Octavius

The House of Octavius is a noble house with imperial immediacy within the Imperial Republic of Shireroth. The house originated in Antica, first as Kings in Kaikias, then as the Dinarchs of the Octavian Line within the Antican Empire. Its royal and noble status was lost when Antica became a republic.

The House of Octavius was refounded in Shireroth by Aiomide Oqtavion, whose uncle had been the last Dinarch of the Octavian Line. It is currently invested as the ruling dynasty of the Count Palatine of Kezan.

History

House of Octavius (Original)

The original house were the descendants of Octavius of Dioskourias (Οκταυιος Διοσκουριαδος), a baron of that city. He was chosen to become King in the Lands of the Kaikiates as a compromise candidate between the powerful Kolophon and the Soloi Factions. It was assumed that, without a significant power base, King Octavius would be easily controlled. Instead, he was able to pit the various factions against one another. His son and grandson were able to consolidate this into a centralized monarchy with large concessions to the nobility.

During the Unification Wars, the Kings in Kaikias allied with the Kings in Phedodah to conquer the ascendant Aquilarian League. After subduing Aquilaria itself, the two royal lines used their alliance and shared rule over the Platea to eliminate enemies and consolidate power in their home territories, transforming the various Antican polities into an autocratic dual monarchy.

Christopher Octavius

The last Dinarch of the Octavian Line, Christopher Octavius, sided with the republican movement that overwhelmed the Antican Empire in its twilight years. He would become a statesman in the First Republic, the Commonwealth, and the Second Republic, serving as a senior member of several administrations over the years.

Christopher Octavius maintained a strained relationship with the remainder of his family, who had remained staunchly monarchist. In his later years, he developed a strong bond with his niece, Zoe Octavia, whom he cultivated into a noble republican and had made his sole heir as Head of House Octavius.

Christopher Octavius was killed in the turmoil that ended the Second Republic.

The Wilderness

At the time of the fall of the Second Antican Republic, Zoe Octavia had been serving as a diplomatic attaché to the Antican delegation to Elwynnese Union and had married Azarja Kalirion-Alnavion, a minor noble from Wintergleam and cadet member of the Line of Kalir. As the Antican population began to flee its home territories, Zoe Octavia became involved in founding the Antican Diaspora Society to help facilitate migration into friendly territories, such as Elwynn, Shireroth, and Natopia and to advocate international support for the post-Antican states.

Aiomide Oqtavion (Аїомидє Оћтавион)

Sole child of Zoe Octavia and Azarja Kalirion-Alnavion, inheriting lordship of the defunct House Octavius from the former and membership in the Line of Kalir by the latter.

Member of the Elwynnese nobility, appointed to the Elwynnese Senate in 1583 AN, appointed to study what would become known as the Cabbage Crisis and send to the Landsraad to advocate a declaration of emergency. Elevated to the Mango Throne by the Landsraad following the abdication of Kaiseress Mira Raynora Minor.

Resolved the Cabbage Crisis at great loss of life, broke from the Line of Kalir to create the Line of Octavius, refounded the House of Octavius as a new noble house in Shireroth and established the County Palatine of Kezan as the house's seat.

Made into a lich to avoid dying from terminal cancer, abdicated after becoming trapped in Balgurd, gained a restored body while remaining bound to the Aiomide Phylactery, successfully escaped Balgurd. Whereabouts unknown.

House of Octavius (Refounded)

In Imperial Decree 635, Kaiser Aiomide declared a new imperial bloodline separated from the Line of Kalir and disavowed Elwynnese nationality. The new bloodline was named the Line of Octavius. Simultaneously, the House of Octavius was reconstituted as a noble house.

In Imperial Decree 636, the imperial states were asked for genetic stock, secretly due the fact that Aiomide was infertile (having pure gonadal dysgenesis), in order to construct a new genetic profile for the reborn house. Twelve of the forty-seven candidates were chosen to become major contributors and used to construct five profile clusters.

The House of Octavius assumed its role as the ruling dynasty in Kezan in 1608 AN.

Current Structure

The House of Octavius is organized into five branches of equal standing: Aryani, Adelaidini, Leilani, Parini, and Teleni. Each branch is led internally by its seniormost generation, with gaps filled by the next seniormost generation.

Nominally, lordship of the House of Octavius is held by Mira of Octavius-Aryani, who also bears the title of Count Palatine of Kezan and acts as the speaker for the house and for Kezan with external parties. Management of the household itself is overseen by Fairuza of Octavius-Parini, who acts as its Caretaker. Several other members oversee designated aspects of the household as well.

The House of Octavius is heavily intertwined with the government and society of Kezan: each branch tasked with managing one of the five Honours, maintaining a court of equity within each, and owning, in whole or in part, large portions of the Kezanese corporate economy; the Executive Council is composed of the leading members of each house branch; etc.

Membership in the House of Octavius is defined according to mitochondrial descent from the founder, Aiomide Oqtavion. This descent is managed through the use of genetic personas, master templates from which each engineered generation is born from. Twenty five genetic personas are currently maintained by the House of Octavius, up from the original eight of the first generation.

Each generation born in this manner is produced through a five-year long genetic profile workup to install and test updates to each genetic persona. Once finalized, they are birthed through the use of artificial wombs. All members are given an implant to suppress fertility which can be removed should continuity be threatened and the House of Octavius needs to be maintained through conventional means. This process is supervised by the Chief Physician of the Household, Erika of Octavius-Leilani.

Generations

Generation I, born in 1602 AN in Raynor's Keep, Shirekeep, supervised by Dr Amos Rubinsky:

• Mira (Aryani)
• Aina (Aryani)
• Heidi (Adelaidini)
• Erin (Adelaidini)
• Jamie (Leilani)
• Erika (Leilani)
• Fairuza (Parini)
• Isidora (Teleni)

Generation II, born in 1617 AN in Kezan. Genetic defect in the Adelaidini cluster resulting in susceptibility to daemonic influence removed. New genetic profiles developed to bring numbers up to 3 per cluster:

• Kumari (Aryani)
• Sadie (Adelaidini)
• Tabitha (Leilani)
• Robin (Parini)
• Soraya (Parini)
• Bernice (Teleni)
• Alba (Teleni)

Generation III, born 1632 AN. New genetic profiles developed to bring numbers up to 5 per cluster:

• Nila (Aryani)
• Rina (Aryani)
• Bess (Adelaidini)
• Rose (Adelaidini)
• Leah (Leilani)
• Bethany (Leilani)
• Sara (Parini)
• Nasrin (Parini)
• Joanne (Teleni)
• Katharine (Teleni)

Generatiom IV, born 1647 AN.

Genetic Personas

Mira Octavius-Aryani

Genetic persona in House Octavius that holds the title of Count Palatine.

Sadie Octavius-Adelaidini

Genetic persona in House Octavius that holds the title of Deputy Caretaker of the Household for Properties and Affairs Overseas.

Soraya Octavius-Parini

Genetic personal in House Octavius that holds the title of Voice of Aiomide.