House Vremaix
Hope ∙ Vigilance ∙ Valour
Vassals to Durendaire
Noble House of Ishgard
Inheriting the legacy of the fallen House Lusignan.
House Vremaix is an upstanding member of the Ishgardian aristocracy devoted to agriculture, mining, and military efforts in the Coerthas Western Highlands. As part of a coterie of Reformationists loyal to the Count de Durendaire, the Vremaix family is headed by a young Baron Pascal, who holds a seat among the House of Lords in place of his late-father. Known for their loyalty and close friendship with other vassals of the High Houses, descendants of the Vremaix line hold counsel for the villagers of Caen and oversee that the fields and refineries supply their bounties year after year. These rewards are reaped for families local to Caen, and surplus is sent off to Ishgard's many contingents of knights, architects, and engineers. Even through the long winter, House Vremaix persists as a reliable supplier.The Dragonsong War is now long ago enough that children running the streets of this sun have no reason to fear looming shadows overhead. It is thanks to this peacetime that the martial members of House Vremaix now devote themselves to matters at home and defense fully. Baron Pascal is among those who lay down their arms while others yet in active service tend to posts in the city or along the Slate Mountains.
invitingly warm and welcoming
Participants of the Social Season
To all esteemed members of the peerage and gentry...
For more than forty years, House Vremaix has called the Manoir de Caen home. The historical estate and its furnishings are among many properties and personal effects passed on to the Vremaix family by the former Knight Baron Othelleaux de Lusignan before his final deployment against the Dravanian Horde in the Smoldering Wastes, moving his wards from the more humble Maison de Caen across the water. Having burned down by way of dragon fire more than fifteen times since it was first built in the early 6th Astral Era, twice within the last hundred years, the Manoir de Caen stands proudly in the countryside where the snows of northern Aldenard yet thaw, serving as a stalwart reminder of Ishgard's ability to rebuild.The mansion features carpentry, textiles, and mason work traditional to the village of Caen, and its gardens are said to be the result of Miss Sophia de Vremaix's careful horticultural attentions. Ample guest rooms are furnished for comfort so that any visitor enjoys their stay.
Coerthas Western Highlands
The Barony of Turelia
A small territory of Ishgard located before the Dravanian Forelands.
In the foothills of the mountain range that mark the western border of Coerthas, the Barony of Turelia stretches across a portion of the vale. This land is governed by House Vremaix and neighbors the post-Calamitous tundra of the greater Highlands region. One of the few places where the long winter thaws every spring, Turelia is yet home to robust fields and wildlife that remain in aetherial balance. Visitors speculate that strange magicks must be at work, shielding the area from disruption. As a result, scholars and theomancers from Saint Endalim's Scholasticate and the Holy See regularly visit Turelia's perimeter, seeking to study the region's ecology as well as confer with clergy members in the local parish of the village Caen. If the long winter can one day be reversed remains a mystery and a trial cast unto Ishgard by the Fury. For the time being, Turelia is a calm refuge away from the rest of the world, hidden, known almost exclusively to those native to Coerthas.
A glimpse back in time from before the Calamity
Untouched by the Long Winter
Life continues as it has for over a thousand years, changed only by reforms and cycles.
The barony is pastoral for the most part. In contrast to the village Caen and plantations quilting the valley, the northwestern portion of Turelia is yet a barren waste. Outposts with watchtowers hold vigil over mines and refineries built from the massif that runs between Dravania and Coerthas. Scorch marks of the Dragonsong War still colour the ruins of former settlements and fallen fortifications with soot. Some of the earth is even salted, dusted until blanched with pallid debris ground up in the mouths of wyrms and then scattered continuously over years and years—so that no sapling or crop or weed may ever sprout again under the touch or care of mankind. The scars of past conflicts are many, juxtaposed by green farmlands, rustic villas, and cottages dappling the shore of Lake Azay. One can arrive in Caen and forget that the Calamity responsible for reshaping northern Aldenard's climate has happened at all. For those seeking solace, Turelia is a beautiful retreat.
Agriculture Endemic to the Highlands
A Bastion of Verdant Coerthas
Proud to supply the Order, the Congregation, and the House Knights.
Hardy livestock, freshwater fish, wild game, and crops such as allium, tubers, gourds, tree nuts, small fruits, and grains characterize many foods native to the barony. Herds of oxen and flocks of karakul roam with their shepherds and hounds (and the occasional domesticated snurble) as they have for millennia. Many of the cultivated herbs and plants raised in the farms of Caen originate from wild seeds and grafting. Every turn, villagers rotate their fields; those left fallow are instead planted with numerous wildflowers, ensuring the soil is reinvigorated for the next cycle—and idyllic vistas for picnicking are preserved.In late-autumn and winter, Turelia freezes over, appearing very much like the rest of modern Coerthas. Hunting is sanctioned in these seasons of scarcity, with the Baron Pascal authorizing pursuits of stags and other creatures so that villagers may continue to enjoy self-sufficiency. Because of the severity of blizzards in the mountains, however, mylodons are also known to wander into the vale, warranting the recruitment of Ishgard's armed forces and volunteer reserve—often members of the Knights of the Ridge—to safeguard civilians and their livelihoods.
From Labourers to Soldiers to Patricians
Origins of an Ancient Bloodline
When the Dragonsong War was yet a nascent conflict...
Once a family of meager serfs bound to the lands of Durendaire's vassals, the Vremaix family name can trace its rise through oaths of fealty and individual triumphs in war. An old folktale speaks of House Vremaix's founding by three brothers, witnesses to the vengeance of Saint Reinette:
After taking up the legendary Gae Bolg to slay the dragon that had killed her beloved, Saint Reinette also saved many knights upon the field of battle—including young scions of the Vremaix. Inspired by her deeds and humbled by her dedication to the poor and downtrodden, these three sons of Vremaix devoted themselves to each of three intertwined paths. For leading a contingent of knights against the Dravanians to victory, the first son Étienne was bestowed by the Holy See a title among the Ishgardian peerage; he was stationed as a Baronet and ward to House Lusignan far to the west in the Vremaix's hometown called Caen. To honour the valour and grace demonstrated by Saint Reinette, the second son Lazare followed in her footsteps and cast aside his weapon, taking up vows of the cloth to aid the needy. Finally, the third son Fiacre who was yet a young squire halberdier redoubled his efforts in his training, eventually joining the ranks of the Dragoons to do battle in the sky. Ever since, the fruitful line of House Vremaix maintained its lands and kept the tradition of sending at least one child of each generation to walk the path of the clergy and another to enlist with the Order of the Knights Dragoon.
The Story of the First Vremaix Knight
Slate Miners, Smiths, and Slayers
"Hope for tomorrow. Remain vigilant. Come sunrise, your valour shall speak for you." —Étienne de Vremaix
The name of the very first patriarch of Vremaix is lost to the annals of Ishgard. It is said that, during the great migration into Coerthas, the elezen people arrive with nothing in a foreign land. And the Vremaix like others of their clan band with their kin and kith to survive the bitter wilds. As the eras pass, the name Vremaix is found again and again among dusty rosters of labourers, comprising those who have historically worked to harvest rock and metal ore from the great mountains of Western Coerthas. The Vremaix are then counted among those who make early contact with dragons, entangling with Dravania in times of peace as the Skylords and Landlords seek to build together.In this nearly forgotten age, danger comes from beasts of the wilderness and other people; marauders; vagrants; bandits; extortionists. A leader of highwaymen by the name of Hurtta emerges from the lot and becomes an infamous menace to travellers and villages local to the Slate Mountains. Upon losing his wife to one of Hurtta's raids, a swordsmith called Louka de Vremaix joins the protective Valtimo mercenaries of eld, taking up the sword to defend supply caravans—and eventually fighting alongside those who hunt down Hurtta and his men. For their deeds, several among the Valtimo mercenaries are knighted by the ancestors of High House Durendaire. Louka among them becomes the first knight of the Vremaix family line.
Slice of Life • Military • Dark
Out-Of-Character
Crystal ∙ Mateus ∙ Lore-Abiding ∙ +21
Hello! I appreciate you checking out this carrd, and I hope you enjoyed.This noble house and setting is an exploration of storytelling elements found throughout the setting of the MMORPG, Final Fantasy: XIV. Because it is homebrew, it is inherently a little lorebendy.As of Dawntrail 7.1, the elements of this narrative space are about one (1) patch behind as events unfold in real-time. The people of House Vremaix and the Barony of Turelia are aware of current world events following the happenings in the New World, Alexandria, and moving forward will receive knowledge updates through their implicit connections.
Image credits, in order of appearance:Vintage initial letter v with baroque decorations vector image by paseven @ VectorStock
Vintage Hand Carved Stack of Books Side Table by ChairishAll other artwork and photography is my own.