[b]Shadowfall, Capital of House Ravenshade, sometime in the past[/b]

“Tell me father, why have you dragged me out into the fields on a day I should be learning?” asked an annoyed voice. They were draped in the familiar bright white and red that made up the colors and heraldry, with the symbol of a large black raven on their cloak.

“There is far more to leading our house than academic learning Eleanor. I think it is time you could use a reminder of where we came from.” responded her, leading them through a winding path that led through wide fields of blossoming fruit trees.

“I have heard the tales of the origins of our house more than once. I do not see the point in making me watch the peasants harvesting crops.”

“They are not [i]peasants[/i] Eleanor, they are loyal servants who have committed their lives to our house. I regret not doing this sooner.” sighed her father.

The two continued through the mild weather of the fields as they watched individuals harvesting the vivid array of fruits in the fields. Only a few people danced in between the trees, using cybernetic implants to quickly and deftly harvest the trees. Unlike many other planets across the Prydwenite Empire, Shadowfall was dominated by only two seasons, a long harsh winter and then a few short months of a mild season where the hardy plant-life of the planet quickly blossomed and became ripe for the harvest. It was during this short window where the population of the planet would all come out in force to harvest the fields en masse, before settling down and once again preparing for the descent of the harsh winter.

The pair finally arrived in a clearing among the fields, upon which rested a ship. It was some ancient design, clearly from centuries in the past, almost dating back to the time of the Ynnari. The ship itself was clearly some kind of cargo ship, and it had the familiar symbol of House Ravenshade emblazoned on the side.

“What…is this?” asked Eleanor, staring up at the ship.

“This [i]was[/i] our home Eleanor. Quite a difference between hearing a story and seeing its living memory, isn’t it?” responded her father.

“This is where we lived before Prydwen?”

“One of the vessels which we arrived in. There were ten in our convoy when we arrived in Prydwenite space, but of those this is the last one that survives. Your grandfather ordered it preserved as a memorial as a reminder of where we came.”

Eleanor looked at the old ship in amazement. The tales had never quite interested her - she was more focused on her future as the Lord-Protector to be, but she felt drawn into memory. She read the small plaque that lay before the ship, a shining piece of marble emblazoned with the familiar motto of House Ravenshade.

[i]”From cunning comes power, from arrogance comes its loss”.[/i]

“There will come a day and time I am no longer of this galaxy Eleanor, and you will be called upon to lead our House to greatness. Your reign will very likely see the civil war of which all of Prydwen has dreaded.” said her father, as Eleanor’s attention focused back on him.

“But Eleanor, I don’t see your future as just the Lord-Protector, but as the [i]Empress[/i] of a unified Empire. You are clever, you are smart, but don’t let that make you forget we could lose it all just as easily as we gained it.

He moved to stand side by side with his daughter, breathing a deep sigh as he took in the serenity of the environment around him.

“Promise me, Eleanor, in all that you are destined to achieve that you will not lose sight of where we came from, and those who make this possible.”

Eleanor looked around her, a few of the workers having come to watch quietly from the edge of the clearing at the pair. She took in the sight, and looked back up at her father with a fierce look in her eyes.

“I promise father, for our House and the people who serve it, that I will not lose sight of them, and that when our great victory comes, I will see them stand side by side with me in the share of its glory.”

“Then there is nothing more I can teach you.” he said, with a small smile and a satisfied look, as he took a necklace out of his pocket, a chain of brilliant silver with the small black symbol of the Raven as its charm.

“This was once your grandfather’s, and it was once mine. Now it is yours as the future leader of our house. Let it serve as a reminder of your promise this day.”

She took the necklace into her hand, and wore it around her neck, staring off into the setting blue sun of Shadowfall’s sky. Whatever the future may have in store, she would ensure House Ravenshade’s place in it.

[i]Many, many, years later.[/i]

Eleanor came to the memorial as she had many times since her ascension to Lord-Protector to reflect and mediate. Not that it proved an easy task for her - the many master-crafted neural co-processors she had implanted were all buzzing away working on one of the many problems she had before her. Whether it was the now rising insurgents that called themselves the Children of the Mother, or managing the vast and intricate web of inter-house relations, she rarely found herself a moment of peace. But at least here, at the origin of her House, she could if only for a moment quiet the many thoughts that bounced through her head.

She had already proven herself a great leader - the Mereek Conflict had occurred shortly after she had taken control of her House and proved the first real test of her leadership skills. It had not been easy, but it had proven a successful endeavour. House Crowfall now presented itself as a potential ally, being the only major house who was not out to see Ravenshade’s total destruction. In addition, the Scarrans also presented themselves as a valuable partner. WIth the opening of embassies between the two nations, as well as the warp gate between the two nations, Eleanor had managed to secure another valuable trade partner as well as the cooperation of Scarran PMCs.

For all of the successes however, there were now the many problems that were presented before her. House Hawkrose was quickly growing more unstable as their worker populations engaged in wide-spread strikes, or joined insurgent groups like the Children of the Mother. There was also the matter of House Eaglesworn, who as her spies had reported appeared to be seeking a deal with the Augustans. She swore under her breath. Had House Ravenshade’s ascent wounded them so that they would be willing to sell out all of Prydwen just to have a chance to reclaim the throne?

Whatever the problems may be, civil war was now on the minds of all of Prydwen. She left the clearing as she began to put the first step of her plan into motion. If she was to ascend to her rightful place as Empress of all the Empire, she would need at least one major house to back her. There was only one that she had any hope of convincing - and they were under as much threat as any other parties of the inevitable civil war to win instead of Ravenshade. She tapped a few quick words into a communication device, ordering her servants to reach out to House Crowfall and call them for a meeting on Shadowfall itself.