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.