House Amador

SETTING THE COURSE 1350 A.H. - Present NOD PEPEL, ASERE PODNIMAT’SYA From Ashes, We Rise — The Union of Mondstadt has ushered in a new era of prosperity for the House of Amador. Despite the challenges that have beset our noble House, our spirits remain resolute. In the wake of this joyous union, it is with immense delight and gratitude that we announce the birth of a precious heir. As the legacy of the Amadors flourishes, we welcome a new generation, a beacon of hope and the embodiment of our cherished lineage. The Baroness and Baron-Consort are thrilled to introduce, His Lordship, HENRIK III EDVARD AMADOR @critter May the Heir to Mondstadt, guided by the virtues instilled within our noble House, wholeheartedly dedicate himself to the service of the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska. Her Ladyship, Nataliya Amador, The Phoenix of Amador, Baroness of Mondstadt and Kastellan of Immigration of Haeseni-Ruska His Lordship, Aleksandr Amador, Baron-Consort of Mondstadt

A BRIEF HISTORY OF HOUSE OF AMADOR 1350 A.H. - Present NOD PEPEL, ASERE PODNIMAT’SYAN From Ashes, We Rise — By Nataliya Mariya Amador, 10th Baroness of Mondstadt, Albus Henrik Brian Amador, & Aleksandr Audemar. — FOREWORD & INTRODUCTION The House of Amador is an Ancient Noble House in annals of recorded history, starting from the times of Asulon through to the present day, now residing in the Dual Kongzem of Hanseti-Ruska. The History of the Amadors has mostly been passed down in the verbal tradition within the early years of the House, with only sporadic missives and histories made by Patriarchs and Kinsmen alike, making a study of the Amadors a challenge to understand, analyse and evaluate from an historiographic and ethnographic perspective. In spite of these troubles, we pen this history of the House of Amador. We do not intend this to be a definitive edition of the House’s History, but rather an insight into the wider scope of its origins and its trials among history’s restless tides. A more definitive edition may be published in time. “BUT HE WAS AN AMADOR, IF ANYONE COULD PAY, HE COULD” AYLWIN BLAXTON, BOOK III, CHAPTER XXIX THE BIRTH OF HOUSE AMADOR | C.1350 The History of the House of Amador starts with the founders, Jack and Jiraiya Amador, back in the lands of Asulon. Travelling down the Eastern coast from the Malin’or borderlands down to the Heartlands, it is assumed that the House started as ethnic Adunians, a point later believed true with the extensive lifespan of Jiraiya Amador and other Kinsmen. There, the Amadors founded the settlement of Vendere, near the Kingdoms of Renatus and Salvus. Through a careful consolidation of the Archipelago, which became known as the Renatus Holy Lands, after a meteor shower littered the Island chain in strange debris which became known as Moon-rocks, the Amadors merged the two settlements of Vendere and Ceru into the County of Crestfall, as well as the conquest of the rest of the archipelago after a steady build up of naval supremacy in the region, the House of Amador rose to the status of a Duchy within the First Holy Orenian Empire. However, the time of the Founders was not without its trials. The Cleansing at Crestfall by the Order of the White Rose, a Holy Order of Knights that the Amadors had within its lands, killed off many heathens and heretics in their city. Likewise, Jiraiya Amador and other Amadors were known to have been involved in the Malin Slave Trade, with Jack Amador briefly having owned a dark elf slave. It is also believed that Jack Amador married a daughter of the Royal House of Hightower. Towards the end of the Descendants’ time in Asulon, when plagues ravaged the lands of Horen and other natural disasters devastated the continent, the Emperor commissioned the creation of an Imperial Fleet from the House of Amador, who were known for their shipbuilding and which was subsequently used to transport Humanity to Elysium, Kalos and, eventually, Anthos. On those ships, the House of Amador also sailed, however, only half would survive the transition and subsequently arrive in Anthos. THE CURSE & THE SHADOWCOAST | C.1450 During the process of travelling to settle on a new land and found a new home, many of the Amadors, including one of the Founders, Jack Amador, died of unknown circumstances. Daniel Amador, a Kinsmen of the House, wrote in a diary of his voyage across the Seas, to the Elysium, Kalos and to Anthos. In this diary, of which only a few pages remain, he states that “An Evil followed them [The Amadors] from the Old World”, which led all Amador Ancestors to believe that the House had become cursed by some ill-designing entity. After arriving on the Eastern side of Anthos, in an area known as the Shadowcoast, the Amador Ships arrived. Gaunt and tired, but still extremely wealthy from their time in Asulon, the House Patriarch, Tristan Amador, attempted to curry favour with the Lord Farley Stafyr & the King of Oren to gain new lands and titles to their House. Within time, James Amador, Tristan’s Son, was named Baron of the Shadowcastle, following service to the House of Stafyr and the Kingdom of Oren. However, following an apocalyptic flood, the House of Amador’s flame was washed out and they did not receive landed title again until over a century after. FIRST ASHES - A HOLY KNIGHT AND HIS KIN | C.1500 The Line of James Amador continued as merchants and tradesmen, maintaining a bourgeois lifestyle despite losing their lands and titles, slowly building wealth in the background to rekindle their flame. Despite being washed by the Flood, An Amador Holy Knight named Ser Arthur the First, who had sworn Holy Vows before the Church of the Canon & had served during the Carrion Kingdom & Chivay Empire still shone brightly as one of the few of the Amadors to retain any influence or position within Humanity. He would be called to arms in the Duke’s War and the Schism War, during which time he had one child, who would also be named Arthur. This Line of Arthur Amadors would continue on towards the Seventeenth Century, mainly serving in a martial capacity as Knights, Warriors, and Royal Guards. However, they did not carry the House into further Nobility until the turn of the Century when Christopher Amador was made a Baron under the Duke of Marna. Christopher’s Line became extinguished following the founding of the Sixth Holy Orenian Empire. FIRST RISING - REKINDLING THE EMBERS | C.1650 Ruslan the First, Son of Mylander Amador and of the Line of James Amador regained nobility prior to the turn of the Seventeenth Century, founding what would become the Ancestral Seat of the House, Mondstadt, the settlement of the Moon. It was he who coined the House Words “From Ashes, We Rise” and the First to Move the House to the Lands of the Hanseni. However, he is also known for having participated in the Deep Cold Rebellion against the Fifth Holy Orenian Empire, but was not subsequently punished for his participation. It is not an understatement to claim that, with Ruslan, many of the House’s Stereotypes were established: A Northern house, good with money, and willing to fight. His Son, Ramdir the First, was most notable for whom he married, rather than his own accomplishments. He married Anna Sophia Jrent-Warlai, who would eventually become Queen Anna Sophia of Lotharingia, a woman who seized the Southron Kingdom in a fractious civil war. Though this happened after Ramdir had died. He was also known for being a Martial Lord who fought in the Coalition War and was murdered at Johannesburg by Officials of the Fifth Holy Orenian Empire in the follow-up to the Independence of Haense. FIRST FADING EMBERS - BACK TO THE HEARTLANDS | C.1620 Owyn “Iron-Fist” Amador, Son of Ramdir, began his reign as Baron of Mondstadt while under-aged. His Kinsmen, Dorm Amador, served as regent during his early reign. Owyn’s Story was recorded partially by the penmanship of his Household Diplomat, Aylwin Blaxton. For his services to the Dual Kongzem of Hanseti-Ruska, he was made a Count, but subsequently lost Mondstadt following the Great Northern War. He would eventually move the House of Amador south again, where he would work with others to aid in the formation of the Sixth Holy Orenian Empire. During the time of the Great Northern War, Owyn Amador was not able to spend much time with his sons, Henrik & Ruslan. Following his death after securing the Title of Count of the Blackfen & Gravelhold Castle, Henrik the First became the House Patriarch. Another military Amador, Henrik became a Marshal of the Sixth Holy Orenian Empire and subsequently funded its entire military. He married Princess Artemis Palaiologos de Savin, thanks to his high station, however, following a disagreement with the Emperor, he resigned as Marshal to maintain his honour and died on the field of battle during the Third Urguan-Oren War. During his tenure, Jack Amador, Son of Owyn, became Pontiff Clement III. His Twin, Ruslan the Second, was already Steward of the Sixth Holy Orenian Empire by the time of his ascension. But given the state of the Empire following the poor decisions of the Imperial Crown, his station and lands were soon taken. He did not marry and had no children of his own, the line reverted to the Children of Henrik the First. Henrik’s Son, Rennard Mylander Amador, did not survive long, so the line passed to a daughter for the first time in Amador History. SECOND ASHES - A WORLD'S WEIGHT ON A MOTHER | C.1650 Katherine Amelia Amador, Daughter of Henrik the First and Princess Artemis Palaiologos, had an unfortunate life. The daughter of an Amador and a Palaiologos de Savin, she ended up moving to Santegia after her wishes to return to her Marian roots were rebuffed. Attempting to keep her grieving mother company whilst maintaining the family name, she would eventually marry matrilineally to Bastian Greyson, with whom she would father the future Henrik the Second. While the House’s fortunes were depleted and the House did not garner the level of respect it had enjoyed previously, Katherine was able to set up businesses in Santegia which still afforded her a comfortable lifestyle. The marriage with her husband was thought to have been strained due to his work as a Mercenary, leaving his wife and child alone for long periods of time. In this crucible, the next generation would take command. SECOND RISING - REKINDLING THE EMBERS | C.1700 In Atlas, Henrik Amador, styling himself Henrik the Second, laid claim to the family name. He was initially not the heir of the House, as his mother preferred to name Rebekah, his sister, the heir. Having been one generation removed from the last known Amador Lord, he considered his claim to nobility tenuous. Once he was of age, Henrik II claimed Patriarchy upon the passing of his Mother. However, Upon arriving in Arcas, he garnered a reputation as an explorer and adventurer, best told in the Story “Amadoria”. He soon-after regained nobility status for the House of Amador after the Ludovar Trial, retaking Mondstadt, and married a Santegian princess, Tamar of Biscay, with whom he had four sons: Ruslan, Albert, Edvard and Karl. Ruslan the Third continued bearing the torch of the Amadors that his father had lit so brazenly. Under his reign as Baron of Mondstadt and living in a stately manor with extensive lands outside of New Reza, Ruslan kindled his relationships inside the family, notably with Edvard and Rennard Amador, both of whom would become Royal Treasurers, with the former becoming known either as the Golden Banker or the Tax-man, depending on where others stood in contrast to the House of Amador. However, Ruslan the Third did not pass Mondstadt to a son, but his daughter. BURNING AT THE BRIGHTEST | C.1775 Baroness Sosina Amador, the sixth Amador to hold a title, was the first female to actively hold a landed title in the history of the House. Despite being a known beauty in her own right, she did not seek to impose a Matriarchy like her Ancestor, Katherine Amelia. Instead, she would marry a Baruch and have two sons. She is also known for two strange events that occurred during her tenure. The first was an unknown Haunting at Mondstadt Manor, in which she claimed the place was cursed, with personas in paintings moving and a curious relic being supposedly to blame. The other was the manner of her death: A bee sting, which is believed to have caused Anaphylaxis. Lady Ingrid Barclay nee Amador was the sister to Baroness Sosina, known for taking up regency of Mondstadt until the young Ramdir was old enough to reign. Ingrid was the second female high Seneschal within the Kongzem of Haense and worked hard to establish a more stable stewarding system, preventing stewards from stealing money from the Crown. Throughout her regency, she dedicated all of her efforts to the House of Amador, hosting various events within the Barony. SECOND FADING EMBERS - REGENTS, REGRETS, REGRESS | C.1800 Under the Regency of his Aunt, Iyngrid Barclay vas Amador, the greatest achievement of Ramdir’s reign took place: the House of Amador was elevated to the status of Viscommital title, thus making Ramdir the 1st Viscount of Aurveldt. While an achievement, not much of it can be credited to Ramdir himself. It was only two years after the House was given this title, that a thirteen year old Ramdir made his desire to marry the commoner, Valentina D’Airelle clear. Ramdir’s moniker of Ramdir the Reject came from Valentina abandoning him. By the time the regency had ended, the young Bossir’s reputation with not only the rest of the nobility, but also his own kin had been tainted severely. It was during this period that the Troll Wars began, an era which saw the frontier of the Kongzem threatened severely by excessive raids from the Rimetrolls. During this period Ramdir, in an attempt to fix his reputation and the damages done to that of his house, demanded to be given the position of Lord Treasurer. While intended for the betterment of his family and the Kongzem they served, it only helped further confirm to the Courts that Ramdir was an unreliable, and perhaps self-centred figure. During the Troll Wars, Ramdir did serve within the Brotherhood to aid in Haense’s defence. To both his, and many other soldiers’ detriment he may have in the end been responsible for the deaths of many of his fellow servicemen. In the end, his Family would force his abdication in favour of his eldest son. Viscount Isaak Amador was betrothed at a young age to Lady Eleanor Baruch, an arrangement first proposed by her father the Duke Ruslan Baruch. Isaak’s reign was most notably one of political involvement and diplomacy. He was one of the original three founding members of the Attenlund Union. This Union came to be in wake of the Mountain Troll attacks on the frontier vassals of the Kongzem. Most notably, House Amador, Kortrevich and Mondblume. The focus of this pact was to fortify the position of the frontier Houses. Later on, Isaak saw himself involved in the successor to the aforementioned back, the Ducal Union. Isaak, amongst the other signatories and founders of the latter pact are remembered for their direct involvement in the demotion of House Barclay, a move which sparked controversy all throughout the nobility. Both the Attenlund and Ducal Unions set precedents throughout the Kongzem that the nobility could, if they wanted to band together to achieve their political goals. Besides this, Isaak also took on both the position of Royal Inquisitor within the Duma and Jovenaar, further pushing his political career. Isaak’s time as Vikomit was fruitful when it came to his own political gains and career, but mainly notable for the achievements of the Ducal Union. During this time, House Amador found some stability, but nothing noteworthy beyond inner-nobility diplomacy came as a result of Isaak’s reign. THIRD ASHES - SWINDLED AND SHUTTERED | C.1900 Following the death of Eleanora Baruch, a sorrow-riddled Isaak decided it was best for the Viscounty to be passed onto his eldest son, Aleksandr Amador. During this time however, Aleksandr was still a child in the eyes of the Kongzem. The position of regency was handed not towards Isaak’s brother, but instead his nephew Josef Karl. Josef’s reign as regent, only lasting a handful of years, saw no noteworthy events take place for the House. It served instead as a period of quiet, before Aleksandr Amador would be allowed to take control over the family at the age of fourteen. It is not known where Josef went after his regency had ended, but it is assumed he retired from public life soon after. Aleksandr Amador was the third Viscount of Aurveldt, well known for being mischievous during his youth, perhaps as a result of the absence of his parents whilst growing up. Along with his younger brother Filip, the two created a rivalry where they played various tricks on one another, going as far as making deals with other children of nobility to fuel the competition. The young Amador’s reign would seem tragic to most, the absence of his parents weighed heavily on Aleksandr and whilst he tried to uphold the family and his responsibilities as a peer, he’d eventually shutter himself away from the public eye and abdicate to his younger brother, Filip. Filip Amador was best known for the fall of House Amador during the reign of King Karl III. Though he spent much of his time dedicated to the Duma, writing various bills, it would not be long before his reign came to an end as his lack of leadership skills and controversial behaviour left the house to fall into chaos. The House of Amador was stripped from its land and titles which would later be given to their cousins the Bishops, creating a feud between the families. Not long after, Filip would embark on a final hunting trip, never to return again and presumably considered dead, leaving the young Olessya Amador in charge of her declining house. Under the guiding hand of Olessya Amador The family sought to settle down within their cousin’s lands, the Principality of Sedan, with the promise from Prince Joseph to be named noble once more in return for helping establish the newly built principality. Olessya and her sister Ilaria quickly funnelled into the Sedanian courts, being close advisors to the Princess-Consort, Augustina, and aiding their kin in any way they were able to. However, with such promises came disappointment as despite all their efforts as one of the more active houses within Sedan, they were refused nobility. It was not long before the crown prince abdicated and the principality fell into turmoil. THIRD RISING - THE PHOENIX RISES | C.1920 Following the collapse of Sedan, the Matriarch of the House, Olessya Amador decided to move back to the Dual Kongzem of Hanseti-Ruska, where she purchased a Townhouse with what little of the Amador fortune remained. Knowing that there were more of her kin than her immediate family, she summoned all of the Amadors across Almaris to gather at the Townhouse, to consolidate the family and work towards the rebuilding of their fortune & noble status. Such action brought many kinsmen back to the fold, Ramdir Amador and his Sons, Emiliya Amador and her son, as well as her elderly mother and sister, Ilaria. With this done, she began to teach her daughter, Nataliya, how best to reign as Matriarch, should the time come when she would be required to take the mantle. The Current Matriarch of the House of Amador, Nataliya Mariya, otherwise known as “The Phoenix” for her Red Hair (a physical trait stereotypically uncommon to the Amadors generally) is the 10th Baroness of Mondstadt. Through the efforts of herself and her kin, she successfully revived the House’s standing within the Naumarian Kongzem, as well as supporting her kin upon the discovery of the Ludwig Affair and House Bishop’s involvement within it. The Baroness has also spent much time reforming the Office of Immigration, a project she continues to work hard towards. During most recent years, Nataliya Amador worked tirelessly to support the kongzem by leading her kinsmen onto the battlefield against the Mori’quesser threat while wielding the sword of her Ancestor, Henrik I. Despite the eventual loss of their homelands, she continues to lead her family through unknown lands to guide the house of Amador towards a brighter future. May the Lord on High Bless her Reign as Matriarch. From Ashes, We Rise. IV JOVEO MAN Her Ladyship, Nataliya Amador, The Phoenix of Amador, Baroness of Mondstadt and Kastellan of Immigration of Haeseni-Ruska Professor, Albus Amador, Chronologist of the House of Amador Lord, Aleksandr Audemar