House Stein

House Stein is a Great House hailing from the Summerlands in the far north of Andralon.

History
House Stein was a very minor house formed immediately after the creation of the Kingdom of Andralon. The first of the Steins was Konrad of Belchoria, a tiny, now non-existent, city-state on the continent. He was a firm ally of Roland Lagrange, the first member of House Lagrange, who was granted lordship of the Summerlands and who chose to award Konrad baronship of a small coastal port called Salcusa. The sigil of House Stein at that time was a badger on a blue field, and although granted nobility, no mention of the house is made in any historical account of note for at least 400 years after its inception.

Baron Hubert von Stein was the ruler of the house who began the Stein's rise to prominence. Roughly 380 years ago, he opened negotiations with the nascent Qumari Sultanate, ensuring that their trade ships would dock only at Salcusa and pay tariffs to House Stein for goods entering Andralon. This was the beginning of a lucrative trade empire that was built up by subsequent leaders over the next century.

Wealth the Stein's now had in abundance but they remained minor vassals of the more powerful, if nearly destitute, House Lagrange. Lady Lissandra, Hubert's great granddaughter, masterminded a thirty two year long coup that involved three arranged marriages, the loss of two Langrage sons to addiction, one gambling, the other alcohol, and at least seven unfortunate deaths in mysterious circumstances. The result was the marriage of House Lagrange's sickly Lord to Lissandra and after his untimely passing from one of his many illnesses, House Lagrange ceased to exist, becoming absorbed under House Stein's name. Lissandra restyled House Stein's sigil to incorporate the golden fleur-de-lis of Lagrange in the badger's field and moved the seat of House Stein to Munchaus. Built on top of a rocky tor that overlooks the river Chalason, it became the major trading centre of Andralon and a major source of income for the newly elevated Steins.

94 years before the present day, a raiding party led by House Arx infiltrated Munchaus and killed 13 members of House Stein in brutal fashion before disappearing. It was only in the aftermath that 12 were found to be thralls of a wandering vampyr who had killed the leader of House Stein and taken his position, using illusionary magics to cover up the change. Only four members of the house survived the cleansing but their resources were in no way depleted and no long term effects of the vampyr's brief reign have been felt.

The current ruler of House Stein, Madred, became leader upon the death of his father. Lord Darion fell to grief after the murder of his wife, Lady Brunhilde, by a member of House Bane. Madred has inherited a vast trade empire and many strong diplomatic relations with both foreign and local powers but remains unmarried and heir to his seat remains his younger brother Klaus.

Prominent Family Members

 * Lord Madred von Stein (Floyd Westman)
 * Klaus von Stein (Oliver Whitton)
 * Alfred von Stein - Cousin to Lord Madred (Mark Balakrishnan)

Major Vassals

 * House Tassis
 * House Dampierre
 * House Berenburg