House Astra of Beacon's Margin

What transpires in the centuries of men is but a moment in the span of the stars. The House of Astra draws courage from the limitless reserve of celestial patience as they shield Mercania from what lies beyond.

Situated on Beacon’s Margin, a peninsula of rocky terrain along Mercania's eastern limits that holds the greater elements at bay, House Astra watches the passing of the seas and time with a patience that they say is gifted to them by The Scholar himself.

Originally relegated to the Margin as punishment for deeds too old for many to recall, House Astra now sees its position along the crags of the land’s end as a proud duty; faithfully serving the realm as its first wardens, keenly scouting both outward to the sea, and inward to the kingdom.

House Astra is currently the ruling house of Mercania, with Ser Jansen Astra serving as the Monarch-Elect.

History
In the days of the Draewold kings, House Astra were the proud seneschals of Eastmarch, prosperous and feal to their king. However, in circumstances now lost to the annals of time, the Draewold King and Senec Astra - distant progenitor of the current Warden, Jansen Astra - did not see eye to eye, and the Monarch-Elect was not given to patience, nor undue courtesy.

Feigning great displeasure at a poor harvest, the King pinned blame solely on the House of Astra. Claiming they had not the skill nor the right to occupy the bounties of Eastmarch, he banished them to the south, declaring they would spend the rest of their days beneath the stars watching the rest of the world from amongst the broken, rain-slicked crags of Beacon's Margin. Facing exile or a civil war he would most certainly lose, Senec Astra took his leave and led his people into the mountains.

Many generations later, when Joffen the Red passed without heirs, the House of Astra observed from the peaks, and knew their time had come. Striking west with an entourage, Lady Celeste Astra - then Warden of the Watch - dutifully paid her respects on behalf of her house. Through calm words, precise timing, and no small amount of charm, House Astra was able to once again return to power with a seat on the Small Council. Although they were unable to return their peoples to Eastmarch, they were nevertheless recognised as the true Wardens of the Watch, and their contribution to the realm adequately recognised.

Yet there are still some in the realm, and maybe even at court, that do not forget past misdeeds, and in shadowed corners and behind their masks they sneer at the name Astra...

In the Autumn of the year 1018, Bartholomaüs Athelsten III succumbed to an illness born of deliberate poisoning and died. In the subsequent election, House Athelsten cast the deciding vote in favour of House Astra, propelling Jansen Astra to the position of Monarch-Elect; King of Mercania.

People
The citizens of Beacon's Margin are flint-eyed and weathered as the rocks around them; they have to be to survive in the steep, unforgiving climes of the mountains. Yet they eke out a living through the seasons by farming where they can amongst the valleys, and gathering lumber from the numerous forests that cling to the slopes. Those bolder citizens delve into the mountains, scouring the many untapped seams for whatever natural resources they can dig up. It is dangerous business, but like all who serve under the House of Astra, their patience and resolve is beyond reproach.

The leader of House Astra is the 'Warden of the Watch'. Originally a self-styled title, it grew into an official title at the first meeting of the Small Council. The current Warden of the Watch is Jansen Astra, third of his name, and he rules the Margin from his seat in Beacon's Point. His daughter, Aeryn Astra, is poised to assume his mantle when he vacates his seat, but there is no saying when that may be.

Beacon's Margin
Beacon's Margin is a largely unforgiving place. Unlike Eastmarch to the north, where largely flat, calm plains are protected along the seaward flank by a strong mountainous barrier, Beacon's Margin is a gnarled land of erratic mountains and craggy terrain. The uniform mountains of the Eastmarch multiply and expand, lining the peninsula from east to west. Flat farmland is rare and tightly guarded, so many of the Margin's citizens live in fraught conditions, often at the base of a mountain, under the peak's baleful gaze.

Strong winds and intermittent storms from the Sea of the Pale Moon buffet the eastern coast of the Margin, whipping through the uncaring valleys with vicious abandon, finally spending their energy and calming into gentle breezes across the Eastmarch.

With farms at a premium, the citizens of Beacon's Margin turn to what resources are available to make a living. Fortunately, whilst the eastern ridges are assaulted by relentless winds and occasional - but powerful -storms, the western slopes are fertile, rich in forestland and deep, barely-tapped seams to be mined. Lumber and metal, therefore, are regarded across the realm for their quality and abundance.

In addition, direct access to the Sea of the Pale Moon gives House Astra a leverage in trade and seafaring prosperity that is outmatched by only House Cetus. Whilst the Wardens of the Watch would never consider themselves a naval power, their trading vessels strike out across to the Eastern Kingdoms and return, their holds bursting with exotic spices, silks and silvers from mysterious - and clearly generous - lands.

The capital of Beacon's Margin is Beacon's Point, a weathered mountain citadel in the south; gnarled watchtowers and parapets strike up around the peaks upon which the city is built, gazing out into the Sea of the Pale Moon and south into unknown lands.

Eastmarch & The Misty Isles
In the misted centuries since their exile began, the self-named 'Wardens of the Watch' have largely abandoned any bitterness and animosity towards their inland brothers. However, they have never forgotten their homes in Eastmarch, which they now see as illegally occupied by another House. Although they would never deign to drag the kingdom into war, they nevertheless gaze upon their old homes avariciously. Should an opportunity to reclaim their ancestral lands arise, House Astra would almost certainly dedicate themselves to that goal.

To the west, The Misty Isles are held by the noble house of Thalmoor. House Astra gazes upon them suspiciously also, but not for the greater part of their lands. It is only the lighthouse, the solitary beacon at the tip of their lands, that interest the Wardens. Although they hold no ancestral claim to it, House Astra believes that - as self-styled watchers of the coast - they should be responsible for gazing out to sea and observing the lands that lie beyond.

This claim, naturally, is disputed by House Thalmoor, and as such House Astra has made no further move to claim the lighthouse, or the island upon which it sits. Yet Jansen Astra is a patient man, as were his forebears; inaction is deceptive. So often, the realm mistakes House Astra for standing still, when they are in fact lying in wait...

Religion
The people of Beacon's Margin have long worshipped, as most of the realm does, the seven gods of the Septenary. However, the nobles of House Astra have long put their faith in The Tongue and The Scholar, strongly possessed of the belief that progress, knowledge and diplomacy - in all its forms - are the key to progress in the realm. House Astra has long believed that their envious patience and resolve is a gift from The Scholar himself, whilst their gifted oratory and silver-mouthed negotiating skills is a boon from The Tongue.