Altehuri of Eternal Mist
“Leave a genius with a living creature and a pair of tools and you’d get a book filled with research reports and a dead creature dissected beyond recognition.”
-King Ardarros Alzari of Thospeiros talking about House Altehuri.
| Founder: Lady Nyseras Aleran Current Head: Lord Nysaros IV Altehuri Heir: Lady Nyxalaras Altehuri Seat: Eternal Mist, Thospeiros Overlords: The Illustrious Alzari of Vaherdal |
| Titles: Paramount Lord of Eternal Mist (ruler) The Chirurgeon (ruler) Lord of Eternal Mist Lady of Eternal Mist |
| Cadet Branches: House Alvaher of Void’s Rest, Thospeiros House Arethuzi of Sky Fort, Phyrozes |
| Sigil: A silver cave tetra surrounded by a ring of mushrooms. Words: “Through patience, plenty” Patron Gods: Ehanfi Mayathi |
House Altehuri of Eternal Mist is a house that was established in 3,542 BE by Lady Nyseras Aleran. Originally, the house started as farmers and became the granaries of Thospeiros. After the Traxei enslavement, many members of House Altehuri took to experimenting with enslaved Traxei, making them infamous for immoral scientific experiments. Their experiment resulted in permanent genetic shifting of the Traxei and three new breeds of rugha which previously did not exist.
Trait and Culture
House Altehuri are famous for having physically attractive members, resulted from thousands of years of selective breeding with Traxei slaves, foreign dignitaries, and marriages with other Varkrys that they deemed ‘pleasant to the eye and in health’ – regardless of highborn or lowborn.
They pleaded by highlighting Nyseras’ own marriage to have their marriages with attractive lowborn to be socially acceptable, and they were the only house given the leeway by House Alzari to not recognize Oberros’ law of monogamy, under the sanction of having only one recognized spouse. However, Auxarros abolished this exemption after the formation of the Empire.
The members of House Altehuri would dress themselves in rich spidersilk and patterns symbolizing moths, butterflies, or the pectoral fins of cave tetras. The members of House Altehuri are known to be beautiful and genius – to the point of madness – with lithe bodies, high fertility, and exemplary health. Even now, an Altehuri bride or groom is socially ‘prized high’ in the eyes of the Varkrys.
House Altehuri worships both Ehanfi and Mayathi as a balance between life and death. During the harvest festival, the head of house Altehuri would make a pilgrimage to Ehan-Rhala and presents their best harvests to the High Priest of Venefigus.
Overview
The Beginning
House Altehuri was founded in 3,542 BE by Lady Nyseras Aleran – the third daughter of Lord Aurirros Aleran and Princess Tavarass Alzari. At the time, House Aleran focused on mining and trading their ores with other Thospeirosathur noble houses. Yet Nyseras had no desire for the mines nor the forges; her hands preferred soil to ores. She spent her childhood to early adulthood experimenting with fungal grafting and moss farming, earning little attention compared to her merchant siblings.
At the time, the region now known as Eternal Mist was nothing more than a fog-shrouded landmass where condensed seawater gathered between towering cave walls, creating an endless gaze. When Lord Aurriros Alzari married Princess Tavarras Alzari, this fog-shrouded plot was included in the royal dowry; a humid, quiet valley that most dismissed as barren.
Nyseras saw life in it.
Of Crowns and Straw Hats
At some point in her youth, Nyseras met Theros, a commonborn tetra fisherman who resided by the dark lakes of the fog-shrouded landmass that was her mother’s dowry. They began to work together, joining her knowledge of farming and his instinct for water, current, and animals. Together, Theros and Nyseras made the mist bloom; mushrooms were cultivated to the size of shields, lichen glowed with soft light illuminating the endless haze, and tetra so fat and luminous they could feed a small family.
As they worked together, Nyseras fell in love with Theros and asked her father to let her wed the humble fisherman. Lord Aurirros Aleran refused, citing the blood of nobility and the vast differences between them.
However, Nyseras, ever wilful and clever, took carts upon carts of her harvest and presented it to her grandsire, the King of Thospeiros himself. it was said that Nyseras pleaded her desire to wed Theros by telling the King that ‘the land breathes. I only ask to share that breath with the man who made it possible’.
The King of Thospeiros blessed their union and elevated Theros to heraldy – granting them the right to the land in their own name. In gratitude, Nyseras started a new house and named it Altehuri – from Theros and her father, Aurirros. Aurirros welcomed Theros into the family and held a moon cycle’s long banquet in their honor. They took the northern plot land and named it Eternal Mist.
Under Nyseras and Theros’ rule, Eternal Mist became the granary of Thospeiros. The mist-laden air and mineral-rich lakes proved perfect for cultivation of many plants, fungi, and animals. The Altehuri farmers crossbred mushroom species to massive cap-bearing varieties that thrives in the damp darkness of the land, while bioluminescent lichen illuminated Eternal Mist and soon were spread out across Thospeiros to aid the Traxei slaves owned by many Varkrys noble houses to see better in Thospeiros.