Fun with Family Trees #5

This is a history of Miazan Subsector from the perspective of House Mahuran, Siridar-Counts of Bromus. It draws upon elements I developed during 2013 as I looked at family trees and ties in to the current adventures of players in my Traveller campaign.

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The Duchy of Miazan was established by Order in Council under the seal of Sector Duke Leonid I Trumer on 093-906. This is the same date as the official accession of House Trumer as Sector Dukes of the RimWorlds and represents one of the first official acts of Sector Duke Leonid's reign. It is also the date of the establishment of the County of Bromus, set up to protect the Coreward/Spimward frontier of Miazan Subsector.

Sector Duke Leonid I Trumer had begun his campaign to reunite the RimWorlds several years prior to the official inaugural date of his reign. The establishment of Miazan Subsector as a Duchy marked a major expansion Rimward by the Sector Duchy, pushing the Imperial frontier beyond the existing Miazan Subsector Military District centered around Celephais. It was an indication that the new regime intended to drive a wedge between the Spinward states of the Outrim Alliance and the Rimward polities of the Rimward Coalition, and bring order and stable government to a fairly lawless region.

Chi'leur I Geyukthi, 1st Duke of Miazan, had served as an aide de camp to Sector Duke Leonid I during his initial campaigns, and as Leonid's son-in-law and supporter, he was considered a safe pair of hands to secure and hold the new frontier subsector. To Sakkan Mahuran, Chi'leur's Fleet Admiral, fell the task of defending the Spinward frontier at Bromus and Exxilon, as Siridar-Count of Bromus, and securing the Coreward communication lines from the Rimward Counties of Miazan and Nakaya.

Sakkan I proved very tenacious in his duties. 118 years old when he died, Sakkan outlived his eldest son, Anton, and his grandson, Piero. Both Oscaran, Sakkan's second son, and Susannah, his daughter, served as Fleet Admirals in the Miazan Subsector Navy during the 2nd Outrim War (954-962).

Remaining active and in good health well into the teens of his second century, it was later rumoured that Sakkan I had discovered a secret stash of anagathics in an ancient ruined Purvion base located either on the House Mahuran estate on Bromus, or on one of Bromus' three small moons. As none of his descendants lived to such an advanced age, it was assumed that the secret of this stash was lost when Sakkan eventually died.

Sakkan II, Sakkan I's great-grandson, became 2nd Siridar-Count of Bromus in 990. In 999 Sakkan's immediate overlord, Duke Mah'dainraian I of Miazan became Sector Duke of the RimWorlds. This elevation seemed to raise House Mahuran's political stock as well as Sakkan II's daughter Susan subsequently married Edenar Ulanor, later Duke Edenar I of Nolgor. On the surface, this marriage appeared to draw House Ulanor into the orbit of House Geyukthi of Miazan through an alliance with an important client but, if this was the intention, it failed. Edenar I was only Duke of Nolgor from 1042 - 1044, but it was the anti-Geyukthi ground work carried out by Feodorus X, his father, and more importantly by his son, Olgarthi Ulanor, that resulted in the fall of the badly weakened Sehlemarl-Geyukthi Sector Dukes in the aftermath of the Rimbaud War in 1044 and the ascension of Olgarthi Ulanor as Duke of Nolgor and Sector Duke of the RimWorlds.

Count Giovhanhi II Mahuran of Bromus came of age during a period of great change in both the RimWorlds and in Miazan Subsector. Born in 1017, and inheriting the family title of Lord Sherck, he became 4th Siridar-Count of Bromus in 1041. His sister Stefani married Pahran Juharl-Zarquestuir who became Duke of Gamelea in 1065, while his second sister, Elemyl, married Mah'radys Geyukthi who became Duke Mah'radys IV of Miazan in 1085.

The 3rd Outrim War broke out in 1025 and House Mahuran weathered the initial assaults by Nutharal forces pushing across the Imperial frontier from Cabria Subsector into the County. Young Giovhanhi joined the Planetary Navy as a Midshipman in 1033 and saw action both in Bromus low orbit, and around Sertan VIII, the system gas giant.

Following disastrous Imperial losses in 1030 and 1031, and the deaths in combat of three House Geyukthi Sector Dukes in quick succession, Sector Duke Yuri Sehlemarl's strategy was to reinforce the fortress worlds in the frontier subsectors and suck the Outrim forces into a series of sieges that would bleed their fleets white. By the time his strategy succeeded and peace was signed in 1038, Giovhanhi's father, Count Giovhanhi I, was ailing and the younger Giovhanhi was finding himself more and more involved in the running of the Bromus planetary government. When war broke out in 1025, Giovhanhi I had suspended the Bromosian civil government and declared a state of emergency. With the end of the war in 1038 and the beginning of a massive rebuilding project, the populace of Bromus voted overwhelmingly for the continuation of the emergency government under House Mahuran with Count Giovhanhi I as Head of State and his son, Lord Giovhanhi of Sherck, as First Minister.

The cessation of war did not automatically mean peace. During the course of the 3rd Outrim War, the Rivokul War had seen the extermination of House Rivokul of Kamperel, the family of Giovhanhi II's grandmother, Eschen. The Republican government that replaced House Rivokul swiftly fell under the influence of Torvor Van Zaquerl, who methodically shot all opposition to his rule as First Consul of the People's Republic of Kamperel. With House Geyukthi of Miazan crippled (four Dukes and three generations of the senior line perished during the 3rd Outrim War, along side various cousins and other relatives), House Rivokul of Kamperel extinct, and House Sehlemarl-Geyukthi of Celephais diverted by their attempts to hold on to the Sector Duchy, it fell to House Mahural to attempt to contain the Van Zaquerl clan of Kamperel even as they sought to secure the Ektra and Floranna systems of the County of Kamperel for themselves.

Count Giovhanhi II spent most of the rest of his life locked in a Grey War with Torvor Van Zaquerl of Kamperel. It was only with the accession of his demi-cousin, Li'iatain Geyukthi, as Duke Li'iatan II of Miazan in 1044 that the full force of the Duchy was brought to bear against the recalcitrant Siridar-Barony of Kamperel. Even then, politics intruded as the new Sector Duke, Olgarthi Ulanor of Nolgor, Giovhanhi's cousin, sought to secure his advantage in the feud between House Ulanor and House Sethlemarl-Geyukthi by hamstringing House Geyukthi's efforts to bring the Van Zaquel's to heel. Starved of resources, and with its best units and service personnel drafted to Sector Fleet, Miazan Subsector Fleet lacked the strength to deliver the Kamperelians a knock-out blow.

Sector Duke Olgarthi died in 1050 and the feud died with him. The following year, the Ektrans rose up against Kamperelian Merchant Factors attempting to buy their government. The Kamperelians retaliated and, much to Giovhanhi's despair, seized Ektra with overwhelming force. For the next thirty years Count Giovhanhi fought to contain the Kamperelians, and to keep the peace along the Imperial Spinward/Rimward border.

The 4th Outrim War broke out in 1080 and, while most the fighting took place along the Spinward border of Gamelea Subsector, Miazan Subsector saw its share of conflict. Left out of the loop regarding the elaborate warplan developed by Siridar-Lord Elmar Hendrian for Sector Duke Kanus II, which was designed to cripple the Geithurian Republic and break up the Outrim Alliance, the local commanders in Miazan Subsector battled on the best they could. In the midst of the struggle, the Kamperelians swooped on Floranna and could not be dislodged. At war's end in 1085, the task of rebuilding began again.

In 1087, worn out and disillusioned, Count Giovhanhi II died. He was succeeded by his son, Sakkan III, who had seen his father slowly worn down over forty years of difficult service. Sakkan retained House Mahuran's active role in the Bromosian government, serving as both Head of State and First Minister, but his natural reserve and shyness distanced him from his people. Sakkan's insistence that a company of Vargr from the settlement on Lo Taisang be included within his honour guard, to the discomfort of his more xenophobic subjects, acted to further isolate him and it was into this political breach that his Interior Minister, Phorgan saVasparan, began to thrust himself.

Fun with Family Trees #2

Previously, I looked at the political subdivisions of Miazan Subsector. Most of these, including the County of Bromus, came into being during the Trumer Restoration of the RimWorlds Sector in the early 10th Century. In my last post, I described how I was able to begin to establish the lineage for House Mahuran, the incumbent House Major of the County of Bromus, from extant design clues. With the basics in place, I now needed to expand my family tree for House Mahuran - both backwards in time to discover the establishment of the County, and forward to learn about the heirs of the current Count, Sakkan III.


As the Family Tree began to spread out, I saw some interesting story ideas and questions developing, especially when I began weaving elements of the already existing history of the RimWorlds around the developing family line.

Amongst the questions that occurred to me was to wonder why, even though House Mahuran had successfully pursued off-world alliances with other Houses Major, and had obviously aligned themselves with at least two Bromosian Houses Minor, there were few alliances with the other Houses of the County. Of the three subordinate Houses Major, House Mahuran has an alliance with House Asheranon of Exxilon. Neither of the Lords of Lo-Taisang or Omega Vasalai IX are included within the famiglia of House Mahuran.

Omega Vasalai IX is an airless rock, settled by a religious sect known as the Pilgrims. Purchasing the settlement rights in 851, the Pilgrims effectively moved beyond the Imperial Frontier to occupy their new home as the Miazan Subsector Military District only encompassed Tonivar, Celephais, Byer's Planet and Naltor at that time. Given the nature and practise of their beliefs, it is unlikely that the Pilgrims would concern themselves with political marriage alliances, though the Derbus (Shepherds) have subsequently found the title "Siridar-Lord" useful when dealing with officials at the County and Subsector level.

Lo-Taisang was colonised by a migratory Vargr Clan in 1002, granted settlement rights in return for defending part of the frontier. To the Vargr of Lo-Taisang, being considered trusted guardians and protectors of their overlords is worth more Charisma than any pseudo interspecies union. Each company of the TL9 Infantry Battalion that Lo-Taisang has raised serves in turn as part of the Count of Bromus' personal guard. The Charisma each company gains for such loyal service keeps the competing septs loyal to the County. And given the general distrust the average Bromosian feels towards offworlders, and alien offworlders in particular, the sight of a company of Vargr in County Blues both thrills and appalls the populace.

Exxilon is a large, high gravity world, colonised in 969, just after the 2nd Outrim War. It was used as a dumping ground for populations displaced during the late war and House Asheranon, installed as Siridar-Barons of Exxilon by Duke Mah'radys I of Miazan, 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".

Relationships between House Asheranon and their feudal overlords, House Mahuran, 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.

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I find that as I look at the lifespans of various characters, and how they intersect with each other and the history of the time, that new details of the story emerge along with aspects of the character of key individuals. These are all elements of the metagame, the background against which the players will adventure and, to me, part of the fun is exploring and developing this aspect of the game.

Political Sub-divisions of Miazan Subsector

Working on the Unified Imperial Army and the Planetary Defence Forces for Miazan Subsector got me thinking about the various Houses Major of the Subsector - this was in the context of me airly saying "the Elite PDF units of such-and-such planet are the Baronial Household Guard". This reminded me that I had never quite finished working out the political sub-divisions of the Subsector and, aside from the Dukes of Miazan and the Viceroys of Celephais, had little idea of what Houses Major were active. So, what do we have?

Existing Houses Major of Miazan Subsector -
House Geyukthi of Miazan, Subsector Dukes of Miazan and past Sector Dukes of the RimWorlds. A list of Subsector Dukes (906 - present) and Sector Dukes (999 - 1031) has been created. A family tree tracing the descent of the Ducal line from Duke Chi'leur I (860 - 937 reigned 906 - 937) to the grandchildren of the current incumbent, Duke Mah'radys IV (1028 - present reigned 1085 - present) has been created.

House Sehlemarl-Geyukthi of Celephais, Viceroys of Celephais and past Sector Dukes of the RimWorlds. A list of Viceroys of Celephais (800 - present) and Sector Dukes (1031 - 1044) has been created. A family tree tracing the descent of the Viceregal line from Viceroy Fleet Admiral/Miazan Arkuru I Sehlemarl (750 - 812 reigned 800 - 812) to the children of the current incumbent, Viceroy Odron Orn Tala Sehlemarl-Geyukthi (1046 - present reigned 1083 - present) has been created.

House Rivokul of Kamperel - extinct, Siridar-Barons of Kamperel/Miazan from the mid-tenth century until 1032. Notoriously corrupt, House Rivokul ruled Kamperel with an iron hand. With arms supplied by the Outrim Alliance during the 3rd Outrim War, the People's Justice Army waged a bitter civil war against House Rivokul and its mercenaries. Victorious, the People's Justice Army summarily executed all surviving members of the House. No family tree or list of Barons of Kamperel has been written.

House Van Zaquerl of Kamperel, Siridar-Barons of Kamperel since 1040. From revolutionary gunman, Torvor Van Zaquerl became, first, a member of the People's Revolutionary Council, then Head of the Council and then, in 1040, he reconstituted the People's Revolutionary Council as an advisory body while taking the Office of People's First Officer. Under his son and grandsons, the Van Zaquerl dynasty has taken root on both Kamperel and across the Kamperelian Cluster. Scattered notes and references allow a family tree to be constructed from 1040 to present.

And that's about it.

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Approaching the problem from a different direction, we know that there was a frontier zone along the coreward end of Miazan Subsector in the late 8th Century. This was known as the Miazan Subsector Military District and was centered on Celephais. The position of Governor of Celephais became hereditary for House Sehlemarl as a reward for services rendered by Fleet Admiral Arkuru Sehlemarl in the 2nd Rimward War (793 - 794) and its aftermath.

By the time Sector Duke Leonid I Trumer commenced the Trumer Restoration of the Sector in 906, House Sehlemarl had taken the title of Viceroy, acting at the behest of the Dukes of Gamelea. Sector Duke Leonid I soon discovered that House Sehlemarl had remained determinedly loyal to the Sector Duchy and continued to maintain a strong, and stable, presence across the coreward half of Miazan Subsector.  Recognizing Arkuru III's assumption of the title of Viceroy of Celephais, Duke Leonid I confirmed Arkuru's brother Lanyard I as Arkuru's successor. Leonid then moved to reconstitute the Miazan Subsector Military District as a proper Imperial Subsector. The Duchy of Miazan was duly created, consisting of the Counties of Nakaya, Miazan, and Bromus, with the Barony of Kamperel and the Viceroyalty of Celephais. With the Sehlemarls content as loyal guardians of the Miazan/Gamelea border, Leonid appointed his aide de camp, Chi'leur Geyukthi, as Duke of Miazan. The Duke of Miazan is also the Count of Miazan. Following the overthrow of House Rivokul in 1032, during the 3rd Outrim War, the Barony of Kameperel (Kamperel, Floranna and Ektra) pays lip service to the Sector Duke of the RimWorlds and the Imperium, but refuses to acknowledge the authority of the Duke of Miazan.

The Viceroyalty of Celephais consists of Celephais, itself, the Siridar-Barony of Naltor, and the Siridar-Lordships of Byer's Planet and Tonivar. Initially, the Vicerotalty of Celephais also included the Siridar-Lordship of Rimbaud II/Gamelea but, following the establishment of the Duchy of Miazan in 906, Rimbaud II was returned to the Duchy of Gamelea.

The County of Bromus consists of Bromus, the Siridar-Barony of Exxilon, and the Siridar-Lordships of Lo-Taisang and Omega Vasalai IX.

The County of Nakaya consists of Nakaya, and the Siridar-Lordship of Epoch.

The County of Miazan consists of Miazan, and the Siridar-Lordships of Golus, Janda and Hydrot.

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From the Family Trees of both House Geyukthi and House Sehlemarl-Geyukthi, as well as notes in the Family Trees of Houses Crensea, Ulanor and Juharl-Zarquestuir, I have been able to find references to several people from the Noble Houses of Nakaya, Golus, Bromus and Naltor.

In the case of House Mahuran of Bromus, I have been able to construct a family tree stretching back four generations. And what that has shown is how well connected House Mahuran has become - from a minor House Major of a minor frontier County, in one generation we see it directly linked to the Duchies of Miazan and Gamelea.

Next: Fun with Family Trees and How Lineages Can Outline Your Stories