The Houses of Ebonveil

Ebonveil, being an Elven city, is ran by it's ruling houses or lineages. There are 8 total houses of varying power and control of differing aspects of life in the city-state of Ebonveil. The area of control itself is simply however much of the surrounding forests they are willing to patrol and many simply assume they control the entire Blackwood forest.

Government System
The government is essentially an Oligarchy. Meaning, the rule of the city is handed out amongst an elite segment of society, in this case that group are the ruling Elven houses of Ebonveil. Each house has a controlling interst in the city and in many cases controls a certain aspect of the city. For instance, one house might be in charge of providing military forces and training, and another may be in charge of the banking systems. You can find a more in depth look at each of the houses and their part in the government further down this page.

The houses each are tasked with presenting a head of the family, effectively the family's ambassador and more often then not, the family's leader. The leaders will be the spokesperson for the family in matters of government decisions. The collection of leaders are known simply as the Ebon Council. The council gathers daily to discuss general matters of the upkeep and control of the city and it's surrounding area of control and will call emergency sessions for pressing matters that need to be voted on. Though there are no tenants in the governmental decries that state any one member has more power than another, the society is built on a system of uneven power and that in itself breeds power struggles within the council, where one member's voice has more sway than another's.

While rare, there are cases where one family on the council is replaced by another that previously was not part of the 8 ruling houses. Every Winter Solstace, there is a gathering of the council specifically meant to discuss any movement and changes in the power hierarchy among the families that make up Ebonveil. If a replacement of one house for another as a represented family in the council is to be made, it is anounced anonymously to the council and discussed. At the end of the discussion the family who has been named to be removed from the council can make a closing argument, and the family who has been nominated to replace them makes an argument of their own and then a vote is held. Because houses power tends to only grow as part of the council, it is rare that other houses outside of the initial 8 can surpass even the lowest ranking houses in the Ebon Council. Additionally, because the house being pushed out can vote, and as such likely votes for themselves, there is already a definite leaning towards vetoing any movement and any successful votes for ursurping houses has been a very well-planned and minipulated affair or happens after a time of war or cataclysm, in which case a house can show they are deserving through merit, rather than word of mouth.

The last successful vote for representative change happened after the Grey War nearly 3 centuries ago.

The Eight Houses
There are innumerable amounts of family houses represented in the bloodlines that make up the population of Ebonveil, including both Eladrin and Elf houses. However, at any given time, only eight of these houses can be part of the Ebon Council's ruling body. While there are many more powerful family houses in Ebonveil, the eight houses in charge at any given time are in a tier of their own in terms of control and influence. The following eight royal elven houses are the houses currently in control of the Ebon Council.

House Nylway'los (Eladrin)
The House Nylway'los rose to powers centuries before, during the initial gathering of much of the Elven population on Prynh during the first century of the Dragon's End Era. Having grown very rich by way of a dragon's horde after the defeat of Godbane and subsequent dragon slavemasters, it was easy for Nylway'los to find power among their people. The Eladrin and Elves, like the rest of the world, were poor and looking for a place to call home in the new "free" Prynh. In modern Ebonveil society, House Nylway'los still controls much of the monetary power. As such, it was natural that they would assume control of the banking and financial systems and institutions in Ebonveil society. This gives them a great deal of power, perhaps the most power of any other house represented on the council. Their seat on the Ebon Council is currently held by Elysia Nyway'los, matriarch of the house.

House Ryn'la (Eladrin)
During a time of turmoil and strife, where most kneeled to the dragons and were subjugated accordingly, the Ryn'la bloodline fought. Even before the revolution and rise of the slaves against their Dragon master's, the Ryn'la elves had long been a thorn in the side of the Dragon overlords. Mastering the sword and magic, they were a foe to be reckonned with and their legend preceded them by the time the Dragon's Rule Era had ended and Godbane had fallen. It was a natural process that they, the mouse famous name in Elven culture, would be considered a large part of the natural leadership group that would form when Ebonveil was first being established. Now the warriors who mixed sword and magic are known as Bladesingers, and the House Ryn'la continues to train and perfect the art. To be selected as a Bladesinger is now one of the greatest honors a young Eladrin or Elf can receive and is the highest form of military prowess the elves of Ebonveil boast and as a house that controls not only this prestige but also, a large part of the military might of Ebonveil, House Ryn'la has a large amount of influence and power. The current head weaponmaster for Ryn'la and representative on the council is the famous Bladesinger, Zenfai Ryn'la.

House Darlur (Elf)
As is the nature of the Eladrin to rule, it was the nature of House Darlur, a simple Elf bloodline, to rise to the top. Often known as House Silvertongue coloquially, House Darlur handles most of the relationships Ebonveil has with other bodies of government and in general, other races. Their house puts a heavy emphasis on language, trade and relationship and while often hated among the ruling houses for their very nature, they are undeniably one of the three most powerful houses among the Eight. Darlur, along with House Therin, have paved the way for a more accepting society when it comes to the "common" Elf in a civilization build on the power and confidence of Eladrin figures. The head of House Darlur is Gellan Darlur, but the house has made a sorceror named Idilan Beilor its representative in the council. It is unknwon for certain why this decision was made, but rumors are that Idilan holds some sort of power over Darlur and has used it as leverage to put himself in the of power.

House Ha'lion (Eladrin)
Despite the prominence and popularity of the Bladsinging arts, the more traditional arcane proficiencies are still coveted greatly, even or perhaps especially among the elves of Ebonveil. The legendary wizard Vellinyl Ha'lion cemented the house as the most prestigious collection of elven arcane scholars in the western hemisphere of Prynh, not to mention Ebonveil. So when the Ebon Council was forming, the popular Eladrin's house was one of the first on the list to be inducted as one of "the Eight". Vellinyl being one of the "Mighty Five", gave her house a certain amount of political power that the other houses didn't have at the time, the power to sway public opinion, and early on Ha'lion was very clearly the house with the most say in matters of Ebonveil. Now the power of Ha'lion is tempered, but they remain firmly on the Eight and have won decisive victories over any houses that have tempted to unseat them. Vellinyl herself still lives and serves as the house's representative on the council.

House Whitewolf (Wood Elf)
If the common Elves are sparse in the upper echelons of the Ebonveil hierarchy, then this Wood Elf house is an utter rarity. However, being surrounded by a dense and dangerous forest such as the infamous Blackwood, the Whitewolf house has made themselves imperative for survival. With some of the most proficient Rangers and Druids in all of Prynh coming from their family and the training their house provides for Ebonveil, Whitewolf has cemented their uncommon place on the Ebon Council for decades and have yet to be challenged for replacement despite their heritage being often looked down upon by the Eladrin who are prone to boughts of classism. Control of the Blackwood and defense against any encroaching dangers it offers is the primary concern of House Whitewolf, while simultaneously making sure no harm comes to the forest itself, as is the way of the Druidic.

House Therin (Elf)
House Therin has never claimed to be extravagant and many say the Elves of Therin are just the opposite, deviants and thugs. But to those who know the inner-workings of Therin there is a certain prestige to their members and some definite importance to the things they offer Ebonveil and the council. It is easy to say that the rogues that make up much of House Therin are to be disrespected, there is certainly a stigma attached to anyone who chooses freely to exist in the shadows. But Therin puts perhaps the most pride in their ability to live the life of thieves and assassins and still live by high standards and a strict code. Of course, to the outside world, they are simple merchants. The house is lead by Lewellyn Therin, one of the house's matrons and an infamous rogue in her own right.

House Yen'wyll (Eladrin)
House Yen'wyll is a contentious member of the Eight. Having successful done the impossible, Yen'wyll used their important part in the Grey Wars against the forces of the Underdark to dethrone House Mono'kai from the council and place themself there instead. It is all but impossible to pull this off, despite the rules that are in place to allow houses to do just that. The oceans and seas of Prynh aren't a particularly popular habitat for the Eladrin, so when the Grey War was on, the small armada of House Yen'wyll became of increased importance. Suddenly a house that was commonly called pirates behind their backs and looked down upon despite the great fish produce that they provided Ebonveil, was vaulted into relevance among the highest ranking houses. Now having a standing navy is seen as a necessity, such a young civilization coming to the realization that they need to take every precaution to protect their way of life, even if that means changing those ways. Yen'wyll is still seen as a lower level house when compared to most of the other houses on the council, and their constant fued with the ursurped House Mono'kai makes for some unwanted drama in the council, but they seem to have cemented their place as a part of the Eight for the forseeable future.

House Sin'ro'kua (Eladrin)
Clerics, priests, paladins, not necessarily a popular set of paths for the Eladrin, but House Sin'ro'kua's rare connections to the more divine arts and profession has made them all but irreplacable. Many races, including the Eladrin and Elves, strive for a healthy relationship with the gods, especially after the god's presumed help with the overthrow of the Dragon overlords. So High Cleric Junto Sin'ro'kua is perhaps the most refuted and feared member fo the council. Despite their meager funding, small dedicated forces of divine warriors and a generally small House, even more powerful houses such as Ryn'la and Nylway'los tend to choose their words carefully when it comes to the Sin'ro'kua, for fear of being put on the bad side of the various neutral gods that the elven ten to worship,.