House Crane

### Purpose

To overthrow the nobility who sought to grind the people of Ustalav beneath their boot.

## Foundations

House Crane was created by Adon Dioltas after his victory on the fields of Ardeal against the Prince of Ustalav. It was founded on the principle that people the nobles rule over matter and should be treated with respect. Upon its creation, any noble who had mistreated their subjects had their lands forcibly seized by Adon's army and were subsequently handed over to the Darkland ghouls as a flesh sacrifice. Adon's family and any individual he appointed were to now be known as members of House Crane, the ruling oligarchy of Ustalav. Only nobles within House Crane could hold land or titles any longer.

### *Reformations*

Ustalav underwent several rapid changes under House Crane rule. The first and largest change was the adoption of Urgathoa as the official religion of Ustalav. As Ustalav was a predominantly Pharasmin society this caused quite an uproar, but one that House Crane maneuvered well. The common man does not care for which god is held high so long as he can provide for his family and House Crane exploited this. They proposed an undead labor force that would take care of most of the manual labor tasks within the country. Alongside this labor force, the living populace would all receive payments every month for merely being citizens of Ustalav. With the promise of receiving a wage without having to waste their health on menial tasks, the vast majority of Ustalav's citizens favored the change. A civil war against the true followers of Pharasma commenced, but having lost the will of the people it fell apart rapidly.

With an undead centered nation, the populace needed a new purpose now that they no longer had to work for a living. Mage colleges were opened across the country as well as schools and guilds of the arts. Ustalav shifted from a rural backwater to a center of jewelers, artists, and scholars. This did not happen over night and anti-intellectual sentiments ran deep in Ustalav, forcing additional compensations and benefits to those who pursued the finer arts.

Such a radical shift was not without a heavy cost. House Crane was now tied to the ghouls who had won the war for them. They paid the ghouls every month with the former nobility, criminals accused of capital crimes, as well as any Razmiran immigrant they could find. The ghouls were also given a special status within society, allowed to roam free amongst the people and viewed as minor nobles so long as they didn't attack anyone who hadn't been given to them. House Crane also exploited the coffers of the ghouls who had long feasted on the denizens of the Darklands and the adventurers who delved below. They had amassed a large collection of gold, magical items, and various treasures they had no use for and were quite happy to give away in exchange for meat.

## Enemies

A nation founded on an undead workforce and the feeding of its populace to ghouls, however few they might be, could not exist without amassing several enemies. The foremost of their enemies was their southern neighbor, Lastwall. The Lastwall Invasion was the Lastwall's first attempt at removing the sinister forces within Ustalav, but it was repelled by House Crane's alliance with ghouls. The next enemy of House Crane were the Hordes of Belkzen to the west, a delicious source of meat for the ghoul friends and highly disorganized. The Belkzen Incursion filled the bellies of the ghouls quite well with the goblinoids who failed to band together against their foe.

## Members

* Adon Dioltas - Deceased
* Eysi Dioltas - Deceased
* Zani Wrothkin - Deceased
* Hagar Wrothkin - Deceased
* Tsaia Dioltas
* Darkson Dioltas - Deceased
* Xaa Wrothkin - Deceased
* Noira Wrothkin
* Artis Wrothkin - Deceased
* Garrus Wrothkin - Deceased
* Tyra Wrothkin - Deceased
* Kytus Wrothkin - Deceased
* Yahald Wrothkin
* Lindis Wrothkin