House of Romstun
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History
Fringe
The origins of House Romstun are very humble indeed, being a new house without the rich histories that belong to the older families in the human nation of Oren. Infact, House Romstun was formerly a band of brothers and bandits, many coming from the remnants of the destruction of organizations such as House Flay and the Coal Miner’s Union.
Whilst the creation of the house clearly came from a very outlandish framework, the abilities and experience of the men allowed the leader of the institution, Rocco Romstun, grandson to the fabled warrior of the Flay organization, Balereo ‘Rocco’ Romstun, to come to fame during the Orenian-Dwarf war of the Fringe. A hero during the combat, Rocco was awarded nobility for his house and his network of warriors and brigands by Boris Carrion III on the 19th of Sun’s Smile, 1459 and recognized by Emperor Robert Chivay I on the 11th of the Deep Cold 1473, after the prowess shown by the ‘doggers’ during the long Orenia-Bloc Fringe war.
Athera
During the transition to Athera the house had stopped operating at the level they had in the Fringe. With the land “Old Trafford” given to Rocco II by Olivier de Savoie and the title Master of Ships bestowed upon him by Emperor Tuvya Carrion. House Romstun and it’s bannerman stagnated in the island of Athera and it’s existence almost surely died out.
Vailor
When the Romstun boats docked at the Imperial city of Felsen, Lord Rocco Romstun and his bannerman departed onto the mainland moving to colonize the northern hemisphere of the newly discovered island. The House further remained silent, it’s operations halted and slowed at a pace which had never seen before. The House of Romstun relied on war, conflict and battle, it was they lived and breathed for. They sought the death of men and the wealth that it provided. The House returned to it’s former status slightly at the beginning of the Eighteen Year’s War, when Lord Rocco Romstun marched into the Marquess of Caen and betrayed the twin descendants of Pertinax Horen. The entire army moved across the land, putting blade to all known associates before dragging Octavian and Tiberius before Rocco. They were battered and bruised, dazed and stunned, they had been dragged from their tents in the middle of the night and betrayed by a man they saw as their ally, and for what? Rocco was promised money for assassinating the Imperial Marshal of Oren and moved to strike with speed and efficiency. Octavian looked up at the man with nothing but sadness and stayed silent, both of the famed Pertinax descendants taking their executions with dignity. Rocco knew that such an attempt on the Imperial Marshal of Oren was risky and must be executed perfectly. That is why every man, woman and child was butchered, none left to spare. Rocco lived out the remainder of Vailor in riches, yet his son’s Deano and Ronnie had been sick of the stagnation and moved south to make names for themselves.
Axios
Deano Romstun and his brother Ronnie Romstun embarked on a long voyage across the open sea, fleeing with the descendants onto the newly discovered island of Axios. Deano played the game smart, he allowed the first colonizing nations to grow weary and lazy, basking in their new found riches. They grew cocky and blind, declaring war on another for the smallest plots of land and when war had engulfed Axios, Deano began to plot. He reformed the House of Romstun on the isles of Axios, gathering a large band of men to return to their former ways. He recruited blacksmiths, leatherworkers and alchemists, he began building a mighty fortress which echoed the times of Mt. Augustus and Mt. Letholdus. The new mountain hold which had been built was formally dubbed the Doggersden though also nicknamed Mt. Sniff. Lord Deano now situated himself in a nice fortress with an army and a will, his men donned the scarlet maw, a bandana which struck fear into those who gazed upon it.
The House of Romstun’s first war began to kick into action, Deano secured an alliance with the infamous Horde of Dunamis, a massive warrior horde that tied back to the flays. War was formally declared on the Kingdom of Lorraine and with the backing of the Duchy of Mardon, plans were set into motion and the army began to mobilize. The world had doubted the strength of House Romstun and it’s ally Dunamis and that would be their price to pay. The army matched at an ungodly pace, moving through the summerfields of Lorraine. The first battle of the war began on the road towards Metz, a Lorraine army sallied out to meet the Flayed Men with human, dwarven and elven allies. Fourty thousand Romstun and Dunamis men sat at the bottom of the hill, charging up to meet the Fifty five thousand strong army of Lorraine. Lorraine stood no chance, their entire army was decimated within hours of the fighting. They were no match for the might of House Romstun and the Horde of Dunamis. Their men were frail, weak and scared, rightfully so.
On the eve of the next battle, a new Horen was crowned Emperor and the House flocked to serve under the Imperial banners of Oren once more. The Emperor demanded that for the war to continue without Imperial assistance then the Horde of Dunamis must be disbanded and assimilated into the House of Romstun. Deano agreed and the House continued war on the eastern front. The second battle of the war began, a siege on the fort that protected the City of Metz. Thirty thousand men of House Romstun began besieging the fort whereas Sixty five thousand men took up arms to defend it. The battle became known as the more embarrassing defeat in history, the Lorithingian army was once again annihilated in battle, unable to match the might and prowess of House Romstun in battle. Lord Deano wished to pursue all of Lorraine’s lands however was promptly stopped by the Emperor. The Emperor demanded that peace be settled and that the war should come to an end. Deano hesitatingly obliged, securing a peace deal that would humiliate the Kingdom of Lorraine for eternity, a singular human House defeating multiple Kingdoms of man, dwarves and elves. The entire westernmost part of Lorraine was ceded to the House and soldiers began to flock to their newly gained lands.
Lord Deano Romstun bore three children, two to Isabella Flay and the other to an unknown farfolk tavern wench. Zoey and Rosa were the names of the legitimate children which he had sired, two healthy daughters who went onto engage in martial arts training at a young age like all men and woman of the House of Romstun. The bastard that the tavern wench had gave birth to was named Michael and she attempted to bribe Deano into paying her for the child. He refused and sent two men to deal with the wench, Lenny and Magnus who marched into her barkeep, took the child and slit her throat in the process. Michael Bartham grew up an unstable child, having only his father to teach him the ways. He was a smart child, with great intellect and equal strength. He was a well respected fighter in the household, decorated as one of the House’s best warriors since the time of old. His reputation in the house allowed him to alleviate to Captain of the House’s bannermen and he quickly became a renowned brigand and warrior alike. Zoey also took part in the House’s conflicts, earning herself a name as a feared warrior who would go onto score hundreds of kills in raids and battles. Yet, all went south for Zoey when she was married off to the Emperor of Oren in order to secure a marriage alliance. She refused ultimately, wishing to bask in the glory of House of Romstun but obliged in the end. She served faithfully as the Emperor’s wife and eventually fell in love, she bore two twins and was pregnant at the time of her death, being put to the blade by the guardsmen of Oren after the Emperor declared a holy war to rid Axios of the House of Romstun.
Rosa ‘the Beauty’ Romstun became a well known princess in the realm of Axios, her beauty was unmatched and suitors flocked to the northernmost point of the realm to court her. Lord Deano noticed this and decided to hold her back, instead marrying off her sister first. Rosa disliked this, she wanted love and a happy life, she dreaded battle and was terribly bad at fighting unlike her warrior sister. After years of waiting she was finally brought forward for marriage, Lord Deano sought to marry her off to the Grand King of the Dwarves, Gror Ireheart. He accepted hastily, marrying the beauty two weeks after the arranged deal. However, Rosa’s end was most definitely a tragic one, when the Emperor of Oren declared war, she was brought forward to the Emperor by Gror Ireheart and flayed alive for her family's crimes, too innocent and beautiful to know otherwise.
The Emperor’s crusade against the House of Romstun was a bloody one, the Orenian’s lost all raids and skirmishes in the beginning stages of the war. Lord Deano was shocked at the ineptness of the Orenian army and got cocky and overconfident. When his scouts reported an army east of Sniffton, he moved his twelve thousand man army out to meet them in the fields. He set up camp and prepared small defences, setting up caltrops and stakes along the river. However, what Deano did not know was that beyond the river, one hundred and fifty thousand men stood ready to push onto his lands. In an effort to ensure victory Deano sent his most trusted lieutenant Alfie to engage in diplomacy with factions and sway their minds against the Empire. He did so successfully and with great efficiency. Within months the twelve thousand strong army had grown to sixty thousand and was comprised of Frostbeards, Santegians, Orcs and Blue Eagle mercenaries. However, it was all for naught.
When the battle began arrows were traded and the Orenian cavalry navigated over the right flank. The cavalry was decimated on the right, sending them retreating all the way back to the main column. Lord Deano once again got cocky, he underestimated the strength of the army in front and was caught off guard when Oren’s infantry began charging over the river. Alfie rode to the front of the infantry column, commanding the men and ensuring that none would flee the field. He dismounted his horse and joined in the frey, killing fifteen men himself before he was speared through the back. The entire Romstun army was destroyed along with it’s officers and allies, outnumbered three to one they fought bravely but sadly not good enough. Deano and Ronnie fled the field after watching the army be overwhelmed, they retreated safely back to the great halls of the Doggersden with the few bannerman that survived.
Notable Figures
† Balereo ‘Rocco’ Romstun - Founder of House Romstun, infamous brigand and loyal bannerman under Augustus Flay.
Rocco ‘the Great’ Romstun - First son of James Romstun, Grandson of Balereo Romstun. Infamous war general and tactician, lead the House of Romstun to great heights.
† Darius Bartham - Third son of James Romstun, Grandson of Balereo Romstun. Renowned mercenary captain and ruthless bandit, lead multiple successful battles against both dwarven and Imperial forces.
† Xander Romstun - Second in command of the bannermen of House Blackmont, loyal subordinate of August Flay and Lucius Flay.
Deano ‘Killer of Kings’ Romstun - Son of Rocco Romstun, known across the realm as the devil himself, Deano earned himself a name as a powerful bandit lord who won multiple battles with unlikely odds.
† Zoey ‘Warrior-Empress’ Romstun - Daughter of Deano Romstun, a good warrior in her own right, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of men and women. Second in command of House Romstun before her death.
† Michael Bartham - Bastard son of Deano Romstun, great military tactician and renowned warrior.
† Leitseig von Draco - Bastard son of Warren Bartham and direct descendant of Darius Bartham, Grand Marshal of the Reformed Kingdom of Renatus and General of the Third Crusade.
Heirlooms
Chivay Shoulder Crusher
Flayer’s Flail
The King’s Knife
