[Neus]

SURAN

Sigil: A spider sitting in the middle of a web made of Zeran horns.
The sigil of House Suran carries a rather ominous question of if the horns are merely decorative or sinister; does the spider rest on only horns, or do those horns have corpses connected? The only answer one might get from asking a member directly is that House Suran does not rest on its laurels...

Colors: Black, red, white.
Usually decorating themselves in outfits of primarily black with thin, jagged, white lines in complex patterns, and with red jewelry complimenting, one can't help but think of certain deadly arachnids that the nobility have come to be associated with.

Heirloom: Begrabnis der Gotter
This exquisite tapestry is made of finely dyed silk and decorates the main hall of Fairweather. Depicted on it is the history of the Zeran people; from Heaven's Contention, to the death of Trelnam Zelag, to the Massacre of Silence and Ashes. Nearly every major event is covered in the eye-straining level of detail it holds, and if one were to look hard enough, who knows how many spiders they could find hidden in its designs?

Size: Small
House Suran has always been seen as a small house. While that is true to some extent, it is partially an impression given because they operate out of sight. Despite this, one cannot help but feel a certain unpleasant tension when speaking of them; you never know if they might be listening, and gaining the displeasure of ones who stalk from darkness is ill-advised.

Stronghold: Fairweather
The old stronghold of House Hetter, located south of the Blacknest, the home of its bitter rival, House Orin. Its brilliant white marble walls have faded with time into a washed grey, but they at least are no longer covered in red. It stands between the town of Fairweather and the valuable marble quarry that its inhabitants work in.

Some distance to the south is the original home of House Suran, deep coastal caverns that spread miles underground, known as the Sea's Sin. Even this was not theirs; the origins of House Suran can be traced to stealing it from Arkime pirates who had used it to stockpile valuable goods. Now, it is filled with giant spiders that the Suran domesticate and harvest silk and venom from.

Values:
House Suran are, primarily, opportunists with little regard for morals. They will patiently wait for a chance to seize something they desire and strike mercilessly when the time is right. This has helped their growth, albeit a slow one, and has earned them a few enemies along the way. That said, they are not mere thugs; their motions always have a deeper scheme behind them.

They are often thought to pass hidden messages through their silk tapestries and clothing that only those who are trained to spot can recognize. This level of secrecy has helped them flourish as both spies and assassins, often killing their targets with spider venom.

History:
Originally regarded as a mild curiosity among the nobility, House Suran's roots are in the southern outlands of Alstalsia. As is not uncommon by the Alstalain people, they successfully attempted to domesticate one of the wild creatures on their harsh continent, namely the large, almost bear-sized spiders that are oft found in the trees of deep forests and deep caverns. This would be all that was known of them until they earned some infamy by finding the Arkime sanctuary of Sea's Sin.

Sea's Sin is a deep coastal cavern that was used by the pirates to stash goods and hide their ships from patrols. This place was south of the forests the Suran were known to stay, though they made no motions that hinted they were aware of the Arkime activity that went on in it. They were, however, and after stealthily observing their movements, Suran assassins infiltrated the caverns at night after the ships left. The few guards were quietly disposed of and fed to the spiders that they would bring there to nest.

Still, the Suran made no efforts to mark the cave as compromised. After all, no prey would willingly jump into a spider's web. The next time the pirates came to dock and unload their goods, they noticed too late the sounds of webbed legs scampering behind them. Now flush with ill-gotten gains, ships, and a crude stronghold, their power would begin to expand.

However, they would not be recognized by the nobility as they were. Their next chance would come during the uprising of House Ignis and House Mantra. Long had the Suran been watching House Hetter, a noble house of artisans who were known for their sculptures and statues. The house held very valuable land, with mines full of marble they used, but had a weak military. Instead, they were on good terms with House Orin, whom they provided the large wyvern statues that decorate Blacknest, and enjoyed their protection.

During the Massacre of Silence and Ashes, however, House Orin would deploy their forces north to help House Echor, leaving House Hetter undefended briefly. The Suran would not miss this chance, and quickly mobilized towards Fairweather, easily scaling its marble walls atop their spiders and neutralizing its small force of inexperienced soldiers. All the members of House Hetter themselves were fed to the spiders shortly thereafter. House Orin was outraged and wanted very much to retaliate, but given the chaos that House Mantra and House Ignis caused was still ongoing, they were convinced by House Zelag not to start another war, as this could prompt foreign invasions while the country was weak, namely from Chaturanga.

Scholars have often speculated that this result was predicted by House Suran before they moved on House Hetter. In any case, with Fairweather under their control, they were officially recognized as House Suran and granted a seat on the High Council, albeit reluctantly. Their animosity with House Orin continues to this day.