Halifax Family

The Halifax Family is an old line of magi and is part of the founding nobility families of the Grand Order of Magi. Renowned for their skilled Alchemists and Artificers, the Halifax family has had a history of siring Magisters and Archmagisters in the Order. Their skills in transmutation and creation, their Iconic Stymphs and steam-punk aesthetics for their creations have given them a high standing in the order, not to mention their continued influence in the Arcane Order Aristocracy.

## History

The Halifax, although they were not yet named that, can trace their lineage all the way back to Theodric, their first mage and the first to set them on the path of nobility, he was born in 805 CE. He secretly studied magic with a zeal and earned lands for his family, establishing them as minor nobility and giving them a good place to practice their craft with less worry of discovery. Though some rumors of witchcraft were attached to the family nothing substantial came about and the family remained safe.

Since then the Halifax and their predecessors have always sought to increase their magical power and their standing as nobles. They recognized and assisted great rulers such as Alfred, being rewarded for their service with greater titles and properties. In the meantime their magical power also became great, especially in the mythic era before the decline of magic began. It is said that they could perform truly exceptional feats of magic around this time.

In 1221 the family had noticed the decline of magic, so they began discussing this with other European families and eventually families throughout the entire known world. In 1222 the Halifax became one of the founding families of the Grand Order of Magi, an organization meant to govern mages, keep magic secret from the sleepers, and combat the decay of magic. They were one of the most powerful and influential families and so they came to be seen as blue blooded nobility by mages just as much as they were by the sleepers. Since the founding and proper organization of the Arcane Order, the Halifax have consistently been Magisters and candidates for Archmagister in the Covenant of Stonehenge.

The Halifax have continued to further their resources and standing in both the world of sleepers and mages. As was fitting of this position John Halifax, the grandfather of the current family head, was amongst the few mages but the many nobles to get involved in WW1 then join again in WW2 as part of a secret mage only commando unit. Although nobility lost much of its meaning after this period, the Halifax have remained a wealthy and powerful family with the current head of the family being Archmagister of Stonehenge.

## The Sea of Sky

The name that the Halifax gave to a Border Realm they discover in 963, moving their lands to have sole claim to the entrance. The entrance to the border realm is kept hidden in the basement of the house. Once one has entered they will find themselves in a seemingly endless sky with dozens of floating islands around them. The islands have a supply of valuable resources within them that seems to replenish over time. This realm is also home to some flying species of mystical beasts, most prominently there is a pack of griffins that served as inspiration for the family emblem. The beasts that make this place their home have built up mutual trust with the Halifax over generations and are considered companions by the family.

## Organizational Structure

The Halifax family follows the old style of household in which there is a master of the house, the current head of the family, whose will is absolute. They choose their heir through meritocracy rather than age and this heir is granted all the family secrets and magics. The Halifax do still encourage the study of magic for all their children however and have numerous branch families. These branch families are largely left to their own devices but are ultimately subordinate to the main Halifax lineage.

The family employs many Associate and Neophyte ranked individuals to act as house servants. All house servants of the Halifax are put under a number of strict magical contracts that ensure they will not harm, compromise, embarrass, or leak information of the family.

## Magic

The Halifax family mostly study the schools of Alchemy and Artificing. This is part of where their fortune comes from as they sometimes sell simple mass produced artifacts, such as scopes that can help analyze magical residue and artifacts which they sell to the archeological types. During the 1800's their artifacts took on a somewhat mechanical look, in part as the usual method of disguising magical items. This is most prominent with their Stymph familiars, mechanical birds that are clearly made of metal and have some visible parts. Most members of the family will make their Stymphs unique in some way, for example the current head's Stymphs are nigh-indestructible. Almost every member of the family builds some sort of flight artifact and they also have airships that are a mix of machine and magic, a specialization they developed to get around in their Border Realm.

Iconic "Stymph" familiars of the Halifax family. Named for the Stymphalian birds fought by Heracles
## Relationship with Other Organizations

#### Grand Order of Magi

As one of the founding families who date back even a few centuries further than the order itself, the Halifax are well regarded by their peers. They in turn do much to further and maintain the influence of the order. The family is firmly on the aristocratic old-blood side of the order.