House Roche

House Roche is a House of the Guild of American Magicians. Although House Roche has long been seen as a moderate within the Guild and highly influential within its sphere of influence, the exposure of heinous crimes committed by the former head of the House, Pierce Roche, during the Grey War has caused a schism in the family and a great reduction in the House's influence in its area.

## History

The Roche family moved from Ireland to America in the 1860s, settling in the New York area. The various members of the family were initially hostile to the Guild presence and came into frequent conflict with House Neumann. The feud between the two families lasted from 1882 to 1896 and resulted in the near-extinction of both families.

The Roches joined the Guild in 1896 after a peace deal with House Neumann ended the feud between them. Jamie Roche, the current head of the family, agreed to marry Betty Neumann, the daughter of the head of House Neumann, and the family was elevated immediately to the position of House.

The House moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1900, establishing their sphere of influence in the northern portion of the American Midwest.

House Roche was part of the Guild following the Tokyo Incident in 1945, and it quickly entered into an alliance with the United States federal government.

The members of the House were caught in the first battles of the Grey War. As the House had established its sphere of influence in the northern Midwest, it was close to the opening battles of the war, and many members were assassinated by Scholars. Aiden Roche, his sisters, and mother fled the family home before they could come to harm, sheltering with House Dreyfus on the West Coast. Pierce Roche, the head of the House at the time, fought against the Scholars throughout the war.

Following the end of the Grey War with the Michigan Disaster in 1999, House Roche quickly established refugee camps and the organization REST to assist with rehabilitating the child soldiers of the Scholars.

House Roche came under suspicion by the Crownsguard after allegations against Pierce Roche's actions during the Grey War. It became known to the public that Pierce Roche had used forbidden magic during the Red Mississippi campaign. The numerous crimes led to Pierce's arrest, conviction, and execution by the Crownsguard on 12 June 2003.

Pierce's conviction and execution caused a great destabilization both within and outside of the House, and soon Patrick Roche, Pierce's younger brother, took control of the House, displacing Pierce's children from their positions. The children were eventually expelled from the Guild due to their father's actions, and without the support of the Guild, Rebecca Roche, Pierce's wife, died from complications due to a chronic illness.

Following the schism in 2004, the House's influence and power had been dramatically decreased, and public trust in the Guild in the area and at large has been severely degraded. Patrick, as the new head of the House, has worked together with various prominent Independent magical organizations in the Dakotas area to help reestablish good relations with the public and magical community.

## Prominent Families

### Dormer Family

The Dormer family was the first of House Roche's Prominent Families. They served as stewards for the Heads of the House, working tirelessly to keep the House stable. However, following the conviction and execution of Pierce Roche, the current head of the family, Cyril Dormer, and his daughter Sophia left the Guild to form the Independent magical organization Subrosa.