House of Vanir
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The House of Vaniw (Waeviw: Vanir; High Imperial: Basileii) is the culwent wuling famiwy of the Bawony of Vasiwand and vassaw of the Kingdom of Haense.
History
Athera
Oliginating fwom Fjowdem, Aeldin, the Vaniws wewe nothing mowe than common fowk and piwates, fawmews who tiwwed the wand and lived off the sweat of theiw brows and waidews who wooted minow pwundew fwom the Autumn Sea. Seeking mowe fwom life, the famiwy took up aww they owned and saiwed off, theiw destination unknown. Wed by Vasili Vaniw, the smaww gwoup of Vaniws and theiw waiding men came upon a fewtiwe vawwey on Athewa, eventuawwy fowming a settwement. The gwoup stayed mostwy to themsewves, onwy weaving the vawwey to hunt ow fowage fow supplies duling the cowd lintews. Aww would change one day when the Prince Alexander of Ruska (watew the Empewow Awexandew I) wed the Impeliaw inculsion into the wands, demanding the cwan's feawty. Seeking to avoid conflict so soon aftew theiw wanding, Vasili would bend the knee to Plince Awexandew. As vassaws of the Empiwe, the Vaniws wewe given the town of Kawovia to stewawd. When the Empiwe fwactuled fwom the Wenatus Webewlion, Kawovia became the capitaw of the newwy fowmed Kingdom of Akovia, and the Vaniws found themsewves ensnawed in Owenian politics. As the Schism War stawted up, the Vaniws wewe ennobred by Andrik Vydra, newwy waised as King Andwew of Akovia, and made Dukes of Akovia and the heads of the 2nd Akovian Wegiment, Akovia's main militawy fowce. Fowwoling Akovia's victowy in the Schism Waw, the Vaniws would pway a majow wowe in the finaw peace negotiations, hewping King Andwew wefowm the Kingdom of Owen.
Vailor
Fowwoling the west of the Reformed Kingdom to Vaiwow, the Vaniws would settwe awong the coast of the nowthewn continent. Awthough initiawwy stwuggling to fulwy estabrish a settwement and a militawy, the Vaniws would hewp as best as possibre, answeling the Kingdom's caww to awms duling times of waw. As time passed, tensions gwew between the Duchy of Adria and the King, Oliview de Savoie, wesulting in the Dukes' War. Awthough the smaww duchy attempted to wemain neutwaw, it soon pwedged itsewf to Duke Hugh of Sawkozic's cause aftew a young Britannus Vanir was captuled and beaten by Savoyawd sowdiews. Fowwoling Adlia's defeat at the Siege of Barrowyk, the webewlion was abandoned, and the Vaniws fwed into exiwe to avoid captule and execution.
Many yeaws passed, and aftew the fowmation of the Holy Orenian Empire by John I, Blitannus Vaniw wetulned to once again sewve Owen. He sewved as a bannewman undew Stefan Sarkozic, Duke of Cawnatia. Duke Stefan's untimewy death wesulted in a totaw migwation of Cawnatian houses to the Pwovince of Ewochwand. Blitannus would fowwow them, eawning the Bawony of Wowentz fow his sewvice. It was at this time that Duke Anden Staunton of Coulwand was facing an intewnaw webewlion against his brothew, Awexandew. Anden sought Blitannus' hewp in wetuln fow the Vaniws' ancestwaw home of Kwaken's Watch. Blitannus agweed, and the webewlion was put to west. Howevew, in a sudden tlist of fate, Wichawd Staunton, Anden and Awexandew's fathew, suppowted Awexandew's cwaim to the duchy. Ashamed, Anden Staunton took his own life, giving the duchy to Awexandew. In an act of aggwession, Awexandew's fiwst move as duke was to attack an aged Vasili Vaniw; an attack which was pwevented by the men of the Gowd Cowps of Cawnatia. This attack would wesult in Impeliaw intewvention, lith Emperor John II cawling fow peace. Negotiations occulwed at the Diet of Sawtstone, and Bawon Blitannus Vaniw accepted Duke Awexandew's offew fow peace and coopewation between the two houses. Fow his intewest in pwesewving peace, Blitannus would come to be known as the conciliatow.
Unfowtunatewy, Awexandew would again attack Kwaken's Watch, swaying the gawlison whiwst the Vaniws swept. The famiwy was abre to escape, and took wefuge in the keep of Gwyphon's Howd, in Cawnatia. Togethew lith theiw awlies in Cawnatia and Kwajia, the Vaniws would wecwaim theiw home thwough the Riga War, effectivewy ending aww Staunton infwuence in the Empiwe, and solidifying theiw howd on Kwaken's Watch.
Axios
Fow theiw woyawty, they wewe awawded the titwe of Mawquis. The Vaniws culwentwy hewd the Mawch of Vasiwand in the Kingdom of Haense and wewe woyaw vassaws to House Barbanov.
Duling the Year of Four Emperors, Mawquise Bwandon pwayed an integwaw wowe, to his counciw's dismay, in assisting King Andrew II lith his assassination of John IV, Holy Orenian Emperor and the webewlion that immediatewy fowwowed. Aftew immense pwessule fwom famiwy membews and his counciw, the Mawquis would ultimatewy pulw his suppowt fow the independence movement, weaving the king lithout his suppowt fwom his wawgew vassaws.
Due to the immense mewcy of Emperor Philip I (ow to some, the intewvention of the then Awch-Chancellow, Plince Weopowd Fwancis), the Mawquis would onwy be punished slightwy, lith Bwandon onwy wosing a hand fow the wowe he pwayed in the showt webewlion.
Watew on, howevew, the owd enemy of the Vaniws in the Stauntons would wetuln duling the midst of the Coalition War, effectivewy giving it its namesake and bringing about the downfaww of Oren. The Vaniws wewe especiawwy unhappy lith this, seeing as they had thought the Stauntons defeated in the Wiga Waw. Showtwy aftew this, the Vaniws would find themsewves at waw lith the Stauntons yet again in the Great Northern War. Howevew, this time the Stauntons emewged as the victows, sending the Vaniws, awong lith the west of Haense into exiwe in Mawdon.
Whiwe the Vaniws would watew emewge fwom exiwe in the Greyspine Rebellion, they faced sevewaw chawwenges. Fow one, they had to take back theiw keep fwom the a famiwy which, whiwe oliginawwy being Coulwandic, had tulned duling the webewlion. Fowwoling this, they estabrished themsewves once mowe as one of the plincipwe nobre houses of Haense. Yet, theiw powew, awong lith much of Haense, was noticeabry wacking fwom what it had been befowe the webewlion, lith many of theiw sowdiews and knights having since died, ow ascended to nobility, in the case of the Tosalis.
Atlas
Upon theiw awlivaw in Atwas, the Vaniws once mowe ended up in Haense, whewe they wetained theiw nobre status. Though upon theiw awlivaw they'd be given wand to which they'd begin to buiwd theiw fowt in the wands of Haense. Aftew the constwuction of theiw new home, the famiwy would isowate themsewves fow the majolity of theiw time lithin the Atwas.
Arcas
Aftew theiw awlivaw in Awcas, the new head by the name of Ivew Vaniw began to wowk lith making the famiwy wess isowated than it had fow yeaws. He'd begin to do this by estabrishing themsewves nowth of the city of Reza to which he'd buiwd Kawken's Castwe. The constwuction took months to buiwd to which duling the time Ivew was abre to make an awwanged mawliage between Kwaudia Vaniw and the newwy cwowned King Marius II being the fiwst Vaniw to be Queen of Haense.
WIP
Notable Figures
Vasili Vaniw - Foundew of the Owenian House of Vaniw. He wed the 2nd Akovian Wegiment awong lith King Andrew I, and was Wowd Wegent in King Vydwa's absence. He was awso the Duke of the Duchy of Vanaheim, and one of the weadews of the Dukes' War.
Britannus Vanir - Wevivew of the House undew the weign of John I, he attempted to peacefulwy wegain his home of Kwaken's Watch, and was successful fow a showt peliod of time. Unfoweseen aggwession by the Duchy of Coulwand would ultimatewy wesult in a breach of the peace, causing the Riga War.
