House Rogare

House Rogare is one of the oldest families from Lys. It is said that its founder was a certain Lysarro from Tyria, a merchant of pearls who was among the first people to settle in the city after it was created by the Valyrian Freehold; his family then became the first to gain the rank of nobles, after the Doom of Valyria.

In time, the Rogare became wealthy and powerful, creating the Rogare Bank, which eventually grew large enough to rival the Iron Bank of Braavos and even surpass it. Under the lead of Lysandro Rogare, First Magister of Lys, whose daughter married Prince Viserys Targaryen in 137 AC, the bank was able to expand its influence even in Westeros, becoming one of the principal investigators of its technological and economic advancement.

Lysandro's brother, Drazenko was about to marry Princess Aliandra Martell of Dorne when a mysterious illness killed her and her family. The family, like most of the nobles of Lys, are in the business of prostitution and owns three of the ten most important high-rank brothels on the island - *The Perfumed Garden, the Fruits of Spring and the Summer Pleasures* -  and after the betrothal of  to Prince Viserys, they started to expand their business even in King's Landing, where they opened two pleasure gardens, *the Spring Delights and the Pearl of the Sea.*

Unlike the others, the Rogare are famous for breeding and training their *Ruklon* (male prostitutes) and *Pubres* (female prostitutes), in order for them to create the finest and the most beautiful bedslaves on Essos and beyond. House Rogare have an important role in the political and economic life of the city, having commissionated the construction of many important public building, like the Great Library, the very first Temple dedicated to the Goddes Adera, the patron of the island and other little sanctuaries to other minor Lyseni deities.  Also attributed to them is the construction of the Great Bridge, one of the five bridges that make up the city, the same for the giant copper statue, covered in gold depicting Lior, the God of Trade, in front of the Temple dedicated to the god of the same name.

The two most emblematic buildings of House Rogare, however, are their Gold Bank and their family residence, located in the easternmost part of the island, atop Golden Hill, The Lenton Queldie.

## Culture

Like the Targaryens, who, like them, descent from Valyria, the Rogares possess some strongly typical Valyrian features, like pale skin, silver, platinum, or gold hair and eyes in a variety of shades of purple, or light blue.

House Rogare's words are "Fortune favours the Bold.", which is a reminder of their talent as merchants and businessmen, while their sigil is a majestic peacock in a yellow, orange and purple field. House Rogare, like most of the Valyrian Houses historically followed the gods of Valyria.

However, after the Century of Blood, they abandoned the old religion, which was perceived as a legacy of the tyrant Dragonlords that once ruled the city and helped to craft new gods, inspired by the older ones. Three of these "New Lyseni deities" were Adera, Goddes of Love and patron of the city, Lior, God of Trade and Averilla, Goddes of Wine and Pleasure, who repleaced the Valyrian dietes Meraxes, Verminthor and Syrax. Like many noble families throughout the decades House Rogare, thanks to its influence, succeeded in having members of their family invested with important religious positions; many were the Maidens of Love - young priestesses devoted to the Goddess Adera, who were consecrated to religious life until they turned eighteen years of age - who came from their House. One among them is Lada Rogare, the youngest of Lysario's daughters, who became a priestess of the Goddess Adera at the age of ten, later becoming First Maiden at sixteen, who is the second most important authority on the island, after the Council of Magisters.

From their persistent Valyrian features throughout their family line is safe to think that the Rogare, as the Targaryens and the Velaryons, once followed the Valyrian practice of incestuous marriage. However, it's plausible that after the Doom they stopped wedding brothers to sisters, and instead preferred to marry themselves between first cousins, uncle to niece or aunt to nephew and sometimes if they wanted to reinforce their influence in the city, with a member of another important family of the island or above.

With Lysandro Rogare indeed, begins the tendency for the Rogares to marry outside the family circle, giving daughters to high-profile men outside Lys and sons to young noblewomen of the city, thus subjugating the entire island to his power. Lysandro himself married Lynesse Vhassyl, from the most militaristic of the noble families of Lys, who maintain a large standing militia force and often call themselves "the Protectors of Lys." Since most of the religions practised within the walls of Lys involve cremation as a funeral practice, the Rogares, have even constructed family tombs on their properties for both family members and servants, whether they be slaves or free, in order to bury them in a safe space.

## Infrastructure

### The Lenton Queldie

The Lenton Queldie, The Golden House, is the family residence of House Rogare, and the biggest among the high-ranked mansions present on the island.   The nearly 80-hectare complex includes groves of trees, vineyards, gardens, an artificial lake and almost 300 rooms, half of which were used as servants' quarters.  It is therefore possible to say that the Rogare Family owns, between freeborn and slave-born men, nearly 200 servants. The rooms, clad in shiny, dazzling white marble with paintings on them, have a richly varied floor plan, complete with niches and exedras that concentrate or disperse daylight, while there are basins in the floors and fountains and water features gushing in the corridors.
The mansion even has a personal zoo inside, consisting of hundreds of exotic animals from all over the known world, such as lions, tigers, monkeys and even crocodiles, which swim on the artificial lake, located at the entrance. The building also has a large library, inside which are preserved some rare manuscripts dating back to before Valyria's Doom, making their personal collection, the most important of any in the Free Cities. Throughout the building, there are nearly 200 marble statues, 400 paintings including illustrations, mosaics and frescoes, and 50 tapestries, all of which are priceless and valuable pieces custom-made by the most prestigious artisans in all of Essos.
The plan of the building is divided into two parts: the southern part is simple and classical, characterized by perpendicular axes and built around a large rectangular courtyard, which opened toward the city and the lake, and is reserved for the concubines of the Aeksio (master) and their children. The northern part, on the other hand, reserved for the mistress of the house (Āeksioktys) and the master's legitimate descendants, is much richer and opens toward the sea, facing the cliff: two of the main dining rooms flank an octagonal courtyard, surmounted by a dome with a giant central hole to let in light. Throughout the villa, there is an unfailing subject on the frescoes, the peacock on a golden background, the symbol of the Rogare family.
The immense building, as the family's vast fortunes, is managed by the intendant Illaphos Sorriris, a free man whose family has held this position for generations; outside the Aeksio and his family, he's considered the most important person in the House. He's the father of Lassiria Sorriris, one of the ladies-in-waiting who accompanied Larra in Westeros and her best friend.

### The Rogare Bank

The Rogare Bank or Gold Bank of Lys was started by Lysonos Rogare, the grandchild of Lysarro, who, having become rich by entering the luxury jewellery market and then prostitution, began to provide loans to sailors and fellow merchants to assist them in the purchase of mercantile cogs, in exchange for a cut of the profits generated by the trade journeys they partook in and their promise to visit exclusively his stabiliment, The Perfumed Garden, when they were in the island and wanted to pass the night in company. With time, Lysonos and his sons grew increasingly wealthy and began construction on what would become the Rogare Bank, one of the most important and biggest buildings of the city, situated on the top of the Hill of Trade, at the centre of the island. The Rogare Bank covered about 7,000 square yards and included a central nave that was 265 feet long and 83 feet wide The giant roofs were vaulted and made of concrete materials; the structure had intricately carved ceilings and the ceilings are covered in purple marble, with precious mosaics that covered its floor, made entirely of gold and other precious gems, that displayed a peacock on a yellow field, their family stem.