House Maevis

*The noble heraldry of House Maevis*

A noble, aristocratic house, hailing from Septon, that has close ties to the Emperors of Alberea.

House Maevis is one of the most well-known of the noble Houses that survived the fall of the old Alberean aristocracy during the Night of Redress. Led by Magnus Maevis in 1298, they were the first of the lower aristocratic houses of old Alberea to ally themselves with Solidor I, and consequently became one of the emperor's most trusted allies. After Solidor's campaign, House Maevis was granted military stewardship of sorts over the city of Septon.

House Maevis has always been known as bringing forth strong and fiercely loyal warriors, but they are also one of the most devout believers in the Faith of the Chant. House Maevis maintains a famous cathedral called 'the Celestuon' in Septon, in which a large library of historic annals and theological works on the faith are kept. It is considered one of the most important buildings of the faith in Alberea, and provides a daily religious mass to the people of Septon, where the devout come to collectively sing celestial hymns.

House Maevis is the only house that has ever reliably produced magically-gifted humans. They are believed to be the Albereans still most closely resembling the seraphim form, after the Empireal bloodline of Solidor I.

## The Paladine

Roughly 8 years after the campaign of the Alliance of the Red Rose, Magnus Maevis would marry **Augusta**, a young warrior that fought with the Alliance. Together, they raised multiple children. It would not be until 1320, however, until Magnus and Augusta realised that all of their children were magically gifted as they reached puberty. Cursing their fate, afeared that they would be apprehended as witches, Magnus hid them from the outside world. However, when the word *did* come out, Solidor I, now emperor of Alberea, lauded Magnus and his family and proclaimed that heirs were gifts sprouting from their devotedness to the Faith of the Chant! Moreover, it was a sign that heir causes were just and noble.

During the decades that followed, Magnus would notice that he himself was also not without strange gifts. Though he could not produce magic, he aged incredibly slowly for a human, living more closely to elven standards of age. Magnus would go on to sire an incredible amount of offspring with multiple wives throughout the century. All of these children would be trained and lauded as Maevisine Paladine, and bred for combat in the Empire's military as knights of great renown.

### Matres Virtuae

Magnus Maevis has had many much younger wives throughout the last century. These wives receive the, in Alberea, honorary title of *Mater Virtua* when they produce a child with Magnus. The current Mater Virtua is Cornelia Maevis.

### Military Prowess

The paladine are elite-knights from noble stock, trained from an incredibly young age in the Faith as well as the art of combat when they show signs of possessing the magical innate talents that House Maevis is famous for. The paladine are known to be able to magically heal the wounded, be incredibly resistant to physical trauma, detect the presences of monsters and magic around them, and channel their magical talents through their strikes, creating booming shockwaves whenever they hit in combat.

Paladine commonly wear partial plate armor, long-billowing tabards of green and white, and bearded halberds that give them an immense reach in combat.