The 6 Ancient Houses

In En, magic is core to society and function. Though strict regulation would be completely against the chaotic growth and atmosphere, there is a form of loose control in the way of the 6 Ancient Houses, each specializing in a school of magic, and appointing themselves as the guardians of many related artifacts and secrets. Each has been in succession since time immemorial.

Perhaps revisionism is the cause, but as there are 8 schools of magic, there are also 2 lesser houses, each about 500 years old. They do not have the status of the ancient, or greater, 6, but are respected as authorities all the time.

Structure
Each house acts similarly to the family group structure common to En, but instead of each generational group only being made up of the sons of the family and their spouses, the status of the house transcends the typical gender boundary, and thus all children of a generation and those who marry in all stay under the house. In exchange, often not all couples will have children, with the exception of the successors, who must. Again unlike standard houses, the successor of the house need not be male.

In other houses, the generation may be re-ranked several times. In the ancient and lesser, it is simple: often the oldest child of the previous successor claims it by birthright. In the case of many children close together, or an unfit child, the lineage then passes to the most capable. In most houses as this is inevitable, they refuse to choose an heir until they are certain they are the best fit.

Often, only the head of house (successor) and their heir will know the secrets of the house.

The first four heirs of a generation have the right to add 'de' before the name of their house, signifying their importance, but often the head of house and the heir will not, their name and status already apparent to the world around them. Members loyal to their house will denote next to their name what generation and rank they are. e.g. Amit de Nayar (2nd of the 26th): Amit (personal name), no middle names, de (denotes a primary heir, or one of the first 4), Nayar (house name), 2nd (2nd heir), of the 26th (of the 26th generation of House Nayar).

Similarly, someone who is marries into a house will use the inverted name structure, and 'del' before the name of their house. So it then becomes personal name, middle name, del, and then the house name.

House Crossfell - Abjuration

 * The second smallest house next to the Yeo, the Crossfell are all high elves, and known for both their careful scrutiny, and attempts to mediate between the affairs of the other houses. The Crossfell are rumored to be record-keepers, but no one has been able to prove that. The current head of house is Adrian Miles Crossfell, and there are no successors in line, leading to a time of crisis.



House Ram - Divination

 * House Ram is held in very high regard by the public, and are very respected as managers of libraries and information. House Ram lead the post-war knowledge and learning recovery operations, and still maintain these efforts and the reputation they gained from them today. The current head of house is Mahendra Ram, and the successor Shekhari Ram.



House Phan - Enchantment

 * A massive source of enchanted items, it's said that even the youngest Phan can take a piece of metal scrap and make a terrifying sword. The current head of house is Mai Yui Phan, and the successor Giang Lee Phan.



House Ueda - Illusion

 * The largest house, and the most diligent. House Ueda focus both on the artistic merits of illusion, but also it's uses in combat. Many extant members of House Ueda end up taking positions among the city watch and jobs guarding travelers. The current head of house is Senkichi Ueda, and the successor Takeshi Marcus Ueda. Takeshi is known to have feuded with Hinako de Ueda (2nd of the 29th) for his rank in family succession.



House Shakya - Necromancy

 * Sometimes considered to be the most powerful house, House Shakya manage to be one of the most beloved and are known to be amicable and generous. Though their inner operations are kept very private, publicly House Shakya helps maintain all of the crypts of En. House Shakya has recently been shaken by the death of their longtime and well loved patriarch. The current head of house is Sahana Shakya, having just recently become head herself, she does not yet have a successor.



House Yeo - Transmutation

 * The smallest house, House Yeo are tricky, particular, and rarely deal with the other houses. House Yeo are primarily changelings. Many have trouble trusting them, but they are known for finishing what they start, and providing a fresh perspective. Their recent succession has been the cause of a significant amount of tumult, as the only two children of the generation were twins, and nearly killed each other to claim the position. The current head of house is Gaozhen Yeo, and the successor Ailill Yeo, however as Ailill is the only child of his generation, this may yet change.



House Nayar - Conjuration (Lesser House)

 * Sometimes considered to exist due to foreign influence, House Nayar are the second largest of the houses. Though they rarely work with other houses due to the perception of conjuration as a non-native magic form, they have long won over the public, and serve as some of the foremost experts on conjuration in Bene. The current head of house is Ezhil 'The Tailwind' Nayar, and the successor Seetha Nayar.



House Mercado - Evocation (Lesser House)

 * The current head of house is Taksin Ro Mercado, and the successor has not yet been chosen. Taksin Ro inherited the title almost purely by chance when a majority of House Mercado disappeared, and plans to do all he can to raise their status and numbers.



Trivia

 * As name carries such weight, often the members of the ancient and lesser houses have their name inverted, with their personal name first, and their family name second. Some people of En find this unnecessarily dramatic.
 * Outer members of ancient houses may intermarry, but in such a case they are considered to have seperated themselves from either house unless either is their houses heir, which allows their partner to leave their own family to support the head of house. In the case of a lesser house and an ancient house, the member of the lesser house joins the ancient house unless they themselves are the next in line, in which case both are considered to have seperated themselves from either house. All such instances are considered massive scandals - eagerly snapped up by the public. As such, most inter-house relationships are never officiated.