So one of the things I decided really early on, was I did want to challenge some of the preconceived notions my players had about fantasy races and take things in a different direction. And when you look back at traditional media in a lot of cases, half orcs and orcs in general are shown as barbarians and brutes, or they are shown as violent and war-focused. And I really wanted to go a different direction, so the first thing I knew was that the Noble House family that were half orcs would definitely not be in charge of protection, defense and militaristic activities. So that got me thinking of what could they be in charge of. And that’s when it hit me that putting the family in charge of mining and agriculture was sort of the polar opposite. This family would be in charge of the agricultural industry first and foremost and would have mining interests all over the region.
Then the question became, if you have a family with those interests, how much power and influence do they wield. Recognizing this is going to vary depending on the region of the world, or even the district of the city, if you think about it, having a hand in all the food and natural resource production is something that would give you a lot of power but also make you very dependent on other families. For example, House Azerath doesn’t have much a shipping and transportation business, without Karidark, but conversely Karidark can’t do much without their shipping and transportation business.
So that was really the kernel that drove a lot of what you are going to read here, and how House Karidark works.
The Karidark Empire:
As I mentioned above, the Karidark Family’s empire is built on mining and agriculture, and that includes both the mining of Dragon Essence, but it is not limited to that. The Karidark family is also the parent owner of a lot of the farming and mining companies throughout the region, including recently the Fortune’s Pass. This family provides support resources and expertise to the many companies and interests they control and are fierce negotiators. And they help by facilitating things that most farming groups or mining organizations can’t. Things like specialized tools, techniques, and negotiating support for protection as part of the operation.
Key Family Members and the noble family:
When it comes to the core noble family, the Karidark family is run by a husband and wife pair of Lord Thorgar and Lady Morgana Karidark.
- Lord Thorgar Karidark: The head of the Karidark family and a shrewd business magnate. He oversees the family’s mining operations and has expanded their wealth through strategic investments in various mining ventures. He is a very large man, with robust black tattoos running down his left arm. He is not the kind of person to mince words or hold back his feelings on a subject.
- Lady Morgana Karidark: Thorgar’s wife and a prominent socialite. She is well-connected in high society and uses her influence to secure valuable partnerships for the family’s mining businesses. Where her husband is not overally political, she is and it’s part of what makes them such a power couple in Zenith. She is the primary negotiator and where he is the hammer, she is the scalpel.
The next real level of House Karidark are their children, of which there are 5, and they are:
- Draven Karidark: The eldest son and heir apparent to the Karidark fortune. Draven has a keen interest in geology and mining engineering, and he actively participates in managing the family’s mining operations, ensuring their continued success and expansion. Draven is a classical physical beauty although he doesn’t act like what you would expect someone of his station to be. He is very focused on the engineering and scientific elements of the business.
- Lady Isabella Karidark: The eldest sister, Isabella, is a skilled diplomat and negotiator. She uses her charisma and wit to forge beneficial alliances with other noble families and influential figures, further strengthening the Karidark family’s position in the mining industry. She is often the second-in-command to Morgana Karidark.
- Lady Seraphina Karidark: Seraphina is the middle sister, known for her talent in art and architecture. She is much less interested in the family business but is very much interested in the beauty of nature. Seraphina is a skilled artist and painter, and is much more focused on the beauty of life.
- Lady Elowen Karidark: Elowen, is an adventurous spirit with a deep interest in exploration and prospecting. Personality-wise, Elowen is most like her father, known for her combat and tactical skills. She tends to be very direct, if not immediately intimidating. Any who do not recognize her for her strength and cunning mind would be making a mistake. She often travels to distant lands in search of new mining opportunities and valuable resources, expanding the family’s mining interests beyond their current domains.
- Lady Tavia Karidark: The youngest sister, Tavian, is a charismatic individual, and very much is a free spirit choosing to focus on her music rather than the business of the family. She is lighter hearted and funny, but has still gotten the training in “how to protect her station.”
There is extended family attached to the family and those include:
- Lord Balrik Karidark: The eldest brother, Balrik, is a formidable warrior and military strategist. He leads the family’s security forces, protecting their mining interests from potential threats and ensuring the safety of their assets. He hands their private security forces and works with them to secure assets that are not handled by House Embersong.
- Lord Harrick Karidark: Harrick is known for his financial acumen and expertise in managing the family’s wealth. He oversees the financial aspects of the mining companies, making strategic investment decisions and maximizing their profits.
Key People in the Family’s Employ:
Outside of the core family, there are several individuals who operate at the highest levels of the family’s interests.
- Roderick Bloodthorn: Roderick is a cunning and shadowy figure, employed by Thorgar Karidark discreetly. He operates as the family’s enforcer and fixer, handling sensitive matters that require a certain level of secrecy and, at times, unscrupulous methods. Whether it’s dealing with rival mining interests, discreetly resolving conflicts, or handling legal matters that require a delicate touch, Roderick’s expertise in navigating the darker aspects of business makes him an invaluable asset to the Karidark family.
- Griselda Stoneforge: Griselda is the chief mining engineer, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations at the Karidark family’s mines. Her expertise and experience ensure that the mining processes are conducted efficiently and safely.
- Cedric Blackwood: Cedric serves as the family’s financial advisor, working closely with Lord Harrick Karidark. He provides valuable insights on investments, manages the family’s financial portfolio, and helps strategize the allocation of resources.
What are their relationships with other families?
When it comes to the other families, the relationships from Karidark’s perspectives are the following:
- House Herald: There is a pretty weak relationship between these two. From Thorgar Karidark’s perspective there isn’t a lot of respect for House Herald as he does not see the work they do as overally valuable. And really this comes from a mistrust of anyone who makes their business information.
- House Remmington: There is a strong relationship between House Karidark and House Remmington as their business relationships are strong. Remmington has long worked with Karidark to innovate new technologies to enhance their business empire. There is a two-way relationship between these houses as a lot of the mining materials Karidark brings in are used by Remmington to build their products.
- House Zaphresz: While Thorgar does not have a lot of respect for House Zaphresz, because of the nature of their industry. But they are one of his largest customers, using the agriculture products for the establishments.
- House Azerath: This is another house where Karidark has an extremely strong relationship. These two houses have long worked to support each other, and it has created a very strong relationship.
How can you use House Karidark in your games?
There are lots of way to use House Karidark, they can be a group patron, or a quest giver, or like any noble house they can definitely be an enemy for the party as well.
How can I use them as a Quest Giver?
Like any Noble House, the Karidark’s are going to send players on missions to protect their interests. In their case those interest could lead to any of the following quests:
- Bandits have been raiding shipments from a rural agricultural region, and Karidark needs the players to track the bandits.
- Something is attacking ships in the harbor and raiding them, without the ability to move goods, Karidark is losing money.
- Something is attacking a community that is under Karidark’s protection, and the party is sent to find out what is attacking the community.
- There is a strike at a mine in Fortune’s Pass, miners claim to have seen something down in the mines and Karidark wants you to find out what.
- An expedition crew into a remote region has gone missing, and the party is sent to find out what happened to them.
- A town known for generating high yield crops, is not producing anymore and the party is sent to find out why (a curse has been put on the land).
- Something is in the woods near a village and has been taking children at night, and it has the villages so scared they refuse to work.
- Something is loose in a warehouse for Karidark, and the party needs to find the creature and stop it.
How can I use them as a villain?
For all the Noble Houses, it is just as possible that the house could be villains as a patron / quest giver. For your campaigns if you want to make Karidark the enemy, you abolutely could and it would be by doing the following:
- A community that has long operated independently refuses to sell their mining or agriculture operations to Karidark, and they send their “thugs” to handle it.
- A mine has been plagued by accidents due to the Karidark’s pushing them to deliver.
- A mining company refuses to sell to Karidark and in the process, they stage a mining accident.