House Abraxas

House Abraxas is a comparatively young noble house of Bal-Morath. The House is located on the Western coast of Bal-Morath, and founded in 90 IC as a reward for its founder's services to the crown. It is said that to live within House Abraxas' lands is to live within interesting times; whether this is a curse or a blessing is up for debate.

Identity

House Abraxas are a family of patriotic Tiefling sorcerers who try to make the best of a Demonic pact none of them wished to be part of but have little choice other than to live with. They take pride in using their powers to better their lands, resenting the implication that Tieflings are second class citizens within the empire and seeking to disprove that notion.

Wealth

Most of the family's wealth comes from trade via Port Abraxas, noted for having the calmest waters in the region thanks to a long standing treaty between the house and the local druids. In the past trade through the port had ensured a steady flow of capital into their coffers, but between dealing with the aftermath of the last war and the punitive loans they took out to sustain their war effort, the house's funds are stretched dangerously thin. As of 343 IC it is currently amongst the poorest of the noble houses.

Politics

With their much of their fortune being made from naval trade and the current ruling branch owing their status to Imperial intervention, it should come as no surprise that house Abraxas tends to view the Empire favourably. Their first loyalty however is still to Bal-Morath; their attitude toward Morathian Imperial membership is that it should be a mutually beneficial partnership rather than a one sided affair, and thus often push back against measures that would reduce Morathian autonomy or otherwise harm local interests. They also take pride in their Tiefling identity, believing that in spite of its source it's more constructive to make use of what it granted their people than lament what they lost. This attitude has led to some friction between them and the all human house, Sarris. Finally, given their magical abilities house Abraxas are inclined toward employing sorcerous solutions to various problems, with varying results.

Strangeness aside, house Abraxas' lands are a relatively pleasant place to live. Whether due to wanting to prove themselves unaffected by the folly of their forefathers or trying to make up for their sins, the members of the house invest much into improving the lot of the people living there.

Notable people

Proteus Abraxas (165 IC - 235 IC):

Amid the rise of the Cult of Orcus and the increasing alarm at the direction Bal-Morath's new rulers were taking, the Chancery received a tip off from one Proteus Abraxas that the state of affairs was far more dire than it appeared. He spoke of blood sacrifices and demonic summonings carried out behind closed doors, and terrible rituals condemning the souls of the unborn to demon lords. Indeed, it was because of one such ritual that he and a good portion of his family had fled their homeland, lest their objections to selling the souls of each of their firstborns to Orcus for sorcerous power earn the ire of the family patriarch.

In the aftermath of the cult's sudden dissolution, House Abraxas split into two branches; the deposed pro-Orcus branch, and the Imperial loyalists (who were reinstated for their part in bringing the cults actions to light). It's unknown as to whether the pro-Orcus branch is extinct, or in hiding and biding their time. Loyalists maintain close ties with the Chancery, while the Chancery keeps a close eye on them.

However, in spite of renouncing Orcus the family is not exempt from the deal struck with him, and to this day the firstborn of each generation will have their soul devoured by the demon lord. These cursed individuals have dealt with this knowledge in different ways: some turned to the gods in the hope of salvation, some became obsessed with life extension, some (like the notable naval Captain Kraken Abraxas) adopted a 'devil-may-care' attitude, laughing at the world in the knowledge that the worst has already happened to them.

Another side effect of the Condition is that members of the family are notably more otherworldly than the average Tiefling. Slitted yellow irises, large unconcealable horns, a faint smoky odour and silvery-white hair number amongst the many odd traits members of the family have possessed over the centuries.

Makara Abraxas (174 IC - 243 IC):

Maraka Abraxas is the sorceress behind the house's ill-fated magical crop enhancement project, now known as the 'Dire Potato'. The dire potato was an attempt by the house in 205 IC to ease the food shortages in the wake of the Cult of Orcus' reign. The goal of the project was to create an extremely hardy, extremely efficient breed of the common potato plant by blending it with the essences of a number of supernatural beasts, thus producing a staple crop that would be easy to grow (even in toxic, tainted soil) and highly nutritious. Amongst the essences spliced into the plant were vampire dust (to drain nutrients from the soil with great efficiency) and troll blood (for health and bulk). The result was a large blood red variant of the potato that grew fast, grew big, was a filling meal on its own and extraordinarily resistant to pests and disease. The only downside was that they exhibited carnivorous tendencies and were unusually aggressive (for root vegetables).

Thankfully while they were larger that a regular spud, the animate potatoes weren't particularly strong or fast. Still, the existence of such an unnatural abomination of a plant caused much alarm among the local druids, especially when the house revealed their plans to export them across Bal-Morath. What followed was several years of escalating raids on the farms growing the potatoes until eventually the two parties met to negotiate a treaty. The deal struck required that the potatoes not be exported without being thoroughly dead and sterile (with all shipments requiring inspection to ensure this was the case), could only be grown on the farms they were already present in, and that house Abraxas would assist the druids in maintaining the land (including the removal of feral potatoes). In exchange the druids would calm the waters along the coast and encourage local sea monsters to avoid shipping lanes.

The end result was that the dire potato became a fairly common sight in House Abraxas' land, an expensive delicacy for those of an adventurous disposition elsewhere in Bal Morath, and practically unheard of elsewhere. Since she'd hoped for the plant to become a staple crop across the land, Makara considered this to be quite a setback. However the calming of the waters along their stretch of coast allowed the house to expand their port significantly, bringing much trade and wealth to the region while providing stable employment for many of the inhabitants. Today, Makara Abraxas is considered the luckiest fool the family has ever begotten, and a drinking song in her dubious honour is often sung in the taverns along the docks.

Kraken Abraxas (309 IC - Present):

The eldest son of the current generation of the family, Kraken is a decorated captain in the Imperial navy. He is known among naval and pirate crews alike for his bombastic theatrical persona, daredevil attitude and apparent inability to feel fear. Many rumours about him are swapped between superstitious sailors, although the one about his soul being sold to the devil has an element of truth to it. Among his family he's known for his gregariousness and generosity, as well as the outlandish stories about his exploits on the high seas he'd tell to his younger siblings.

Trivia

Naming:

Nearly all members of the house are named after various mythical sea creatures. This can be attributed to their region of the Western coast being rife with legends of terrible sea monsters; In the distant past it was thought that by taking the names of such beasts one could ward them off, as even monsters won't attack their own. Now it's just a regional peculiarity.

Succession:

While nominally the eldest of each generation of the family is the one to become the next head of house, it's often the case that the second eldest will get the position instead. The firstborn don't usually take the revelation that their soul is forfeit well, and thus tend toward obsessive or self destructive behaviour that greatly curtails their ability to take care of the family's affairs (or indeed, live long enough to take the job).

The Bone Orchard:

As a consequence of House Abraxas' involvement in the last war, the house runs the collection of farms known as 'The Bone Orchard'.