House of Myrtle

The stinging-star, a type of flowering myrtle

The **House of Myrtle** is a human noble house and the last remaining house descended from the Davarians of *Eragonia*. The House of Myrtle claims the Falian queen Hadassa as their founder. Unlike most houses, they identify only with their Matriarch.

The Myrtles rule from the island of Hyacinth and do not involve themselves often with the greater politics of Arborea; rather, their rule of *Pramidia* remains one of the most consistent holdings in the Old World.

## Origins

The Davarians were an ethnic group of humans that inhabited the subregion of *Davaria* in *Eragonia*. This region was the mountainous coast along the Salissan Sea, and the people there often earned a living by procuring salt, bitumen, and the healing mud of the sea and selling it for great profit. While *Davaria* did indeed become somewhat wealthy, the people of the subregion became associated with digging for mud and being uneducated, uncouth, and unsophisticated people. They also did not often belong to the Cult of Melakesh, further hurting their status.

During the Magdamolia, especially during the Dinamid Civil War, the Davarians were constantly subjected to invasions by their neighbors in the plains of *Eragonia*. The Davarians had an additional reputation for being mountaineers and always being armed; this made military incursions generally unsuccessful.

In CE 59, the *vargouille* curse suddenly erupted in the mountains of *Davaria* and drove the Davarians into *Eragonia*. The Rescatines, who had long beset upon *Davaria*, allowed the Davarians to live among them, but afforded them few rights and forced them to live in relatively infertile lands by the mountains in the west. In CE 70, western *Eragonia* flooded with the salty Salissan waters and destroyed the fields of the Davarians and the Rescatines offered no help to them; the Davarians abandoned the fields and became itinerant.

For a century or more, the Davarians remained nomadic in *Eragonia*, never settling due to being treated unfavorably by local populations, and they were often seen as thieves and marauders because they had a cultural history of being constantly armed. They also place value on heirlooms and family treasures, so the usually unkempt appearance contrasted with fabulous jewelry and fabrics that made it appear stolen.

The Davarians relocated to norther Arcadia in the Seventh Era, setting up a community in Sar Oman to escape persecution in *Eragonia*. They remained here until conquered by the Falians in the Ninth Era, and were subjected to serve their gith overlords.

As the Davarian peasant girl Hadassa gained political leverage, she was able to secure an island in Pramidia for her and her future King Xa'al. The island, constructed from stone by Saturn for his son, remained vacant as it was believed to be cursed. Naming it for Saturn's son Hyacinth, Hadassa claimed the island where the House of Myrtle remains today, long after her death. Even during the Falian-Fabian split, she was able to secure the island with help from Antarch and other Fabians, and the island was kept secret for decades.

The descendants of Queen Hadassa opened trade with *Pramidia* and Arborea as a whole once the gith had been thrust from power, and since then, have remained unmolested in their island fortress. Their control over *Pramidia* has expanded steadily and by the Eleventh Era, they had complete political control over the region.

## Heraldry and name

The "stinging-star" myrtle flower was the poisonous flower that took Hadassa's life, its nettles lodging into her skin and killing her within days. Though a beautiful flower, it is toxic to touch and spells certain death for those unwary who touch it - despite the sensitive nature surrounding the flower, Hadassa's daughter Lunessa chose the symbol for Hyacinth as a warning for potential invaders. Even still, pirates and hostile armies shy away from the place, fearing not only its curse, but legends remain of sinister planning in the hidden chambers of the island.