House Wayward

House Wayward's Sigil

House Wayward is the Mountain Realm's ruling house. In A Death at Dawn, three POVs come from House Wayward: Gloriana Wayward (by marriage), Alice Wayward, Jaslyn Wayward, and Victoria Osmont.

## Culture

### House Sigil

House Wayward's sigil is the golden bear with a trout in its mouth. The golden bear is an extinct breed of bear that roamed the Northwoods. It is said that the golden bear is the protector of House Wayward. The golden bear has become a symbol of strength.

### Appearance

House Wayward is known for its golden-colored eyes. To many in the Mountain Realm, golden-colored eyes symbolize the golden bear. Notable Waywards that had the golden eyes are Rayleen Wayward and Jaslyn Wayward. Catrain Osmont, who is related to House Wayward, also has golden eyes.

## History of the Wayward Monarchs

### Creation

House Wayward was created by Wyrran Wayward, an Arcan slave runaway. Officially, House Wayward was created in 1183 EAE when Wyrran Wayward and Klaern Myster formed an alliance to overthrow the Arcan Empire’s hold in the Snowlands.

### Early Kings

In 1187 EAE, Klaern Myster died, and the clans agreed to make Wyrran Wayward the first official King of the Snowlands. In 1188 EAE, Wyrran attacked and took control of Helcosto, the only Arcan city in the Snowlands. Wyrran Wayward died in 1192 EAE, and his young son, Mathan Wayward, became king.

In 1 SM, King Mathan Wayward built the High Keep near the Dense Pines. The High Keep served as House Wayward’s keep and small settlement until 47 SM. In 5 SM, King Mathan rebuilt a district in Lismure after the Arcan Empire collapsed. The district named itself Mathan’s District.

In 47 SM, **Mareayre**, Queen Haylise Wayward’s best friend and consort, died after the Valiant Warriors attacked the High Keep. It is said that Mareayre saved the Queen’s life. Wanting to remember her friend and help her people from more Valiant Warrior attacks, Queen Haylise, and her husband, King Kellam, created Maryere, the new capital, in 48 SM.

In 53 SM, Brock Wayward became king. He was curious, loved science, and wanted to fly with the birds. Brock Wayward died after attempting to fly with man-made wings in 55 SM. His pregnant young wife, Taylia Wayward, became queen. Taylia, also known as Taylia the Good, was from the Grasslands and was considered an outsider. She ruled respectfully and quickly gained the acceptance of the mountain people. She gave birth to her only child, Fane, in 56 SM. She oversaw the Mountain Realm until her son turned eighteen in 74 SM. Taylia died in 94 SM from the Plague of the Arts (90-103 SM).

In 99 SM, King Fane Wayward committed suicide after his wife and all of his children, but one died during the Plague of the Arts. His youngest daughter, Rayleen, was the last Wayward.

### Queen Rayleen Wayward

Rayleen Wayward was born in 75 SM. Her father was King Fane Wayward, and her mother was Queen Lyra Wayward. She had seven siblings: **Obediah**, **Deidre**, **Seren**, **Soran**, **Cleon**, **Autumn**, and **Irene**. During the Plague of the Arts, all of her siblings, her mother, and her grandmother died. Her father committed suicide in 99 SM.

In 100 SM, Rayleen Wayward was declared Queen of the Snowlands, becoming the first woman to obtain queen status, not through marriage.

Upset that a woman came into power without a husband, Lord Florian River created an army to sack Maryere and take the crown of himself. In 100 SM, Queen Rayleen defended the city during the Siege of Maryere and killed every House River member to intimidate the other highborn houses.

Although Queen Rayleen never married, she had four children: Alaric, Leander, Rihannon, and Caera. All four of her children were considered eligible for the crown. In 150 SM, after 50 years of reigning, Queen Rayleen gave the crown to her eldest child, Alaric.

Queen Rayleen died in 183 SM at 112 years old.

### The Tragic Children of the Great Queen

Alaric Wayward became queen in 150 SM. In 152 SM, Lord Silas Myster rose against Alaric. Alaric defeated Lord Silas in 153 SM at the Trident, earning her the name Queen Alaric of the Trident. After this, many believed that she would become a great queen like her mother. In 154 SM, Alaric built Alaric’s Holdfast at the Trident. In 155 SM, Alaric was murdered by her brother, Leander.

Caera Wayward became queen in 155 SM when Rihannon Wayward refused the throne after Alaric’s death. Queen Caera’s first action was executing her brother Leander. Caera died in 177 SM after falling from a horse.

In 178 SM, still not wanting the throne, the crown went to Rihannon’s son Rickard, also known as Bad King Rickard. Rihannon was murdered in 181 SM.

### Bad King Rickard

In 178 SM, Rickard Wayward became King of the Snowlands. His reign lasted only four years but he is remembered as one of the most violent rulers in history. Only moons after becoming king, Rickard had his four siblings and their families murdered. The same year, he executed Lord **Gattas Pebble** of **Pebblecreek** and Lord **Archeon Pine** of **Pinepeak** for conspiracy. He installed **Liam Snow** and renamed Pebblecreek, Snowcreek. He also established House Fair and renamed Pinepeak, Fairpeak.

In 179 SM, Rickard accidentally killed his wife, **Faline**, after hugging her too tightly and crushing her spine. This depressed Rickard because Faline was the only person he loved, and she gave him three “strong” children. Already known for his violence, not many people believed that Faline died by being hugged too tightly and believed Rickard beat her to death. Rickard heard the rumor when he visited a peasant village and murdered every villager. Enraged, Rickard visited fifty peasant villages and murdered every villager in what is known as the Killer King’s March. Rickard visited another twenty-five peasant villages in 180 SM after hearing the name.

In late 180 SM, his eldest daughter, Loren, became his primary advisor. Her time as his advisor was known as the Good Moons. Unfortunately, in the summer of 181 SM, Loren, her grandmother Rihannon, and her siblings: **Valaine**, **Samath**, and **Hunter**, were murdered while traveling to Gatekeeper’s Watch for vacation. The assailants were unknown.

With no one to stop him, King Rickard became much more violent and unpredictable. In 182 SM, Nodin Wayward, the bastard son of Queen Alaric, murdered King Rickard. The other houses voted to make Nodin Wayward the new king even though he was a bastard. Queen Rayleen also approved the assassination and Nodin’s ascent to power.

### Arcan Revival

King Nodin Wayward reigned from 182-202 SM and brought stability to the Snowlands. In 202 SM, Larrel Wayward became King of the Snowlands. He revived Arcan culture, understanding that Arcs were going extinct. He made Maryere a safe haven for Arcs by making the murder of Arcs illegal in the city. This bothered many of the houses in the Snowlands.

In 225 SM, Wolfram Wayward became king. In 227 SM, King Wolfram built the Grand Library to store his collection of Arcan art and literature. In 229 SM, Wolfram married **Enianna**, an Arc. This marriage caused an uproar in the Snowlands. He had three children with Enianna: **Cremia**, **Adreath**, and **Rolim**. Wolfram created the Rangers in 230 SM. In 239 SM, Enianna was kidnapped and murdered by House Blackmour. Fearing for his children’s life, he sent the three of them to Lismure and stripped their titles. In 240 SM, Wolfram agreed to marry **Ordelia Blackmour** to keep his position as king. He had two children with Ordelia: **Zeidan** and Laurent. Zeidan died under suspicious circumstances in 250 SM.

In 253 SM, Laurent Wayward became king. In 256 SM, King Laurent visited Lismure to meet with his half-siblings. During his visit, he understood the importance of the Arts and brought his half-siblings back to Maryere.

In 258 SM, Harland Wayward became king at the age of twelve. His Arcan aunts and uncle watched over him and protected him from the other Snowland houses. This caused Harland to have a sheltered lifestyle. His Arcan relatives brought a girl named Lixiss to Maryere as a possible candidate for marriage. In 261 SM, Harland and **Grenya Mason** are engaged to quiet the other mountain houses. In 262 SM, Grenya committed suicide when she learned that Harland did not love her but instead loved Lixiss. In 263 SM, Harland marries Lixiss. Her unknown background caused rumors to spread that she was an Arc. Harland had four children with Lixiss: Calarel, **Ailre**, **Dain**, and **Estelar**. In 269 SM, Adreath, his last half-Arcan relative, died. In 270 SM, the First Holy War started. Understanding that his family was in danger, he sent them to Embrita to be secretly sheltered by House Embrus. In 272 SM, Lord Christian Blackmour of Eldenhold burned Maryere, forcing King Harland Wayward to escape. King Harland died in 286 SM, trying to take Maryere back from House Blackmour.

### The False King

In 272 SM, Christian Blackmour became the King of the Snowlands. He is the only king who was not from House Wayward. Obsessed with finding Lixiss and her children, he spent most of the kingdom’s reserves trying to get information from other houses. Constantly paranoid and ruining relationships with other houses, he became the False King. In 287 SM, Lord Gilod Embrus marched his army to Maryere, killed Lord Christian Blackmour, and installed Calarel as King of the Snowlands.

### The Last King

King Calarel Wayward was the last king of the Snowlands. In 290 SM, he married **Kabralin Embrus**, Lord Gilod Embrus’ daughter. Knowing the other mountain houses hated him, he decided it was time to contact the other kings of Mystos as his father did. In 300 SM, nervous of the rising houses, all the Mystosi kings gathered for a meeting. They created the Five Great Lands and changed the title of King to Lord Protector. This gave some power to the other houses while also allowing the monarch family to stay in control. Calarel renamed the Snowlands the Mountain Realm. In 301 SM, Calarel made his six-year-old son, Armaic, the Lord Protector of the Mountain Realm, and left for Ihphy’s Archipelago, leaving his entire family behind.

## The Holy Wars and the Holy Massacres

### First Holy War

In 270 SM, the First Holy War between House Wayward and several southern Mountain Realm houses occurred. In 272 SM, Maryere was burned by Lord Christian Blackmour of Eldenhold, forcing King Harland Wayward to escape. He sought refuge in Silverwood in the Forestlands, where King Cypris Osmont hid. In Silverwood, King Harland and King Cypris decided that the other houses were a problem and began to plan how to deal with them. Sometime during Harland's disappearance, Christian brought the Preservers of the Cleansed Race (PCR) to the Snowlands. The First Holy War ended in 287 SM when Lord Gilod Embrus marched his army to Maryere and killed Lord Christian Blackmour. Lord Gilod then installed Calarel as King of the Snowlands.

### Second Holy War

In 302 SM, seeing an opportunity for power, Lord Ulfred Myster began rumors that Lord Armaic was an Arc, even though it was never confirmed that his grandmother Lixiss was an Arc. Lord Ulfred found houses to align with and planned to overthrow the Lord Protector’s title. Accounts are muddled, but it is said that when Lord Ulfred and his army approached Maryere, a woman appeared and set the entire army on fire for going against the Lord Protector. Many believe the woman was Lixiss, who died two days later.

### Third Holy War

The Third Holy War was the longest of the Holy Wars, lasting from 345-373 SM. The war began in 345 SM when Crimson Wayward rose to power as Lord Protector after her father, Durlan Wayward, died. Upset that Crimson rose to power instead of her younger brother, Kharis Wayward, several southern Mountain Realm houses created an alliance called the Holy Alliance. The Holy Alliance was very close to overthrowing House Wayward several times during the Third Holy War.

The Third Holy War ended with many consequences; the only true winners were the PCR. Mountain Realm houses were still upset that not only was House Wayward still in power, but Waywards of Arcan blood was still alive. Lady Crimson Wayward had to step down as Lord Protector. Eventide’s son, Narrik Wayward, became the new Lord Protector of the Mountain Realm. House Wayward lost its allies in the Maras. Maras were mass murdered by the PCR in the Mountain Realm after the Third Holy War.

### Holy Massacres

The Holy Massacres lasted from 374-395 SM. It is believed that over one million Arts users were murdered.

In 374 SM, Lady Crimson Wayward began her Ten Acts of Faith tour. Her Ten Acts of Faith tour was her apology to the Arts users she felt she betrayed by signing the Agreement of the Cleansed. During her tour, she gave back to the commoners and peasants and is known as being the most giving highborn in history. She became a beloved figure by the mountain people.

### Last Holy War

In 395 SM, Lord Aleister Wayward signed the Arts Agreement with the Rangers in Maryere. This agreement allowed the Rangers to protect Arts users from the PCR. Doing this would also protect the small agricultural economy Lord Aleister had created. In 396 SM, the Rangers created their headquarters in the Essential Zone in Maryere. In retaliation, Lord **Julius Myster** and other southern Mountain Realm houses declared war on House Wayward in 396 SM. This war is known as the Last Holy War. The war ended when House Myster and the other southern houses failed to take control of Maryere at the Last Battle in 398 SM. No house has risen against House Wayward since.

## Peacetime

There were four Lord Protectors during Peacetime: Aleister Wayward, Emeis Wayward, Robart Wayward, and Borin Wayward.

### The Seers

In 400 SM, Aleister Wayward created the Seers to watch over the other Mountain Realm houses to stop any more uprisings. It was known that after the Seers left a city, town, or settlement, the Rangers would come. Doing this instilled fear and the houses quit uprising against House Wayward.

In 486 SM, after the Single King’s War, Lord Robart Wayward gave the Seers organization to the citadel to save his people from PCR persecution that was happening all over Mystos.

### The Single King’s War

The Single King’s War began in 481 SM when Lord Morvan Osmont had House Thoren of the Summerlands murdered. Completing his side of an agreement, Lord Robart Wayward declared war on the Kingdom of Valley Pines. This proved disastrous, however, as the Mountain Realm and their ally, the Grasslands, were defeated in several major battles.

In 184 SM, King Alen Ayers began to burn Mountain Realm land, forcing Lord Robart to change sides and work with Lord Morvan to defeat King Alen.

### Lord Borin Wayward

Lord Borin Wayward built Winter’s Keep in 489 SM, moving the family from one side of the city to another. Lord Borin Wayward built the Row of Lords in 493 SM to quiet the complaining lord and ladies who claimed they had nowhere to stay since the abandonment of the much larger Sun Keep. Borin marries Gloriana Thoren, and they have three children together: Alice, Jaslyn, and Josef. In 506 SM, Borin was suffocated by his daughter, Jaslyn, who disappeared into the Dense Pines after the murder.

## Recent Events

### A Death at Dawn

In 505 SM, Jaslyn Wayward declares that she is the Queen of the Mountain Realm, going against her father, Borin Wayward. She names her own peasant village Queen's Cove. In 506 SM, Alice Wayward murders Lord Falk Osmont and disappears. After Borin's death, Gloriana Wayward was crowned as Lady Regent Protector of the Mountain Realm until her son, Josef, came of age.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Grey, Gabrielle. *A Death at Dawn*, (2020)
2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 Grey, Gabrielle. WTFBT Expanded: Highborn Houses. (2021)