Fourteen houses. Six Houses serve the Summer Court, six serve the Winter Court and two remain neutral to maintain the balance. For centuries in Arcadia and Earth an intricate game of intrigue has been played amongst these houses. The Throne of Seasons, is one of the many prizes they compete for. Only the threat of the Fomorians, the ancient enemy of the Tuatha, sets the game on hold. Even then it is only a temporary truce. Now the game is afoot once again as all Fourteen Houses are once again gathered for the first time since The Shattering. Below describes all original ten houses, and the lost houses adapted from Book of Lost Houses: The Second Coming for Changeling: the Dreaming. Since 2001 a Second Resurgence has taken place. A Host of new Sidhe came from Arcadia bearing news of great peril. Only to find a Concordia torn apart by war. These Houses have made their presence felt in Pacifica over the past four years and herein lies the rules to play them. House Danaan was created by the infamous Black Hat Matt for use in Time of Judgment. However the material was cut from the book, but was made available for free to Changeling Fans via the Net. Below are descriptions of all fourteen house, and prolific locals who claim membership.
House Aesin
This proud House of prophets, warriors, and bards follow the ancient pagan traditions of Scandinavia. They have returned to the Autumn World to prepare for Ragnarök, the coming great battle against the Jotunns (Fomorians). Viewing mortal flesh as a curse from the Norns -- whom they revere -- for an ancient wrong, House Aesin tries to follow its code of virtues in a world that no longer understands them. Long ago the Fae of the Summer and Winter Courts of this House fought. Upon a tragic eve known simply as Vengeance Night, Aesin spilt Aesin blood. They regret, however, the friction between their courts that led to the great kin-slaying of Vengeance Night, in which most of their Seelie were massacred by their Unseelie, and work hard to understand their Summer cousins. Since then the House has stood firm they shall never be divided again. Deeply stepped in the Nordic traditions, roles are determined by one's gender. The men serve as Warriors, Berserkers, Hunters and Skalds, the bardic lore keepers.. The women serve as mentoring Mothers, wise seer-priestesses known as the Volva, and the rare Skald. While they are an Unseelie House, more important, however, than the tenets of the two great Courts are the House's own Nine Virtues: Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industry, and Self-Reliance. All Aesin live by these virtues with every extent of their being. Their relations with other Houses, Seelie and Unseelie, are varied, but they oppose the Shadow Court. The Aesin, even more than other sidhe, are surprised to find commoners claiming equality -- or even the right to rule, obviously the Houses of the Resurgence were too weak to keep them from running amuck. They firmly believe in the sidhe right to rule and will put any commoner in their place (or rather, to the sword) if they dared to disagree with them.
Membership: Raxxis Blackwood, Thane and Champion of Squire Malcom Blackwood Ap Ailil. Sigurd Maussen, Thane.
House Ailil
House Ailil is the house of darkness and intrigue, even more so than their Eiluned cousins. They are master manipulators and the self-proclaimed leaders of the Winter Court. The most "noble" of the unseelie houses, House Ailil is the dark counterpart of House Gwydion. Nay to those who dare to foil their carefully laid plans. Revenge is swift to those who dare to cross a noble of House Ailil. Their fiefdoms tend to be hotbeds of intrigue that would make an Eiluned jealous.
Membership: Duke Vogon, Duke of The Duchy of Starlit Waters, High Marshall and Co-founder of The Queens Own, and Seneschal of The Winter Court of Pacifica. Duchess Alicia, Ruler of the Duchy of Starlit Waters. Squire Aize Endicott. Madame Beautrix, Chancellor of the Mayfair Household. Dame Mirianda Piker Mason, Chrysalis Knight, and Ruler of the Fiefdom of Little Italy. Squire Vortigan, Advisor of Dame Moria Devlin. Squire Malcom Blackwood.
House Balor
Though it has been forgotten by all but the eldest fae, House Balor can trace it's ancestry back to a line of sidhe who mixed their blood with the Fomorians. Each member of House Balor has a deformity of some sort-mental, physical, or emotional. While these deformities do hinder them to some extent, their Fomorian blood shields them from the worst effects of iron. While cold iron may still cause them discomfort, they take no penalty when handling the metal and lose no Glamour when attacked by it. However if slain, their fae soul is destroyed like any other Changeling's. Many members of House Balor flirt with disaster by wielding iron weapons to thumb their noses at the other sidhe. They, like their House Scathach cousins, do not suffer the Banality's Curse, another gift from their Fomorian ancestors. However due to their Fomorian Blood all Balor sidhe are permanently unseelie. If particular deformities bring them powers such the Fomorians of yore, they haven't admitted it. These powers were believed not to be passed to their half-breed children. While some House members are fully cooperating with the Shadow Court, factions within the House actually have it's own agenda which it hopes to eventually implement. While others simply live the life of an Unseelie fae with no care for politics or ancient grudges. Some act in concert with House Ailil and House Leanhaun for mutual survival.While others have taken up the banner of Lugh reborn, High Lord Kyran Spearbearer and begun to fight the Fomorian threat alongside the newly returned Houses.
Membership: Sir Seth Gillam, Thane Captain of The County of Season's Road. Sir Eridwen Cian, and Dame Lianna Cian.
House Beaumayn
This House of seers and prophets once was convicted for a crime so great that they were imprisoned in the Dreaming and memory of their very existence was for a time erased. Now they have returned to the Waking World, claiming that with the appearance of the Dark Star in the sky their most dire prophecies are coming true. Despite their dimly remembered reputation as depraved experimenters with cold iron, House Beaumayn may hold the key to the survival of all fae -- if anyone deigns to listen to them. They are affiliated with the Seelie Court. However most other seelie, if they remember Beaumayn at all, remember only the House's disgrace and imprisonment. For Beaumayn sidhe, unseelieness is usually only a brief phase brought on by despair (and with their grim visions and hostile reception by other fae this is not uncommon). "Career" Unseelie are not welcome in the House. As can be expected from the exception to their House Flaw, Beaumayn fae are most likely to get along well with members of Houses Fiona and the also-disgraced Liam, and they respect commoners, although commoners may not reciprocate, as (especially in Concordia) they've not been big on the idea of sidhe with cold iron.
Membership: Francois Ferdinand, Sorcerer.
House Danaan
The 14th House...
While most sidhe have little recollection of their time in Arcadia, some few retain vague and mysterious memories of a heraldry yet to be seen in the Autumn World: A burning crimson field emblazoned with a fearsome black dragon’s head, poised to strike. These glimpses inspire both awe and dread in the minds of the sidhe who manage to remember the sight, along with some lingering questions — who are these enigmatic nobles, and more importantly why did they not return alongside the other houses? As the events of heralding Winter unfold, however, stories of appearances by this unknown house begin to circulate more and more frequently. In some stories, a force bearing this standard appears in time to rescue a group of fae from feral chimera or Thallian attackers; in others, witnesses swear that friends long dead or heroes of old came to them wearing these colors and spoke urgently of a war in Arcadia, or of some grave threat to the Autumn world. Survivors tell of motleys lost on shifting trods rescued from certain doom by the sudden arrival of a group of these nobles, even deep in the Dreaming. Still others speak of these nobles appearing from ancient trods and asking for volunteers to return with them to battle some terrible threat deep in the Dreaming — a few stories even claim the same thing Each report seems to indicate that these mysterious nobles are solidly Seelie, but other than that their motives appear inscrutable, as they do not dally to talk longer than is required of them and vanish as suddenly as they appeared. The true identity of this secretive house is something that many sidhe have suspected for some time, but the memory of which was carefully deleted before their banishment to Earth. They are the ruling house of Arcadia, leaders of the sidhe and keepers of the silver gates into Paradise. More than that, they are House Danaan, sworn stewards of the legacy of the Tuatha de Danaan, their numbers composed entirely of those fae souls deemed wise and worthy enough to oversee fair ruler ship of Arcadia after the departure of their legendary patrons in ages long past. For millennia, they have been responsible for the upkeep of Arcadia and to a lesser extent the Deep Dreaming, leaving the other houses and the commoners to tend to the Autumn world. While sympathetic to the plight of those who dealt with an increasingly Banal world, they felt it was their sworn duty to remain in Arcadia and tend to the tasks they had been given there. Now, of course, the threat posed by the Endless Winter and the possible return of the Fomorians, House Danaan can no longer limit its activities to the Dreaming. Arcadia remains under attack by forces unknown, and their quest for allies has sent some members to the Autumn World in search of those brave and dedicated enough to bolster their forces there. Conversely, some of the Danaan have gone against their dictates of their House and gone to fight the problems of the Autumn World alongside their brethren, reasoning that since the problems in Arcadia arose when the mortal world began to fall apart, Arcadia came under attack; perhaps by fixing things there, they can help put right Arcadia once more.
Membership: Lady Farawen. Faust, Troubadour of The County of Balboa. Walter Longsdale, Steward of the Dragon's Keep. Lord Hakim Malik. Lord Nathaniel Mason. Sir Andrew Worthington. Sir Tristian John. Squire Damien Reyes.
House Daireann
A Celtic House descended from a woman most famous for driving Fionn MacCumhail mad with her potions in revenge for his ill-treatment of her, House Daireann is primarily a warrior House -- but there are also those who, for good or ill, still practice the potion-brewing arts of Daireann herself. The Daireann's' modern reputation comes from their skill at arms, their vengeful nature, their (in some eyes) rather quirky notions of personal honor, their legendary hospitality, and their inability to keep a secret. They are Unseelie. They disagree, however, with their Unseelie brethren over the Unseelie tenet that "Honor is a lie" -- but their ideas that personal definitions of honor can be more important than, for example, bonds of fealty will make them suspect in the eyes of many Seelie. There is also no love lost between the usually tolerant Fiona and members of this House, and it is rumored that some Scathach as well bear a grudge against the Daireann, which, unlike the Fiona/Fianna enmity, is not necessarily reciprocated by Daireann sidhe. On the Unseelie side, the Daireann respect Ailil, but despise the Balor; apparently they have no strong feelings either way about the Leanhaun (i.e., that paragraph was skipped in the book).-- Like most of the recently returned sidhe from the "Lost Houses," the Daireann don't "get" notions of commoner equality. Nothing against the commoners, you understand, 's long as they know their place...
Membership: Lady Bronwin O'Dailey, Lady of The Queen's Own. Lord Dorian O' Conner. Kyle Chainspike, Thane and Champion of Lady Bronwin O'Dailey. Manky Black, Herald of the County of Balboa.
House Dougal
House Dougal is known it's members strength, wisdom, and tactical acumen. The house's founder, Lord Dougal, was a great faerie smith who pioneered weaving Glamour into steal, thus making it safe for faeries to use. It is said that Dougal stayed behind because of his fascination with metalwork and machines. Members of House Dougal tend to be gruff, practical, and good with their hands ( at least that is what members of House Fiona say...)They are incredibly orderly and often spend hours making sure everything is in it's proper place. They are very precise with their speech and aren't given to poetry, but they love architecture, mechanics, and smith work. Because of their sharp minds and orderly dispositions, Dougal Fae are often stewards, clerks, and barristers in faerie circles. The rare member of House Dougal that becomes a ruler govern their fiefs in a very matter-a-fact, practical matter (to the dismay of their Eiluned Vassals).
Membership: Dame Katheryn Stark. Jamie Thomas, Thane. Lady Rose Anne Stark-Mayfair, Handmaiden of Princess Lenore, and Lady of Pembrooke.
House Eiluned
Know as the House of Secrets, House Eiluned is tainted by the dark reputation of it's founder, Lady Eiluned. She was a sorceress that has dealt with many dark and mysterious beings and powers. Eiluned fae are valued, however, for their vast knowledge, uncanny ability to gather secrets, and tremendous natural talents at intrigue. Faerie lords often employ them as advisors or counselors. Fiefs ruled by Eiluned fae are as mysterious and full of secrets as the house's founder. It is rumored that House Eiluned accepted exile for some crime against the Dreaming, though this story is indignantly denied by members of the house.
Membership: Countess Rachel Elizabeth Mayfair-Rex, Countess of the County of Season's Road and Regent of the Throne of Seasons, Matriarch of The Mayfair Household, and Scion of The Queens Own. Lord Selorian Lysandor, Sorcerer of The Crystal Circle, Advisor of Countess Rachel, Ruler of the Barony of Mission Bay and Assistant Headmaster of The Greymare Academy. Sir Thadeus Agustus Mayfair. Jensen O' Riley, Seer of The Mayfair Household. Dame Tess Lysandor. Willemenia "Mammy" Blackwood, Steward of the County of Season's Road. Countess Anne, Duchy Liasion to the Queen's Court. Squire Keith.
House Fiona
Passionate to the extreme, Lady Fiona stayed on Earth for love of it's pleasures (some say for love of a mortal). Fae of House Fiona are know for their skills in the arts, their passions and their radical views. Fiona fae are overly fond of food, drink, drugs, and sex, and are often called away from higher pursuits by appeals to their base needs. Still, when called to fight , those of House Fiona are fierce warriors, full of spit and vinegar. House Fiona is the most lassie-faire of the houses; it's members rarely "pull rank" on common faeries. For these reasons the house is beloved by commoners and have quite a few in their ranks. Also House Fiona has a great a reputation for it's members aptitude in archery and horse riding. They are well known for their glamour infused horses as they are for their passions.
Membership: Lord Charles Mayfair, Champion of Countess Rachel Mayfair-Rex Ni Eiluned, War Hero of the Kingdom of Apples, Lord Marshall of the Red Branch Knights, and Earl of Pembrooke. Squire Shylar O'Riley. Julian Valez, Thane. Seamus O'Riley, Bard of the County of Season's Road. Squire Zepp, Head of The Bes Din of the Duchy of Starlit Waters. Celeste Tremble, Thane. Gareth Williams. Dame Moria Devlin. Vincent Thorpe, Thane.
House Gwydion
House Gwydion is perhaps the most "noble" of all the Houses. Lord Gwydion was a brave knight who stayed on Earth to defend the other houses from the incipient doom of Banality. Members of House Gwydion tend to be conservative, duty bound Fae who think more of the entire faerie nation than of themselves. However their rule is often marked by arrogance; they believe only Gwydion are fit to rule. Furthermore, house members are prone to internecine feuds( although all quarrels end when then the whole house is threatened).House Gwydion have a blood thirsty streak, their warriors are known to go into flying rages when angered.
Membership: Count Tiberius Rex, Ruler of the County of Seasons's Road, retired Chrysalis Knight of The Rainbow Order, Scion of the Queens Own. Sir Marcus Pendragon. Squire Tiberon Rex. Ward Marshall. Crown Prince Vidar Alosevis, heir to the Summer Throne of Pacifica.
House Leanhaun
Members of House Leanhaun are intimately tied to mortal inspiration, and those who choose to leave Earth suffered greatly during their forced isolation in Arcadia. Like all fae, the Leanhaun needed Glamour, unlike others, without Glamour they begin to age rapidly. Cut a childling off from hefty infusions of Glamour, and within months they undergo the a painful metamorphosis into a wilder. A year or so later she's a grump. Within three or five years they become an ancient, wizened hag who is nearing death. Though other fae know this house so cursed, they are unaware of the cure for it. The cure is the forbidden path of Ephiany known as Rhapsody. They must fuel a Dreamer with Glamour cause them to burst in a storm of inspiration, created potent and large sums of Glamour, Glamour that can reverse the effects of a member of House Leanhaun's aging. However the Dreamer is set ablaze from this constant state of creation and with soon burn out and die before they can fulfill their true potential. If other fae knew this was the cure needed, they would probably hunt down all the members of House Leanhaun and kill them despite the cost of their faerie souls. Due to the heroic efforts of one Sir Devyn Mayfair, the curse of the House was lifted. However, those of House leanhaun still keep the dark secret close to their hearts, not many kithain would forgive them for the sins of the past.
Membership: Sir Devyn Mayfair, Knight of The Guardians of the Silver Dragon. Mistress Arianna, Troubdour of the County of Balboa, Lady of the Kingdom of Europa and The Kingdom of Iberia(Spain), and The Crown, Bearer of The Crown of Dreams. Sir Daniel Mayfair.
House Liam
The most quiet (and some say the most wise) of all the house founders, Lord Liam was exiled to Earth because of his love for mortal folk. For many years Liam stood alone against those fae who wished to slaughter all mortals .Members of House Liam do not see their mortal charges as perfect-far from it. But they do believe humanity has earned the right to exist. They are know for their hatred of Ravaging and Banality; even their normally peaceful demeanors can suddenly turn wrathful when presented with such. House Liam members tend not to advertise their allegiance. Other fae tend to look down on them. However House Gwydion do not tolerate their mistreatment, exiles or not, they are still fae. House Liam is the most wide spread of the houses: it's members travel all over the world. Liam fae are sages, record keepers, and remembers of earthly fae society. Akin to the Irish catholic monks who preserved and wrote down many of Irelands ancient lore in the early Dark Ages. A wise faerie king will retain a member of House Liam as his archivist. House Liam is known for accepting any changeling, though most commoners would not accept a title in the house. House Liam does hold some fiefs. But often it is barren and despoiled fiefs that are given to House Liam.
Membership: Squire Mary Kestrel. Sir Cyrus Raybill.
House Scathach
From the strange and mendicant House of Scathach was the warrior maiden, Winter: silent as death and slightly blood mad. -"Asterlan"
The House that choose to remain behind during the shattering. Like the commoners the sidhe of House Scathach learned to mix their bloodlines with mortals, thus surviving the onslaught of Banality that swept the world during the Shattering. The House is named after it's founder, the famous Scathach n Uanind. Scathach was the most famous of Ireland's female warriors, and mentor to many of the greatest heroes of Celtic Myth. Legends say she was born of a union between a mortal and a fae, and her house continued this tradition. So unlike their brethren, sidhe of House Scathach were able to fare much during the shattering. Many other, mostly traditionalist, sidhe view them as impure and question whether they are true sidhe at all. Whatever their heritage, they have the best Soothsayers among the sidhe (much to the disdain of House Eiluned). Most of their actions are in accordance with the advice of their Morphean Oracles, mysterious Master soothsaysers in touch with Fate itself. Fierce, silent, and deadly, members of House Scathach are adept at all forms of combat. Wise, insightful and studious, members of House Scathach are among the Dreaming's greatest sages, mentors and scholars. They neither posses nor desire political power in noble society. Theories about their true agenda run rampant. They are far more widely traveled than the other houses, even House Liam. Their influence and presence extend even to the Middle East. As a result they are much more ethnically diverse and share a strong kinship with the Eshu. Recently, Scathach from the Deep Dreaming have arrived. The descendants of Scathach's daughter Uthach. These mysterious sidhe still posses the noble birthrights of ruler ship, for unlike their cousins they chose to follow Uthach into the Dreaming rather than undergo The Changeling Way after Mother and Daughter quarreled shortly before The Shattering.
Membership: Sir Raven Lynch. Lady Maeve, Herald of The Kingdom of Pacifica, Chrysalis Knight and Ruler of the Barony of Artemis Colligeums. Sir Jermiah.
House Varich
Once worshiped as gods in their homeland, the area around the Russian city of Novgorod, House Varich even ruled the Russian Inanimae. Forbidden the joys of love by an ancient vow, House Varich finds fulfillment in war, in politics, and in the arts; above all, in seeking and mastering patterns. Now they have returned to the Autumn World wherever the descendants of their ancient Dreamers are found, to oppose the designs of the Fomorians and to rule, as is their right, through the coming Winter. They are a House of the dreams of ice and shadow, thus are Unseelie. Though they respect House Ailil and feel a strange fascination towards House Balor, Varich's opposition to the Fomorians makes it unlikely they would serve the interests of the Shadow Court -- though it might occur to some Varich sidhe to try to make the Shadow Court serve their interests. As for the Seelie houses, their views range from respect to contempt, depending on the House; House Gwydion in particular, though reasonably able warriors and rulers, are in House Varich's view "poster children" for all that is wrong with Seelie narrow-mindedness. From commoners, Inanimae, and human Dreamers, House Varich expects obedience. An ancient betrayal makes the Varich hostile to all Sluagh, and no Sluagh is welcome in a Varich court unless he binds himself with heavy oaths.
Membership: None.
