The Darkwood Codex

[Jokinghills 825]

The Darkwood Codex

[!] The Darkwood codex being stored in the Darkwood estate

 

 

Created in the year 1852 by the 3rd Baron of Darkwood, Quinn Darkwood, the pages of the codex describe how the values, traditions and outlooks of the family and its members should be, the friends, relatives and outlooks on life of the house, in addition to records of previous barons and their accomplishments.

 

 

Chapters of the book

 

I History of the house

 

II Values and traditions of the house

 

III Friends of the House

 

IV Goals and purpose of the house

 

V Dues to be paid

 

 

 

I History of the House

 

              The Darkwoods first arrived within the empire during its time in Arcas when it fought against enemies, originating from old Hanseti.

Joining during the end of the war Velhrun Darkwood(referred to in papers as William Darkwood after being granted the peerage), joined the Imperial State Army as a recruit.

              After finishing the combat academy he joined the 3rd and ascended through their ranks, becoming the captain of the 3rd, later climbing further to the rank of Major, Lieutenant Colonel and finally becoming General in Almaris.

              During his time in service the Darkwood house had been granted a non-hereditary peerage in the year of 1808, later to become hereditary after the 10th Nordling war.

              Few years after the war Velhrun Darkwood retired from the Imperial State Army, he was granted the position of magistrate in Dobrov but failed to achieve anything of note there, his years seemingly clouding his mind.

              The title then was taken by George Darkwood who previously served as the Deputy solicitor general and a Supreme court judge, he sadly passed away after a few years of managing the title.

              Due to George Darkwood having no heirs the title went to his brothers line, where the title went to Quinn Darkwood, mainly due to other family members being busy with other matters.

With time in part due to the location of the estate and their occupations the house follows a mix of Grenzi and other local cultures and norms.

 

              The Darkwood ascension into nobility has been brought by the sharpness of our mind and the swiftness of our blade, where others may have crumbled, we fought and struggled to get ahead in life.

 

II Values and Traditions of the House

 

         To be a Darkwood is to strive for greatness, no matter in what field, in what way one who is a Darkwood must strive to be the best in their chosen field, to ascend to high ranks and positions, for mediocrity is unacceptable.

 

         To be a Darkwood is to be loyal to the house, its values and goals. To go against relatives, plot against the house or try to take power in it from others is unacceptable, if one wishes for a higher position in the house then they must earn it through work and prove themselves to be worthy of it more than any other candidate.

 

         To be a Darkwood is to listen and accept the path set by the house head, for we shall be unified and with a clear purpose, if we stand alone against the storm of the world we will be broken, but together we shall prevail.

 

         To be a Darkwood is to put the ends before the means, no sacrifice is too great, no path too hard for in the end it's the goal that matters, the means can whatever is required to meet the requirements for the goal as long as they don't hurt the goal itself.

 

         To be a Darkwood is to serve the goals of the house for we are but blind sheep if we do not move forth with a goal in mind.

 

III Friends of the House

 

The Galbraith House - The members of the Galbraith house are considered friends of House Darkwood, their house head is to be held in high regard, for they served alongside Velhrun Darkwood and assisted other Darkwoods in their time of need and for this they are to be trusted and respected.

 

The De Rosius House - The members of the De Rosius house are to be regarded with respect as they are relatives even if distant ones, as such they are to be aided in times of need and trusted as relatives.

 

The Helvets House - The Helvets House and its members are to be treated with the respect their house deserves and to be regarded as friends due to their assistance in technological advancements during the time when descendants first arrived at Almaris and overall guidance they have given to the Darkwood house heads.

 

The d’Arkent House - The d’Arkent house and its members are to be treated with the respect that they house deserves and to be regarded as honorable and trustworthy individuals, in some cases even as friends due to their house heads serving alongside Velhrun Darkwood and their overall assistance to the empire.

 

IV Goals and Purpose of the House

 

       The first goal of the Darkwood family is to endure and persevere, to endure the test of time, for we can not fulfill other goals if we do not exist.

 

       The second core goal of Darkwood is to work for the greatness and prosperity of the empire. In cases where The empire is threatened by rebels or is even destroyed the Darkwood goal is to preserve and rebuild a legitimate and prestigious empire.

 

       The third core goal of Darkwood is to ascend within the empire and outside of it, to improve their standing and positions so we can better serve the empire.

 

        To Honor their ancestors and previous barons of Darkwood it's a tradition to create a family crypt with statues of their ancestors, once somebody takes on the Darkwood title they are to give a title to the previous baron to honor their work and life achievements.

 

        To each new baron a set of items is given down to preserve and to pass on after their demise, it's the Darkwood blade and the Darkwood Codex these items represent the core of the house, to step forth into the world with a blade in one hand and a book in another.

 

         All conflicts within the house are to be solved within the house, with family members providing their arguments and sides and the house head acting as the judge.

 

         When a new baron claims the Darkwood title and succeeds the previous titleholder they are to host a feast ending in a meeting between all family members, important individuals and family friends.

 

          In the end the Darkwoods and the Darkwood name must endure, and bring progress and prosperity to the world.

 

 

 

 

V Dues to be paid and favors held

 

        The Darkwood house is never to forget its debts, favors and oaths , these are to be repaid and honored no matter what. Similarly favors granted to other houses, individuals or nations are to be recorded and in times of need they are to be called upon to be repaid.

 

 

Current debts, favors and oaths.

 

• Oath given by the Darkwood house to the Holy Orenian Empire to serve it and defend it against any foes.

 

 

 

 

 

Signed

Quinn Darkwood, 3rd baron of Darkwood

 

 

 

Spoiler

This is only known to individuals this Book has been shown or given to IRP

 

[Seva 624]

Irina Darkwood stood before the strange book that had been placed on a pedestal in her Summer home (also known as the Darkwood Manor). She set her head in her hand, tapping her chin thoughtfully. It seemed important. Perhaps it was some sort of powerful artifact passed down through the family. Only one way to find out! She flipped through the pages before falling upon a mention of some sort of "debt" to Oren. Yes, this was it. Perhaps if she imbued herself with the power of this page she would inherit the unknowable power of a debt to the Emperor, rendering herself the most powerful Darkwood in their family's History. She ripped out the page. . . And ate it. However the only thing that it seemed to grant her was a tummy ache.

Bummer Wummer Dude.