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House Dawnstrider

Posted
Updated
BySuraia Silverbell

Elven Lords of the Eternal Dawn

Overview

House Dawnstrider is an old and influential elven noble house on Tanea. Their power is rooted in prestige, land, and social influence rather than crowns or armies.

They are best known for:

  • Their cliffside estate, the House of the Eternal Dawn, on Tanea’s east coast.

  • Their reputation for decadent high-society events—masquerades, balls, and exclusive entertainment.

  • Their close, semi-public association with the Dawnstrider Order, which uses the estate as its primary base of operations.

House Dawnstrider is both very respectable and very controversial, depending on who you ask.

Seat: The House of the Eternal Dawn

  • Located on the east coast of Tanea, built on a hill in the dunes with its own private beach.

  • The eastern side of the estate faces the sea; ballrooms, salons, and private suites are aligned to catch the sunrise, with balconies looking out over the water.

  • This constant view of dawn gives the estate its name: House of the Eternal Dawn.

To outsiders, the estate is:

  • A luxury noble residence.

  • A venue for lavish parties, masked balls, and high-end adult entertainment.

To those in the know, it is also:

  • The command centre of the Dawnstrider Order.

  • A safe haven for people working in or seeking refuge in the adult entertainment world, under strict rules of consent and protection.

Other Holdings

House Dawnstrider’s influence is strongest on Tanea. Known or implied holdings include:

  • Moonfalls and the nearby area on the west coast of Tanea (including or controlling Moonfalls Inn).

  • Several establishments offering adult entertainment across Tanea, purchased and brought under Dawnstrider protection and rules.

These satellite properties reinforce their image as a house that controls the “nightlife lanes” of elven society.

History of the House (Short Version)

House Dawnstrider is an established elven noble line, but its modern identity is shaped by two key figures:

  • Lord Malgareth Dawnstrider – the former head, whose tenure was marked by corruption, involvement in trafficking and narcotics, and alliances with criminal syndicates.

  • Lord Gregory Octavius Dawnstrider (“Grov”) – his son, who overthrew him and radically redefined the house.

Important beats:

  1. Under Malgareth, the estate slid deep into abuse, exploitation, and criminal deals.

  2. Grov uncovered the extent of these crimes, gathered loyal allies, and staged a coup (the first mission of what would become the Dawnstrider Order).

  3. Malgareth was removed; Grov took the title of Lord Dawnstrider and laid down new rules:

    • House Dawnstrider would still trade in pleasure and luxury.

    • But it would become a sanctuary, not a hunting ground.

    • Slavery, coercion, trafficking, and narcotics would be hunted, not hosted.

From that point onward, the noble house and the Order became tightly linked: one owns the halls, the other decides who gets to walk them.

Current Head: Lord Gregory Octavius Dawnstrider (“Grov”)

  • A high elf noble, stylish, vain, and razor-sharp.

  • Wears his status like a weapon: immaculate clothing, a favourite cobalt blue palette, open shirts, and a distinct hint of facial hair that quietly offends traditionalists.

  • Socially:

    • Flirtatious and charismatic.

    • Obsessed with loyalty, rules, and consent.

    • Holds grudges with near-religious dedication.

He is:

  • Head of House Dawnstrider (noble title, lands, estate).

  • Commander of the Dawnstrider Order (operational authority).

In noble circles he is seen as:

  • Dangerous but useful.

  • A “necessary scandal” that a surprising number of nobles still send letters to when someone in their orbit vanishes into the wrong kind of “club.”

Reputation & Politics

House Dawnstrider’s standing among elves and wider Xaverion society is complicated:

  • Among nobles:

    • Publicly: “indecent,” “shameful,” “far too cozy with brothels.”

    • Privately: heavily courted for favours, connections, information, and protection.

  • Among working-class and vulnerable people:

    • Seen as one of the few noble houses that actually protects them if they fall into the adult entertainment world.

  • In official politics:

    • They walk a careful line: they are nobles, not outlaws, but everyone knows their Order’s methods don’t always fit neatly inside Xaverion law.

They remain a powerful elven house with:

  • Significant social leverage,

  • Deep pockets,

  • And an unofficial mandate to clean up “the filth no one wants to admit exists.”

Dawnstrider Order

(Separate organisation page – linked from House Dawnstrider)

Here’s the corresponding Order page you can put in its own entry and just cross-link:

Overview

The Dawnstrider Order is a militant organisation founded and led by Lord Gregory Octavius Dawnstrider. It operates from the House of the Eternal Dawn on Tanea and is dedicated to hunting:

  • Slavers and traffickers

  • Producers and dealers of illegal narcotics

  • Anyone who profits from non-consensual exploitation

Where House Dawnstrider is the noble shell, the Order is the blade inside it.

Founding

  • Officially formed in Year 16 of the Fifth Era.

  • Its first major operation was the quiet removal of Lord Malgareth Dawnstrider, whose crimes (trafficking, narcotics, abuse) made the new Order’s mission personal and ideological.

  • After Malgareth’s fall, the Order took on a wider remit: to hunt those who do to others what he did under his roof.

Goals

  • Eradicate slavery, abduction, forced prostitution, and people trafficking.

  • Destroy or severely disrupt narcotics networks and their suppliers.

  • Provide protection and safe work environments for adult entertainment establishments that:

    • Operate with consent and clear rules,

    • Treat staff as people, not property.

Methods

The Dawnstrider Order is:

  • Efficient, ruthless, and not officially sanctioned by Xaverion law.

  • Known to:

    • Kidnap, interrogate, and kill traffickers and syndicate leaders.

    • Stage “accidents” that remove abusers from positions of power.

    • Use fear deliberately as a deterrent.

When working in cooperation with the Xaverion Order or paladins of the New Faiths, they can act more officially. But much of their work is done in the shadows, where paperwork does not reach.

Relationship to House Dawnstrider

  • The House provides:

    • The estate, money, logistics, and social front.

    • Legal shield and plausible deniability.

  • The Order provides:

    • The muscle, intelligence work, and “off the books” enforcement.

From the outside, it’s easy to conflate the two. On the site, you can make it clear by:

  • Tagging House Dawnstrider under “Noble Houses / Society”.

  • Tagging Dawnstrider Order under “Orders & Organisations / Military / Vigilante”.

Present-Day Role

By Year 22, Fifth Era, the Dawnstrider Order is:

  • A whispered nightmare for slavers and traffickers.

  • A controversial ally for those trying to clean up the darkest parts of the islands.

  • The reason many nobles think twice before dabbling in “discrete” people trading—they never quite know if the Dawnstriders are watching.

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