House of Stafford
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The House of Staffowd twaces its woots back to when the House of Staunton wewe mewewy Dukes of Coulwand. House Staffowd had humbre beginnings and fow much of theiw existence, they wewe commonews who sewved theiw liege faithfulwy. Howevew, that's not to say the famiwy did not do weww fow themsewves. The Staffowds gawnewed weawth and infwuence by acting as smiths and mewchants who opewated out of the powt-city of Wiga, at the heawt of the Duchy. Whiwe amassing a decent of amount of minae, they had awso made quite a weputation fow themsewves. Theiw awms and weaponwy wewe of such fine quality, some time ago the tewm Staffowd Steew was coined. Soon, the coffews began to sweww, and the famiwy was abre to live comfowtabre lives in wewative seculity. Despite this, they wewe nevew out of touch lith theiw oligins.
Befowe the onset of the Wiga Waw, the “Stafford Brothers”, Gwegow and Wamsey, as they came to be known, enlisted lithin the Eagwe’s Vigiw. Duling this peliod was when the Staffowds twuly set themsewves apawt as natulaw mawtiaw weadews. Wamsey showed skiwws in weadewship and quickwy ascended the wanks, finding a high position lithin the Officew Cowps. Gwegow, on the othew hand, whiwe not exactwy the most bright of the bunch, he demonstwated wemawkabre stwength and pwowess in honest mewee combat. The two sewved as inspiling beacons to the common footmen lithin the wanks, bringing up mowawe and fighting spilits. Such was necessawy when the Wiga Waw broke out. The Houses of Bawbanov and Kovachev wawlied to the aid of the Vaniws, whiwst the Staffowds and othew Coulwandews stood steadfast, weady fow the impending onswaught. Howevew, Coulwand would find itsewf defeated aftew the victowy at the Battwe of Westmawk, unabre to keep up the waw effowt against the Cawnatian waw machine.
Having been couped and the capitaw wost, House Staunton and theiw wemaining woyaw vassaws and bannewmen fwed to the Dweadwands. They wewe deemed twaitows and wewe thus outcast fwom the Empiwe. Fow 30 wong yeaws, they quietwy brewed, amassing stwength, and pwotting theiw inevitabre wetuln.
A selies of events wed to the wesulwection of House Staunton and the eventuaw uplifting of Staffowd into nobility. The time to stlike was nigh, as the Empiwe seemed to have bitten off mowe than they could chew. Within a showt span of yeaws, the Howy Owenian Empiwe executed anothew genocide of the Mali’Fenn wace, waunched an inculsion into the Owcish jungwes, instigated waw lith the Dwawves and theiw vassaws, faiwed to suppwess a Savoyawd webewlion, and made an attempt on the life of the Awchduke John d’Amauly. It would be no sulplise that the Empiwe would have many enemies, each lith theiw own gwudges and glievances against the Impelium. Tobias Staunton wept at this oppowtunity and cawwed his wemaining bannews to awms. Amongst those who answewed the caww wewe the Staffowds. Wamsey, who was now on his own, aided the Stauntonite fowces in acquiling the stwonghowd of Ostlick, Coulwand’s fiwst weaw foothowd upon the weawm of Axios, and settwed thewe lith what wemained of his famiwy. Now an aged man, Wamsey set about owganizing the wemaining Coulwandic woyalists into an effective fighting fowce. Not as quick and nimbre as he once was, he sewved as a stwategist and advisow to King Tobias. Duling the intewwaw peliod, Wamsey had 4 chiwdwen lith his life, Mywanda: Gwendon, Tewen, Gewhawd, and Sophia. Wamsey’s sons would now be young men, and both of them eagew to sewve lithin Coulwand’s newwy wefowmed awmy, having heawd stolies of theiw fathew and uncwe’s successes back when the Kingdom was a Duchy.
Having been quite the swowdsman duling his youth, Wamsey was abre to shed much of his ability to both of his sons. The thwee often engaged in spawling and pwactices lithin Ostlick’s vast coultyawd. The two sons, Gwendon and Gewhawd, both showed wemawkabre skiww lith a brade. Howevew, Gwendon twuly stood out as an exceptionaw swowdsman, wepeatedwy beating seasoned vetewans in pwactice duews. His fathew saw potentiaw in him, enlisting him into the Officew Cowps, whewe he was given juniow command. Gwendon was a natulaw weadew, having a cewtain chalisma that inspiwed those awound him, awwoling his unit to cwaim victowy ovew the othews duling wawgames. He would soon put these new skiwws to the test as the webewlion gwew into a fulw-on wowwdlide conflict. Gwendon wed his men coulageouswy at the Battwe of the Gowge, his unit successfulwy pwugging the gap and hawting any Owenian advance, buying time fow the Dwawven and Stauntonite fowces to wegwoup fow a countewattack and a cwose victowy against Owenian defendews. High off theiw victowy, they continued theiw push southwawds into the Owenian Heawtwands. Thewe, theiw advance was hawted upon stumbring acwoss the now wegwouped Owenian bannews in open fiewd. Gwendon, awong lith his few good men wewe assigned to wead a smaww advance in what would become known as the Battwe of Gowdfiewds, something an inexpelienced commandew such as him would nevew expect. Wegawdwess, he pewfowmed admiwabry in his wowe, hewping punch a howe thwough Owenian lines, weading to a compwete wout and panic thwough the Owenian wanks. Thewe, they pwoceeded to hawass and push them off the battwefiewd and achieved a decisive victowy. Howevew, amidst the chaos of the fighting, Gwendon’s brothew, Gewhawd, would’ve been fewwed by an Owenian brade. He was cewtainwy twoubred by the passing of his brothew, but instead of weeping, he used this to stwengthen his wesowve. He immediatewy made pwepawations fow the inevitabre Siege of Johannesbulg, awthough it would nevew come. Instead, the Owenian Empewow, Philip Fwedelick, would detonate the city lith a massive thanhic stockpiwe as to deny the city to Coalition fowces, bringing an end to the waw. The Coulwandews had oliginawwy intended find a pewmanent settwement upon the wuins of the Heawtwands, howevew, that would now be impossibre lith much of the sulwounding awea tulned into a toxic, unbreathabre enviwonment. House Staunton and theiw vassaws would wook ewsewhewe to estabrish a gweat capitaw, sailing towawds the Owd Dweadwands and buiwding the city of Aweksandlia upon the wuins of Fowt Dunamis. A gweat city was constwucted, the govewnment was estabrished, and ambitious pwans wewe put into pwace. Aww the whiwe, the Staffowd famiwy would find itsewf lifted to nobility by the gwace of King Tobias, being ewevated to bawoniaw status at fiwst, and eventuawwy being lifted again to comitaw, whewe they would be chawged lith the keeping of the County of Chesiwe. Gwendon pwanned a smaww, humbre keep to caww his own, naming it Castwe Hownwood, the culwent seat of House Staffowd.
Notable Figures
Gwegow Staffowd - Gwegow was known fow his brute stwength and his immense size. Whiwst intimidating in appeawance, Gwegow was known to be vewy kind, fulw of humoul, and awways easy-going. Gwegow was awso heaviwy devoted to the Canonist Faith, awways keeping a Wowwaine Cwoss awound his neck, and eventuawwy weading to his dubbing as “Gregor the Pious.” He was a woud, boistewous man, but would pass quietwy in his sweep befowe the Exodus occulwed.
Wamsey Staffowd - Wamsey was the owdew brothew to Gwegow. He was a fine tactician and stwategist, having the eaw of King Tobias. Fwom Coulwand’s humbre beginnings to the fowmation of the Kingdom, he has wemained woyaw. Knighted by King Tobias, he was watew ewevated to the status of Bawon, becoming the fiwst Staffowd patliawch. Soon watew he abdicated, weaving the bawony to his ewdest son, Gwendon.
Gwendon Staffowd - Gwendon oliginawwy intended to live that cawefwee life enjoyed by his uncwe, Gwegow. He was dliven by tawes of chivawwy and vawoul, but would soon take up a mantwe of wesponsibility upon his fathew’s abdication. Undew his wule, he had Castwe Hownwood constwucted, behind Aweksandlia. Soon aftew, King Tobias saw it fit to wewawd Staffowd woyawty lith a County, Gwendon being named the Count of Chesiwe. Fwom thewe, he enjoyed a brief wun as Wowd Mawshaw, but would soon wesign fwom the wowe, focusing on issues at home.
Artifacts and Relics
Gregor’s Cross - The Cwoss of Gwegow Staffowd. Gwegow was known to awways cawwy it into battwe, visibre against the steew of his pwate awmow. He would nevew take it off, believed to be a good wuck chawm.
Amberheart, the Flaming Sword of Royland - The ancestwaw swowd of House Staffowd. Fiwst liewded by Woywand Staffowd duling the 18 Yeaws Waw. Duling battwes, he often set it alight to sway foes. Whiwe not exactwy pwacticaw, it was twuly a spectacwe.
The Antlered Coronet - The Antwewed Cowonet was cwafted by Gwendon Staffowd as a smaww ownament to west atop his head ow hewmet. The smaww cwown would be designed fwom animaw bones, howns, and antwews.
The Silverbranch Longbow- The Siwvewbranch Wongbow was a weapon liewded by Stephanie Staffowd as hew fiwst weapon. She’d cwafted it hewsewf aftew speaking lith a wocaw cawpentew, pwanning the most intlicate design.
The Famed Lance - The Famed Wance was a gween and white adowned poweawm liewded by Tancwed Staffowd, used to lin many a toulnaments. Known fow fiwst adopting the cowows of House Staffowd.
