial straits. This was primary incentive for the Anlans to join the War of the Pale Brothers for the Usurper, though such motives were (and still are) hardly considered noble by an Aulesiri populace beleagured by the oppressive Old Order.

The vast wealth owed to the Pale City, and the ridicule handed to the Anlans in court (joining a War for forgiveness of debt, that others joined for an "honorable cause" -- a debt accrued largely because of policies similar to those of the enemy; detractors argue that many young men and even lords were killed in battle, and that House Anlan fought valiantly) were factors that prompted Auren II to rescind his father's promises, shortly after becoming Emperor. This has created considerable tension between House Anlan and the Emperor.

General History
~400 A.R. – The origin of House Anlan.

~780 A.R – House Anlan begins making loans to the Pale City, beginning a series of poor economic choices that would plague the house over the following several centuries. Jainst the Spender becomes Lord of Rosmar.

~802 A.R – Jainst the Spender begins the forty year effort to construct The Crown adjacent to the mining villages in the Shimmering Hills. Extensive slave labor is used in this construction. The house is for the first time required to seek outside economic assistance based on future ore extraction.

~ 817 A.R – Jainst the Spender dies in the first completed tower of The Crown, now known at The Fountain. His son continues the construction effort, though with much less vigor than his father.

~ 819 A.R – House Anlan goes to war with a local lord from House Udden over economic disputes related to the port city of Tirn, the then seat of House Udden. Two more towers are added to The Crown. It is rumored that the heir to House Anlan is a bastard born to a travelling entertainer by the name of Osmac the Great. His greatness is disputed, as are his stories.

~ 820 A.R – The younger brother of the Lord of Rosmar, Krason Anlan, captures Tirn and executes two hundred people, including two of the five sons of Lord Udden. Krason becomes known as The Vengeful. He takes Lord Udden’s eldest daughter as his wife, forcing the recognition of his children as the heirs to House Udden.

~844 A.R – After four decades of continuous construction The Crown is completed. The realm of House Anlan is reckoned to be fifteen years into debt with the Pale City.

~847 A.R - Construction begins on The Fisher’s Keep by an aging Lord Krason.

~858 A.R – Lord Wurlad Anlan seizes the lands around present day Lordlin on rumors of gold veins in the hills. These are later found to be true, but in low quantity and concentration. The iron ore deposits are found to be much more extensive and valuable.

~869 A.R – House Rastun of the Deepwater swears fealty to House Anlan.

~890 A.R – Houses Musen and Crann, degraded high lords in their own right, rise up against House Anlan over the execution of Gaican Filstut, a lesser lord from Tirn, for heresy. No such heresy existed. The execution was carried out by Lord Dain Anlan for trespasses against his young daughter, though he could not prove it. The gruesome death by public hanging was seen as the last straw in a series of transgressions by House Anlan (mostly in the form of tariffs on merchants to repay crown debts).

~894 A.R – The War of the Redwater (called such for the blood spilled in the river during a half dozen battles) ends with House Crann utterly shattered. Crannhold swears fealty to House Anlan. House Musen follows shortly thereafter.

~895 A.R – Lord Casald (a common name in the house) travels to the Pale City to meet with the Emperor over extensions to debt payments. The War of the Redwater increased the promise of ore to thirty six years. House Anlan had still not paid off the fifteen years of debt that The Crown had cost them. The Emperor agrees to extensions, easing the financial burden on the house.

~900-1100 A.R – with most local enemies suppressed, House Anlan gained a period known to house historians as The Quiet Time. Military campaigns were infrequent, almost entirely foreign and in exchange for lessened debts. The house built Mirrorhall between 1040 and 1050, expanding on previous debts by another two decades. House Anlan became openly mocked as beggars and street urchins during this period. By the end of the 11th century House Anlan was over a century into debt with the Pale City, and the vast majority of the house’s wealth was exported.

~1125 A.R – House Anlan begins stripping The Crown, selling furniture, artifacts and even the jewelry buried in the crypts.

~1141 A.R – Lord Randurn commits suicide by poison, leaving his daughter as the heir to The Crown. She becomes known as The Lady Frail. She redesigns the banner of the house to the Broken Red Crown on a field of Grey. She later marries one of her cousins, a minor lord with no holdings remaining to his branch.

~1191 A.R – The Lady Frail dies, leaving the house in the best shape in centuries. The debt to the Pale City is reduced to less than twenty years. Her sons and grandsons slowly destroy the foundation she had built.

~1250 A.R – The Mutiny of Banded Brothers takes place in Rosmar. After a harsh winter of held pay, the local population rose into rebellion in the streets, ransacking grain stores. The Crown sent forth their guards to contain the crowd, but the soldiers refuse to harm their own. The city of Rosmar is held by rebels throughout the year.

~1251 A.R – House Anland demolishes the eleventh tower (of 13 total) on the Crown, selling the building material to anyone that would buy it. The money is used to break the rebellion with pay and imported grain.

~1300 A.R – House Anlan joins the Usurper in the The War of the Pale Brothers on promises of debt forgiveness. Two generations of lords are lost in combat.

~1310 A.R – House Anlan's armies sack Delkalb. The origin of House Aakzid.

~1361 A.R – House Gribon is massacred in the final years of the war. House Anlan adopts the only surviving son, though a few daughters are believed to live throughout the empire.

~1370 A.R - The Usurper’s line backs away from promises of debt forgiveness based on their economic advisers. Payments from House Anlan support the rebuilding effort in the aftermath of the war.

War of the Pale Brothers
Saddled with exorbitant debt, House Anlan joined the War of the Pale Brothers in favor of the Usurper, in exchange for financial forgiveness. While to many this cause was less-than-noble, House Anlan proved itself many times during the war, serving as Auren I's northern arm and as a valuable supplier of manpower. Many priests and minor lords of the Old Order were rounded up by House Anlan, their guard defeated in skirmishes.

In many ways, it was House Anlan that prevented the Old Order from establishing any sort of post-war bastion in the Northern Eye. Additionally, Anlan soldiers were shipped to far-off lands and dispersed throughout the realm, serving Auren I's army with dignity and resolve in several notable battles.

One of the most notable battles involving House Anlan (and one of the only major battles of the Northern Eye) was the Siege of Delkalb, in which Anlan armies laid siege to a fortified shrine to Imisau in the market city of Delkalb and took to the field against a sizable imperial army. Delkalb and its environs were actually part of the traditional Anlan domain at that time. Following the Siege of Delkalb, significant imperial presence in the Northern Eye was expelled. The creation of House Aakzid is directly related to this series of events; because much of the populace surrounding Delkalb (farmers and fur trappers) had suffered under the Old Order and its bastion there (and had spilled their own blood in the siege), they appealed to the Anlans to form a new domain. While there was much resistance at first from The Crown (the seat of House Anlan), they eventually allowed a mildly affluent farming lord (Aakzid) to purchase the land -- moreso for the money offered than for the belief that they deserved it. Lerdane Aakzid's claim was also supported by Auren I, who had come to appreciate his efforts during the attack on Delkalb.