Shemhazai Library
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Houses: Their Histories &
Their Role in Terre d'Ange
(Reference key found
here.)
Bryony House
House motto: Wealth Seeks
Company
House canon: shrewd, wealth is
their specialty, financial acumen, greed, fueled by avarice and
desire, carnival atmosphere
Beliefs: Naamah made a good
bargain of it, "it is a merchant's gift to know the secret desire of
her client's heart" (this is from KA, but I've lost the page number)
Marque: delicate tendrils of bryony climbed her spine,
sprouting pale flowers above the spade-shaped leaves (KJ 56); a
cluster of yellow and green bryony indelibly inked on the nape of her
neck, curling tendrils disappearing beneath the collar of her gown (NK
107)
The House itself: three stories high, steep gables, every
window lit, mullions adorned with ornate reliefs of bryony vine;
receiving salon modelled after Hall of Games in the Palace - dice,
cards, rhythmomachy, among others
Assignation: Mavros tells the Dowayne what they seek to earn
through a wager, and she names the terms of the bet - the hourglass,
Imri, a forfeit if she wins
Adepts: a Bryony adept was Denise Fleurais's (one of the
delegates in Menekhet) mother
Janelle nó Bryony is the Dowayne when Imri and Mavros visit
Caroline nó Bryony works at Bryony Associates in Bryn Gorrydum, where
she meets Moirin (NK 105); she served in Bryony House for seven years
(NK 108)
Notable moments: Hyacinthe's mom's story - a patron paid Bryony
House for the pleasure of seducing a Tsingani virgin; "Why are you
crying?" ... "Was the victory worth the cost?" (KJ 59)
Other information: wealthiest of the Thirteen Houses; only
House whose adepts are willing to wager for their favors; an adept
takes a bribe to see that Gillimas's cup is never empty in KM;
treasury renowned for being more secure than the palace's; first rule
of Bryony's patrons is 'never wager against its Dowayne'; as of
Naamah's Kiss, Bryony House has opened Bryony Associates, a bank of
sorts, which has branches in the City of Elua and in Bryn Gorrydum.
There are those for whom nothing is more titillating than money.
