House Cadmus - The Cull: With the golems gone, races of primitive Abhumans flourished in the forests of Raisa. Though these were little match for the Nobles astride their Knights, in large numbers the creatures could threaten the houses and their provinces if left unchecked. At times, whole communities would disappear overnight to the depredations of the mutants, who would melt back into the forests before the vengeance of the Nobles could find them. So it is that now, on Midsummer Eve each Raisan year, the Nobles gather at Golem Keep to take part in the great hunt known as the "Cull."Born of necessity, the Cull was at first a way for the Nobles to ensure that nothing ever again challenged their mastery of Raisa, as the golems had done in times past. The Abhumans were the primary target of the Cull -- though primitive they would occasionally raid the edges of the plateau cities. Where these Abhumans came from is unclear, though there are tales told by superstitious peasants that they are a debased off-shoot of the original human settlers of Raisa during the Age of Technology, sharing a distant if dubious ancestry with the Noble houses. Whether there is any truth in this it does not stop the Nobles culling their numbers, the highborn families content not to speak of such matters or to consider what they might mean.The Cull has been undertaken for thousands of standard years, and is at the core of Raisan society. In the early hunts the Nobles would crash through the forests in their Knights, guns lighting up the shadowy paths and clearings as they cut down anything larger than a vine-vole. At the end of the hunt the Nobles would recount their kills, though there was never any true way of knowing how many actual Abhumans had been slain as little remained after Battle Cannon rounds and Reaper Chainsword blades had done their dreadful work.Over time the Cull evolved and became more efficient, especially once alliance was made with Gryphonne IV. The use of sophisticated Augurs and bioscanners allowed the Knights to detect the Abhumans through kilometres of shrouded woodland, and kill-counters were added to the Knight suits to remove any doubt as to who reaped the greatest tally. Eventually the Cull grew in importance to become the means by which the ruling lord of the house, the High King, was chosen. This developed as a result of the favour bestowed upon the Noble who claimed the most kills, and the subsequent influence he had on Raisan politics. The reasoning was to formalise this recognition by granting him lordship, with the understanding it would last for only a Terran year until the next Cull.For the last thirty-two years Baron Roland of Swinford Hall has led the tallies of the Cull -- a feat unprecedented in the annals of the event. The other Nobles of Raisa have recently entered into a rare accord, questioning whether it is right that prowess in the culling of base Abhumans should determine political might at all. To these dissenters Baron Roland has been heard to say that if they care so much who has lordship they should simply perform better in the Cull. It is well that a leader of such experience still rules, for the fighting strength of House Cadmus has suffered greatly in defence of the nearby Forge World of Gryphonne IV against the xenos menace of Hive Fleet Leviathan.