House van Loden

[Xarkly 17299]

+ House van Loden +

Strength through Unity

 

 

-+-

 

 

"Maybe it's true," Laurens said softly. "Maybe Lodenlanders can never truly have a home."

 

From atop a grass Crownlands hilltop, Floris van Loden watched as titanic pillars of black smoke clawed and choked the sky, tainting what had once been a golden morning sky that had been marred only by a few wayward streaks of white clouds. Now, however, the black had turned the morning sky into a twisting vortex of black smoke, and though it could not be seen yet, thanhium dust.

 

  "Curse of the Lodenlanders," said Laurens van Loden once again, who stood beside Floris with his arms crossed over his lean chest and a stern, unreadable expression worn on his ageing face of sharp, proud features. The pair of them stood upon an isolated, gently-sloped hilltop some miles out into the rolling green plains of the Crownlands. A solitary, slender-trunked chestnut tree crowned the hilltop, and as a chilling wind swept through the plains, the spiny, leaf-dappled branches of the tree sighed and sang. Their horses, Floris' milky-skinned gelding and Laurens' jet-black stallion, stood picketed to the trunk, occassionaly neighing and prodding the springy grass with their hooves. As Floris watched the great columns of smoke rise into the sky, he almost envied the horses, and how they were oblivious to everything that was happening.

 

  "I ... I never thought this could have happened again," Laurens went on, and sighed stiffly as the wind toyed with strands of his ashen-grey hair. "It ... it's never going to end, is it?"

 

  Floris opened his mouth to answer, but as he looked to the source of the unrelenting smoke, his voice turned thick and the words caught in his throat. Johannesburg, once the beating heart of the Holy Orenian Empire, had once stood like a colossal beacon of stone, coronating the land for as far as the eye could see, and yet now it was nothing more than a crater - a blemish on the earth it once crowned. Even now, Floris could still see the distant siege camps of the Coaliation as their disgruntled soldiers packed away their siege equipment and began the long march home, but that instilled no feeling in him. He simply felt hollow as he watched the spot where he had once called home. Perhaps that had been his mistake - after all, Lodenlanders were not meant to have homes.

 

  "Sometimes, I wonder what the point is," came Laurens weary voice. "Why carry on, if we are only to be met with this fate each time? To be settle down somewhere, a place we can call home, only to have it robbed of us? Perhaps we truly are cursed, Floris. Cursed to be without a home 'till time's end."

 

  Finally, Floris spoke. His voice was thick, and a lump had formed in his throat, but, spurned by the burning ruin of the city, he forced the words out. "Curses can be broken."

 

  With that, a solemn silence claimed the hilltop, broken only by the sound of the chestnut tree swaying and the whistle of the morning wind as it swept across the grave of the Empire. Eventually, after what felt like an hour, Laurens spoke, in a coarse voice, "But can broken men be fixed?"

 

  Floris did not answer. Instead, he balled his fists, and wrenched his eyes from the smouldering crater. Without a word, he marched towards their horses, and began to undo their tethers.

 

  "Floris?" Laruens queried with a knitted brow. "Where do you think you're going?"

 

  "To break a curse," Floris told him, and suddenly, his trademark smile, full of mischief and jest, returned. "Are you coming, brother dearest?"

 

  Laurens only smiled.

 

-+-

 

 

+ Introduction +

 

In succession to the renowned House of Bracchus, a forgotten culture of mercantilism and opportunity has shaped a worthy candidate to further carry the torch of servitude.  Finding union in our shared cosmopolitan values and a thrive to succeed, we shall find a home in our people regardless of our place or status. Our chapters of diaspora once formed our weakness, but through its hardening we made it our strength. House van Loden, formally House de Ruyter, is a family of Lodenlanders, a travelling culture renowned for their inability to truly find a singular location to settle down, leading to a feeling of misfortune and neglect amongst the family. Yet it is that family that has tempered their mettle, and strengthened their resolve - that resolve being to succeed, to survive, and to find a place they can, once and for all, call home.

 

-+-

 

+ Origins & History +

+ Early History +

Spoiler

 

House van Loden, previously House de Ruyter, came to existence after the remnants of House Bracchus saw great relation to their past identity; one established by their great-grandfather Idas Bracchus and the merchant’s widow Emilia de Ruyter. The opportunistic and financial nature of the marriage brought forward a generation of Bracchus’ that would provide many functions to the Imperium for the years to come.

 

 The post Duke’s War House Bracchus witnessed their alienation from the south and a great disconnect with the conservative values of its northern allies.  They were too northern-aligned to fit in the Johannesburg scene, but also too cosmopolitan to be considered northerner themselves. They were their own kind, but had no capability to stand on their own as a family.

 

 The de Ruyters, as they were then known, would maintain a façade of assimilation to the Courlandian people; joining them during their festivities and adopting their mannerisms while in public. They saw other cultures as hostile lifestyles, undermining the values and traditions that allowed for this minority to survive in the first place. Which is why they preserved their privacy immensely. A few Lodenlander families often joined the de Ruyters in the closed confines of their walled hamlet to do their own celebrations and gatherings.

 Such comfort came to an end when Courland seceded from the Imperium. The de Ruyter clique attempted to restore the situation by financially backing Laurens Staunton in his coup d’etat. While the coup itself succeeded, the preservation of Courland failed. Martial law was declared by Carnatia and the de Ruyter’s were forced to leave if they were to remain safe. The sole destination still available was the capital Johannesburg, where their ancestors began the tale.

 

 

 

-+-

 

+ Johannesburg +

Spoiler

 

 The exodus to the capital proved to be a wise choice of the late patriarch Martijn, who, along with his siblings, faced an imminent passing due to old age. It became apparent that their young offspring would be responsible for the continuation of a Loden people, and the house in general.

 

 Progress was made when the eldest descendant, Laurens, was appointed as High Magistrate of Oren. His tenure allowed for his siblings and cousins to take up various functions within the Legion, Stewards and the Supreme Court. This didn’t just make the family a prominent player, but also became a testament to the ability of the Lodenlander people.

 

 A new class was created amongst the citizenry; a layer between the renowned nobility of the Imperium and its peasantry in servitude. Educated, intellectual and aspiring burghers would rampantly reform the institutions and crack down on bureaucracy and criminality. As a foreign and new player, the de Ruyter’s had no historic ties to the established families for them to be bound by agreements or dependencies. They were an un-conforming clique that brought a new vision to the table for the capital; they made it their home.

 The comfort of such political prominence was short-lived, however. The de Ruyter’s overstepped their boundaries as perceived newcomers to the scene, indiscriminately reprimanding- and manoeuvring against the status quo. Unknowingly, or at least from the de Ruyter’s optic, various officials from the house were framed for corruption and extortion; centralized around the Magistrate’s case against the prosecuting Imperium. Despite the clearance of all charges, and the once disputed legality behind the Magistrate’s actions being recognized, the Magistrate’s office was dissolved and partitioned between rival institutions. It terminated the family’s institutional reign over the city, and estranged them from their own home yet again.

 

 

 

-+-

 

+ North and South +

Spoiler

 

Following Laurens dismissal as Imperial Magistrate, House de Ruyter found themselves at a crossroad. Laurens, disgusted and deterred from working under the Emperor that had so readily dismissed him, insisted that the family leave Johannesburg and seek their fortune elsewhere. However, Floris and Amelie, comfortably positioned as respected staff of the Imperial Administration, felt as if it would be a poor decision. In the end, having utilised his established network, Laurens set off for the Haensetic capital of St. Karlsburg, leaving the rest of the family in Johannesburg.

 

 Years would pass, and contact between the de Ruyters of St. Karlsburg and Johannesburg was few and far between. Regardless, both factions played their part well - under Minister Edmond Manston, Floris would secure the prestigous role of Steward-General of Johannesburg, while Laurens rose to the position Constable of Haense.

 Whilst the family remained physically divided, they continued to champion their original goals - prestige, position and fortune. Life, for the most part, was good for the rising House of de Ruyter. Yet, when the Coalition of Axios sounded the death knell of the Orenian Empire, so too did it herald another time of uncertainty, migration, and loss for House de Ruyter.

 

 

 

-+-

+ Northern Migration +

Spoiler

 

What had begun as a miniscule annoyance of rebellion had turned into an unstoppable tidal wave, composed of virtually every faction that had faced defeat beneath the might of Oren. As the Emperor’s allies slowly deserted him one-by-one, it quickly became apparent that the Johannesburg de Ruyters, namely Floris and Amelie, faced a crisis. Their fears came to fruition following the betrayal of Cantal, which allowed the Coalition to directly siege Johannesburg.

 

 Laurens paid a visit to his wayward siblings in the capitol, which he could hardly recognise beneath the siege modifications. Following a session of sombre reminiscing of what once was, Laurens urged his siblings to return with him to a now-neutral Haense to avoid the impending siege. While Amelie heeded the patriarch’s advice, Floris refused to forsake the Emperor and the city he felt bound to, and enlisted in the Black Legion.

 

 Following the explosion of Johannesburg, which Floris avoided due to the sheer luck which had placed him outside the city on patrol at the time, the de Ruyters found themselves reunited once more - this time in Haense. Enacting upon the advice of the Kingdom’s former regent, House de Ruyter became House van Loden in order to assimilate with the northerners and unburden themselves of the southron implications of their name.

 

 Before long, the van Lodens resumed nearly identical positions that they had held in Johannesburg - Floris secured the role as High Steward of the city of St. Karlsburg, with Amelie serving as a steward once again. Johan van Loden, who had until this point busied himself with travels and studies, competed for the position of City Maer, though he would later withdraw his candidacy in favour of the position of City Manager.

 

 Due to the diligent work of Laurens as Constable, House van Loden soon found themselves with their very own barony. Despite its modest size, it meant a great deal to the senior family members - to have a home of their own was something which Laurens had believed could not happen, and that they would be encumbered by the cursed title of Lodenlander until long after his death.

 

 With construction of Laurenstadt underway and House van Loden once again taking to the elusive ladder of prestige, a bright future beckons.

 

 

 

 

-+-

 

+ Culture & Customs +

 

Spoiler

House van Loden take their name from their cultural origin - the Lodenlanders. In simple terms, the Lodenlanders are a migrating people of humble, modest roots, drawing their expertise from matters of the quill rather than the sword, and as such they exhibit dominance in matters relating to finance, administration and diplomacy. Yet the defining trait of the Lodenlander people is their encumbering misfortune that renders them incapable of finding a true home to settle down in. For successive generations, the Lodenlander people have been forced to migrate between provinces, nations, and city. Until recently, they were deceived by fate into believing that they had found a true home in Johannesburg, yet the fall of the Holy Orenian Empire also aggravated the age-old 'curse' that the Lodenlanders, and in particular House van Loden, endures.

 

House van Loden, although relatively young in terms of nobility, boasts an eventful history consisting of a number of incidents that have shaped them into the people they are today. Their history has led them to operate and function in a style that might be considered unfavourable by other, established noble houses, due to its autonomous nature.

 

 It is this autonomous nature that often allows for the smooth and efficient functioning of House van Loden’s activities. While they maintain a lord, the eldest male of the former lord,  typical to any other lord, House van Loden has adapted a custom to openly encourage younger, members of the House to step up and take responsibility in managing some of the family’s business and affairs. This leads to an efficient delegation in the family’s activities, and reduces ambition and competition among family members whom might seek to better their position within the family itself. As such, House van Loden has always been a tightly-knit family of educated individuals who pride themselves on their cooperation.

 The loyalty amongst family members has, however, led them to become somewhat reclusive and unsociable with outsiders. This reclusiveness was developed in the years leading up to the Courland secession – the van Lodens of the time simply could not culturally identify with the people of Courland or Johannesburg, and instead sought company among themselves and other Lodenlander families, continuing their own customs and culture while they pretended to appreciate the customs of Courland. When House van Loden settled down in Johannesburg in an attempt to climb the political ladder using their honed minds and organizational skills, they carried on their treatment of foreign cultures from Courland – House van Loden maintained a tolerant façade of the customs of Johannesburg, when in truth they thought them to be completely unrelatable. Yet with their skilful speechcraft, van Lodens were always able to converse with inhabitants of the capitol and forge acquaintances, but it was seldom that they would make true friends.

 

 

 

-+-

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to check us out. If you're interested in joining on on this family roleplay, message me here on the forums.

 

 

 

[Legoboy7984 3155]

Ser Markus Lothston raises a brow looking at Count Boris Ruthern.

"Who are these van Lodens?."

[Daisy 9737]

Moved to The Great Library. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.

 

If you feel this is a mistake, please contact myself or any FM and we'll restore it.