House Blythe

Political

## History

House Blythe was officialized several hundred years ago, roughly in the middle of the Age of Dynasties. It was the result of a masterful display of words from the works and efforts of a young Merchant, who thwarted a potential war between the **Khaldun Dynasty** and the **Kingdom of Catania**. A naval dispute had turned into a substantial issue, with both sides demanding reoperations for the lives of those lost. The merchant, a young man by the name of Velmar, stepped in and convinced both sides to pay their own parts, and resolved the matter peacefully. The exact dealings are lost to time, but Velmar was made into a Knight after the ordeal, and inducted him into the House of Nobles as an official Noble House.

The next few decades were not particularly well documented, but it is known that Velmar's mastery of diplomacy, and his desire for more could not be curbed; putting his previous businesses to the side, he took to politics like a fish to water, and coordinated numerous deals between his new House and older, existing Houses.

These deals took many forms, and many of them were smaller initially, minor deals meant to build up his reputation and worth as a potential contact. This bore fruit when he arranged his marriage to a widowed Countess; neither of them were under any illusion that it was anything more than a political marriage. But he saw a chance for growth, and she saw a chance to live the rest of her life in lavish comfort. This sudden jump to higher status came with more responsibilities, and an adjustment period. House Blythe gained some extra land in this time, but before long, the first daughter of House Blythe was formed, and a tradition came.

Due Lady Blythe - the former Widow - being such a key member of House Blythe's growth, and the first child born of this union being a young girl, House Blythe was among the first Houses to institute an equal inheritance, and any future marriages would typically be Matrilineal, including the first daughter's eventual betrothal. Although Lord Velmar's vision would not be realized by the end of his life, he died peacefully, in his sleep, surrounded by many children and several grandchildren, all of a well-respected house, with values and ideals mirroring his original goals.

For a couple generations, House Blythe helped expand the realm via diplomacy and politics, rather than violence and war. Eventually, they would find themselves at the forefront of Catania's House of Nobles. A minor border dispute between a group of humans who were recently discovered on the fringes of Catania's sphere of influence and a Catanian patrol had much of the Kingdom in an uproar, leading to House Blythe wishing to quell the rage and desire for vengeance, eventually convincing the House of Nobles to allow them to handle the situation.

They did. Masterfully. Not only did House Blythe convince this small collection of villagers to stand down, they convinced them to join the Kingdom of Catania under House Blythe's rule, and over the next dozen years, convinced them to come together as a single town, which eventually created the Catanian town of **Whitestall**. Although House Blythe was never in direct rule of Whitestall, they were always well-respected for their aid to the town; eventually, this reputation and recognition of their efforts got to the Crown, and House Blythe was officially named a Dukedom, although they had little land.

Today, House Blythe is well-known for it's skill in diplomacy and politics, and although they have little in the way of Military Might, their Diplomatic Weight is more than enough to ensure their place among the Greater Nobility of Catania remains strong.

## Holdings

House Blythe has few holdings of note, although they do have estates within **Catania** and **Whitestall**, as well as a larger Village outside of Whitestall. This Village is simply known as 'House Blythe', and has the majority of their people's servants, and their families. In addition, despite not actually being the official Rulers of Whitestall, House Blythe is essentially the unofficial Dukedom for Whitestall.

## Inhabitants

House Blythe is almost exclusively comprised of Humans. But, rarely in the family's history, there have been Aasimar born to their kin. The first known Aasimar was known as the **First Daughter**, who was the first daughter of Lord Velmar, and the first Heir of House Blythe. Since then, only girls have been born as Aasimar, if an Aasimar was born at all. The most recent of which is **Velora Blythe**.