House Falmar

The ancient and most noble House of Falmar are by far the smallest noble house in the Thunderlands. They trace their descent to a Stormlord king's daughter who wed a sheep farmer. They lived as modest crofters for years, but the Rookwoods and Thormunds squabbled constantly over the farming island of Fallowfield upon which they lived, and during a harsh winter in 432AE, Lady Gwenyvere Falmar swore fealty to Pyotr Rookwood in order to ensure the survival of the family, thus making the Falmars the only lordly house in the Thunderlands to be subservient to another. The Falmars are often mocked and looked down upon for their origin and lack of accomplishments, and thanks to their small share of land they cannot be considered wealthy. Their hold is the manor house named Green Gable, and they blazon their arms with a white ram on a green field. The reigning lord is Kavin, only son of Osbert. As Kavin is young, unmarried and thus childless, it is believed the House will pass to his cousin Gereon should he die.
By 1015AE the Falmars have provided a paltry part to the Blackthorne war effort. Kavin's mother Lenora manages Fallowfield from the seat of Green Gable, while her son stays on the Bloodhawk's councils as a representative and ally of Lord Siegfried Rookwood. Kavin's 10-year-old cousin and heir Gereon Falmar dwells at Green Gable as well. His elder sister Valoria Falmar is the long-suffering wife of Sir Jaegar Warthorne, the Knight of Nchurdamz, and his other sister Annabelle is married to Arthur Mannister who went missing on the first voyage to the untamed isle. 
In 1016AE, Kavin married Queen Talia I Blackthorne and abdicated his lordship to his cousin Gereon in order to serve as the monarch's Prince-Consort and the father of her four children. After her husband was deemed dead, Annabelle did not remarry and instead joined the Aradian Temple as a Priest. Valoria raised her four daughters in Nchurdamz after her husband's death, each of them becoming knights. Kavin died in 1051AE at the Battle of Motter's Spiral. Valoria and Annabelle both died in 1075AE of the Red Death.
Gereon married Lucy McNair, with all future descendants of the Falmar name coming from their line. Gereon himself died in a hunting accident in 1039AE leaving control of the house to his wife and two teenaged daughters. The Widow Falmar proved an effective leader, however, and ruled her adopted family capably, though with plenty of help from her close friend Queen Talia. The Monarchy was a positive boon for the Falmars due to their proximity to the throne giving them access to unprecedented privilege and influence, rivalled only by the Ludlow Accord. The family were chosen as the new masters of the Whiteoak Plains following the island's previous stewards, the Waynrites, losing the land for rising against the crown during the Aradian Civil War. The Holloway castle of Greengrove, a vast fortress on the mainland, was inherited by Lenora Falmar after her father's death in the Civil War, and as an able politician she became first Dame of Falmar. Frail and elderly, Lenora grew sick and passed away following her son's death; it was agreed thereafter that control of Greengrove should be given to Lucy as at that stage her family had become too big to be confined to Fallowfield's tiny holdings. Within a generation, the family went from owning 1 small hold, to owning 1 small hold and 2 large castles. Under pre-revolution divisions, Greengrove is governed by Lucy, while her heir Garton governs Fallowfield, with Whiteoak Hall (formerly governed by Lucy's daughter Daena) bouncing between ownership of various sheeplords.
By 1086AE, Lucy remains 2nd Dame of Falmar, presiding over a huge family of grandchildren and great-grandchildren descended from her two daughters. In the Aradian Parliament Lucy is recognized as MP for Greengrove, and is a staunch member of the Aradian Royalist Conservative Party. Her heir is her eldest living grandchild, Sir Garton Falmar, who himself is MP for Fallowfield. The "herd" of Falmars comprise a vast and highly fertile dynasty that is too numerous to be fully recounted here, but some significant members include Garton's twin brother Sir Burton Falmar who works for the Blackjackets, and "the Black Sheep" Sir Gerhard Falmar who serves as the leader of the Blackthorne military. Gerhard is accompanied by his nephew Sammael Falmar who he has adopted as his own son.
There is an unusual propensity in the Falmar family to name their daughters after Queen Talia, resulting in a slew of "Talia Falmars" and often causing confusion. The various Talias are thus often known by nicknames given to them by Lucy.
Category:Noble Houses