House Otrese

House Otrese is the ruling house of the empire, ruled by Empress Koline Otrese.

History
When Valon first consolidated power in central Elthos and formed the Realm of Adana, one of the first to swear fealty to him, and among the brightest and mightiest of his followers was Ulrich Otrese, Duke of Firstbridge. Ulrich's vow of loyalty to Valon established the heart of the Realm of Adana. When Valon departed the world and the Third Greytide came to an end, he bade Ulrich consolidate the realms into one great empire. Ulrich duly did so. He secured the loyalty of the rulers of Dyria and of the many refugees from Thasen, first, and so Adana - which became the Imperial Territories - Dyria and Thasen became the core of the empire. Various minor polities were swiftly subsumed into one of the three realms. The Realm of Hana remained independent for a longer time, but enjoyed amity with the nobility of the northern reaches of the early empire.

House Otrese's rule of the empire has gone generally without serious challenge. However, its relative power has eroded over the years as the empire has grown. In its earliest days, the empire might have been subject to absolute rule, but centuries have passed, and while House Otrese remains mighty, it is far more reliant on careful diplomacy than on simple strength.

The town of Firstbridge and the duchy around it is the ancestral home of the Otreses, though it was destroyed almost entirely, barring the ancient bridge itself, during the Third Greytide, as was virtually every settlement in proximity to Sanctuary, as the Greytide flooded towards the city. Even in the present day, centuries-old ruins still exist, and every now and then, an explorer will stumble over some unknown site.

House Otrese accrued the counties of Aten and Zaina over the years too, granting it even more land to rule directly along the Ada. It has not sought to exert direct control over any more land than that though, as any further effort to consolidate imperial power is met with sharp protests from elsewhere in the empire. It also garrisoned the island of Thalund, which controls the Thasund, providing access from the Encircled Sea to the ocean beyond, early in the formation of the Grand Republic of Thasen, and has held it ever since.

Holdings
The Imperial House Otrese has its seat of power at the city of Sanctuary, where Empress Koline Otrese reigns. Beyond that though, it has a number of other holdings.

The Duchy of Firstbridge is the duchy built up around Sanctuary itself. It is so named because it was the site of the first bridge over the mighty river Ada, at least in its lower reaches. That ancient bridge is within the town of Firstbridge, some distance upriver from Sanctuary. It operates as the administrative heart of the duchy, even if Sanctuary is relatively close by. Firstbridge is comprised almost wholly of farmland and occasional patches of light woodland, making as much use as possible out of its location along the fertile banks of the Ada. Within the duchy are numerous vassals, across hundreds of estates, large and small.

The Empress is also Countess of Aten, Countess of Zaina and Countess of Thalund. Aten and Zaina are both built up around castle towns even farther upriver from Firstbridge, each with their own complement of smaller vassals. The empress visits them about once a year. Otherwise, these are left to family members and vassals in service to the house to oversee Thalund is unusual: it is an island near where the Encircled Sea meets the Thasund, the strait that connects the Encircled Sea to the Sea of El. Thalund is a major fortress and its sheltered harbour hosts a permanent naval presence. Just northeast of Thalund, on the mainland, is the capital of The Grand Republic of Thasen, Benetta. The people of Thasen have mixed feelings about Thalund. On one hand, it provides a great deal of security to their home and their merchant shipping. On the other, House Otrese extracts tolls for the use of the sound, though the tolls are used for maintenance of the fleet, which merchants grudgingly acknowledge.

Current Events
Competent members of House Otrese can expect virtually any appointment within the House or Imperial Crown that they wish. Incompetent ones are asked to keep themselves out of trouble.