Bauquemare
House Bauquemare
Bauquemare-Flag.jpg
Information
Head: Marquess Ianto Bauquemare
Heir: TBD
Trade: Information Brokerage, Salvage, Administration
Standing: Major
Motto: From dark waters, deep secrets

Blazon and Meaning

On a field Azure charged at sinister base with a wheel Or within a bezant, an archimedes spiral Sable runs clockwise from dexter, charged at dexter chief with a pearl Natural. The spiral stands for the enigmatic nature of the House and suggests the nautilus shell, symbolic of chambered secrets. The colours blue and black winding together signify the House's close proximity to the dark waters. The pearl indicates Bauquemare's prominence in finance and the Treasury. The wheel and bezant symbolizes their spirit of exploration within the Golden Circle.

Traits

As a Great House, Bauquemare is much more diversified than it was in its infancy, controlling the accounting and distribution of the Royal Treasury, salvage rights, and title concerns throughout the realm. But the House's waters are still at the edges of Rebma, on the border of the wild and changing waters, and sons and daughters of Bauquemare still pride themselves on their knowledge of lost shoals and secret currents. There is higher concentration of Selkie blood in the family line, or perhaps stronger likelihood the latent trait will manifest, due to the bold adventurous spirit that characterizes the House.

From Resource Token F91:
Bauquemare is one of three Great Houses of Rebma. Adventuresome and daring to its core, the clan is renown for exploration into neighbouring seas, discovery of lost lore and artifacts, and both finding and hoarding precious treasures. Characterized by eccentric charm due to their novel experiences beyond the boundaries, they are individualists, skilled evaluators, and middlemen, keeping the secrets safe on both sides. They manage the Royal Treasury and control salvage rights within the realm. The Crown's trust and investment in the House has been repaid by Bauquemare's loyalty and meticulous services, including but not limited to:

Salvage - When valuables fall into the Sea, they become the property of Rebma. With their understanding of currents, Bauquemares can eventually track the lost item(s) across the territories. This helps settle disputes over claims, and in cases of significant value or interest to the Crown, facilitates transfer into the Royal storehouses.

Trade Brokerage - A thriving import/export policy is vital to Rebma's wealth and health, and most of the business relationships with foreign civilizations, whether over or under the waves, are initiated and maintained by Bauquemare.

Wild Water Navigation - The borders of Rebma beneath Amber are edged by an endless and dizzying array of Shadow Seas, but pathways do exist which lead to singular reflections, where trade and adventure opportunities may be found, or secrets can be discovered or hidden away.

History

With lands on the fringes of Rebma, where the stabilizing power of the city grows weak, Bauquemare was once a minor house. But during the Triton Wars of ages past, it was the deep-divers and current-skimmers of Bauquemare who were able to slip past Triton blockades and bring supplies and secrets to Rebma. Their efforts in the war won them a reputation which they were able to leverage into influence and, over the years, Bauquemare became one of the three Great Houses of Rebma.

Properties and Revenue

  • The Marches of Bauquemare are a defensible territory located in the remote southeastern reaches of the realm, and happen to edge right up to the unstable wild waters. It has no particular claim to resources or industry, but is inarguably a waypoint to elusive secrets kept for the House and Crown both.
  • The House maintains a large town property on one of the Upper City plateaus, for city-dwelling members to use as residence. It also owns several storehouses and public reliquaries to display and sell various treasures of no specific value to Rebma, but certainly interesting to private collectors.
  • The Empty City lies within the Bauquemare Marches, but the House is not fool enough to claim ownership of it.

Allies, Enemies, and Rivals

  • The Triton Nation as a whole still does not view House Bauquemare in a friendly light. The Wars of Consolidation are long in the Past, however while they bear no grudge against those who fought bravely against them, they despise the sneaky methods employed by the once minor nobles.
  • Despite a long-cold missing persons case that was recently discovered to be a kidnapping and imprisonment of their young noble by a half-Bauquemare Pathian madmage, House Dilwen maintains a civil and supportive relationship with the House that most often acquires interesting new bits of lore or antiquity for their catalogues.
  • The Great House's standing with the Rebman Throne, however, is currently a little shaky, due to the actions of their now-deceased member. They have been pressured to make restitution to the Dilwens and adjust their tight-fisted administration of salvage shares to compensate various parties for their work in bringing down the Bauquemare offender.

Concepts

  • Explorer of the Deeps
  • Merchant of Secrets (Spy, basically)
  • Wild-Water Prophet
  • Golden Circle Traveler

Members in Play

  • Ruben - A younger son and part-Amberite, given to Shadow Wanderlust.

Out of Play

  • Veiss - Associated with the Embassy in Amber.
  • Taliesin - A son of Lord Bauquemare, seer of dark things, vanished around the rising of Leviathan.
  • Dylan - A son of Lord Bauquemare, but not involved in the workings of the House.
  • Tegan - Ex-Ambassador to Amber, Mirror Master, and rumored to be the future Marquess.

Notable NPCs

  • Utta, a pretty Embassy Aide.
  • Lady Elise, a jealous half-Rebman half-Pathian Bauquemare who did some very very bad things in Rebma, including capturing the Last Kelpie, and kidnapping Rebmans to drain their life energy to feed her sickness and ambition for power. She was killed in a showdown with some PCs, after they raided her corrupted Deep Menagerie.
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