House Farrow

House Farrow of Raenhold is one of the Ruling Houses of Ashland. It is a traditional family with strong focus on farming, diplomacy and trade. The current seat of the House is Raenhold, a bustling trading city that is a central hub among miles of sprawling plains.

The House Farrow crest features two golden, sickle-shaped stalks of wheat surrounding a roaring, straw-coloured sun. The sun is representative of the nurturing and constructive nature of the House. Its colours are forest green and gold, reflecting the landscape of the duchy it presides over, the Haverlands.

Characteristics
Farrows are instantly recognisable for their golden hair and bright green eyes. Due to the nature of their family profession, the sons are fit and lightly built to reflect the stamina needed to work day after day in the sun. Daughters of House Farrow are not exempt from the same labouring, of somewhat taller and fitter build than most ladies of the region.

Values
Fiercely traditional, with a strong focus on alliances and trade, House Farrow has never been heavily militarist. At times House Farrow has raised levies for their sworn Crown, but has tended to avoid conflict where possible. During times of war, the House has commonly taken on a central role in supplying the war effort.

House Farrow could not be considered pacifist. The House has been present at many key historical battles, commonly on the side of the victors. With an emphasis on keeping its word, the House has always answered the call to arms from its closest allies, providing supplies and where necessary, its most seasoned warriors.

Background
House Farrow is known to have its roots in the now extinct House Haverly, a collection of the very first settlers to set foot in the region now known as the Haverlands. It is only within the last few centuries that the family has risen to considerable prominence, becoming famed for their increasing agrarian economic prowess. House Farrow has been cultivating wheat and other crops for as long as its name has existed, among the finest produce in the South.

Origins
The earliest origins of House Farrow link back to Aewyn Farrow, a daughter of the ancient House Haverly. After being exiled as a threat to the rule of her eldest brother, Aewyn left with a host of followers, eventually settling to the west of the region. It was here that the House was founded in protest to House Haverly. As centuries passed, House Farrow dwarfed Haverly, far surpassing its economic and political prowess from its seat in the region now known as the County of Eresford.

It is said that Raenhold is built upon the ruins of the first settlement of the House.

Formation of Ashland
Until the arrival of the newly formed Kingdom of Ashland in the Haverlands, House Farrow enjoyed an assumed dominance over the entire region. They were the unspoken ruling House, commanding the largest number of sworn allies, and vastest land holdings in the area. This privilege changed rapidly, however, with the approach of the future King, unifier of all provinces in the declared realm. The official title of Duke of the Haverlands was bestowed upon Drayce Haverly, head of his dynasty. Overlooking the repercussions of this, House Farrow rapidly lost its influence in the new duchy, much of its support degrading in favour of the recognised Duke.

House Haverly would retain dukedom over the Haverlands for centuries to come, supported by the reigning monarchy. House Farrow generally did not challenge the right of House Haverly to rule after it took the title, retreating into the Eresford region.

The Dawn Rebellion
A civil war of a scale never before seen in the Haverlands, the Dawn Rebellion raged for a period of three years primarily between House Haverly and House Farrow. Named in respect of the roaring sun sigil of House Farrow, the rebellion called almost every house of the region together in a series of bloody conflicts that would forever change the region.

Some eighty years ago, House Farrow, supported by a coalition of counties in opposition to Duke Erick Haverly, challenged the leadership for the position. After years of growing tensions in the duchy as a result of considerable tax increases, repressive laws and a general tyrannical rule, rebellion broke out, Count Bryden Farrow openly declaring war against the establishment. A call by the Duke for support from the monarchy in quashing the revolt was ignored. House Haverly had since lost the confidence not only of its duchy, but the kingdom itself under the leadership of Duke Erick. In order to avoid a kingdom-wide conflict, both sides of the civil war received no assistance from leaders outside of the duchy.

The Battle of Erewood remains the deadliest single conflict in the history of the Haverlands, claiming up to 1000 combined lives of Coalition and Ducal forces. Despite strong resistance from House Haverly and their supporting armies, Duke Erick was finally captured in the wake of the Battle of Milsfield. His public execution marked the end of the three year war, the remnants of his forces demoralised and retreating. For his role in unifying the houses of the Coalition, Bryden Farrow was declared duke by his supporters, officially recognised by the Kingdom just days later.

Today, the Dawn Rebellion is considered one of the most prominent civil wars in the history of the Kingdom. The war was not only detrimental for the Haverlands, but Ashland at large due to widespread food shortages. As a result of the rebellion, food production saw a marked shift away from considerable reliance on the duchy to smaller farms appearing in throughout the nation to even out the supply of produce.

Current Situation
Duchess Meredith Farrow, matriarch of House Cearbhall and Duke Duncan Farrow, youngest son of the recently deceased Duke Garrick Farrow, are striving towards growing and securing the presence of the House in the nobility of the Kingdom of Ashland. The family has experienced a rapid increase in legitimacy as a Ruling House under the reign of King Sev Kimura.