Hawkestone Family

Family Hawkestone Coat of Arms

Blazon: Azure, a hawk Or perched on a tower proper. Upon the helmet proper garnished Azure, mantled the Crest, a wreath Or and Azure, with a ducal coronet proper garnished Azure above.

Motto: Viam inveniam aut faciam. (I will find a way or I will make one.)

The Hawkestone family originated in the Far East in the Republic of Lasanar. Situated in the county of Anaos, the ancestral manor first attained historical significance when Kestrelle, eldest daughter of Harrier Hawkestone and Atricia Accipiter, was named Countess of Anaos under Prime Minister Milan Von Krondor of Lasanar.

It is generally accepted by most historians of the Far East that the marriage between the Hawkestone and Accipiter lines was one of convenience. At the time that the marriage between Harrier and Atricia was arranged, the Hawkestones were a minor noble family and one of little consequence, having won no particular prestige either in social circles or on the battlefield. The Accipiters, on the other hand, were old nobility that had enjoyed great prestige in ancient days, and this lineage could still command some respect in certain circles. It was well known that Harrier had married Atricia to gain respectability and the dwindling income from her estate, which dwindled even more as Harrier spent a good deal of time in the local taverns scheming with his cronies about how he could wrest the title of Baron from Vincent Darkstar and rule over Anaos himself.

Kestrelle

The eldest daughter of the Anaos manor, Kestrelle Hawkestone was named Countess of Anaos in Lasanar, under her liege the Duchess Menelmereth of Colasan. It was during this period that Kestrelle discovered that her liege was secretly committing High Treason against the Republic. At great personal risk, she informed her superiors of her liege's treachery. Menelmereth seceded from the Republic, taking the duchy of Colasan with her and creating the short-lived nation of Miraglonn, calling herself Queen and Arch-Priestess. Countess Kestrelle removed Anaos from the duchy of Colasan and brought it back under the auspices of Lasanar under the duchy of Ozrat, declaring Duke Ingus as her new liege.

For this demonstration of her loyalty, and for her ongoing service as Marshal of the armies of Ozrat during the war with Colasan that eventually led to Menelmereth's execution, Kestrelle was eventually named Duchess of Sasrhas, a northern region of Lasanar. It was at this time that Kestrelle commissioned the creation of the official Hawkestone Coat-of-Arms.

As a historical note, it was during the period when Kestrelle was still Countess of Anaos and just after Menelmereth seceded from Lasanar that Kestrelle's father, Harrier Hawkestone, tried to raise a rebellion in Anaos against the rule of his own daughter. It was no secret in Anaos that Harrier had tried unsuccessfully to oust Vincent Darkstar, the former region lord. To have his own estranged daughter rise to power over him must have been hard for him to take. Countess Kestrelle discovered her father's attempt at rebellion, however, and had her own father executed. After this Anaos was quickly restored to Lasanar control.