The Darkness Within

House Black is a powerful family that rules over the city of Tharis with an iron fist bound in a velvet glove. The family's patriarch is Lord Balur Black, a Shade who was elevated to nobility by his Shadovar masters and given control over the city. The matriarch, Lady Maenoh Black, is also a Shade and High Priestess of the Church of Ashra. The children of House Black are said to be gathered from across the world, lured away from lives of hardship and suffering into one of excess and depravity. Baptized in blood, the children of Black are staunchly loyal to their family and as they grow they are often subject to dark rites and experimentation, creating new monsters for their Goddess. It is said that the souls of these children have even been used to create the ghoulish marionettes that have been seen in the tunnels beneath the city. Bedtime stories are told in the slums and manors alike, of their twisted, demonic patron and the horrors that lurk within the walls of their subterranean home.

To my Esteemed Family,

As your patriarch and the ruler of Tharis, I, Balur Black, pen this message with a heart brimming with pride and a spirit fueled by unwavering conviction. Our noble house, the pre-eminent of Tharis, stands as a testament to the power of our cunning, ambition, and resilience.

Our family is not a mere product of chance or traditional lineage. Each of you, my cherished children, were chosen. You were plucked from the corners of the world, from lives marred by hardship and neglect, and brought into our fold. Your pasts, diverse and challenging, have forged you into individuals of unparalleled strength and character.

House Black is not just a name; it is a sanctuary for those who were once orphans, the disenfranchised, the forgotten. As a toymaker, I crafted not just playthings, but nightmares and aspirations. As a dark sorcerer, I have woven the tapestry of our legacy with threads of arcane shadow and unyielding ambition. Now, as the Lord of Tharis, we create the foundations for the world we would inherit. You, my children, are the jewels in this crown of achievement.

Our bond is deeper than blood; it is a sacrament. You have each undergone the crucible of a difficult life, severing the chains of unworthy bloodlines, to embrace the Black blood – a symbol of our unity and strength. This Black blood courses through thousands now, a network of power and influence spanning cities, across continents, and even reaching shores beyond.

The growth of House Black over these decades fills me with immense pride. From mere whispers in the shadows, we have risen to become a force that shapes destinies. Our presence is felt in every alleyway, in the halls of power, and in the hearts of the multitudes.

Our vision is grand – a world returned to its rightful state of eternal night, where all are embraced by the Black blood, where each generation grows stronger, wiser, and more empowered. This is not a mere fantasy; it is our destiny, written in our blood and sealed by our collective will.

As I reflect on my journey from a street urchin to a renowned toymaker, The Herald of Nightmares, and now, the ruler of Tharis, and husband to Ashra's Night Serpent, I see the same potential in each of you. My story is not mine alone; it is ours to share, to nurture, and to expand. You are not subjects under my rule; you are my family, my pride, my legacy.

I charge each of you to seize the opportunities I have laid before you. Grow, excel, and rise to greatness. Let the world marvel at the power of House Black, a family not bound by fate but forged in blood and united by an unbreakable bond.

With Eternal Pride,

Lord Balur Black, Herald of Ashra and Patriarch of House Black

House Black is quite unique as a noble house as its founder and patriarch has no interest in operating in the standard hereditary inheritance scheme. The House is not designed to create heirs as the Patriarch and Matriarch are immortal beings and so will not expire naturally, nor do they have any motivation to reward any of their children for removing them. Instead the power structure is built around expanding House Black's influence thus allowing those who prove themselves to come into their own power and attain their own areas of influence within the larger network that is House Black.

Thusly, House Black is separated into 6 ranks, each with their own specific purpose and influence.

Patriarch: Balur Black, as the founder and father, is the absolute authority of House Black. His command is final, but he values the autonomy and progress of the family members, intervening directly only when necessary to guide the House's destiny and preserve its imperial standing among the Shadovar.

Matriarch: Maenoh Black, the wife of Balur and mother of his children, is the second in command. Her wisdom is unparalleled, and her decrees carry the weight of law in the absence of the Patriarch. She is the linchpin in matters of grave importance, acting as the primary advisor and co-ruler of the House.

Distinguished Scions: Those who have proven themselves through exceptional service to the House rise to the rank of the distinguished scions. These impressive individuals are worthy of title, responsibility and recognition not by birthright, but by deed and will therefore be trusted with management of their own territories or spheres of influence. Due to having earned title and position, these are also the most marriageable of the Black family when it comes to seeking to secure politically advantageous unions.

Timeless Scions: The timeless scions are a rare breed of children who Balur has chosen to grant eternal childhood. When Balur was younger, all his children were so blessed, but as he matured he came to realize the limits to the family if they could never grow and began giving this blessing far more sparingly. These children are responsible for maintaining the work began by their father nearly a century ago, gathering more children like them to the family. They act as effective spies and are spread throughout the cities of the mainland, rotating periodically to avoid suspicion as their peers grow up around them.*

Scions: Having survived to adulthood as a child of the Black family is a feat in and of itself, and only the strongest, most cunning and most charismatic tend to make it. This is the period where those with real potential will see if they can achieve it. The scions are either picked up by one of their distinguished siblings/parents or the patriarch or matriarch to fulfill certain tasks thus gaining them recognition, or they must find a way to gain the attention of the upper echelons themselves. While no longer considered bastards, they have yet to prove themselves worthy of the House's noble status and thus are untitled.**

Bastards of Black: The bastards of Black are being given a chance to become more than what they were. They are trained by the Timeless Scions in various fields and rewarded for their efforts with better accommodations, good food, and fun toys. The bastards operate outside the normal house structure and are allowed to maim and even slay each other openly. This serves its own educational purposes as those who lose approval of their siblings due to slaying too frequently or those that are well liked often find themselves choking on poison in the mess hall, or sent to their end by others looking to avenge their fallen sibling.***

*The timeless scions can never be player characters as they never age to adulthood though they can be requested and approved as followers.

**Player characters starting as house members will begin as scions.

***Player characters cannot begin as bastards of black as they graduate to scions upon reaching the age of maturity. They can be requested and approved as followers.

The method of children joining the family has evolved over the years. In the beginning Balur scouted and recruited all the children personally. He would skulk around cities with Vi posing as a wandering toymaker, finding those who seemed unhappy with their current lives and then use his toys, blood, magic, and charm to tempt them into forsaking their families for him. Part of this process was the required slaying of their previous family. If they did not have a family he would find another method to test their resolve.

As the years progressed and his family grew larger he started to delegate the scouting and recruitment to his proven children among the Timeless. This cast a much wider net and increased the influx of children which climbed into the thousands over the decades. Due to the high fatality rate among the bastards of black, while his family is now larger than most can imagine it is not nearly as large as the amount of missing children would suggest.

In more recent years with the responsibilities placed upon him by his Shadovar masters, he is rarely involved in the gathering of new children and most are tried and tested before they ever meet him. He does make a point to be present for the Black Baptism of every child that the Timeless have deemed worthy, welcoming them into the family personally.

At the heart of House Black’s power is the black blood, which flows through the veins of the family patriarch, Lord Balur Black. Inherited from Balur’s enigmatic father, whose identity remains shrouded in mystery, it has served as the catalyst by which he has created his own twisted ideal of family. Enhancing the darker instincts of those it infects, the black blood resonates with the very soul of its hosts, bringing them closer to Balur’s own warped state of mind.

Taught at a young age to take advantage of this gift by the mysterious feline Vi, he would begin to seed the world with his personal brand of darkness. While the blood does not ensure loyalty from those touched by it, Balur’s charisma seems particularly effective at drawing in those under its influence which has been key to building the foundation of the Black Family Empire.

Rituals and Practices

• The Black Baptism: New initiates into House Black undergo a sacred rite known as The Black Baptism. This ritual, performed before the altar of Ashra in the Witchwood, requires initiates to ingest the black blood, often directly from the vein of Balur himself. 

Alchemical Exploits

• Dark Fruits: Long ago Balur began experimenting with alternative uses of his blood which included feeding it to a lone tree in the courtyard of the temple of Shar. Years later, these experiments bore literal fruit, a viscous, syrupy fruit with a sweet and tart flavor. The nectar of this fruit has an effect similar to that of the blood, though less potent than the original source. Since this time though, the House matriarch and master alchemist Maenoh Black has created a formula from the blood that has increased the potency of the fruits twofold.