The House of Tamer is passed down among the tribes with a mixture of fantastic stories and mythological events, but the royal records suggest that it has its roots in the Great Tribal Uprising, which saw the savage and violent clans of the Headlands mountain band together under the guidance of the Great Council of Elders to claim the old lands back from the Covenant. But not for long... The wars were fought mostly on the wild mountains and peaks, with very little danger to the Crown lands, as warring tribes shifted allegiances like the cold winds change direction. In the end, the Uprising became more of a civil war than an actual uprising.
From the chaos of the wars came the Clan of the White Bear, which lead a successful campaign of conquest, subjugating many minor tribes. Their proximity to the Crown lands disrupted the
status quo and threatened the Realm. The noble houses decided to intervene hoping to secure their positions and tensions rose. In a fateful moment, Brorkmus the Tamer, the legendary chieftain make a decision: ambush the royal army. This tactic was so surprising coming from the mountain tribes that it results in the complete destruction of the royal forces, and with it, the fall of the Counts of Mountain Pass, seeing the tribes under Brorkmus' rule settling on the borderlands. Difficult negotiations followed, which saw the Clan of the White Bear allying with the royal houses, ultimately keeping the Scymira safe from the raiding wild warriors. With their Northern borders secured, the wild nomads marched back to tame the headlands. With the Great Council of Elders split by the long civil war, the clan's growing power and war glories provided the required influence to rebuild it, slowly bringing one elder after another together. Those you refused were ultimately defeated and the tribes settled with an uneasy peace under the rule of the new Council of Tribes. Kings were removed and war-chiefs were subjugated to the elders, who were chosen each new ascending sun from which each tribe to settle tribal disputes (peacefully or by duel), set the laws of the people and appoint the new leaders for the year.
Their culture being based on acts of bravery and warrior prowess, the start of the Bloody Year proved to be essential to maintain the fragile peace enforced by the Council of the Tribes. The long raging war in the Eastreach provided the opportunity of the tribes to keep their warrior caste busy not fighting each other. Tribal warriors were hired as mercenaries, promised riches for their services and armies organised and sent north. Besides the many riches brought back from the war, the royal house of Scymira rewarded many tribesmen with the title of nobility. Those who accepted formed what is known as the House of Tamer. This house is, unlike many others, not based on blood, with adoptions and rejections being frequent, which makes this house of a highly mixed background, even though its nobles tend to have the rough features of the tribesmen of the Headlands. However, many of the warriors that left north did not return. Some became mercenaries and adventures serving other houses, joining other houses and settling in various regions of the realm. Many felt a connection to the Breach, due to its remote wilderness and settled there, which would later establish a link between the Houses of Tamer and Revelos, opening trade opportunities and exchange of cultures. The trade port of Fishwerbay was established and with it, Temple of Revelation saw some success into the Headlands due to their appealing faith of primal forces which resonated well with the nomadic tribes.
The establishment of House of Tamer, the relatively long peace and the new trade links, allowed many of the tribesmen to integrate more easily into the realm and absorb its cultures. Many settled down, slowly giving up their traditional nomadic lifestyle for the comforts of producing food and a fireplace at night. Tribes continued to mix through marriage and adoption into the House of Tamer, with the old ways, blending and evolving into the new realities. Of course, this brought the tribes into conflict once more, but skilful diplomacy and mediation brought the Great Council and the Scymira together, the House of Tamer being the obvious mediator and avoiding any major conflicts.
Even though the Headlands remain a dangerous and savage place to this day, other Houses had the opportunity to move into the Headlands with relative safety and extend the influence of the realm into this inhospitable land. New alliances were made, trade routes were explored and conflicts were inevitable. With the rise of the fishermen from Stormwrack as the powerful naval Kraken Society, the House of Tamer saw an opportunity to expand their trade to the west sea, but met with strong opposition by the strongly established monopoly of House Maa-Talia and the exclusive supply of etherite by House Fugue. As the Kraken Society moved against House Maa-Talia to claim full control of the Stormwrack islands, the House of Tamer tried to struggle some of the trade route from House Fugue's control. Complex politics between the various houses of the realm and rare interventions from the royal court prevented this conflict from blowing into a full war, giving it particular contours beyond the initially expected one side versus another. House of Tamer actually aided House Maa-Talia re-direct their trade routes and recover from their war losses against the Kraken Society, leading to the expansion of Maa-Talia's trade further inland. This in turn fired-back, as it allowed House Fugue's etherite to flow further than ever, as Maa-Talia gained the rights to trade it, leading to the current tension between the House of Tamer and House Fugue, as the tribesmen's addition to etherite becomes a noticeable problem throughout the Headlands.
It was in this new order, where Northerner Houses ventured into the Headlands and the tribesmen trades their good through sea and land due to the relative safety imposed by the Council of the Tribes, that the House of Tamer really had their golden chance. Legend has it that, guided by the spirits of the land themselves, the rulers of the Covenant found evidence that their ancestors came from the Headland tribes. The third born son was as the savage people, recognisably touched by an animal spirit.Being an establish House, the Tamers were given lands at the hearth of the Crown lands as caretakers of the prince. Even though this was mostly to hide the child from the court, it provided the chance to enter the royal politics. However, the unconfirmed scandal of the support provided by the Clan of the Wild Cat to the House Revelos in their strange rituals, quickly resulted in various plots and schemes targeting that branch of the House of Tamer who, to keep the prince safe, found allies in the isolated House of Sharva by marriage. The Astrals was the perfect place to keep the secret away from the court intrigues...
Last edited February 19, 2020 2:15 pm
