[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/xa20hV3.jpg[/IMG]

You are a citizen of the Kingdom of Redwain.

Yours is a nation defined by rivalry and intrigue. Composed of the combined lands of five Great Houses, Redwain is not so much a single country as it is a collection of loosely-allied city states.

This alliance is still young, and fragile. You remember the stories your father's grandfather told about the Red War, when the Houses nearly destroyed each other in their attempt to dominate the realm. He would swear and spit as he recounted the horrors perpetuated by your neighbors. Though you were raised to believe the Final Accord that ended the fighting was a noble act, and the peace that followed was proof of its soundness, his generation would never give up their bitterness. To great-grandad, the past sixty years have only been an intermission in a war that will never end.

Faithless doubters aside, life in Redwain has been undeniably stable. The Final Accord united the land under a single King, chosen by all from the only House that had remained neutral during the conflict; House Brescia. The first Brescian King was beloved for his just and impartial leadership, and each of his descendants have ruled in that tradition ever since. Your current King, Rothas Brescia the Fourth, is no exception.

Though the old animosities live on in new, subtler forms,  Rothas IV has been remarkably able to maintain balance in spite of them. Political negotiations in Redwain often happen through a combination of extortion, blackmail, and shifting alliances, but House Brescia's characteristic integrity keeps the King immune to such chicanery. In local parlance, "As hard as bribing a Brescian," is another way of saying "impossible."
Rothas' rigid moral code has made him a respected judge and mediator. When two Houses disputed ownership of a new platinum mine, he made them share in the profits. When a Duke's ambassador caught a council advisor embezzling from the treasury, and tried to coerce Royal favors out of him, the King deported both of them. If an egalitarian solution was impossible in an argument, Rothas could always grant one side their wishes, and assure the other of his deference on the next issue. Obviously, The King cannot oversee every dealing, and much still transpires without his knowledge, but all agree that it is his steady hand that keeps the realm in harmony.

While you are aware of these things, the manuverings of faraway courtiers have never concerned you. You have spent your life never travelling far from your house's borders. Someday you will be called to serve, but you're content to wait until then.

These are the Great Houses of Redwain:

Har Hend
Sigil - a striking scorpion
"By Claw and Venom!"
Led by - Baron Balloch Hend

Located in the center of Redwain's vast desert region, Har Hend is a House of hardy survivors and fierce warriors. Their words evoke the attitude necessary to survive in such a harsh climate, through whatever means. Their control of Redwain's mining industry has made them the richest of the Houses, though you wouldn't know it from appearances. Castle Hend is a spartan place, and most of that wealth is used to bolster its impressive military.
As a respected fighter, you would most likely have made your living escorting trade caravans through the desert, protecting miners from the hordes of creatures that live far below the sand, or as an officer, endlessly drilling with your men in the wastes. 


House Freewind
Sigil - an osprey clutching a fish
"Clear Eyes, Swift Wings"
Led by - Marquis Cadell Freewind

On the southern Peninsula sits House Freewind, whose naval fleet more than makes up for their relatively small territory. Port Freewind is practically the sole supplier of fish to the Kingdom, and every aspect of life in the March revolves around this. In fact, most citizens spend more time at sea than at home. The people are practical, but carefree, loving nothing more than to zip around the continent on a variety of adventures.
If you choose House Freewind, you might have a small fishing trawler of your own, or you might be a deckhand on a Great Whaler. You might be an ice harvester, dragging huge icebergs from the south arctic sea, or perhaps a sailor on a military vessel, ensuring the safety of these ventures for others.


House Longmark
Sigil - a deer's skull & skinning knife
"A Call for All"
Led by - Duke Eaden Longmark

The Longmark clan was the first family to rule Redwain, and are actually the progenitors of all the other Houses. These days, they keep to the forests and mountains of the north, acting as the spiritual leaders of the Kingdom, as well as its primary huntsmen. Whether tracking game in the woods, or meditating in their mountain temples, the Longmark people live in quiet solitude. Their House Words have a double-meaning, that honorable service to Duke & Diety is expected, and that purpose can be found in anyone or anything - even death.
In Longmark, you might be a ranger, providing game for the people, or a river-trader, sailing down the Emerald Channel and returning with goods from the Delta Port. You might also be a monk or priest in the mountains, guiding pilgrams to enlightenment.


House Osmere
Sigil - a glowcap mushroom
"Undarkend by Night"
Led By - Count Gormont Osmere

Osmere is the most mysterious of the Houses, almost entirely self-sufficient on an island of its own. The Glowcap Swamp provides all the amenities Osmeri life requires, along with some unique extras. Their fortune is in rare plantlife, crucial in spell components and potion-making. Most Osmeri have some amount of magical training, and all value cleverness and lateral thinking. Their House Words and Emblem are an illustration of this; that illumination can come from things other than fire, and that a problem without an obvious solution is never insurmountable.
As an Osmeri, you could be a Reaper, making expeditions to retrive mushrooms and herbs from deep in the swamp, an alchemist, mixing potions to be sold on the mainland, or a career scholar, studying history and scrying around the realm.