House Gorrister

"Always Rising"

House Gorrister of Sunbane is an exiled house following the December Uprising and Earl Xavier's failed rebellion. Once one of the great houses of Arvas and the principal noble house of the Southern Hills; many lesser houses were sworn to them (such as House Stuvorov). Their seat, Sunbane Keep, is an ancient castle renowned for its strength.

Their sigil is Mount Sunspear killing Akatosh, the Sun God. It is one of the most important moments in Druid mythology and the key component of the fabled founding of House Gorrister.

History
According to Druid mythology, Gorris was an ancient man who like all men of those times, was forced to worship Akatosh the Sun God. Despite the fact that is was the Earthmother who gave humanity life and comfort. Gorris saw this injustice and began a pilgrimage to the mountain that would become Sunbane Keep. There, he began a prayer but not to Akatosh, to the Earthmother. Akatosh was so outraged by this open defiance that he swore to exterminate the human race. The Earthmother, not able to see her children murdered, used the Sunspear, the great mountain in who's shadow Sunbane Keep lies, to slay Akatosh and spare Gorris. Gorris pledged to only worship the Earthmother and his descendants would always honor her. So began House Gorrister. For most of recorded history, House Gorrister was the ruling family of the Iron Hills although scholars argue that no family could survive that long and new lords who claimed Sunbane Keep would also adopt the Gorrister name.

During the Strelok Rebellion, Earl Ishmael Gorrister pledged his fealty to Earl Lazlo of House Strelok after his victory at the Battle of the Red Mud.

Recent Events
Earl Xavier had spent most of his life on a diplomatic mission to the Kingdom of Kalt. On his way there, however, he was assaulted by deserters from the Holy Militia of the Lion and his wife and most of his household was slaughtered. Only his son and a few loyal bannerman survived. During his stay in the Kingdom of Kalt, Xavier made friends in the courts of King Ragnar. When Ragnar died, his son Erik rose to the throne but because his attempts to move Kalt away from clan-based raiding and towards industry and imperialism, his uncle challenged his right to the throne. Xavier was forced to flee and return to Arvas and his position as Earl.

Even from the beginning, Earl Xavier came into conflict with the new, young King of Arvas, Sebastian. This, combined with already strained Melodist-Druid relations, made Xavier defiant towards his king. On December 13, 500AL, tensions had finally reached a boiling point and Earl Xavier had the King imprisoned in what would become the December Uprising. Earl Xavier moved to distance himself from the North and establish independence for the Southern Hills (although never calling himself king). King Sebastian, however, was soon freed by his friend, Ser Willem Dayne.

After his chief allies, House Dayne and House Stuvorov, defected back to the North, Earl Xavier was forced to abandon his castle, send his son to Kalt, and enter exile. His current whereabouts are unknown...