Paracelsus Academy (Mods) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
paracelsus_mods) wrote2014-02-16 04:17 pm
paracelsus_mods) wrote2014-02-16 04:17 pm
Entry tags:
House Profile: House Schellenberg
House: House Schellenberg
Also Known As: Stonebinders, Pet Rock Keepers, Schellenbergers
House Schellenberg's mages use magic through rocks, precious gemstones, and semiprocious stones. They draw upon these stones as their stores of magic, though some rocks add various effects to them. Theirs is one of the older Houses, which traces it roots back into medieval Germany and Austria. However, when immigration began in the nineteenth century, Schellenbergers went with German immigrants, and they can be found over every corner of the globe.
Schellenberg scions draw upon magic stored within a variety of stones and gemstones, which grants them power. Each mage has a different relationship with different stones; one Schellenberg may draw much more power from topaz than another, and their education is partly spent finding out which stones are more effective. Each Schellenberger has two particular stones to them: a Keystone, which enhances their magical abilities nearly tenfold, and a Grindstone, which cancels all of their magic when in ten feet of them. Schellenberg mages exhaust the magical stores inside their stones as they cast spells, and a Keystone's enhancing effects will eventually be exhausted. The stone must be left alone for a day to recover.
House Schellenberg became fragmented in the modern era. The families that went abroad largely became miniature Houses in their new homelands throughout the nineteenth century, and by World War I, American Schellenberg mages were fighting German ones. This worsened after the Second World War, when Schellenberg split into Western and Eastern branches, like their native Germany. Their leadership resided within neutral Austria since the end of the war.
The reunification of Germany has changed that. Karl Josef von Schellenberg, the three hundred year-old head of the House, has tried to reimpose some of the central administration that defined Schellenberg in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, the different branches of Schellenberg have had very different experiences; American Schellenbergers tend to be democratic and modern, while German ones can range from old-fashioned nobility to modern industrialists to outraged Communists.
House Schellenberg's efforts to reorganize have resulted in some discomfort, as a result. Everyone agrees that the House needs to be united, especially after Almagoras was wiped out to a man, but no one agrees what this new House Schellenberg should look like. Beneath the hopes for the future, no one can quite agree what the future of the House is.
Living in House Schellenberg:
Experiences in House Schellenberg are highly varied. For a long time, each family was effectively an island, and the head of the House was regarded as an unimportant figurehead. Some Schellenberg scions grew up in essentially modern homes, interacted more with the non-magical world than the magical, and saw magic as another resource. Others grew up in regimented structures resembling knightly orders, while East German Schellenbergers emphasized a Communist lifestyle and service to the East German state.
The upper echelons of the House are highly traditional: they are devout Catholics and patriarchal. Recent changes have allowed women to become leaders within the House's structures, but until the mid-1980's, only men could inherit positions of authority within the House's upper ranks. This was not true in most of the House.
Now, however, the head of the House has reestablished some power and is largely encouraging older sensibilities without pushing too hard. This results in a lot of pressure being placed informally on younger members of the House; children in schools get letters from distant relatives, exhorting them to perform well in school. The adults gather a lot more, to talk and work together, but their get-togethers can be very awkward: nobles, democrats, and ex-Communists butt heads as often as not.
The result is that most of House Schellenberg's students haven't had similar experiences, and their fellow scions may be as different from them as someone from another House. What they have in common is a sense of pressure being placed on them. Everyone wants them to do well, and this pressure really only started being exerted in the last five years.
Politics:
Schelleneberg's politics were disjointed until the recent reunification. However, West German and American branches of the House formed a close relationship with House Almagoras and House Weatherford over the course of the Cold War, while House Vorinsky and House Dracul became the East German branch's allies. The West German branch now leads the House. The massacre of House Almagoras deeply unnerved House Schellenberg, as they were allies. Moreover, they find the precedent of exterminating an entire House frightful. Since then, Schellenberg's leadership has been hostile towards House Patisse and House Castillo.
Major Personas:
Karl Josef von Schellenberg: Karl Josef was a young man in House Schellenberg, during its golden age in the eighteenth century. He saw the House at its strongest, when it had its hands in nearly every German principality, and he saw it fall apart at the end of that century. He tried several times to restore the House to primacy, with his penultimate effort being his support of the Kaiser in the First World War. He retired after that failure and the loss of six of his sons, turning control over to his oldest living son, Otto. He resumed control after the fall of the Berlin Wall, deciding to take one last try after his old friend Almagoras, and the rest of his House, was killed off. He felt that the danger of a House being eliminated, especially when his was fractured, meant leadership was necessary and he was in a position to provide it. He is stern, but quietly kind, and sports a large handlebar mustache.
Otto von Schellenberg: Otto von Schellenberg has the dubious distinction of being the only deposed head of House. He is only eighty-five years old, and was put in power after his father retired after the Great War. Otto chose to support Adolf Hitler and bought into the Führer's philosophy. At the end of the Second World War, Otto was forcibly retired by a number of nephews and his brothers. He has been displeased with his House since, regarding them as traitors. He has been given a posting as a lecturer and representative of House Schellenberg to Paracelsus Academy, where he is widely despised for his strict discipline, rumored political beliefs, and questions about his actions during the war.
Maria von Schellenberg: Maria von Schellenberg is the eldest daughter of Karl Josef, born in 1834. She was the de facto head of the House after Otto was deposed, and remained in that position until Karl Josef decided he wanted to be leader again. She is known for being kind and thoughtful, especially to younger Schellenbergers. She is a master summoner, who has a trio of hellhounds that many a Schellenberg mage played with every Christmas. She writes a personalized letter to every Schellenberg student on their birthday, at Christmas, and at Easter. However, she also has a fiery temper, and has been known to explode on underperforming students. Maria wants to be the leader of the House in truth, and her grandmotherly disposition hides a sharp mind and political ruthlessness.
Also Known As: Stonebinders, Pet Rock Keepers, Schellenbergers
House Schellenberg's mages use magic through rocks, precious gemstones, and semiprocious stones. They draw upon these stones as their stores of magic, though some rocks add various effects to them. Theirs is one of the older Houses, which traces it roots back into medieval Germany and Austria. However, when immigration began in the nineteenth century, Schellenbergers went with German immigrants, and they can be found over every corner of the globe.
Schellenberg scions draw upon magic stored within a variety of stones and gemstones, which grants them power. Each mage has a different relationship with different stones; one Schellenberg may draw much more power from topaz than another, and their education is partly spent finding out which stones are more effective. Each Schellenberger has two particular stones to them: a Keystone, which enhances their magical abilities nearly tenfold, and a Grindstone, which cancels all of their magic when in ten feet of them. Schellenberg mages exhaust the magical stores inside their stones as they cast spells, and a Keystone's enhancing effects will eventually be exhausted. The stone must be left alone for a day to recover.
House Schellenberg became fragmented in the modern era. The families that went abroad largely became miniature Houses in their new homelands throughout the nineteenth century, and by World War I, American Schellenberg mages were fighting German ones. This worsened after the Second World War, when Schellenberg split into Western and Eastern branches, like their native Germany. Their leadership resided within neutral Austria since the end of the war.
The reunification of Germany has changed that. Karl Josef von Schellenberg, the three hundred year-old head of the House, has tried to reimpose some of the central administration that defined Schellenberg in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, the different branches of Schellenberg have had very different experiences; American Schellenbergers tend to be democratic and modern, while German ones can range from old-fashioned nobility to modern industrialists to outraged Communists.
House Schellenberg's efforts to reorganize have resulted in some discomfort, as a result. Everyone agrees that the House needs to be united, especially after Almagoras was wiped out to a man, but no one agrees what this new House Schellenberg should look like. Beneath the hopes for the future, no one can quite agree what the future of the House is.
Living in House Schellenberg:
Experiences in House Schellenberg are highly varied. For a long time, each family was effectively an island, and the head of the House was regarded as an unimportant figurehead. Some Schellenberg scions grew up in essentially modern homes, interacted more with the non-magical world than the magical, and saw magic as another resource. Others grew up in regimented structures resembling knightly orders, while East German Schellenbergers emphasized a Communist lifestyle and service to the East German state.
The upper echelons of the House are highly traditional: they are devout Catholics and patriarchal. Recent changes have allowed women to become leaders within the House's structures, but until the mid-1980's, only men could inherit positions of authority within the House's upper ranks. This was not true in most of the House.
Now, however, the head of the House has reestablished some power and is largely encouraging older sensibilities without pushing too hard. This results in a lot of pressure being placed informally on younger members of the House; children in schools get letters from distant relatives, exhorting them to perform well in school. The adults gather a lot more, to talk and work together, but their get-togethers can be very awkward: nobles, democrats, and ex-Communists butt heads as often as not.
The result is that most of House Schellenberg's students haven't had similar experiences, and their fellow scions may be as different from them as someone from another House. What they have in common is a sense of pressure being placed on them. Everyone wants them to do well, and this pressure really only started being exerted in the last five years.
Politics:
Schelleneberg's politics were disjointed until the recent reunification. However, West German and American branches of the House formed a close relationship with House Almagoras and House Weatherford over the course of the Cold War, while House Vorinsky and House Dracul became the East German branch's allies. The West German branch now leads the House. The massacre of House Almagoras deeply unnerved House Schellenberg, as they were allies. Moreover, they find the precedent of exterminating an entire House frightful. Since then, Schellenberg's leadership has been hostile towards House Patisse and House Castillo.
Major Personas:
Karl Josef von Schellenberg: Karl Josef was a young man in House Schellenberg, during its golden age in the eighteenth century. He saw the House at its strongest, when it had its hands in nearly every German principality, and he saw it fall apart at the end of that century. He tried several times to restore the House to primacy, with his penultimate effort being his support of the Kaiser in the First World War. He retired after that failure and the loss of six of his sons, turning control over to his oldest living son, Otto. He resumed control after the fall of the Berlin Wall, deciding to take one last try after his old friend Almagoras, and the rest of his House, was killed off. He felt that the danger of a House being eliminated, especially when his was fractured, meant leadership was necessary and he was in a position to provide it. He is stern, but quietly kind, and sports a large handlebar mustache.
Otto von Schellenberg: Otto von Schellenberg has the dubious distinction of being the only deposed head of House. He is only eighty-five years old, and was put in power after his father retired after the Great War. Otto chose to support Adolf Hitler and bought into the Führer's philosophy. At the end of the Second World War, Otto was forcibly retired by a number of nephews and his brothers. He has been displeased with his House since, regarding them as traitors. He has been given a posting as a lecturer and representative of House Schellenberg to Paracelsus Academy, where he is widely despised for his strict discipline, rumored political beliefs, and questions about his actions during the war.
Maria von Schellenberg: Maria von Schellenberg is the eldest daughter of Karl Josef, born in 1834. She was the de facto head of the House after Otto was deposed, and remained in that position until Karl Josef decided he wanted to be leader again. She is known for being kind and thoughtful, especially to younger Schellenbergers. She is a master summoner, who has a trio of hellhounds that many a Schellenberg mage played with every Christmas. She writes a personalized letter to every Schellenberg student on their birthday, at Christmas, and at Easter. However, she also has a fiery temper, and has been known to explode on underperforming students. Maria wants to be the leader of the House in truth, and her grandmotherly disposition hides a sharp mind and political ruthlessness.