House Argentus
House Argentus is not actually a single family as most merchant houses are, but an amalgamation of a number of merchant families. Originally the families were part of a loose coalition of like-minded, minor merchant houses, but through various agreements, marriages, adoptions, and similar ties they merged into a single body over the course of many years.
House Argentus is far from the epitome of virtue, but they are generally recognized as trustworthy and the most agreeable to conduct business with compared to the other two Great Houses. This in part is due to the great sense of honor that the house has; to most of the members of Argentus, honor is everything.
The name of a member of the house follows the form "Name Family Argentus" (except for Sarthrax, which follows the Viss'takh tradition of clan name and then proper name). This is a formal convention, however, and most house members simply go by their first name and perhaps a moniker that suits them.
The ten families of Argentus are summarized below.
Alenthe
Patriarch: Hasiladir Alenthe
Interests: Winemaking, animal breeding and husbandry
Alenthe is one of the oldest families in the House. It is predominantly human, but the family has a sizable number of elves and half-elves among its numbers.
There is an unspoken agreement with the other families wherein they have given Alenthe exclusive exploratory rights to Lor Elesna.
Argentus
Patriarch: Haran Argentus
Interests: Banking, shipping, timber
Argentus is the namesake of the House, its core, and the most powerful of the families. Haran is rather old (and has the gruffness his age allows him), but he is intelligent and fair, and the House continues to prosper under his leadership.
Carinus
Patriarch: Tristan Carinus
Interests: Mining (Orcfangs)
Carnius is a small family with mining interests in the Orcfangs (mainly iron and copper along with some marble). The head of the family, Tristan Carinus, is rather young but very bright and surprisingly clever in matters of politics.
Corzyr
Matriarch: Elisa Corzyr
Interests: None
The Corzyr Family is a relatively new addition to the House. They are not very well-liked by the other families as they seem to place less value on honor than the rest. They also do not yet specialize in any particular commercial interests; they are trying their hand at a little of everything at present (which is another trait that causes them conflict with the other families at times).
The family joined House Argentus after Elisa Corzyr married the son of Haran Argentus. She is greedy and manipulative, though this seems to go unnoticed by her husband.
Dhazraan
Matriarch: Alhani Dhazraan
Interests: Perfume, spices, textiles (silk, satin, samite)
The Dhazraan family joined Argentus in 1085 after fleeing a destructive war in northern Zarkhir. Once part of a league of Zeldoran merchants, they turned to Argentus after the league abandoned them. They are now fiercely loyal to the House and harbor a great hatred towards Zeldora.
Alhani Dhazraan is a woman with an exotic beauty. She is also very straightforward and has little use for politics; in fact, she once drew a knife on Elisa Corzyr for what she perceived to be an insult to the Dhazraan family.
Farath
Matriarch: Branwyn Farath
Interests: Furs, skins
Farath is a somewhat nondescript family, but they are valuable to the House for their presence and contacts in the North. Farath has a permanent presence in Ravenstone and a fairly good reputation with the Aesric.
Goldhearth
Patriarch: Skalgar Goldhearth
Interests: Mining (Dragonstongue), brewing
Clan Goldhearth is a dwarven family in Kharazgar. Though many believe Goldhearth is a tool used by the Runir to position themselves in human politics and economics, they have proven their loyalty to Argentus repeatedly over decades. To suggest they possess ulterior motives is considered a dishonor to both Goldhearth and the rest of the House.
The clan also owns and operates the Brimstone Brewery in Kharazgar (and its branch in Ilmara).
Morrwen
Patriarch: Lyal Morrwen
Interests: Fishing, textiles (cotton, linen, wool)
Of all the Argentus families, Morrwen is the least exciting. While others are recovering artifacts or mining the depths of the mountains, the Morrwens are fishing and farming. However, the pragmatic nature of Morrwen's goods are a cornerstone of House Argentus and constitute a large part of their business dealings.
While unproven, there is a very persistent rumor that Morrwen is also responsible for intelligence gathering for House Argentus. Given its subdued appearance and the ability of its members to easily blend in with commoners as well as the wealthy, the family could very well be in charge of a spy network for the House.
Sarthrax
Patriarch: Sarthrax Zazuhn the Fearless
Interests: Hunting and procurement of exotic creatures
The Sarthrax Clan is a recent addition to Argentus, having been brought into the House about 10 years ago. Sarthrax is made up of Viss'takh who migrated to Ilmara from Haatikys.
The clan maintains a popular menagerie a good distance east of Ilmara. It serves both as a source of entertainment income as well as an advertisement of the services Sarthrax has to offer.
The Viss'takh of the clan are also sought after by the other Argentus families for caravan guards (though they won't work with the Corzyrs).
Venora
Patriarch: Fenwick Venora
Interests: Cartography, procurement of rare items/curios