House Lireth

From Himitsu no Sensou

House Lireth is a lesser house of Northern Dentoria. Its neighbors are House Franel, House Mansoure, and House Tersel.

While House Lireth may be low in the hierarchy of Dentorian nobility, a more prideful and patriotic house one will never find. It is said that the line of Lireth are strong-willed, aspire to -- and often reach -- extraordinarily high standards. They hold weakness in any form in contempt and seem to fear nothing but failure. Indeed, in ancient times before unification, they held nearly half of the North at the height of their power. Even now, House Lireth is known for skilled knights able to use nearly any weapon from horseback.

Lireth is also known to be highly ambitious and too proud to be cowed by a designated superior or liege. It is for this reason that relations between Emeron and Lireth is cool at best of times, or at worse of times, tense. Lord Hasten has just succeeded to the seat of Lireth, after a tragic accident that claimed his father's life.

Their banner is a gold horse rearing on a blue field. Their words are First to Conquer.

[edit] The Family Lireth

Lord Elmudd, ruler of Lireth, a commander of the Northern guard. Cold and unforgiving. Deceased.

Hasten, a man of twenty-two. Ruler of Lireth, called the Lion of Lireth, and a commander of the Northern guard. Stern and driven.

• His wife, Lady Felicia, a woman of eighteen. Heir to House Mansoure and with child.
• His siblings:
  • Amaeyra, his younger sister, a woman of twenty. Radiant and gentle.
  • Fartgus, his only brother, a man of eighteen. Charming demeanour hides an inner cruelty. Heir to Lireth until Felicia gives birth.
  • Elthea, his younger sister, weak of will and mind. Faked her own death at seventeen years old.
  • Isanae, his youngest sister, fifteen years of age. Brilliant and quick-witted.
• His mother, Lady Bunny. Beautiful but cold. Of House Tersel.
  

• His household:
  • Master Rodrick, tutor to the Lord’s sisters.
  • Dame Lila, a knight of Lireth and Allison’s childhood friend. Rough, but kind.
  • Dame Allison, a knight of Lireth and Lila’s childhood friend. Eager and hard working. Lady Amaeyra's personal guard, and Lord Hasten's spy.
  • Sir Trey, a Kilian-born knight of Lireth. Quiet and serious.

[edit] History of Lireth

The first member of House Lireth to enter the channels was Elthea, the second daughter and second youngest. Despite her greatest efforts, Elthea always managed to fall short of her family's standards. One day, through urging from others and her own determination, she fled House Lireth, taking on the name Alyssa to evade detection. She soon reached the town of Mansoure, where she met Elliot, whom also was aware of the journals.

Soon after, she encountered a knight from Lireth and became aware of her brother Hasten's search for her. Amaeyra, the eldest daughter of Lireth, was the first to find her-- however, Elthea's already fragile mind snapped, and Amaeyra was left to tend to her mad sister. They took refuge in Mansoure Hall, courtasy of Lady Gloria and Lady Felicia, until she 'recovered.' They then left for Emeron, where they remained until Hasten, too, discovered the network of journals. He forced the two to return home, where things regained an uneasy normalacy. During this period, both Fartgus and Isanae gained journals of their own.

Hasten started courting Lady Felicia of Mansoure, and Amaeyra began courting the heir to House Emeron, Lord Tarmon, on Lord Elmudd's orders. Hasten promised his sister that not only would she never marry Tarmon, but that her hand was promised to Lord Lawrence of House Franel. On a visit to Emeron, though, and in a moment that would haunt her months later, Tarmon sexually assaulted her.

During this period, at a ball held by the Lady Bunny, lady of Lireth, Elthea's last thread of sanity snapped, and she once again became a screaming, sobbing madwoman. She was locked in her quarters, and Isanae and Fartgus, on Hasten's orders, confiscated and burned her journal. Despite this, she wrote in a dictionary she found in her rooms, though never publicly.

Upon the announcement of Hasten's impending marriage, however, Elthea made her last public entry: an apparent suicide note. By pushing a maid out her window and escaping on a stolen horse, she faked her own death and once again fled Lireth.

Amaeyra returned home to mourn, where Hasten had begun preperations to give her hand to Prince Ian, plotting with Lawrence, Amaeyra, and Elmudd's own knights. However, Isanae overheard her siblings' discussing the plans, and delivered Hasten's journal to their father. Elmudd ordered Hasten to bring Amaeyra to Tarmon, where she would be wed to him, and for the first time in his life, Hasten refused his father-- and when Elmudd taunted him, Hasten killed him.

The two oldest children of Lireth disguised Elmudd's murder as death by horses, and Hasten assumed control of Lireth.