House Flay
“Blood for Coin!”
House History
Following his return after 20 years of exile, August Flay - Lord of House Flay -
reformed his renowned household with the blessing of the Emperor Godfrey
in the Holy Oren Empire. Unfortunately for him, much had changed in the
decades of his disappearance, and the paramountcy he once enjoyed in
Oren politics was a thing of the past. New powers ruled in Oren.
Unwilling to face the fact that his power had long since waned, August
Flay allied himself with the Teutonic Order and challenged the Order of
the White Rose; a grievous error on his part. Having not given himself
enough time to gather his strength, House Flay was dealt a decisive
defeat by the numerically superior Roses and their allies, and to all
those in Oren and outside - appeared to have been shattered completely.
Indeed it seemed this way in the aftermath. In his rage and denial, August
Flay removed dozens of men from his service, murdered loyal
subordinates, and began plotting his return to power. He hired
sellswords, he gathered vassal houses. Most importantly, he sent a
request to the Emperor. A change of his name, from the infamous Flay to
the newly coined Blackmont. In this, August hoped to start anew,
establish a new identity for himself and his men in the Empire. Having
gathered what men he deemed loyal and fit, the first Lord Blackmont
began plotting and planning, intent on retaking what he once held.
In an effort to consolidate his position, Lord Augustus I hammered out
alliances and took on new vassals, becoming liege to the Houses Carrion,
Woods, Letholdus, and Greymane. Upon his arrival to the land of Anthos
with his personal army, Lord Blackmont moved quickly to establish a new
base of operations and wasted no time in resuming his activities of
intimidation and terror.
Peace never did last long when Lord Augustus Blackmont was involved. In a bid
for more power and additional land, he declared formal war upon the
Teutonic Order, relying on his terror tactics and superior numbers -
albeit inferior organization. Additionally, a son was born to him by his
wife, Lorin Chivay, the son that Augustus had prayed for for so many
decades. With this new heir, Tiberius, born, Augustus groomed him from
the beginning - so that he could properly assume control of House
Blackmont upon his own death.
With tensions only increasing along with open conflict in north, battle
lines were drawn as different noble houses decided who they were to
fight alongside. At full strength and readily mobilized for war, House
Blackmont geared itself to fight any that they deemed necessary in order
to advance in status and power. With the help of House Blackmont's
allies, a siege upon the Dreadfort was broken and the Teutonic Order
forced into retreat. In his final days, Augustus lived to see the day
that the Order was officially disbanded, before finally dying in his
bed, alongside his most trusted followers. Shortly thereafter, his
eldest son, Tiberius, was named his successor. Though he held much
resentment towards his father for his harsh and peculiar upbringing, he
quickly took the reigns in House Blackmont as Lord Tiberius Blackmont II.
In an event known by many as the 'Crimson Banquet,' Tiberius arranged a
feast to celebrate his own rule over House Blackmont. Here, as a toast
was declared in his honour, he was poisoned and died instantly. In the
subsequent confusion, accusations were thrown between the Bannerman and a
brawl quickly ensued. In the chaos, the Dreadfort was set alight and
the surviving Bannerman forced to seek a new home from the Emperor.
Under the new Lordship of Augustus's youngest son, Lucius, they rebuilt
the Dreadfort close to Oren's capital, where they intended to restore
the House to its former glory.
Lucius Blackmont and his men drop to their knees as they reach the throne,
they guards lower their head in respect as Lucius speak out "Your
Imperial Majesty". Horen looks over to Lucius nodding at him as he
speaks "Aye, Lord Justiciar?". Lucius and his men rise from kneeling as
he clears his throat and begins to speak "I have a request for you, I
wish to retain our old name. The name that broke fear into so many
hearts, the name we are still called today. I wish for myself and my
family to be called House Flay." He darts his eyes to Horen then to the
men around the throne with him, a small bead of sweat falling from his
forehead as he waits nervously. Horen shifts in his throne before he
speaks out "Very well then Lord Justiciar, you have my blessing." Lucius
smiles and places his hands behind his back, gripping his two hands
together. "That is all Your Imperial Majesty" He gives a slight bow of
his head as he spins on his heels and marches out of the Palace, two Man
of Arms quickly following after him by his side.
Customs
The most noticeable feature about House Flay is its practice of
skinning its enemies alive, and in some cases dead. Soldiers hang
trophies of these skins, from any and all races and allegiances, as a
show of glory. These sometimes full body husks of rotting flesh are seen
as a sign of military merit in the House, and the more a soldier has on
his wall, the more respected and prone for bonuses.
Within the upper echelons of House Flay, many shroud their more devious
nature, utilising a silver tongued wit to escape the most dangerous
encounters. Though soldiers of House Flay are known for their
ruthless appetites, over the years, they have further learnt to
appreciate the importance of subtlety and deception.
Goals
The men of House Flay have but one will, that of their leader - the
Lord of Flay. What he has in priority is known only to him truly,
but the household and those who lead it have always been known to have
an affinity for chaos and corruption. Their lust for power is
unparalleled in the Empire, and their brutality is not matched by any
other force that serves the Emperor.
Responsibilities
Becoming a soldier for House Flay is taxing both physically and mentally.
Tasks often are of a violent and immoral nature, including but not
exclusive to: intimidation, robbery, murder and torture. Nothing is off
limits to a Flay man, if he knows what is best for him.
Ranks
Base Ranks
Lord of Flay:
The head of HouseFlay, to be held by the eldest male relative to the previous holder of the title when deceased or deposed
Captain of the Guard:
Charged with the responsibility to lead soldiers into battle, this position is
coveted as one to be held by only the most zealous, efficient, and cruel
of Flay’s retainers.
Sergeant of the Guard:
As direct subordinates to the Captain of Guard, these men are charged to
help manage the soldiers in times of battle and action in the field.
Master of Arms:
Men at Arms in House Flay who achieve much in their in servitude to
Lord Flay and are recognised by the Captain as proficient warriors
are granted the rank of Master of Arms. These are some of the most
skilled and ruthless warriors in the House and are infamous for their
merciless techniques.
Man at Arms:
A professional soldier in service to the house, many of these men are in
fact kidnapped at a young age for service. They fight for the household
and are expected to complete any task by given a superior. They are
expected to have few morals, an understanding of obedience and
discipline, and a large sense of loyalty to their liege lord of
Flay. This rank is achieved upon completing the initiation process
of flaying one's enemy.
Unblooded:
By no means kind or of compassionate disposition, unblooded men don the
same uniform as the rest of the rank, but are simply noted to not have
taken the final step to becoming a man of the Dreadfort.
Specialty Ranks
Men who hold speciality ranks are automatically assigned
a rank that is above the common Master of Arms, Man at Arms and
Unblooded, but is under the authority of Sergeants and above.
Quartermaster:
The quartermaster is tasked with managing the supplies necessary to
maintain House Flay at an optimum level.
Spy Master:
Subterfuge and deception has always been highly valued by Flay, and will
continue to be valued. The Spy Master has the responsibility of keeping
up to date on the affairs of Anthos, as well as delving into deeper missions.
Master of Alchemy:
The master of alchemy is in charge of brewing various concoctions, in order
to aid House Flay's cause. He has the responsibility of brewing
and distributing brews and potions to the soldiers during times of war.
House Engineer:
In terms of warfare, the House Engineer is in charge of constructing and organising the
positioning of siege weapons, while also creating traps made from redstone wiring.
Equipment and Pay
Upon joining this force, every man regardless of rank receives the following:
- A suit of armour, the best available to be given out.
- Weapons according to preference.
- Weekly food rations.
- Room for living, or assistance in acquiring a home.
Upon being promoted to the rank of Man At Arms, every man is entitled to the following:
- An unlimited supply of armor, or as many suits required or available.
- Unlimited acces to the Flay weapons armory.
- Food rations on demand.
- A red bandanna or armband.
Flay men are not payed on a fixed basis, but are often payed based on the
results on a given task or mission. In addition, all loot a man might
be able to garner in raids and campaigns of war are his by right, and
may not be taken from him.
Rules
- Do not raid or seriously wound another member of House Flay, on penalty of death.
- Do not raid or assault allies of House Flay or other noble Houses of Oren, unless explicitly stated, on penalty of death.
- Do not betray House Flay, on penalty of death.
- Do not insult or disrespect your superiors, on penalty of death.
- Do not hesitate in combat or when given an order, on penalty of death.
- Do not disobey or disrespect a member of the Flay family, on penalty of death.
Requirements
IC:
- A willingness to fight, and die, for the cause of House Flay and its Lord, whatever it may be.
- An absence or lack of morals that may interfere in any work done in the name of House Flay.
- The ability to subordinate oneself to superiors and follow orders given.
- No current allegiances.
OOC:
- Skype and Teamspeak are preferred.
- Must have or be willing to write a villain application with at least 1a, 2a, and 2c.
- Must conduct themselves in a mature manner OOCly.
Joining
A flyer emblazoned with the flayed man of Flay hangs upon the jobs board in the various cities of the Holy Oren Empire.
Those who wish to join the men of Flay and become true sons of the
Dreadfort are required to send a letter - written by another if unable
to read nor write - stating their intention to join while making it
fully aware that said applicant understands the implications of joining.
((Send me a PM through the forums, after posting on the thread, role playing
that you have sent the letter.)) The letter should contain the following format.