Vindus Family

Coat of Arms of the Vindus Family

Family Overview

Despite being an older Family, it is interesting to note that for most of its history, the Vindus family was rather unremarkable. The Vindus family was not rich or poor. I never did anything to distinguish itself. It was never renown for its honor or lack thereof. In fact, it was almost boring enough to be known as such. Then the family began to shrink. Less were born and more died until the Vindus Family consisted only of one man, his wife and their children. Then they betrayed the Empire.

The Vindus family, under the leadership of Dreider Vindus, had resorted to selling sensitive Imperial information to the enemies of the Empire. Even worse, the Vindus family had been found guilty of murdering several prominent nobles in exchange for foreign gold. In response, the Empire stripped the Vindus family of its noble status, wealth and then all living members were executed. The only person to escape death at the hands of the Empire was the bastard Arathorn Vindus, Dreider´s youngest son.

Many years later, Arathorn Vindus joined the Imperial army. He managed to distinguish himself through hard work and determination showing a steadfast loyalty that few could match. During this time he managed to bring new honor to the family name and even managed to convinced the Empire to restore the Vindus family´s noble status. Since the family´s restoration, it has repeatedly shown itself to be loyal to the Empire.

The Bastard House

House Vindus has earned the unusual nickname “The Bastard House.” In fact, many in the house have embraced it. The name first came into use when Arathorn Vindus used his status as a bastard to help convince the Empire to restore his families noble status. He had argued that, while his parents and their true born children had committed treason, being a bastard, he was intact barely a Vindus and was not likely to carry on any of their more unsavory traits. While it was his merrit that convinced the Empire to bestow nobility upon him, many found it amusing that he would so openly embrace his bastardhood.

Further cementing the use of the name was the fact that Arathorn never married and gave birth only to his two bastard sons. In fact, Arathorn was quite proud of his bastards, and even called them such. Additionally, his eldest son Ergos, while being married and fathering legitimate children, has also sired his fair share of bastards and always took them in, giving them the same status his legitimate children enjoyed.

Old House and New House

Many feel the Vindus Family to be two separate houses: the old and the new. The term "old house" is used to describe the Vindus Family up until their fall. The old house is considered to be dirty, corrupt and traitorous. The term "new house" is used to describe the Vindus family since its restoration by Arathorn Vindus. This distinction has been encouraged by the Vindus family as it attempts to seperate itself from the tainted reputation. Many also feel that the term "new house" fits the Vindus Family quite well as a way of expressing the fact that there is so much "new Blood" in house Vindus today.

Coat of Arms

Originally the Vindus family's coat or arms was a tree covered in silver green leaves standing before the sun. After the family's fall to disgrace, it was changed to a bare, dead looking, tree standing before the moon. Shortly after the family's restoration, a single silver-green leaf was added to show that life was indeed coming back to the Vindus family.

Prominent Members

Dreider Vindus and Family

Dreider Vindus grew up as an only child and the sole heir to the Vindus name. When Dreider turned 17 years old he served briefly as a Troop Leader. During this time he met and married his wife, Mesilia. A few months before his 18th birthday, both of his parents mysteriously died (many now suspect foul play on Dreider´s part). This brought Dreider´s career as a Troop Leader to an abrupt halt as he returned home to manage the family´s affairs (at this point the family consisted of Dreider and his wife Mesilia).

At the age of 19 Dreider sired his first son, Krextor. At 20 came his daughter Vestilia and at 21 came another son, Nester. Much to Dreider´s grief, Mesilia died while giving birth to Nester. 11 years later Dreider sired a bastard son, Arathorn, to an unknown woman. He took in the boy, and provided for his well being, bit never recognized the child and refused to grant him nobility.

Six years later, when Dreider was 38, he, and his children, where discovered to be guilty of selling sensitive Imperial information and murdering several nobles of the Empire in exchange for foreign gold. It was discovered that Dreider and his sons would collect information valuable to the Empire´s enemies and the sons would then sneak it out and sell the information while performing their duties as Troop Leaders. Additionally, the sons would use th cover of battle to murder several nobles. The daughter, Vestilia, would often seduce nobles and use the opportunities to gather valuable information or even murder them using poisons.

The only member of the family found innocent of any wrong doing was six year old Arathorn, and so his life was spared. The others, however, were stripped of title and wealth then executed. Arathorn was, unfortunately, never granted the status of a noble and was sent to an orphanage to be raised as a commoner. At the time of their deaths Dreider was 38, Krextor was 19, Vestilia was 18 and Nester was 17.

Ril Vindus

More information about Ril Vindus can be found here.

Ril Vindus was born to Hestor Vindus. His mother's identity is as of yet unknown, but he has been accepted and cared for by his step mother Niela Vindus. Ril was born a bastard and was reminded of it as often as possible by his father. He was provided for by his father and stepmother, but was never accepted by his father (he has a comfortable, even loving, relationship with his stepmother). Ril did have, and continues to have, a close relationship with his Uncle Ergos Vindus and his Aunt Trillia Vindus. A few years ago, his half brother, Vance Vindus, who was Hestor's pride, joy and heir, disappeared. Shortly after Hestor Vindus' health began to rapidly deteriorate. This prompted Hestor to name Ril his heir, bestow upon him the status of a noble and send him off as a troop leader so that he could “learn the ropes”. However, Hestor has never stopped hoping that his favored son, Vance, would return so that he would have a proper heir.