House Asheranon, Siridar-Barons of Exxilon

Exxilon is one of the four systems that make up the County of Bromus in Miazan Subsector. While developing the County, I decided that House Asheranon were Siridar-Barons of Exxilon but, apart from this fact and that relations were cool between House Mahuran of Bromus and their feudal subordinates, I had no further information.

Deciding to develop House Asheranon, I elected to try out some ideas I had developed for fleshing out Noble Houses. These ideas have are also been added to the end of another article on Nobles on this page.

Exxilon has a Universal Planetary Profile (UPP) of:
C-AA5899-9. This means that the planet has a C Class Starport - Standard Repair facilities, unrefined fuel available, but no Ship construction - is 10,000 miles in diameter, has an Exotic Atmosphere and is 50% covered by water. In Exxilon's case, the Exotic atmosphere means that the oceans are classified as "Fluid" - not standard H2O. The population numbers in the 100's of millions and is ruled by an Impersonal Bureaucracy. The Law Level of 9 indicates a fair amount of interference in the citizens' day-to-day lives and that no weapons may be carried outside of one's home. Overall, the planet has a Technology Level of 9 - 1990's to 2000, so cell phones are big and blocky. A Scout Base is also present in system.

"Exxilon is a large, high gravity world, colonised in 969, just after the 2nd Outrim War. It was used as a dumping ground for displaced populations during the late war. House Asheranon was installed as Siridar-Barons of Exxilon by Duke Mah'radys I of Miazan, and soon gained a reputation for their hard, yet indifferent rule, insulating themselves from their subjects behind an oppressive Law Level and and Impersonal Bureaucracy. While the bulk of the population of half a billion live in a string of cities, high up in the mountains of the small continent of Parishnaman, House Asheranon and its retainers are based on a large, geostationary satellite. It is rare for a member of the Household to "go down the well".

The relationship between House Asheranon and their feudal overlords, House Mahuran of Bromus, are cordial yet cool. The installation of House Asheranon by House Geyukthi within House Mahuran's County was both a calculated insult and an assertion of authority by Mah'radys I, the 2nd Duke of Miazan. Count Sakkan I of Bromus may have won that argument, in the end, as he outlived both Mah'radys I and Chi'leur II, his son."

 With the planetary information, and the existing material quoted below, I set to work to flesh out House Asheranon.

Working through my check list, I determined the following about House Asheranon:
House Rank
House Asheranon are Siridar-Barons. They rule Exxilon/Miazan and the Exxilon system.

Head of the Household
House Asheranon practice Absolute Primogeniture. The eldest child inherits, irrespective of sex. The current head of the Household is Padarn II. Padarn II is also the Patriarch of House Asheranon. Padarn II is Old and Cunning.

Prior Service of the Title Holder
Padarn II served as a Colonel in the Baronial Household Force of Exxilon - a TL12 elite formation - under his father, Aryon III.

Moral Stance of the House
House Asheranon is Law abiding.

Influence
House Asheranon's Influence is Scant (2).

Holdings
House Asheranon posses Modest Holdings, generating Cr700,000 for the family per annum. This is in addition to Siridar-Baron Padarn II's personal Holdings.

House Size
House Asheranon is a large family with 16 directly related members.

Recent House Activity
A member of House Asheranon participated in a duel, and lost. This person was Aryon, eldest son and heir of Padarn II. Aryon has been sent over the Imperial Border as a member of an Exxilonian Trade delegation to the Outrim, until such time as the political dust settles.

Current House Goal
Boost local defenses in the Exxilon system by acquiring an SDB flotilla.

House Scandal
House Asheranon supports an unregistered Mercenary Company. This Company has been hired out to the Kalar-Wi government of Gaidon to help suppress an uprising by the Kiang, natives of that planet.

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I'm quite pleased with how House Asheranon came out. From next to no information beyond the family name, and a hint of a possible conflict where the Subsector Duke had imposed the Asheranon's on a world within the County of Bromus, we have discovered a lot about the family itself.

While House Asheranon is not particularly wealthy, and has little influence on the Subsector stage, they are firmly entrenched in the Exxilon System. The Patriarch of the family, Padarn II, has been Siridar-Baron since the death of his father, Aryon III, in 1085. His extended family consists of sixteen members, most of whom hold senior positions within the governing bureaucracy of the planet.

While generally law-abiding, House Asheranon maintains an unregistered Mercenary Company in direct violation of Imperial Law. Raised during the 4th Outrim War to support the defenses of Exxilon, House Asheranon retained the unit in being after the war. Currently, the unit is under hire to the Kalar-Wi government of Gaidon. House Asheranon is concerned about the exposed position of the Exxilon system and aims to raise a System Defense Boat Flotilla to strengthen their defenses.

Padarn II's eldest son, Aryon, has proved to be a bit of a disappointment. A Captain in the Unified Imperial Army, Aryon became involved in a duel with another young officer. Before Aryon could be cashiered, his father Padarn managed to have him assigned to lead an Exxilonian trade mission into the Outrim.

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I just have to finish laying out a diagram of the Family Tree, and House Asheranon will be ready for use.