Post by Jon Snow on Aug 7, 2012 9:58:41 GMT -5
House Darkette
We Will Persevere.
House Name: House Darkette.
Lord or Lady of the House: Emil Darkette.
House Motto: “We Will Persevere.”
House Sigil: An ebon serpent poised to strike against a sea of crimson, with a sable moon hanging in the top left..
House Location: The Riverlands.
House XP: 0xp
House Level/Rank: 0
House Funds: 0G
House Members:
- -Name-
XP: 0
Character Level: 0
Gold Credits: 0G
- -Name-
- -Name-
- House Baratheon.
- The Golden Company.
- The Faceless Men.
- A variety of Thieves, Sellswords, and Charlatans.
- House Targaryen.
House History: House Darkette actually predates the Blackfyre Rebellions, and goes back to Aegon's Landing. A family of hunters at the time, the Darkettes saw an opportunity to seize power, and sided with Aegon, his sisters, and their dragons. Though they did not win any glorious battles, or serve the most faithfully, their contribution was noted, and awarded them status of minor nobility.
The Darkettes served their Targaryen Monarchs faithfully for the first century. Through the generations after, however, the history wasn't as fresh in their mind, and their ambitions caught the better of them.
This was not aided by Elissa Darkette's marriage to Herophon Shardess, another minor noble, and suspected criminal. Elissa's willingness to please her husband hastened the Darkette's downward spiral, and it was not long before the house was saturated with crime. Some even claimed that Herophon ran a criminal organization out of the Darkette estate, though these claims were never verified.
Their encounter with the Blackfyres came from the granddaughter of Elissa and Herophon, Valera. Valera Darkette met a young Daemon Blackfyre prior to his recognition as Aegon the IV's bastard son. The two were fast friends, and even had a fondness for one another, one that was not encouraged by the Darkettes.
When Daemon was announced to be Aegon's bastard, and awarded Blackfyre, the symbol of the Targaryen Rule, however, Valera was encouraged to spend more time with the boy. At the age of sixteen, Valera's stomach swelled with Daemon's illegitimate offspring. But before she could give birth, Daemon's eyes caught those of another. The Darkette family scrambled to reclaim such a valuable asset, but was unable.
Feeling slighted by this, the Darkettes assumed a stance of neutrality during the Blackfyre Rebellion, but, feeling slightly hopeful, aided Daemon slightly in secret. Even if he had offended him, there was a chance that their bastards could be acknowledged. The aid wasn't made public, though, and hidden through various manipulations, did not manage to draw Targaryen ire.
Few were aware that Daemon's bastards were sired with Valera, and the Darkettes ensured this did not become public knowledge by keeping the silver-haired, purple-eyed twins out of sight.
The damage was already done, though. With identical twin males, the Blackfyre blood spread across the Darkette household, until red hair became that of blonde. Fearful of what the Targaryens might do should they find out, children who assumed a more Blackfyre resemblance were also hidden, until enough time passed that the Rebellions weren't as fresh in the mind.
Unfortunately, Aerys Targaryen did notice, and pressure was applied to the house. Though the Darkette's lied skillfully as always, Aerys invited the Darkettes to King's Landing. Fearful of what he might do, the Darkettes scattered to the wind, though few of the other Houses knew what had drawn the Mad King's ire.
When Robert Baratheon moved against the Targaryens, the Darkettes aided him in what way they could, using their network of criminals and what few resources they had outside of their estate. Again, their part was not that significant, but they were granted an even greater holding of land than before--and most importantly, weren't going to be subjected to the treatment of a suspicious Targaryen.
