Forsaken Elf Houses

Preface

This is a list of Vhys' main forsaken elf Houses, as well as a short description, their insignia, and major NPCs found within the House.

If you would like your character to be a part of one of these houses but don’t want to share the same last name, that’s perfectly fine! Choose whatever domain fits your character best. Not everyone needs to be a part of the House’s main family! If you’d like to create minor NPCs for a house/houses, then please feel free! The numbers of extended family and staff are endless!

Regarding the minor Houses of the region, there are so many, just as there are so many families in normal society. If you want to claim that your character is from a minor House and come up with the details for it, absolutely go for it and have fun with it!

House 1: Cosma

• Leader: Casimira Cosma
• Domain: Religion
• House Insignia: A circle of stained glass, darkly-tinted yet multi-colored, with a red rose in the middle of it, that’s dripping blood.
• House Description: One of two Houses considered “old money”, the Cosma family are a fiercely prideful people. You wouldn’t think they’d be prideful, considering how religious they are, but here we are. Their house is one of the most massive on the south side of the city and they basically function as their neighborhood’s Homeowners Association because they cannot stand to have someone’s house look nicer than theirs. If you find flaws with the Cosmas, no you didn’t, and any move made to point out their apparent but untruthful flaws will lead to your immediate and extremely public dressing down and guilt-ridden onslaught by none other than the matriarch of the family herself. The extended family is not quite as terrible as the main family, but they are still pretty terrible. If you happen to find yourself in the company of a Cosma, do take care of what you say around them.
• Major NPCs found within House Cosma:
  • Casimira Cosma: A stoic and pious leader, she is always found in the finest clothes and jewelry, always ready and willing to preach about religion, and a rather large disdain for those that do not follow her own ways. She constantly has her nose turned up at anything and everything that moves, including her own personal family members. Note: The subject of her religion (ie: the deity) changes at the drop of the hat, whenever it suits her ideals, though she mostly worships Delisha like most of the forsaken elves.
  • Viorica Cosma: Eldest daughter (elven equivalent of late 30s) of Casimira, she is almost an exact copy of her mother, from style of dress, right down to her personality. That is to say, she has no personality of her own. She is constantly parroting the nonsense her mother preaches. While she may be her mother’s favorite of the three sisters, Viorica is looked down upon by said mother just as much as anyone else, if not more, especially when she makes mistakes.
  • Minodora Cosma: Middle daughter (elven equivalent of late late 20s/early 30s) of Casimira. Her name might mean ‘gift’, but her mother views her as anything but that. The soft-spoken middle child of the main family is hardly ever heard, as her mother and elder sister usually speak over her, even if they are not being spoken to at that time. She has a good heart, like her father, but also inherited his meekness, and tends to just keep her thoughts to herself. She wears and does as she’s told, though if she had her way, she’d opt for a more colorful style of dress than the usual found in Elimdorei fashions; her favorites are the bright colors of Cenril, pastels of Enchantment, and earthy tones of Sage Forest.
  • Elisabeta Cosma: The youngest (elven equivalent of early 20s) of the three sisters. It was as if by fate that she was given this first name, as she is a master of multiple personalities. Every time a new person is met, Elisabeta crafts the perfect personality for that person. It’s a tiring job, but this eternal people-pleaser was thankfully gifted with boundless energy and undiagnosed mania. A determined collector of friends, she is not a very good person, but when compared to her mother and sister, people can see why she’s probably like this. She is untamable and no one has the energy to even try.
  • Avram Cosma: The mild-mannered father of the Cosma sisters and husband of Casimira. He is a professor of mathematics at the Elimdor Academy, and cannot manage to keep his students awake during his lessons thanks to the soft, yet monotone voice he drolls on in, but he’s somehow kept his job thanks to being tenured. The only reason why he’s even married to Casimira is because of an arranged marriage from his family (the Dragos) to her family. He didn’t ask for this Perderescape he’s been doomed to, but he also doesn’t complain, because he’d just be ignored anyway.

House 2: Dragos

• Leader: Viktor Dragos
• Domain: Education. Keepers of the Vhysian academy.
• House Insignia: A dragon atop a hoard of books.
• House Description: The rather droll House Dragos is one of the more neutral ones and one of the Houses considered “new money”. Except by neutral I mean that they can never fully make a decision. This is not for lack of trying, however. It’s just that they are much more concerned about their research and teaching at the academy and trying to figure out for the past bajillion years just what that Forsaken Beacon is made out of. The building literally makes no sense and yet it compels them so. Those minor issues aside, they’re pretty okay. They live on the Elimdor Academy’s campus, they do both on and off-campus events now and then to encourage people to read. Scholars and bibliophiles to the end, they will never turn down a good book. Or any book, really.
• Major NPCs found within House Dragos:
  • Viktor Dragos: With a name like Viktor Dragos, you’d think the head of the household was some sort of serial killer or a fierce warrior perderebent on plundering, pillaging, and murdering. But Viktor is definitely not that. He’s honestly the nicest guy you’ll probably ever meet, especially in Vhys. He does have his quirks, however. Like standing in front of the Forsaken Beacon for hours on end, staring at it, as if it itself will tell him why it’s there. He also mutters to himself in strange, aberrant languages every now and then. But other than that, he’s just a good guy that wants to learn and help others learn as well. Currently the dean at the Elimdor Academy, he can usually be found dressed in a nice button-shirt underneath a sweatervest, with a bow-tie and nice pants, and round glasses to complete the scholarly, yet grandfatherly look.
  • Petronela Dragos: Much like her name, Petronela (or Nellie as her family and friends call her) is the rock of her family. When her husband Viktor is having one of his episodes at the Forsaken Beacon, she’s there to bring him back to the present. When her son is having an anxiety attack about his schoolwork, she’s there to help him understand what was missed or misunderstood and guides him towards the answer, while still letting him figure it out himself. She will always be there for those that need it, as she is a most compassionate person. Exceptionally skilled at several languages, Petronela is the head of the Language Arts department, as well as one of the professors. If there was ever anyone to look up to in Vhys as a well-adjusted role model, it’d be her. Anyone would be able to spot her in Vhys’ heavy fog, as she’s prone to wearing bright, colorful dresses and hair ribbons.
  • Razvan Dragos: The only child of the main Dragos family (elven equivalent of early 20s), the House of scholars, Razvan was unfortunately cursed with the hereditary trait of dyslexia. Because of this, he has also acquired anxiety, as doing well in school is always assumed and expected of a Dragos. Where he fails in languages and writing, he excels in mathematics and the various sciences, which fuels his dream of working in the academy’s observatory and planetarium when he’s finished with school. To help with his anxiety, he can be found occasionally heading to the counselors on campus. He is consistently dressed in his school uniform (of which he has several sets), opting to have one less thing to worry about during the day, unless it’s a special occasion.

House 3: Vasile

• Leader: Lhyrin Amarth
• Domain: Military. Primarily, the Dark Rangers.
• House Insignia: A black skull with a silver outline, with green venom dripping from the skull’s eye and nose sockets, and open mouth.
• House Description: An “old money” family befallen by tragedy some 50-something years or so ago. The father, mother, and 4 siblings of Lhyrin Amarth (that is not their real name, for the record; that is the name they chose when they became an official dark ranger) were all murdered in their mansion on the southside of Elimdor. Their bodies were left mostly intact, though some organs were removed, but the strangest thing of all was the way they were all arranged at the dinner table, like they were some happy, loving family in a nice holiday portrait (spoilers: they were not). This is all that’s known about what used to be a very prominent military House in Vhys. It’s strange that only one child survived. And that that child would eventually come to take over the House and eventually-eventually decide to take over Vhys. And that the family mansion burned down not long before the region’s expansion efforts. Very very strange. But! The nice thing is that secondborn children in House Vasile are no longer forced into joining the dark rangers. It is now optional and for anyone to do so, if they wish to. Perhaps Lhyrin is not as bad as their family members want to believe… right? Right??
• Major NPCs found within House Vasile:
  • There are none, as the main family was savagely murdered. There are plenty of extended family members, however, but most tend to keep their distance from Lhyrin, whether it’s from a fear of bad luck or perhaps they secretly believe that Lhyrin murdered their family.

House 4: Zamfir

• Leader: Raissa Zamfir
• Domain: Merchants and trade.
• House Insignia: Gold, silver, and copper coins, falling into an open money pouch.
• House Description: The Zamfirs are over anything and everything merchant or trade-related. The only person above them, in that regard, would be the chancellor themself, but as Lhyrin only seemingly wants to have Vhys prosper, the Zamfirs have a close connection with House Vasile. Despite this, House Zamfir is considered “new money” amongst the 5 major Houses. For this they are ridiculed and looked down upon by older Houses. But still Raissa and the Zamfir family persists, bringing trade routes through Vhys’ waters, while maintaining the local businesses as well.
• Major NPCs found within House Zamfir:
  • Raissa Zamfir: The nonbinary leader of the Zamfirs, Raissa is a straightforward, no-nonsense kind of person, who has a penchant for being extremely direct, especially when money is dealt with, so there’s no confusion. Unable to have children and without a spouse anyway, they have adopted two: a half-orc from Gualon’s orphanage and a feline from Venturil’s Shelter For Younglings. Raissa is rather looked down upon by the other forsaken elf houses for this, but House Zamfir’s leader does not seem to care that their children are not a blood relation. Their manner of dress is much more casual compared to the other Houses, as they prefer to dress as the humble merchants do.
  • Sorina Zamfir: Oldest adopted child of the Zamfir House’s main family (orc equivalent of mid-20s). After her time spent at Gualon’s orphanage, Sorina has an uncanny ability to weasel money out of people, whether it’s in a deal or by begging or just looking incredibly adorable. She uses these skills to help Raissa settle on better terms in agreements, gain more merchandise than originally agreed on, and so forth. Sorina favors a tomboyish look most days, but understands that formal occasions require formal dress (much to her dismay) and makes an effort to look presentable, no matter how much the other Houses dislike her.
  • Stelian Zamfir: The younger adopted child of Raissa (feline equivalent of early 20s), the orange-furred tiger feline has a gentle soul. Despite this, he tends to act as a bodyguard to his sister and parent, while they are dealing with trade and merchant opportunities. He tends to take the verbal abuse from the other Houses very badly, but his sister does his best to cheer him up when she can. When not working, Stelian can be found attending the Elimdor Academy and lurking in the quiet areas of the city. He also opts for the casual dress of his parent and sister, but mainly just to blend in better, as he's a bit of an introvert.

House 5: Drakenkalia

• Leader: The cult functions as a council.
• Domain: The worship of Ryeanna Drakenheart and her minion Morvious Kalia.
• House Insignia: Ryeanna’s Black Grail, with Morvious’ bloodlust dagger leaning against the grail’s stem.
• House Description: Everyone is actually unsure how this house became one of the 5 major Houses in Vhys, when only half the members are forsaken elves. Maybe they paid off the other Houses in the past? Maybe they were just -that- insistent and everyone just decided to let it happen. Who knows? That aside, this House is actually, definitely a cult. Like, straight up, no question whatsoever about it. They are overly friendly, will urge you to join their House whether by marriage or adoption, and if you don’t take well to them, well… you’re subjected to a blood-letting ritual wherein your blood is the one being let, straight into their badly reproduced, fake Black Grail, which they will then drink while your blood is busy filling up more fake Black Grails until you are eventually bloodless and tossed into the ocean from a window in their house, for the Deep Ones to devour. Unlike the other Houses, this one can be found in the ancient forest. So, warn your children about this house; if the cannibals and cryptids don’t eat you, these people will absolutely indoctrinate and/or sacrifice them in the name of Ryeanna Drakenheart and Morvious Kalia.
• Major NPCs found within House Drakenkalia:
  • Kilich: Oh, so you thought that the leader of the Drakenkalia House was going to be an elf? Of course not. It’s a fermin. Well. The -current- leader is a fermin. There’s been many. Because they’re convinced self-sacrifice is necessary after a certain amount of years, so they throw themselves on a literal sacrificial alter to be devoured by their cult-mates. Kilich is not very great with the Commontongue, but he is great at giving people big ol’ puppy dog eyes when he asks “You join now, yes?”. And, honestly, it works. It helps that Kilich looks strangely more like a hamster than a rat. You know, chubby cheeks, big eyes, and all that.
  • Constance Redmond: An elderly female human, Constance (or Connie) is Kilich’s second-in-command. Why is an elderly female human a fermin’s second-in-command in a massive cult? Because she thinks his little chubby hamster cheeks are just the bees’ knees. Obviously the grandma of the bunch, she makes sure that the cult is wellfed with sweet treats and lemonade, amongst other dishes she’s made for her now deceased family members. She probably sticks out like a sore thumb in Vhys, where most people don’t really get visibly old unless they are literally centuries old. Despite her cheery and sweet outer exterior, do -not- get on her bad side, as she’s likely to shank you in the kidney when you’re not looking. In Ryeanna and Morvious’ names, of course.

• Vhys