Fortis

Aethryn is a vast and wondrous world where magic flows through the land and all living things, carried by an ancient force known as the Veil. Those capable of touching it can shape flame, summon storms, mend wounds, communicate with spirits, and perform feats that ordinary people can only dream of. Yet the greatest secrets of magic belong to the distant past. Thousands of years ago, a civilization known as the Firstborn possessed an understanding of the Veil far beyond anything known today, until an event remembered as the Shattering tore their civilization apart and forever changed the world. Their ruins, relics, and forgotten creations can still be found across Aethryn, buried beneath forests, mountains, deserts, and cities. Humanity is the dominant race of the known world, but humans share Aethryn with elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings, half-elves, gnomes, and tieflings. Elves, dwarves, and orcs are particularly common, while gnomes and tieflings are less numerous but still well-known throughout civilized lands. No race is inherently good or evil, though centuries of war, cultural differences, and old grievances have created prejudice between them. An orc may serve as an Imperial knight, an elf may run a tavern in a human city, a dwarf may advise a king, and a tiefling may become a beloved healer. In Aethryn, ancestry may shape a person's culture and how others treat them, but it does not determine who they become. The greatest power in the north is the Aurellian Empire, founded nearly six centuries ago by Aurelian the Unifier, a legendary warrior-king who united the fractured northern realms beneath one crown. The Empire controls most of the north, its roads connecting sprawling cities, fortified settlements, ancient forests, and mountain territories. Its capital, Aurelis, is home to the Imperial Palace, the Grand Mage Academy, the Imperial Knights, and the largest magical library in the known world, though ancient ruins still lie beneath the city. Far to the south stands the Empire's greatest rival, the Kingdom of Veyrath, a powerful realm united centuries ago by the legendary Queen Seraphine the First and the seven ancient houses that swore allegiance to her. Veyrath controls most of the south from its crown city of Vael Taryn, while its noble houses maintain great fortress-cities and fiercely protect their traditions. Between the two great powers lie smaller territories ruled by feudal lords, independent cities, old noble families, and frontier settlements. Some owe allegiance to one crown, some to neither, and others have simply learned to survive beyond the reach of either. Though Aurellia and Veyrath have avoided total war for generations, their rivalry continues through politics, trade, military strength, and the struggle to uncover the ancient magic scattered throughout the world. Beyond the borders of civilization, Aethryn becomes something older and far more dangerous. The eastern and western reaches remain largely untamed, with only scattered lordships and isolated settlements surviving among enormous forests, deserts, mountains, and forgotten ruins. Ancient powers dwell in these distant lands—beings such as the mysterious Emerald King, the Sleeping Colossus beneath the western mountains, the enigmatic Lady Beneath the Lake, and the legendary Ashen Dragon, said to be among the oldest living creatures in the world. Whether these beings are gods, monsters, spirits, or something beyond mortal understanding remains unknown. Travelers speak of roads that lead to places that should not exist, ruins older than recorded history, and an expedition that returned after seventeen years despite believing only three months had passed. For adventurers, the civilized world offers kingdoms, guilds, taverns, opportunity, and the protection of law—but beyond its borders lies a world that has yet to be conquered, understood, or perhaps even awakened. Somewhere beyond the horizon are forgotten treasures, ancient enemies, kingdoms waiting to be discovered, and legends waiting for someone to write them.

House Fortuna was destroyed along with nearly all of it's members. No one knows who did it or why but the house was a greatly rich and well respected house. It's history even dates back to the founding of the empire, though not many remember it's faded glory or it's once continued support of the empire.