## **House Surtova (Fallen Dynasty)** _“The Ice Shall Rule.”_ — The motto that froze with them. # ![[Pasted image 20251013085123.png|200]] ```toon house_name: House Surtova motto: The Ice Shall Rule crest: primary_symbol: object: Black Ship description: "A black, three-masted vessel sailing through frozen waters, representing dominance, secrecy, and the inevitability of downfall." style: Classic heraldic silhouette with sharp linework and minimal shading position: "Centered on the shield, prow facing dexter (heraldic right)" color: "#0b0b0b" secondary_elements[2]: Waves of icy silver-blue beneath the ship Cracked ice pattern behind the sails field: pattern: Divided per pale colors[2]: "#d0d7de" "#0a2f5e" division_style: clean vertical split texture: subtle frost-like crackle accents: trim_color: "#1b1f23" metallic_details: silver highlights along helm and trim light_effect: "cool reflection, evoking moonlight on ice" shield_shape: Gothic pointed ornamentation: helm: type: closed knight’s helm material: brushed silver orientation: forward-facing mantling: colors[2]: deep navy steel gray pattern: acanthus-style flourishes with icy edges banner: text: The Ice Shall Rule placement: below shield in flowing parchment ribbon font_style: serif capitals background: material: aged parchment tone: warm beige with vignette darkening vibe[4]: cold authority northern nobility fallen grandeur icy fatalism inspiration: "Northern feudal heraldry with Venetian and Lannister influence, reimagined through Brevic iconography" metadata: artist_reference: DALL·E 2025 (Heraldic Edition) style_keywords[4]: medieval heraldry icy palette high contrast Gothic symbolism usage_notes: Official crest of the extinct Surtovan line; reserved for historical or academic reproduction. ``` # --- ### **Summary** Once the dominant house of Brevoy, **House Surtova** ruled for nearly a century through cunning, coercion, and control. Their sigil — a **black ship sailing through frozen waters** — came to symbolize not prosperity, but tyranny and secrecy. Their empire ended not in war, but in silence: dismantled piece by piece by **Valerius Crowne**, the unseen architect of their ruin. Today, **House Surtova is no more**. Their fleets lie at the bottom of **Lake Reykal**, their castles are occupied by Aldori administrators, and their name has become a cautionary tale whispered in political academies: > _“Even ice breaks when it forgets the river moves beneath it.”_ --- ### **Heraldry & Identity** - **Motto/Sigil:** _“The Ice Shall Rule.”_ - Sigil: A **black ship** on **frozen waters**, set against a **silver-and-blue field**. - **House Colors:** Black, silver, and deep blue. - **Region & Holdings (Former):** - **Port Ice** – Former seat of Surtovan naval power; now a shadow of its former self. - **The Ruby Fortress, New Stetven** – Once the throne of Brevoy; seized by **[[Jamandi Aldori]]** after the fall. - **Status:** _Extinct._ Officially dissolved by decree of the Aldori Republic in 4723 AR. --- ### **House Structure & Leadership (Final Generation)** - **King-Regent [[Noleski Surtova (Deceased)]]** – The last ruler of Brevoy under Surtovan rule. Orchestrated the family’s downfall when he placed a bounty on Valerius Crowne’s head. Assassinated during the _Week of Falling Krakens (4722 AR)._ - **Lady [[Natala Surtova]] (Missing/Presumed Dead)** – Once the true manipulator behind the throne. Vanished after the collapse; her fate unknown. Rumors persist she escaped north beyond Issia, taking the _Black Ledger_ with her. - **Captain [[Vasily Toranescu (Deceased)]]** – The Crimson Reaver of Issia. Loyal until the end. Took his own life aboard _The Black Veil_ at Valerius Crowne’s offer of an “honorable death.” - **Lord Marius Surtova (Executed)** – Military commander overseeing the Ruby Fortress; executed by his own officers during the final mutiny. --- ### **Politics & Influence (Before the Fall)** - **Political Ideals:** Pragmatism disguised as order. They believed stability justified any cruelty. - **Reputation:** Feared and despised; the “Ice Kings” of Brevoy. Their court was known for elegance, silence, and sudden disappearances. - **Alliances & Enemies:** - **Enemies:** [[House Aldori]], [[House Orlovsky]], [[House Lebeda]], and eventually _everyone_ within Brevoy. - **Foreign Relations:** Maintained secret treaties with pirate states, mercantile cartels, and arcane cabals. - **Military Power (At Its Height):** - Commanded the **Lords of the Black Sails**, Brevoy’s naval juggernaut on Lake Reykal. - Controlled the **Issian merchant navy** and the **Surtovan privateer fleets**, led by Vasily Toranescu. - Maintained the **Silent Guard**, an elite corps of spies and assassins loyal only to Noleski and Natala. --- ### **House History & Lore** - **Founding & Origins:** - Rose from merchant princes of **Port Ice** to Issian nobility by dominating trade along the Lake of Mists and Veils. - Exploited the **Vanishing of House Rogarvia (4699 AR)** to seize the Ruby Fortress and crown Noleski as _King-Regent._ - **Golden Century (4699–4720 AR):** - Ruled Brevoy through wealth and manipulation rather than war. - Turned the **Lords of the Black Sails** into the most feared fleet north of Mivon. - Subjugated rival houses through debt, scandal, and assassination rather than open conflict. - **The Week of Falling Krakens (4722 AR):** - Marked the sudden, synchronized collapse of Surtovan naval, financial, and political power. - The Black Sails fleet burned in a single night. - Banking houses foreclosed their assets within hours. - Key Surtovan allies — Malthis, Daryov, and Toranescu — died in orchestrated tragedies. - Noleski was assassinated; Natala disappeared; Brevoy declared itself a republic under [[Jamandi Aldori]]. - Historians now attribute the entire operation to **Valerius Crowne**, whose motives remain officially unacknowledged. - **Aftermath:** - The **Aldori Republic of Brevoy** absorbed their holdings. - Port Ice remains a haunted port city, its harbor littered with sunken ships. - The Surtovan family name was erased from official Brevic law; only the black sigil remains in archives marked “Restricted – For Study.” --- ### **Culture & Traditions (Extinct)** - **Core Values:** - _Power is not taken; it is inherited through control._ - _Family before all, secrecy above family._ - **Religious Beliefs:** - Publicly worshipped **Abadar**, god of law and commerce. - Secretly patronized shadow cults of Norgorber and Mammon — the gods of greed, secrecy, and profit. - **Preferred Warfare:** - Manipulation, misinformation, and assassination. - Naval sieges and privateer blockades. - **Symbols of Power:** - **The Ruby Fortress** – Once their throne, now the seat of Aldori governance. - **The Black Ledger** – A mythical book said to contain every secret and debt in Brevoy. Its last known holder was Natala Surtova. - **The Surtovan Seal** – A golden ring fused to the bones of Vasily Toranescu’s hand, still lost beneath Lake Reykal. --- ### **Legacy** - **Historians’ Consensus:** - House Surtova’s destruction marked _the end of hereditary monarchy in Brevoy_. - Their fall unified the realm under the Aldori Republic, but their methods — secrecy, pragmatism, manipulation — remain the blueprint for every would-be tyrant. - **Modern Memory:** - Among commoners: a ghost story about arrogance drowned by justice. - Among nobles: a study in how quickly control turns to isolation. - Among spies: a lesson in how one man, Valerius Crowne, can end a dynasty without a single battle. --- ### **Additional Notes** - **Inspiration & Tone:** - **“The Fall of the Lannisters meets the Death of Venice.”** - A house defined by elegance, cruelty, and inevitability — undone not by war, but by _perfection turned inward._ - **Potential Story Hooks:** - **The Black Ledger** – Recovering it could shift the balance of power across Brevoy, Pitax, or Rivermarch. - **The Lost Heir of Natala Surtova** – Rumors of a surviving bloodline persist in the northern isles. - **The Ghost Fleet of Reykal** – Sunken remnants of Vasily’s command may guard forgotten relics of Surtovan power. --- Would you like me to follow this with a **“Historical Appendix: The Week of Falling Krakens”** entry — a unified chronicle summarizing how Crowne dismantled the Surtovas through finance, rumor, and assassination (linking Noleski, Vasily, and the naval collapse into one timeline)?