House Gamliel

House Gamliel is an Ancient House, and one of the oldest in all of Aodh. They are best known for their claimed closeness to Ignacio. Over years, Gamliel has supplied countless Royal Consorts and Advisers.

## History

House Gamliel is one of the very oldest Houses in Aodh, and may potentially even be the oldest after House Soleil itself. Its founder was a dark pegasus with magnificent blue and purple plumage and bright, vibrant blue eyes - both the dark coloration and the blue eye color have been diligently passed on by the countless generations that have come since. However, House tradition claims that their dark color and blue eyes were granted to them when Ignacio reappeared in Hireath, and touched their ancestor, changing their appearance.

Although Gamliels have provided many Royal Consorts, only two Kings have ever had Gamliel blood - these being Titus (871-873) and Kallai (988-1015). Despite this, Gamliels have always been heavily favored by the monarchy, and have never wavered in their support of the Soleil House, even during times when the Soleil line was the weakest. As such, many Gamliels have served as Advisers, or filled other trusted roles for their Kings. Several have also acted as Flamines.

The Gamliel House has led a relatively peaceful existence - thanks to royal favor and good political maneuvering by its Heads, the House has avoided major scandals and has often been lucky in avoiding disasters, whether they be natural or caused by monarchs. The only questionable events around the Gamliels tend to be directly tied to their extremely strict ideas of House purity, leading to almost every generation being a political game of forced abjucation and disinheritation until the desired heir is titled.

## House

The Gamliels have been a mainstay at court for the whole of their existence, and almost every Aodhian King has had at least one Gamliel Adviser during their reign. With the recent revelation that “Ember” was not a horse, but instead Ignacio himself, more credence has been lent to the idea that the Gamliels are closer to Ignacio than other families - while some also suspect that maybe their streak of Adviser positions has less to do with their competence, and more to do with Ignacio.

### Home

The ancestral estate of the Gamliel’s is Bluespire, a tall structure made in blue and white marble. It is located on a small islet within the Sol District, but well connected to the surrounding area by several beautiful bridges.

The Bluespire is massively tall, but in fact only two stories - most of the height comes from the impressively pompous, spike-like roof that seems to pierce the skies like a blue flame. The estate is extremely well-kept, and just as large and opulent as one would expect from a noble manor, although it often finds itself a touch crowded with the Gamliel propensity for big families.

### Wealth

Like many surviving Ancient Houses, the Gamliels are extremely wealthy, although not as wealthy as some of the other Houses, such as Soleil or Aelius. Their wealth has traditionally come from investments and connections, rather than a singular dedication to any single field or setting up their own things - they aren't famous for their architectural skills like Nitor or Cardea, nor for their business management like Xoias, or even the adaptability of Bracken. Gamliels have their hoof in a bit of everything, owning a share there and another here, allowing for comfortable lives for the family, but never invest in anything heavily.

Many Gamliels who are not in line to inherit are still encouraged to stay with the House, seek out an education and set up their own enterprises that are merged into the estate, or (more often) sold upon their death.

### Looks & Traits

The Gamliel House’s most notable trait is their appearance - every single prominent Gamliel (meaning Heads, Advisers, Consorts etc) has shared a similar appearance: dark coat and blue or purple eyes. While the family claims this is all due to their close connection to Ignacio, in reality it has a lot more to do with genetics and meticulous dedication to keeping up the signature appearance of the family. Among Aodhian noble Houses, Gamliel is one of the very few who practice disinheriting children due to their coat color, and also consider coat color a major factor in the selection of spouses.

Colors considered acceptable for a Gamliel include black, silver black, smoky black, seal bay, dark classic champagne, dark sable champagne, dark grullo and black or liver chestnut. White markings should be minimal or non-existent. Any other color will more or less disqualify the individual from holding a position of power in the eyes of the family. Children in the line of succession with undesirable colors are generally forced to abjucate in favor of a more “suitable” sibling or cousin, or failing that, disinherited or even disowned.

This also makes Gamliel one of the few Houses where it is not at all unusual for Head of House to be passed around to younger children, cousins, siblings or even grandchildren.

Despite their meticulous interest in coat colors, Gamliels are completely indifferent to build and breed.

### Values & Beliefs

Despite their extreme dedication to keeping up the family’s signature appearance, Gamliels are known to be extremely family oriented. Each generation has many children, and although quite a few are married off, compared to many other Houses the Gamliels like to keep a large “in-House” presence of various branches of the family tree. Family members, even if their coats don’t hold up to scrutiny, are treated with respect and can expect to live comfortable lives pursuing their personal passions. Gamliels rarely disown family, even for what would be considered major problems by other Houses - in the past 300 years, only 2 Gamliels have been disowned, both for not agreeing to abjucate to keep up the family appearance.

Outside their family-oriented nature, Gamliels are a varied bunch. They are known for their dedication to Ignacio, who is usually worshipped as the sole patron, as well as their loyalty to the Crown.

They’re generally elitist and only marry to other Great Houses, but don’t show disdain towards Lesser Houses or gentry. Education and artistic talent are both appreciated and nurtured, but the family does not have any “staple professions” outside political and religious roles, which children with suitable coloration are encouraged to pursue.

The family often likes to keep to itself to preserve a mysterious air around them. Only Houses that closely associate with the Gamliels are aware of the lengths they go to to preserve their looks.

## Current Trueborn Members

*House Gamliel is a sprawling Great House - unlike many others, it was not particularly affected by New Years Ball, and consists of several family groups.*

### Retired

Kader, former Head of House;  smoky black unicorn, born 1615

Their spouse Jale; dark classic champagne sabino hippocampus, born 1616

### Main Branch

Head of House: Asena - born 1639

Spouse: Ulvi - born 1635

Heir: Yildimir - born 1668

Spare: Born 1669

Younger children born years 1672, 1674 and 1676

Yldimir’s children 1689, 1692

### Second Branch

Sister of Asena, cream champagne, born 1635 (forced to abdicate in favor of Asena)

Spouse, black splash, born 1638

Children: "Ember" (1660), brother (1664), Ofelia (1676), sibling (1678)

### Third Branch

Brother of Asena, dark chestnut sabino, born 1638 (forced to abdicate in favor of Asena)

First spouse, smoky black, born 1640

Second spouse, silver black, born 1650

Children with first spouse 1662, 1670

Children with second spouse Elham (1678), 1679, 1682

## Applying for a Gamliel character

Gamliel is intended as a shared NPC House, meaning it belongs to the faction, and is under direct control of the admin of Aodh. As such, members of House Gamliel are open to applications, both as PC characters, or NPC spouses for existing (Great House) characters. NPCs created for Gamliel must have NPC sheets.

The main goal of the Gamliel family is to create a more interconnected Aodhian nobility.

Please DM ThatDenver on Discord to discuss the addition of your Gamliel to the family tree. Currently only the already “alloted” spots are available, but if the house fills up, more branches may be added. Players of the adult Gamliels may choose to give out children to their characters (within reason). Gamliel bastards are available via request from Denver only.

The Head of House, their spouse or Heir are not available for applications, and will remain as Group NPCs.