House Talon

What's yours is mine, by right and by the Smiling Six. They decreed it, and so it shall be ours.

The shadows are our home. These lands harbor brutalism and barbarianism. We prefer to stick to the shadows while the word "Goliath" sinks deeper and deeper into the mud. We will make a different name for our race, a name no one will see coming. -Venus Talon.

Arguably one of the most lucrative and concealed of the Fallen Houses of Jotunrath, House Talon were organized thieves, assassins, and spies. When one thinks of a Goliath, one thinks of a brutal, often barbaric warrior. House Talon used these stereotypes to their advantage, as no one expected a Goliath to be so incredibly stealthy and secretive. Yet it was their greedy dogma that brought an ultimate disdain for their house, at least those that knew of them. They scoffed at ideals and traditions of their "other" kin, and brought on new ideals and cultures to their house. However, they would unfortunately join the other Fallen Houses before they could really make a difference on the whole of Goliath society and culture.

House Talon Origins

Shrouded in mystery, just as they would have wanted, House Talon possibly rose from common thieves or assassins. Scholars who studied aren't quite sure the true origins of the house, but they agree that one individual changed the course of Goliath history forever, potentially jumpstarting this house into existence.

A commoner Goliath by the name of Atreus, born to no house but was a citizen under House Stormcaller, one of the oldest houses, came to be known as a thief. He was caught stealing sacred treasures that the Stormcaller warriors would bring back from their raids. The treasure was nothing in particular, but it sparked an idea in Atreus' head; "If House Stormcaller can steal from other civilizations on raids and not get in trouble, why can't I take what should be mine, something I need to sell to feed my family with? Why should I get in trouble if I need it, yet they want it?"

Carrying this ideal, Atreus continued to steal from those, and sell them on markets that would accept them. These markets soon turned into his loyal underbelly, those that would buy stolen items from him, and continue to sell them to others. He eventually fled all of Jotunrath when he was chased out by Stormcaller warriors, aiming to execute him for all his crimes he had committed. He fled to the neighboring Wuxia, and continued his crimes there, now addicted to the rush and adrenaline of thieving.

He continued to climb the ladder of value and worth, stealing more and more sacred items, such as relics, weapons, armor, and even holy symbols that were highly valued in Wuxian society. However, his time was short, as he was caught in the capitol city of Aakarii, and executed. His last, and probably greatest thievery, was that his soul managed to persist after his body fell limp, and possessed a traveling Goliath merchant heading back to their homeland. He used his new body and all the wealth that this merchant had to return to Jotunrath, come to his underbelly-market supporters, and create his own house. The reason these shop keeps went along with this, to them, random merchant, was the fact that he proved he was Atreus, not the body. That in fact he was the spirit, and not the body he inhabited.

When it came time for this house to choose land, Atreus and his followers were at a loss. By this time, most of Jotunrath had been claimed by the other houses. Atreus, who now had moved onto another body, decided that their house would not have their own land to claim, but claim everyone else's land as their own. The houses' words came true that day: What's yours is mine, by right and by the Smiling Six. They would live among common folk and servants to the other noble houses, but would secretly bear the symbol of their house. They would whisper their name to all those willing to join, and skulk among the shadows to avoid those that would hunt them.

Many began to follow this way of life, turning a couple hundred into a couple thousand. Atreus, now in a new body, and seen as a godly figure by his followers, had the potential to overthrow houses with the sheer numbers he had. Ideas were given to him that he could uproot a noble house from the ground up, and lay claim to their possessions. However, Atreus was not a rebellious figure, and only wanted to steal and take what is his. The individual that gave him this idea was a good friend of his named Venus Talon, a potential candidate for the houses' rule. However, because of Atreus' lingering soul, he was capable of continuing his leadership throughout the ages, hopping from one body to another.

Venus became fed up with Atreus' inability to move the house forward, keeping it to simple thievery and mischief. Venus was one of the best thieves among the house, some say even better than Atreus. She and her followers stole a relic from an unknown time from House Stormcaller's vault of treasures, one of the most difficult and dangerous heists. She completed it in one day without losing a single team member. Instead of selling this item, she used it, and conveniently, it was capable of destroying ones' soul. She took this device and challenged Atreus for leadership over the entire house. Atreus accepted, as he was firstly a thief, but secondly a fighter. Venus activated the device, but it malfunctioned. It destroyed Atreus' soul as intended, but shattered hers and each of the members in the room that were present. When she killed Atreus, she began to shrivel and wither, as her soul was shattered and destroyed, and her body began to fall apart. She prayed to the Smiling Six, who up until this point, did not answer any of their calls. This time, they answered, and bestowed her life, if she would lead their house into greatness with their name on the banners.

From that day forward, Venus would lead, being known as the Undying Night, and would establish the house as an official one. It would still live among the common folk, but have a small territory in which they reside over. This territory was small, and hidden among House Ironborn's land, but they had enough members and citizens to be considered an official house. House Ironborn bannermen were on constant alert and orders to hunt down these thieves and scoundrels, but could never find their hold.

The house began to delve into assassination contracts thanks to the religious pantheon they followed. The gods would tell them who to kill, who to speak with, and they would oblige. The house soon became a feared dagger in the back of all Goliath society, as one wrong move and you could be on the Dark List. Their reach began to spread outside of Jotunrath as well. Their contracts and thievery stretched to their neighboring countries as well, and they recruited non-Goliaths into their fold. They were actually the first house to allow humans and other non-Goliaths into their house, something that deeply upset the other houses.

All was well until the year 1578 ADW during Queen Drathos' conquest of all of Jotunrath. House Talon wanted to remain isolated and hidden among the Goliath lands, and did not want to be unified with the "barbaric and savage kin" that they shared land with. Queen Drathos made it a personal mission to hunt down this house. She believed that no Goliath house should proudly say that they are thieves and scoundrels among lawful lands, and she knew that letting them live would only allow them to become more and more of a nuisance to her.

With the help of powerful shamans of House Sheatheshield, who located their hideouts, Queen Drathos waged a secret war against these scoundrel Goliaths, even during the years of the Bloody Seven. It was not until the Abyssal Conflict, where a powerful mage unleashed demons upon Jotunrath, that House Talon was destroyed. House Talon's main and largest hideout was discovered by Akthos Karalius, the mage who betrayed Queen Drathos and unleashed this demonic horde. He unleashed this horde inside the largest hideout of House Talon, where he was hiding from the sight of Queen Drathos. All members of House Talon were killed as demons poured out of the rifts.

Some say, however, that large crimes and assassinations are orchestrated by members of this Fallen House, aiming to continue their ways and uproot chaos among the Goliath society.

Role in Goliath Society

House Talon contributed nothing to the overall strength of Goliath society. While they aimed to be different and isolated from the "savage ways," they were bringing ruin to their name and their house with each crime they committed. Some say that the gods they followed, The Smiling Six, influenced their house to commit such acts of thievery and assassinations.

The only "good" the house did for the whole of Goliath society was their contracts and assassinations. Typically, the targets were vile and sick people, those that evaded the law and were too powerful for their own good. A member of this house would be contacted by The Smiling Six and told who to meet in order to fulfill the contract. An assassination would take place, and that vile figure would be removed. Occasionally, targets would be those who didn't deserve an early death, which caused the Talon Hunts, where lawmen and Judge Bearers would seek out any assassin and kill them, or any who wears the Talon house banner.

House Talon in the Bloody Seven

House Talon had no real part to play in the Bloody Seven. Queen Drathos saw them as a nuisance, and a nuisance they were. They would smuggle weapons for the enemy, steal from Goliath war camps, and forge important documents to sow chaos among Goliath ranks. But they were not loyal to any side. In fact, they would assassinate key leaders of the Alliance, making them a target of counter-assassins. Finally, they would spy for Goliath units that could tolerate this disloyal house. They would bring back valuable information, but would always ask a price for it. If a Goliath unit was not willing to pay, House Talon members would not reveal the information, leave, and sell that unit out to the enemy.

It was no wonder why Queen Drathos saw them as a threat and nuisance to Goliath society.

Notable Members

• Atreus
• Venus Talon