House Montelius

**Head of House**
 **Heir**
 **Seat**
 **Lands**
 **Overlords**
 **Vassals**
 **Founder**

**House Montelius** is a Stormwindian noble house that rules over the County of Tourroux in the Baloric Duchy of Alcestenne, serving faithfully under House Laurent as one of the two greatest vassals in the Duchy, alongside House Allaire.

The family is largely responsible for the spread of orthodoxical doctrines of the Holy Light that are prolific across Alcestenne and much of Balor, lending to the reactionary leanings of the isle.

## History

### Founding

The origins of House Montelius dates back to the year 197 P.C. at the elevation of Lyvvon the First into the aristocracy of the Arathorian Empire as the Lord of Tourroux. Under the reign of Lyvvon and his first heirs, the name of Montelius was known for staunch traditionalism and unquestionable loyalty to the Arathorian Emperor, turning the present-day city of Tourroux and the surrounding lands into a bastion of imperial control on the isle of Balor.

As such, the lands of Tourroux have long been associated with Montelian rule since the elevation of Lyvvon, which kept itself in the good graces of the imperial government by stringently adhering to the laws and obligations of imperial subjects, including the material tithes and tax demands.

### Stormwindian Independence

During the slow dissolution of the Arathorian Empire and the beginning of the Stormwindian revolt that eventually became a fully-fledged war of independence, the House of Montelius was humiliated in conflicts against neighboring nobility that had declared for the side of the Wrynn-aligned rebels. Suffering great losses of land to these rebels, then-patriarch of the family Aldion Montelius was caught attempting to flee with as much of his family's wealth as he could have shipped to Arathor.

Aldion was hanged by a mob when discovered, and many family members met similar fates at the hands of rebel-aligned citizens and soldiers as Montelian authority broke down in the region of Tourroux. In an effort to save her house, the widow of Aldion, Catherine Montelius declared herself the new head of the family and pledged her remaining lands and assets to the cause of the revolutionaries by leveraging long-standing relations with the nearby Laurent family, which had risen to prominence during the war of independence as one of the first rebellious Baloric families.

### Post-Independence

The years that followed the War of Stormwindian Independence were not kind to House Montelius, as Catherine found herself surrounded by wolves-- The nobles on her borders which strongly resented Montelian rule on the eastern and southern fronts of her holdings. Guided by her political acumen and immutable faith in the Holy Light, Catherine sought to win the hearts of the common people by revitalizing a wartorn countryside and funding the restoration of Tourroux's cities. One great monument of this era of rebuilding was the Chapel of the Widow's Veil in Tourroux, overlooking the northern coast of Balor, it serves as a center of faith for all of Alcestenne

Another vital component of House Montelius' restoration were the close ties with House Laurent fostered by Catherine, swearing her house in vassalage to House Laurent and joining Tourroux officially to the Duchy of Alcestenne in an effort to guard against the machinations of opportunistic political rivals in the Baloric countryside, waging wars of territorial reclamation alongside the Laurent lineage to expand the county to the borders of old.

When Logan II Wrynn came to enforce the rule of the Kingdom of Stormwind upon the isle of Balor, the Duchy of Alcestenne, including the County of Tourroux, welcomed the legions of the Kingdom to their shores, and helped in the conquest of the various independent Baloric rulers, earning all of the assisting parties greater prestige in the House of Nobles.

### Orcish Invasion

In the years before the opening of the Dark Portal and the Orcish invasion of Azeroth, Helene IV and Vallien Montelius reigned over Tourroux in darkening times, with their lineage dwindling and times in the Kingdom of Stormwind uncertain. However, there were indications of good things to come as Cassandra Montelius was born to the pair, the birth of a Montelian girl a good omen after years of matriarchical rule.

Good things were not to last however, as Countess Helene IV fell ill and died shortly after the birth of Cassandra's sibling, Lyvvon IX, leaving Vallien to rule as Lord-Regent until Cassandra came of age.

Vallien did not last to see the maturity of his children, as he met his end in the first wave of Orcish invaders alongside many of the Priests of Tourroux, leaving the young Cassandra to take up leadership of House Montelius at the age of fourteen. Serving side-by-side with House Laurent in throwing off the yoke of dual Blackrock and Stormreaver occupation after a multiple-years insurgency against the Orcish invaders.

### Post-War

After the Second War, when Balor liberated itself from the tyranny of the Orcish Horde, Tourroux was left in shambles, much vital infrastructure torn down by the invaders and their demonic allies, House Montelius was alike many Baloric noble houses in garnering little in the way of monetary aid to help in the rebuilding of their holdings.

It has been a long journey to full recovery, and the capable and loyal rule of Cassandra Montelius has brought Tourroux back to the greatness it once boasted, as well as garnered the matriarch of the house as reputation as a calculating and cunning savior of her land that has more than earned the adoration of her people.

## Notable Members

### Cassandra Montelius

Countess Cassandra Montelius is the current matriarch of the House of Montelius, daughter of Helene IV and Vallien Montelius, elevated to her position at the age of fourteen upon the death of her parents. She is a resolute and matronly woman with a strong faith in the Holy Light, tasked with many of the religious affairs of the Duchy of Alcestenne.

### Lyvvon Montelius

The founder of the house, Lyvvon was a staunch loyalist to the Empire of Arathor and was elevated in the year 197 P.C. to Arathorian nobility in the region of Tourroux. Lyvvon was responsible for garnering the Montelius family a reputation for rigidity and staunch traditionalism, as well as honoring their word and obligations to allies and liege alike.

### Lyvvon IX Montelius

Sibling to Cassandra and named after the founder of the house, Lyvvon the Ninth has long shirked the responsibilities of their office, scornful of their older sister who failed to fill the role of mother to them. In the years after the Third War have they become more measured, and thusly more adept at managing the Barony of Montebrun in central Tourroux, though they remain fearful and resentful of their patriarchal role in Tourroux being viewed as a bad omen.

## Lands and Vassals

### County of Tourroux

The **County of Tourroux** is a county in the western portion of the Duchy of Alcestenne, housing the spiritual heart of the Duchy with the namesake City of Spires, headed by the Countess-Bishop Cassandra Montelius. The region was devastated in the first and second great wars just the same as the rest of Alcestenne, save for the Vidamy of Nedare, which resisted under the leadership of House Peronell.

## Vassals

### House Peronell

**House Peronell** is a Stormwindian noble house that rules over the Vidamy of Nedare on Balor Isle in the northern fiefdom of Alcestenne.

Vested with ecclestiastical and temporal power, House Peronell was first landed following the conclusion of the First War, when Balor Isle was liberated from Orcish occupation, thanks to the valiant actions of the family in shaking off the Orcish yoke.

### House Mounier

**House Mounier** is a Stormwindian house that reigns over the Barony of Modrone in southern Tourroux under the reign of the Montelians.

Serving as a buffer of sorts for the County of Tourroux, the scions of House Mounier ensure the southern reaches of the county are clear of brigands or possible intrusions by feuding neighbors, and as such, are strongly militaristic, committing a large share of their retainers and subjects to the armies of Alcestenne and Tourroux.

## Coat of Arms

**Crest:** Roaring Lions

**Colors:** Black, Turquoise, Indigo, Gold, Silver, White

**Symbology** Standing golden lions, silver anchors and stars.

**Description of Shield:** A light turquoise field with a black frame and an upwards-pointing white echelon. Two lions stand on their hind legs with their backs to one another, white a dark-blue and white Baloric star sits overhead, a silver anchor in the top left of the frame.

**Motto:** For Balor, Montelius Weathers All