House Golscat

House Golscat, located in Starry Mark, is a major Noble House in Merion. As the home and seat of power of one of The Twelvescore Ennobled it is a major geo-political force in Merion, and an important contributor to the events prior to The Cataclysm and the resulting Merionese Succession Crisis.

As the lowest ranking member of the "Big Three" houses of United Merion, along with House Wing and House Illwoll, House Golscat is considered of higher importance and rank than the average Twelvescore Ennobled House and is frequently thought of as an extension of the Candlebrooks themselves.

House Golscat became a member of the "Big Three" through its assistance in establishing the Candlebrook monarchy and continued service in holding back the kraken.

## Geography and Climate

House Golscat controls the peninsula stretching into the Candlesee in the north of Starry Mark. Like most of the region, the land controlled by the house is a combination of desert-like and arid grassland, with a small number of hills in the west.

## History

During the Seven Great Years, Nealor Golscat, the future founder and Lord of House Golscat, effectively conquered the Starry Mark through his militaristic skill and prowess at hunting Kraken. An ally of Queen Alice I, Nealor avoided political situations, preferring to master kraken in any and all ways he could, primarily through hunting them. This left him an incredibly powerful and wealthy man, although many who knew him felt he was obsessive in his pursuits. Following Alice's coronation, Nealor willingly turned over Starry Mark and accepted her offer of ennoblement, although he was careful to ensure that he got a good deal in return. In exchange for his fealty, and in recognition for his prowess in hunting kraken/protecting the citizens of Starry Mark from the kraken, Alice made the newly created House Golscat one of the "Big Three" houses of Merion and left them to manage the kraken. House Golscat went about this by creating Krakentide, an annual action of national defense that corresponds with the time of year that most kraken attempt to come on land and cause the most destruction. House Golscat has maintained Krakentide in the centuries since its creation, as well as dealing with kraken throughout the rest of the year. However, in the past couple of centuries, Krakentide has become more of a festival and time for celebration, though it is still known to be dangerous and House Golscat never allows the festivities to interfere with protecting against the kraken.

## Personality and Atmosphere

Members of House Golscat tend to be very formidable and imposing due to their large amount of time spent handling kraken, either explicitly in battle or through managing the aftermath of kraken-related destruction. However, members of House Golscat also tend to come in one of two personality types with little to no room in the middle. They are either very grim and serious people, who view their fights against the kraken as a difficult but necessary job that has led to a hard life, or very lighthearted people who love the challenges of their lifestyle, not unlike Nealor Golscat before them.

### Notable Buildings and Monuments

* Krakencall - House Golscat's seat of power, impressive castle, and the center for all Krakentide activities.
* The Hunting Blinds - A collection of twenty houses originally created by Nealor Golscat with the express purpose of hunting kraken and protecting Starry Mark. Under the Candlebrooks, the Hunting Blinds were and are treated as Twelvescore Houses like any other, but they tend to follow House Golscat's lead in political matters out of tradition, especially in matters relating to hunting kraken.
* The Broom - A keep located at the base of Goodgrief Gulf, just north of the [Patreon] Salt Flats in the Red Hills, where a large number of kraken parts wash up. Ruled by the heir to House Golscat, the Broom is notorious for its foul odor and famous for the extreme wealth that the parts collected there bring House Golscat.

## Relationships and Diplomacy

### Relationships with The Crown

Despite being one of the "Big Three," House Golscat does not have any strong feelings towards the Candlebrooks; they don't care who rules over them so long as they are able to kill kraken. The Candlebrooks, well aware of the nature of their relationship, seem to accept this situation and continue to grant them rank above the average noble house. Additionally, Lord Golscat is one of the monarch's chief advisors, and a significant number of seats on the Council of Graces are traditionally held by members of House Golscat.

### Relationships with The Twelvescore Enobled

House Golscat has an extreme dislike for their neighbors, House Lancomb, due to some now-forgotten event related to the latter house's founding. Rumors of what occurred include that the founder of House Lancomb swindling the land away from the then Lord of House Golscat, that the founder of House Lancomb being ordered by the Candlebrooks to put down a rebellion that House Golscat could not handle and was rewarded with some Golscat land, and that the founder of House Lancomb agreed to marry a Candlebrook on the condition of being given a noble title and some Golscat land to rule. However, the specifics of the feud are known only to the members of the houses involved.

## Trivia

* The Lord of House Golscat serves as the Grand Marshall of the Tournament of Krakentide every year.
* More than any other house in any other region, House Golscat has a firm hold on power in Starry Mark, effectively having an entire region to rule (under Candlebrook authority).