[Neus]

ARKIME

Sigil: Three slitted eyes laid out in a pyramid-shaped triangle.
Originally, the three-eyed sigil of the Arkime was painted on their flags, representing a three-eyed sea monster that most say was a serpent. When they became a noble house, however, the official meaning of that sigil became the three Great Lighthouses that the Arkime family built around the coasts of Alstalsia, serving as 'eyes' on the seas.

Colors: Orange, red, black.
The primary color of the Arkime is orange, perhaps as a reference to the house's favor towards citrus. Such fruits are invaluable on the sea to prevent conditions stemming from malnutrition, such as scurvy, and the land the Arkime owns has miles of citrus orchards inside of it. Red and black are common pirate colors, for a variety of reasons, most importantly because the blood-hiding shades demoralize enemies when boarding ships.

Heirloom: Hafgufa & Lyngbakr
The Lyngbakr is the ancestral admiral ship of the Arkime. From the many skirmishes it took part in, the Lyngbakr is a scarred medium-sized vessel, covered on the outside by patchwork leather, which was used to protect the ship from threats such as fire and impact damage. The Hafgufa, on the other hand, is the name of a large ramming spearhead on the prow, whose height can be adjusted by machinery below deck. The Hafgufa was usually hidden just below the water's surface, where it could be used to pierce ship hulls, causing them to sink after Hafgufa is withdrawn. Most of its power comes from the fact that it is crafted from the remains of Zera, making it much stronger than metal and wood, and preventing the water from causing it to rust or float in a way that hinders the ship's movement.

Size: Medium
Although the split between those loyal the Arkime's 'origin' dwindled their numbers, the amount of people to run ships and ports can be quite large, and so new members to the house were recruited, some from fallen houses on Alstalsia.

Stronghold: Bloody Bay
The Arkime have always taken up residence at the Bloody Bay, which is located on the southwest tip of Alstalsia. Traditionally, this position allowed them to more easily attack ships heading to or from Sigrogana and Gold, but now it is more similar to a port town, and it houses one of the Great Lighthouses. Bloody Bay is named for the reddish tint the water seems to have due to a large amount of red coral at the bed of the bay. While the port town is not a fortress in terms of fortification, it is still difficult to assail, as to reach it by land, one must pass through the Stinking Marsh, a large swamp that cuts Bloody Bay's surrounding land off from the rest of Alstalsia. Needless to say, attacking by sea might still be a worse option, because that is where the Arkime have lived and died for a hundred years.

Values:
Arkime 'loyalists' will often stay true to the pirate ways, taking what they want from who they want on the high seas, even if that makes them an enemy of the rest of the world. They value the freedom such a lifestyle gives, and many of them enjoy the fact that such a rebellious and confrontational occupation is very different from the dry and cold politics of Alstalsia.

As for House Arkime, they meet somewhere in the middle. The leaders of the House have recognized that continuing a life of professional piracy would eventually result in their ruin, noting that few pirates grow into old age, that Gold's reliance on foreign trade has made their trade ships well escorted, and that House Orin's taming of the wyverns serve as a natural counter to ships on the sea, meaning the number of opportunities for successful pirating have gone down significantly in the last decade and a half, while the risk has gone up significantly. That said, they are still a very wild house, hard to control or negotiate with, and thus the values of each member of House Arkime tends to vary, far more so than any other noble house.

History:
The Arkime were originally pirates that raided ships that sailed through the waters near Bloody Bay, which included a large amount of Sigrogana, Gold, and Alstalain ships. The three-eyes were a very feared threat before long, known for their ruthlessness and brutality. As time went on, their numbers grew, some joining them with few other options due to personal history, being outlaws, or their original noble house being ruined. Eventually, the High Council made the Arkime a very fair offer; in exchange for loyalty to Alstalsia and ceasing pirating, they would be made a noble house, given a large amount of wealth, land, and prestige. This caused a split between the Arkime, those who believed that they should tell the Council to 'pike off', the loyalists. And the ones who realized that piracy's days as a large scale operation were numbered, those now of the House Arkime. Of note, the captain of the Arkime was one of those who sided with Alstalsia.

As part of the deal, the Arkime built three Great Lighthouses on various points of the coast, to serve as protection from attacks from the sea, one of which is in Bloody Bay. Thus, House Arkime manages all sea-based affairs for Alstalsia, including trade and its navy. As for the loyalists, some smaller groups of them are still out there, hiding in parts unknown and raiding ships. They wear bandanas to hide their horns, preventing them from gaining much notice. Others, perhaps the brazenly suicidal ones, still pirate with the Arkime's three-eyed sigil, which causes diplomatic issues from time to time. And still some believe that, even though House Arkime has sworn loyalty to the Council, that some of its members still pirate ships in secret.