House Jackie (Novel: House Will)

Official Insignia

Approximate region under this house's authority

House Jackie (Novel: House Will) is one of the five Noble Houses of Duilintinn, spanning most of the central Monaidh Plains. The Noble House is led by Lord Jackie (Novel: Lord Will). and is primarily known for their active engagement in the field with weapons, steeds, or words.

## History

### Pre-Duilintinn History

The Monaidh Plains were part of the region covered by the Feadhainn civilization during the Ancient Era. Prior to the Waldren Occupation, the region was heavily forested, but rapid logging and deforestation transformed it into the arid grassland we know today by the time Waldren departed the continent.

Mercenary companies had been a feature of the region since before Waldren’s arrival. Then, at some point during the Occupation Era, a training program got started in the Monaidh Plains, and people started only hiring people who got certified. That’s how the Guard Coalition was born.

During the Interim Years, the Guard Coalition would be the foremost authority in this region, priding itself on being the protector of order and peace amidst the disarray caused in the aftermath of Waldren’s departure. The Guard Coalition had held a major role in the Feadhainn Valley’s socio economic landscape for centuries before Duilintinn was founded, and nowhere moreso than in the region that would eventually become House Jackie.

However, the region was hardly at peace, with roving bandits a common sight along the roads and several bands of mercenaries trying to make a living away from the rules and regulations of the Guard Coalition. This would continue until The Quest for Duilintinn, in which the region would become the staging grounds for several key battles and negotiations, bringing the roving mercenaries and members of the Guard Coalition together for a brief period.

After Duilintinn was founded, the region was left to its own devices under the authority of King Sean and a local government in heavy coordination with the Guard Coalition.

### Founding

The decision to title Lord Jackie was made in November 1586. At this time, Duilintinn was beginning to grow rapidly, and King Sean and his advisors decided that the kingdom would benefit from some delegation of tasks and leadership. This decision was initially made without Knight Jackie present, and King Sean offered the title to the future lord in person shortly afterward.

At first, Knight Jackie was understandably hesitant to accept such a new, unfamiliar leadership position, so in December 1586, he rode to Fionport to consult with his good friend Doctor Henrik von Schneeplestein, a former member of the quest and a future lord, though neither of them knew it yet. Little is known about their conversation, but when Knight Jackie returned to Cordoire soon afterward, he officially accepted the king’s offer, and the preparations began.

In April 1587, in honor of the tenth year since Duilintinn’s founding, a grand ceremony was held to title Lord Jackie as the first Noble Lord of Duilintinn. During this ceremony, House Jackie, the first of Duilintinn’s Noble Houses, was founded in the name of taking action, either in defense or attack, to protect the young kingdom of Duilintinn, largely influenced by the vigilante and knight background of Lord Jackie and the vocal support of the Guard Coalition. This Noble House was given authority over the entire expanse of the Monaidh Plains south of Cordoire, with Mulladún as its provincial capital.

This event would have consequences. The Enemy was envious of the power held by Lord Jackie. Due to his status in court, he expected to receive a title of his own the following year, but this did not occur, beginning the chain of events leading to his ultimate betrayal.

### Modern Day

With weapons and armor in high demand in the wake of The Enemy threat, House Jackie is thriving economically. However, culturally, House Jackie is in a period of tension.

As the oldest house in the kingdom, King Sean gave his first lord and his house the charge of ordering and protecting the growing kingdom from enemies within and without. House Jackie took this duty very seriously, and their trained guards, weapons, armor, and direct way of addressing problems gave the young kingdom the security and stability it needed to allow the growth of education, invention, and culture in the years to come. However, since the rise of The Enemy, House Jackie has been unable to ensure the kingdom’s safety entirely, though through no real fault of their own. Even so, The Enemy’s seemingly endless and unconquerable strength has only made the members of House Jackie bolder and fiercer in recent years.

Moreover, the growth of The Watch into an autonomous entity has caused some tension between them and the Guard Coalition, who believe The Watch is encroaching on their jurisdiction as peacekeepers and arbitrators. House Jackie has not officially taken a side on the matter, and it seems unlikely that they would attempt to hinder The Watch due to their vehement support for the fight against The Enemy. However, these rising tensions between the Guard Coalition and The Watch will likely come to a head sooner or later.

## Geography

House Jackie lies in the center of Duilintinn, encompassing the majority of the semi-arid grassland known as the Monaidh Plains.

To the north, wild horses roam the arid grasslands between the Agrona River and the Guardian River. To the east, the Duilintinn’s national capital of Cordoire rises with the shores of House Schneeplestein in the very far distance. To the south, the hills of House Jameson and the Southern Mountains stand against the horizon in sharp contrast to the flat, grassy landscape. To the west, the ground slowly drops into House Marvin’s Draoidh Valley and the Western Forest beyond.

### Major Geographic Landmarks

* Guardian River
* Agrona River
* The Monaidh Plains
* Beinnfaire Ridge

### Borders

The northern border of House Jackie is technically defined by the shift in climate between the arid portions of the Monaidh Plains and the northernmost portion of the plains, which has more precipitation and fertile soil thanks to the Northern Mountains. However, this geographic distinction is very vague, so the true border is primarily defined by an invisible line extending west from the southern walls of Cordoire.

The remaining borders of House Jackie are identical to the borders of the Monaidh Plains. To the east and west, the plains end where the elevation begins to fall into the Beinnfaire Ridge and Draoidh Valley, respectively. These are relatively easy to identify both on a map and in-person.

However, while all agree that the foothills of the Southern Mountains form the southern border of the Monaidh Plains, it’s difficult to define where the plains end and the foothills begin. Therefore, much like the northern border, the southern border of House Jackie is defined by an invisible line extending east from the southern banks of Loch Glas, with a curvature to match that of the Southern Mountains proper.

Due to the difficulty in determining the boundaries of this region, especially in the north and south, large stone markers can be found half-buried in the soil all along this line to inform people of the border between two Noble Houses.

### Flora and Fauna

House Jackie’s Monaidh Plains are mostly home to scrub-like plantlife, grazing wildlife such as wild horses and deer, and small mammals, and birds of prey.

All but the northernmost areas of the plains have relatively little potential for agriculture without significant irrigation. What trees that have returned to the plains after Waldren’s deforestation are scrubby and isolated; there aren’t enough nutrients in the soil to support large groves of trees in close proximity.

### Climate

In Duilintinn's Monaidh Plains, the climate is continental, with very cold winters and very hot summers. The summers and winters are pretty extreme; you could almost say there are two seasons rather than four. With some luck, House Jackie might have a nice, temperate bit during the seasonal transitions, but it can be very inconsistent.

During the spring and autumn, the people of House Jackie joke that the weather is confused about what season it is. One day, you'll be sweating buckets just riding from stable to pasture; the next there might be a nice breeze; then it will be hot again; suddenly it's *freezing*, then hot again, etc. It's impossible to know how many layers of clothing one should bring on a journey from September to November and March to May.

During the summer, the mountains mostly divert the precipitation away from the central part of the kingdom, leaving House Jackie extremely arid. While these dry plains are bad for farming, they're great for military exercises and ranching. Without any shade, the sun is blisteringly hot.

During the winter, these plains become covered in snow, with cold, harsh winds whipping unhindered across the flat landscape.

## Culture

House Jackie is the house of those who jump up and declare their desire to fight every time a threat arises. Reactive and quick, they value bravery and justice, although sometimes their tendency to jump into a fight works against them.

Watchers of House Jackie usually have strong opinions on the lords of the land and their allegiances and commonly get into minor scuffles with their fellows who disagree with them. In particular, as Lord Jameson’s disappearance becomes more and more concerning, many members of House Jackie have taken vehement sides on the matter. Thankfully, these arguments are more bark than bite, and pose little threat to the unity of The Watch as a whole.

Rather, members of House Jackie are very self-assured and quick to action, and these intense disagreements are simply their way of voicing their concern for the kingdom. While some might attempt to take action on their own when faced with opposition from other Watchers, most will still stand by The Watch and work together with their fellows to face threats as they come. Indeed, when the enemy shows himself, even in the subtlest of ways, Watchers from House Jackie will immediately put aside their disagreements to face the enemy together. If fighting him outright is not an option, one will often hear members of House Jackie trading insults and threats at the enemy’s expense at every turn, despite how some worry that mocking such a threat is unwise.

House Jackie is a house that values strength, order, and truth above all things. They can be a bit hotheaded for this reason, especially in times of chaos and uncertainty.Today, The Enemy’s seemingly endless and unconquerable strength has only made the members of House Jackie bolder and fiercer in recent years. They are determined to prove to themselves and others that they are unafraid of The Enemy threat. Some see this confidence as recklessness, but the optimism and self-assurance of House Jackie helps to balance the pessimism and cynicism with which other Watchers often view their chances of success.

As the oldest house in the kingdom, King Sean gave his first lord and his house the charge of ordering and protecting the growing kingdom from enemies within and without. House Jackie took this duty very seriously, and their trained guards, weapons, armor, and direct way of addressing problems gave the young kingdom the security and stability it needed to allow the growth of education, invention, and culture in the years to come. However, since the rise of The Enemy, House Jackie has been unable to ensure the kingdom’s safety entirely, though through no real fault of their own. Even so, the enemy’s seemingly endless and unconquerable strength has only made the members of House Jackie bolder and fiercer in recent years. They are determined to prove to themselves and others that they are unafraid of the enemy threat. Some see this confidence as recklessness, but the optimism and self-assurance of House Jackie helps to balance the pessimism and cynicism with which other Watchers often view their chances of success.

However, House Jackie’s confidence in their skills does not cause them to sugarcoat the danger they face. Quite the opposite. Members of House Jackie are often brutally honest in their desire for truth and justice, reminding other Watchers of horrible events and signs that many would rather forget. In addition, House Jackie also applies this blunt honesty to their opinions, causing many spats about interpretations of signs or correct courses of action after The Watch has spotted the enemy. On a more lighthearted note, this fearless honestly also means that House Jackie is notorious for creating scathing insults and jokes about the enemy that will sweep through The Watch over mere weeks. While some worry that this will enrage the enemy and cause him to attack once again, House Jackie only sees this as another reason to hit the enemy in the only place they sometimes can; his ego.

## Settlements

**Mulladún:** The capital of House Jackie, perched on the banks of the Agrona River overlooking the Draoidh Valley in neighboring House Marvin. Featuring heavy influences from Feadhainn Era architecture, this city is home to House Jackie's government and the political hubs of House Jackie's major guilds.

**Runners' Haven Outpost:** An outpost of The Watch, located in the center of the Monaidh Plains at one of House Jackie's busiest crossroads. Known as the middleman of The Watch, this outpost is mostly home to messengers, horses, and their caretakers.

**The Whetstone:** The Guard Coalition's true center of operations; while this guild's political hub is located in Mulladún this training camp is further east, just off the main road from Mulladún to Cordoire, and dates back to the Interim Years.

**Fort Conchúr:** A garrison of The Watch, located on the hillside between the Monaidh Plains and Loch Glas. Focuses on the military and research aspects of The Watch.

**Orlatum:** Small town in the southern Monaidh Plains and birthplace of Lord Jackie.

**Glenbeg:** Small town immediately northeast of Runners' Haven Outpost.

**Arcath:** A larger settlement north of Mulladún, originally formed from the population spillover from the capital.

**Roskeagh**: Small town on the road from Cordoire to the Airceann Bridge, featuring a tavern well-known as a good place to stay for travelers on said road.

**Athglen**: A vital port city on the southeastern banks of Loch Glas, allowing for transport to and from the Draoidh Valley as boats travel between this town and Monacoil.

## Economy

House Jackie is most well-known economically for its warriors, weapon and armor smiths, stables, and messengers.

House Jackie is the muscle of Duilintinn. In addition to their renowned smithies and top-quality weapons and armor, the guilds of House Jackie train and deploy most of the guards and mercenaries that protect Duilintinn outside of The Watch.

In addition, House Jackie has recently developed a fire brigade system and is currently working on sending trained men to spread this system across the other Houses (much to the relief of House Marvin).

With their large population of wild horses, House Jackie also prides itself on being the source for all of Duilitninn’s equestrian needs. For this reason, the Wander Legacy’s guild hub is located in this Noble House, causing many messengers to choose House Jackie as well.

### Guilds

Three specific guilds hold the most economic and political sway in House Jackie: The Guard Coalition, Mercenary Syndicate, and Wander Legacy. However, all of Duilitintinn's guilds have at least a minor presence in every Noble House. In particular, the Craftsmen's Guilds focused on smithing and leatherwork have a strong following in the region, despite technically being centered in Cordoire.

### Agriculture and Natural Resources

Today, the majority of the Monaidh Plains features the heavy, chalky clay soil common to the lowlands of the Feadhainn Valley. Only stubby grasses and herbs are able to thrive in the tough soil, discouraging most attempts at cultivating the land for agriculture. Farms bordering the Guardian or Agrona River can get by with intensive irrigation practices, but even so, the plains are far better suited for pastures and ranching than crop cultivation.

That being said, the chalky clay soil of the Monaidh Plains is fantastic for brickmaking. White bricks made from the chalky clay soil of the plains were a popular and affordable substitute for the cut limestone used in classical Waldren Occupation architecture, used both by the original Waldren colonizers and by modern architects to this day.

## Government and Politics

### The Lord

Lord Jackie has not been seen since 1600, known as The Year of the Hero Lord for the rumors of his heroic deeds. Despite the comforting, optimistic tone of these rumors, most dismiss them as flagrantly untrue, meaning Lord Jackie’s last public appearance was sometime prior to The Enemy’s second attempt on King Sean’s life. Due to the ridiculous, borderline fantasy nature of the rumors of their lord, House Jackie places little stock in the rumors surrounding the other lords of King Sean’s kingdom and are relatively confident that Lord Jackie remains in the king’s charge to this day.

### The Bureaucracy

Each Noble House has a bureaucratic system running the day-to-day administrative stuff in the background, and has had one since Duilintinn's founding. The Lords were there to run the whole show, pick what they wanted their lands to strive towards, that sort of thing. The lords were more like a symbolic "this is what we stand for" heads of state than someone with actual administrative power, which was left to the bureaucracies.

At first, this required a lot of oversight from each lord to make sure that the bureaucrats were actually doing what they asked of them, but since each house is now full of people with similar ideology and goals, that oversight is much less necessary. Most officials in the bureaucratic part of the government legitimately want the same goals that the Lord wanted (otherwise they would have probably chosen a different house). When the lords disappeared, very little about the actual functioning of the government changed. Instead, the bureaucracy strives to carry on the legacy and aims of their missing lord.

## Symbols

The House Animal of House Jackie is the griffin, represented in the insignia and other artistic representations with distinct facial markings to reflect the iconic mask of Lord Jackie during his vigilante days

## Meta IRL Theorist-Type

Every Noble House is based upon a certain type of JSE community member who engages with ego content in some way. House Jackie is based on those who get very heated over threatening Anti or defending their favorite ego; those who initiate community fires and community revivals.

I totally based this house off of the tumblr users who I’d see making massive reblog chains of incoherent screaming with other theorists over which egos are evil. House Jackie is full of the theorists who spend more time making threats in the direction of “the glitch bitch” than they do actually adding to the ego lore, but honestly, can you blame them?

In addition, House Jackie is also the house for those who enjoy setting off fires in the community through memes, callouts, and reminders of cryptic stuff Sean’s posted in the past. There’s a reason they are the first house that saw the need for a fire brigade, after all, though all agree that House Marvin benefits the most from this institution. They love to talk big and remind people of exactly what we’re up against in this fight.

Obviously, everyone in The Watch has a bone to pick with The Enemy (or so we hope), but if you stand at the front lines and say, “Come at me you glitchy turtle!” with the confidence of ten armies, you will feel right at home in House Jackie.