House Baruch

[CaptainHaense 1154]

 

House Baruch

Coat of Arms of House Baruch

 

Countal Blazon of Ayr

Current Patriarch: Count Aldrik I of Ayr

Heir: Petyr Heinrich Baruch

 

House Loyalties

House Baruch originated as a bastard branch from Otto I of Vanderfell, known more often as Otto the Bald. They lived as a gentry family under the Reformed Kingdom of Oren, though sided with the Ducal Coalition during the Dukes War. They later sided with John I Frederick Horen during the Horen Restoration, and also contributed to the construction of Luciensport. Their tenure as nobility began after the reformation of the Duchy of Haense and creation of the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska, to which they have been loyal to ever since.

 

                                               House Culture

House Baruch is a Hanso-Raevir house, having married into almost every noble house of Hanseti-Ruska. They are direct descendants of Duke Otto the Bald, and House Carrion matrilineally. They carry a tradition of whaling, even possessing a hereditary whalebone coronet, passed down to each Count and his wife.

 

History before ennoblement

 

Prior to ennoblement, the family lived in the harsh winter lands of Carnatia in the northern plains of Vailor. Duke Otto’s bastard son, Marius Baruch, fought against the loyalists during the Duke’s War; he fought in the Siege of Barrowyk, though he escaped and sought refuge with fellow soldiers and exiled aristocrats. Upon John I Frederick’s return to Vailor, Marius, along with other Horen loyalists conspired against King Guy de Bar to reform the Empire of Oren. As a result of Marius’ assistance in the Horen Restoration, his son Joren was taken as a squire beneath Duke Otto II of Carnatia. Marius then joined with a group of Cannonists and set out to form the Clerical seat of Luciensport. His older son, Bernard, took full interest in the Church and decided to enroll into the Clergy, later becoming the Bishop of Haense and eventually being anointed as High Pontiff Everard III.

 

 

Under Duke Otto II, Joren flourished and was awarded a knighthood and a manor estate on the Carnatian coast for his loyal service. Shortly after, Duke Otto II was succeeded by his son, Stephen I, and then by Stephen’s maternal grandfather, Jan Kovachev. It was during this time, in the court of Duke Jan that Joren met and eventually wed Adelajda Roswell, the daughter of Arthur Roswell, the Duke of Istria and close friend of Duke Jan. The pair quickly had two boys, Eirik and Harold before Joren’s military service was required once more for the Riga War against House Staunton. After defeating the Staunton Duke, Joren returned home and had his third and final child, Isabel. Just short of three months after the birth of his daughter, Joren was killed in a whaling accident when his boat was butted by a whale and he fell overboard, becoming trapped beneath the ice and drowning.

 

After his father’s death, Eirik decided to enlist in the company of the then Duke Petyr of Haense. He served as a squire beneath the Duke, and upon Petyr’s elevation to King of Haense, Eirik was raised the the Baron of Voron and given land sitting between the Hansetti mountains and the coast.

 

Noble Patriarchs

  Eirik “The Whaler” (1581-1606)

 

Eirik served as a squire under Duke Petyr of Haense, who later became the first King of Hanseti-Ruska. Eirik was awarded with the Barony of Voron upon the descendents arrival to Axios. He embarked on a successful voyage to recover the body of Otto the Bald, to which he laid to rest in the crypt of Voron Hold (later named Saint’s Rest in honour of St Otto). After Petyr’s death, King Andrik II elevated Eirik to Count of Ayr as Baruch’s followings bolstered. Eirik, along many other Haensetic houses, stayed loyal to the Empire during the short lived Deep Cold Uprising of 1585. Shortly after, he gained his first vassal within his own uncle, Hughes Pasquier, who was elevated to Baron of Laval. Eirik, a keen whaler, often hosted whale hunts to the County and King off the shores of Saint’s Rest. Later in life, he was awarded the honourary title “Guardian of the Hanseti Coast” due to Baruch’s naval traditions. He died in battle alongside his uncle Hughes fighting Courland with the newly formed Kingdom of Mardon.

 

Otto “The Just” (1606-1640)

 

Otto spent his early years in the Vanir hold of Serpentstone, under the tutelage of Marquis Brandon I of Vasiland. He grew close to Linnea Vanir, Brandon’s eldest child, later going on to wed her. Otto played a crucial role in starting the Greyspine Rebellion against the Courlandic Crown, keeping the hold of Liefgaard (later renamed Jorenstadt) in partial rebellion, and attempting a coup on his rightful keep, Saint’s Rest. He also arranged strategic marriages to unite former Haensetic houses against Courland, such as the union between himself and Linnea and between his sister and Lord Vyronov. After the reformation of Haense, he was appointed Judge Royal of the Kingdom, his tenure lasting eight years until the rise of the Sixth Empire. Then he was named Chief Justicar of the Empire until its collapse. In his later years, Otto developed dementia, quickly becoming incapacitated and unable to serve as Count, his death trailing not far after.

 

Aldrik “The Stalwart” (1640- )

 

Aldrik was born into a Haense occupied by Courland. He was raised in a constant struggle against them, leading to great resentment towards his Heartlandic kin. He was inspired by his uncle, Sigmar, from a young age to become a knight, leading to King Stephen I squiring him. Though he would be knighted not by Stephen, but Otto II, for his role in saving his father Otto from a would be Ruthern assassin, and diplomatically cooling off the feud that came out of it, instead of pushing for a more bloody resolution. He served as regent of Ayr during his father’s failing health and eventual death, attempting to put Baruch further into the public’s eye, a direct opposite to the Baruch culture of isolating away from the capital. Early on in his tenure as Count, he led his followers and family across the seas upon their long dormant ship, away from Axios, landing in Atlas. He quickly abandoned his efforts to publicize Baruch, instead despising the oppressive centralization that the Kingdom had adopted, and certainly the Royal Army that came with it. He kept his own personal guard, keeping his family away from the Army and ensuring their protection with his own loyal guardsmen. Upon the dissolution of Haense by Otto III, Aldrik built the families new seat of Greyguard Hold, in the newly formed County of Ayr; changing his title from titular to landed, and inspiring his fellow peers to follow suit. He refused to believe Haense was really gone, insisting the nobility were holding it up until a better suited King came about. This thought proved to be partly true, as not long after Karl II took the mantle of King, restoring the Kingdom and allowing Aldrik to vassalize once again. He played a crucial role in the writing and signing of the Greyguard Pact with House Ruthern, creating a strong inter-vassal alliance and future from a violent and bloody past.

 

Artifacts And Heirlooms

The Whalebone coronet: This item is a coronet made of various gems and whalebones, tangled together in a messy circlet, passed down to each Count of Ayr. It was created during the reign of Eirik I, the bones harvested from a whale he hunted, and the gems from the mountain that Saint’s Rest was built into.

 

Whalebone dagger: The Whalebone Dagger was created by Count Otto, to be held by the children and notable members of the House. It was not meant to be used in combat, and instead was used for decoration, though they do possess quite sharp edges.

 

Whalebone sword: The Whalebone Sword, quite similarly to the Dagger, is not meant to be used in combat. It is to be held by the Count of Ayr, alongside the Coronet. It was created by the current patriarch, Count Aldrik, paying homage to his families long whaling traditions.

 

Body of Otto the Bald: The deceased body of Saint Otto of Vanderfell, from who House Baruch descends from. The body is kept with great care, having been cautiously transferred from the Baruch Crypt in Axios to Atlas.

 

Notable Non-Patriarch Members

Sigmar ‘the Mad’

Joren ‘the Marksman’

Bernard Baruch (High Pontiff Everard III)

[Imperium 3495]

"May our two houses prosper," Count Rhys comments.

[d0ntc4r3 104]

Leon Palaiologos wonders what his distant cousins are up to. He sighs, forgoing any desire to see his distant relatives.

[Arygon 135]

big muskle man

[Gridlock 1033]

On 5/25/2018 at 12:44 AM, Bubby said:

Sigmar ‘the Mad’

Sigmar cries tears of joy as he is mentioned.

[Legoboy7984 3155]

On 5/24/2018 at 5:44 PM, Bubby said:

Joren ‘the Marksman’

 

 

15 hours ago, Gridlock said:

Sigmar cries tears of joy as he is mentioned.

 

Joren cries tears of joy as he is mentioned as well with his father.

[MunaZaldrizoti 8037]

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.