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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gamecat" data-source="post: 775030" data-attributes="member: 3144">House Closeup: HatecraftThe first in my series of house close-ups: The Hatecrafts.House Hatecraft, seated in the siridar feif of Kashin, is a economic powerhouse, a skilled player of the diplomacy of the magus council, and a military power on level with the Asura's troops, as well as the head of possibly the most powerful guild of Axis, the Jarok Guild, specializing in the school of Transmutation. Hatecraft also specializes in Abjuration, for in 1252 IHER (in her excellency's reign, the calendar system used by the Empire of Greater Axis) House Hatecraft militarily conquered House Mauer and absorbed the Erithizon Guild into Jarok. Given that a survivor of House Mauer married into House Westenberger, the bad blood between Hatecraft and Westenberger is well-known throughout Axis.House Hatecraft is readily identified by its giant yellow-and-black banner, complete with a stylized crest of an inverted isoceles triangle with two sillohuettes of serpentine dragon heads in the center, with the Jarok insignia below it.House Hatecraft fills its seemingly endless coffers with the gold gleaned from sales of grain. Neer is a cold place, and the weather-control magics monopolized by the Jarok Guild make Kashin one of the most fertile spots on Neer. The byproducts of these potent meteorological dweomers is that Kashin is surrounded on all noncoastal borders with twelve miles of dead forests, that none have bothered to clear, and House Hatecraft enjoys the isolation it provides.Militarily, House Hatecraft fields the largest House Guard of any Great House of the Magus Council. Standing sixteen legions (each of 10,000 men) strong, House Hatecraft ruthlessly trains its troops to be the strongest they can, and teaches them to work in tandem with mage support. The Jarok guild, in return for Hatecraft's financial support which far exceeds any other similar house support, agrees to have every Guildmage serve at least 4 years in the Hatecraft House Guard. Hatecraft soldiers are average combatants in melee, but are the best crossbow archers on Neer. Each man is ruthlessly trained in the use of his bow, and put to exacting standards. Hatecraft crossbows rival Catterick weapons in quality, and are distinctive due to the large stock they have. (in game statistics, a Hatecraft crossbow is a light crossbow, but the weapon stands 4 1/2 feet tall.) The Hatecraft House Guard is known throughout Axis for their common demonstrations of power, in which the people of Kashin flock to see. (To not do so is treason) Hatecraft soldiers have an inordinately high step when they march, similar to the whermacht of Nazi Germany.Typical Hatecraft Soldier, Male Human Ftr1: CR 1; Medium-size Humanoid (Human); HD 1d10 + 2; hp 12; AC 16 (Touch 12, Flat Footed 14); Attack +2 melee (1d6, 19-20/x2, masterwork short sword) or +6 ranged (1d8, 19-20/x2, masterwork light crossbow with masterwork bolts); SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +0; Str 11, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 10.Skills and Feats: Bluff +2, Climb +3, Craft (Fletcher) +7, Intimidate +2; Weapon Focus (Light Crossbow); Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot.Possessions: Masterwork Short Sword, Masterwork Light Crossbow, 40 Masterwork Crossbow Bolts, Masterwork Fletcher's Tools, Studded Leather Armor, Buckler.(Hatecraft soldiers have an inordinate amount of gear to account for the financial success of the House)The members of House Hatecraft are an exception to the human-supremacist nature of Axis. Everyone in the Hatecraft family is a tiefling, yet House Hatecraft is among the most rabid supporters of the Hereticus Doctrine.Magus Jenfis Hatecraft (Male Tiefling Tra 19): Jenfis Hatecraft is a ruthless man, a callous oppressor with an eye for tyranny. After his marraige to Arika, he has been less concerned with House Hatecraft's military expansion.Lady Arika Hatecraft (Succubus Sor 14): A powerful succubus summoned with the coerced help of House Daskara, Lady Arika Hatecraft is a cruel creature befitting the mortal she has entered the bonds of marraige with, for in doing so, he has freed her from her demon lord.NaMagus Jhonen Hatecraft (Male Tiefling Wiz 7): Jhonen Hatecraft is as cruel as his father, with a large ego to match. Jhonen's most distinctive features are his tiefling deformities: a pair of hands that sprout from his throat, as well as small horns on his temples and pallid skin. In addition to being a powerful spellcaster, Jhonen Hatecraft is a ruthless swordsman, fighting with a pair of longswords. It is expected that he will be trained as a sword mage.</blockquote>

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