Build a house with a motto, crest, and lore added to its name

Drawn from the Old Anglo 'storm' and 'ford' (river crossing), it captures the spirit of a northern warrior who pushes forward through raging currents.

“Through the storm we shall find our way”

A grey hawk wielding a lightning-shaped sword across a silver-grey field, symbolizing an indomitable fighting spirit and the rugged temperament of the north.

The first house lord, Stone Stormford, rose as a mounted warrior in a small river-crossing village on the northern frontier and founded the house by uniting the surrounding powers. Though descended from a cadet royal line pushed aside in the succession dispute after the collapse of the great king three generations ago, the house instead rebuilt itself through the independent military strength of the frontier and now reigns as the strongest warlike house in the north. In recent generations it has seized trade routes through the spoils of war and is rising as a new power.

Drawn from the Old Anglo 'hræfn' (raven) and 'croft' (reclaimed land), it captures the image of a wise pioneer who cultivates the wasteland.

“Those who kindle light in the dark”

A raven holding a golden sheaf of grain across a black field, symbolizing knowledge, a pioneering spirit, and revival from decline.

Ravencroft was a cadet branch of the royal house from the old dynasty, a collateral noble line that was pushed aside in the war of succession and descended to the barren reclaimed lands of the north. Its first house lord cultivated the wasteland into farmland and used the proceeds to forge an alliance with the merchant guilds, growing into the north's largest trade brokerage house. The strength of this house lies in its duality — keeping the pride of a fallen royal line while never abandoning the practical gains of a merchant.

Drawn from the Old Anglo 'iren' (iron) and 'heorte' (heart), it captures a will that never rusts and an unwavering combat instinct.

“Steadfast as iron, ablaze as fire”

A heart clad in gold-trimmed iron armor holding a sword across a red field, symbolizing the unbreakable soul of a northern warrior.

Ironheart is a martial house built on the iron mines of the northern frontier, whose first house lord forged the mined iron into weapons to create the strongest armed force in the north. After three generations of rivalry it crushed the surrounding powers and now reigns as the north's absolute power, recently expanding a merchant network on the strength of its iron-working skill. It seeks the house's future through commercial expansion while never losing its warlike temperament.

Drawn from the Old Anglo 'gold' and 'mearc' (mark, border), it captures the ambition of amassing wealth and carving out commercial territory.

“Wherever gold's trail reaches is our domain”

A golden scale on a white field, balanced on either side by a sword and a coin, symbolizing the ambition of a rising house that turns the spoils of war into commerce.

Goldmark is a rising house descended from a man who was a mercenary captain in the north three generations ago. Its first house lord used the plunder won in frontier conflicts as capital to open up trade routes, and the house has since become a rising merchant nobility commanding key trading hubs that link the north and south. It is a pragmatic house that still keeps a warrior's temperament while expanding its political influence through gold.

Drawn from the Old Anglo 'þunor' (thunder) and 'wic' (settlement, harbor), it captures the mighty force and vigor that commands a frontier harbor city.

“With thunderous spirit we open the way”

A shield depicting a sailing ship with lightning across a navy field, symbolizing both the warlike temperament of the north and a push into a new commercial age.

Thunderwick is a house that began as a pirate band from a northern harbor city. Its first house lord crushed the surrounding powers in naval combat, seized the harbor, and then earned a formal noble title from the crown. The house has since amassed enormous wealth from maritime trade and harbor tariffs, and while keeping its old warrior's temperament, it is expanding its influence as the head of the merchant guild.