House Zebdel

House Zebdel owns land in the region of Gilvic in southern Hana. Its head is Boyar Marcel Zebdel.

History
House Zebdel is ancient, its origins mostly a matter of myth. Some claim that a Zebdel has ruled Gilvic since the earliest days of known civilisation on Elthos, and might even say that it predates the foundation of the Realm of Westelth. Sometimes it is claimed that the Zebdels were servants of the elves who once resided across Elthos, and are now a scarce sight indeed. This proposition is not necessarily entirely outlandish - the tiny elven enclave of the Glade of Sighs sits between Gilvic and Issa, in northern Dyria, ruled by House Petrakis.

The people of Gilvic survived each of the Greytides, but there is a conspicuous gap in the historical record - not uncommon when it comes to matters so long ago - regarding how exactly this happened. Modern day consensus is that in the absence of any evidence of them having gone anywhere, the Greytides either did not threaten or the people of Gilvic successfully defended themselves.

Situated as it is far from the regions of the Commonwealth which find themselves routinely beset by violence, it would be easy for Zebdel to have sought to ignore such problems. However, over many years, Zebdel has developed a reputation for consistently supporting the defence of the realm, and supporting moves in parliament each year to further that aim.

The Zebdels have close ties to House Petrakis in northern Dyria. Although House Petrakis is a relatively young house compared with House Zebdel, it has still been in place for a century and a half. Both houses have a strong martial disposition and have developed ties through many joint military expeditions. Their wilderness homes are far from any external borders of the empire, with the sole exception of the tiny Glade of Sighs, and their warriors routinely march far from home, to the eastern fringes of Dyria and Hana, where they face threats from the Red Waste, or even the northern edge of Lonin, to stand against beings from the Terror. On other occasions, they have gone farther afield.

Marcel Zebdel was elected head of house after the death of his father in 612 in a battle in the Red Waste. In 617, Marcel went to the aid of his friend, Count Gerald Salfeld of House Salfeld in his conquest of the Duchy of Greenwood from the Realm of Intis. The forces of House Zebdel were accompanied by a smaller force from House Petrakis, adhering to its long-established tradition of them marching to war together, wherever it may be.

Holdings
House Zebdel owns much of the hilly, forested region of Gilvic. Some parcels of it are owned by other boyars, though none have a portion even close to the size owned by Zebdel. While they each owe their own obligations to the realm, they tend to fulfil the military ones, at least, by affiliating themselves with the Zebdels. None of the land is particularly productive. The influence that the Zebdels have comes from reputation rather than wealth.

The Zebdels make their home in the small castle of Woodward's Watch, mere miles from the Glade of Sighs. The castle is widely rumoured to receive elvish visitors from the Glade, but the Zebdels do not interfere with their guests' privacy.

Current Events
House Zebdel's position is stable and secure, as it has been for a very long time indeed. The Zebdels continue to interest themselves in events far beyond their own lands in the first instance, their guided by bonds of honour, friendship, or other reasons which they keep close to themselves. It remains consistently supportive of House Petrakis and House Salfeld. For a house in northeastern Elthos, House Zebdel is rather acutely aware of the Dominion of Rin due to the position of House Salfeld. The Zebdels believe that war is imminent, though they are not sure exactly what form it might take, and are preparing for a major conflict. It is likely to be of such a scale that they cannot approach it as they might their usual foreign excursions - they will need more funding to sustain their soldiers abroad than can be obtained from their land in Gilvic alone.