House Allaire

**Head of House**
 **Heir**
 **Seat**
 **Lands**
 **Overlords**
 **Vassals**
* House Vacquier
* House Villeneuve
* House Voclain
* House Vaugrenard
	+ House Marchand
 **Founder**

**House Allaire** is a militaristic and long-standing Stormwindian noble house that rules over the March of Péricourt on Balor Isle, residing within the Duchy of Alcestenne. Dame Celeste Allaire serves as its current matriarch and head of house, having led since the demise of her mother, Séraphine Allaire. The house's heir-presumptive is presently Colette Allaire, the only child of the widowed Celeste.

The house has been a long-serving vassal of House Laurent, carrying with it a proud military tradition of service to the Duchy of Alcestenne, with the presiding lord or lady of House Allaire serving without fail as the Lord Marshal of its feudal armies for the past five-hundred and eighty-three years of the family's aristocratic standing.

The presiding rulers of House Allaire have, historically, been known for their hawkish dispositions and orthodox views on the Holy Light, standing in steadfast service to the Grand Alliance and some of its oldest traditions.

## History

### Founding

House Allaire was officially founded in 53 K.Y. when Césarine Allaire was elevated to nobility following the swift and exemplary quelling of rebellions in the nascent Kingdom of Stormwind, being granted a small coastal province on the isle of Balor.

Their holdings were relatively meager to begin with, given they came of simple reward through military service, and House Allaire would struggle much under their more powerful neighbors.

### Before the Dark Portal

In the days after the declaring of the Kingdom of Stormwind and before the Orcish invasion of Azeroth, House Allaire sought to elevate itself on the often tumultuous coastal provinces of the northeast of Balor. The region was fraught with political struggle and upheaval, with many more powerful neighbors to their west and a collection of often-warring smaller polities to their south.

House Allaire is not defined by its politicking, and its manner of controlling its lesser neighbors came in the form of direct annexations amidst the struggles, citing regional stability as the utmost priority in the advent of invasion. These annexations developed into minor vassals over the following years.

House Allaire would eventually find itself in the good graces of one of its growingly powerful western neighbors: House Laurent, which sought to consolidate power on the northeastern coasts and expand its territorial holdings. Seeing House Laurent as a valuable military ally, House Allaire swore itself in vassalage to House Laurent, and was formally brought into the more prosperous Duchy of Alcestenne.

### First War

As a coastal holding on the northeastern shore, House Allaire was utterly devastated by the First War. The invasions of the Stormreaver Clan and the Blackrock Clan ravaged the province, with the port city of Argevés sacked by the Orcish invaders. Cyprien Allaire fell in the harbor's failed defense, leaving the head of house, Séraphine, widowed and with an entirely vengeful disposition towards the orcs.

Throughout the First War, despite their greatly reduced force and the scattering of House Allaire from their seat of power, Séraphine would war relentlessly on the isle of Balor, resisting the Orcish occupation through disparate but ruthless militias. Many of House Allaire's own would unfortunately be lost in this bloody struggle, the lives of many taken in the fighting.

With the Kingdom of Stormwind's restoration by the Alliance of Lordaeron, House Allaire struggled in the recovery after the destruction of much in the way of infrastructure on the isle of Balor overall and in Péricourt especially. With the support of House Laurent, however, the lands of Péricourt would be restored over the next years under the guidance of Séraphine.

### After the Third War

With the daughter of the head of the house, Celeste Allaire, lost in the lands of Lordaeron in the wake of the Third War, Péricourt was a prosperous but troubled land. Séraphine's younger daughter, Aceline, was appointed heir-apparent while Celeste's own daughter was not of age, but despite the presence of successors, the political situation in Péricourt at large was seen as uneasy, with little faith in the available heirs to the legacy of House Allaire.

A then-vassal of House Allaire, House Morin, had long been resentful of their house's exploitation under House Allaire's rule - a bitterness born of centuries-old disputes. An underhanded coup was planned, and the lands of House Morin rose in uprising with the attempted assassination of Séraphine herself. While the assassination was a failure and the worst of the rebellion was quelled by the aging knight, House Morin's lands maintained their staunch defiance for nearly a year.

With the return of Celeste Allaire from Lordaeron, she took up the mantle of head of house from her mother immediately. It did not take much longer for Dame Celeste's vengeance to come to House Morin in its entirety, and after a swift victory over their remaining rebel forces, Celeste demanded that the vassal house be dissolved entirely, putting the near-entirety of House Morin to the sword, sparing only its youngest but stripping them of title and right entirely - even delivering them as wards to her loyal vassals.

### Present Day

In the present day, House Allaire rules over the restored and unified lands of Péricourt from their seat of power in the port-city of Argevés. The lands have become quite stable with the presence and firm rule of Celeste Allaire as the Marquise of Péricourt, with the region finally having recovered from its sacking in the First War and the rebellion that plagued it just after the Third War.

## Notable Members

### Celeste Allaire

Dame Celeste Allaire is the current head of House Allaire, a veteran knight and a Paladin of Stormwind known for her militarism.

### Aceline Allaire

Aceline is the younger sister of Celeste, known for her diplomatic slant, managing domestic matters and trade in the campaign absences of Celeste. Aceline is a shrewd and effective diplomatic leader, but she carries a reputation of military inexperience and incompetence for her mishandling of the rebellion of House Morin, often seen as a major cause in its prolonging.

### Colette Allaire

Collette Allaire is the only daughter of Celeste Allaire, and heir-apparent to Péricourt. A scholar of the magical arts, she carries a reputation of being somewhat unorthodox for her choice of profession, given House Allaire's penchant for a lineage of knights and paladins. Despite this, she is a pragmatic sort, taking after Celeste in many senses.

## Lands and Vassals

### Péricourt

House Allaire rules over the March of Péricourt, a territory within the Duchy of Alcestenne, in the northeast of Balor. It is a coastal province recognized for its extensive military and naval tradition, and its integral place in the region as a hub of trade from its harbor city of Argevés.

### Vassals

A small collection of minor vassals swear fealty to House Allaire, born of annexation centuries past.

* House De Lisle
* House Marchand
* House Vaugrenard

## Coat of Arms

**Crest:** Blade held in gauntleted fist before a sun of waving rays

**Colors:** Indigo, Black, Cyan, Grey, White

**Symbology:** White swords, gauntleted fists, white and cyan suns, anchors.

**Description of Shield:** An indigo and dark grey diagonal field with a black frame. A white sword held in a gauntleted fist set against a cyan and white sun with waving rays. White anchor with indigo fabric wrapped around it sits in the top left corner.

**Orders:** Stormwind Military, Knighthood, Navy and Clergy

**Motto:** As above, so below

**Provincial Compartment:** Balor Isle