House Mavanix

The following is strictly player-made content. Said content can be found in a text/scrolls in some libraries, primarily Ul'dah. The text details the history of one of the city's many past noble houses.

Preface

The history of House Mavanix spans back nearly 200 years. The House recognized a total of six eras within its family’s history, starting with Joachim Mavanix and ending with Cartius Mavanix/Felstar. Each and every era helped to mold the House into what it became, each in their own unique way.

It should be noted that not all of the House’s history was filled with success. Failures and internal perils were indeed recognized by the family and served as something to teach future generations. In an attempt to remain transparent to critics, the House agreed to allow those scars to be revealed within this text.

Avalon, a frequently mentioned organization throughout this literature, saw numerous transformations over the eras. Technically slightly older than even House Mavanix itself, Avalon remained intertwined with the family and served as their primary arm in all of the House’s operations. The two groups went hand-in-hand with one another.

Magic was a key centerpiece of House Mavanix. Each generation gave rise to powerful sorcerers and sorceresses, all of which have contributed to the wealth of magical knowledge contained in the House’s official libraries. Most generations were said to have used various artifacts to further enhance their powers.

House Mavanix owned Avalon, the Avalon Heritage Museum (and the contents therein), the Mavanix Academy, numerous pieces of property, the Margarah fashion line, and numerous published works. There are possibly other projects once owned by House Mavanix not listed in this text.

Chapter 1~ Era I: Joachim Mavanix, “The Igniter”

Reigned from age 28 to age 59 (31 years).

“The gods care not to share their paradise with us mortals. Thus, we must forge our own through the familial bonds in which we pass on to each generation.” -Joachim Mavanix in a lecture to his children.

Historical Notes:

House Mavanix and Avalon were founded by none other than Joachim Mavanix. Very little is known about Joachim’s origins and past family, which often brought the House under much scrutiny from outsiders wishing to find damaging holes in the family history. The House’s official explanation behind the founding Patriarch’s origins was as follows:

Joachim was born and raised on a continent beyond Aldenard, though he never divulged which continent that was nor did he ever give names of his parents or other relatives. He served as a powerful warlock within his home nation’s military, gaining prestigious ranks and medals through exceptional bravery and skill in the magical arts.

After quitting the military, Joachim came to Eorzea via ship in search of undiscovered magic. He was 25 years old upon his arrival, with little money to his name. The future patriarch thus started working in the mining industry within Ul'dah, living within a single room living space in the commoner’s residential area. He focused strictly on his job, rarely having any time or energy to research new magic as he originally intended to do. As a result, it didn’t take long for him to receive his first promotion.

It was by chance the following year in the markets that Joachim came across Lady Anabelle Felstar. The Lady was quickly charmed by Joachim and the two began to see one another on a regular basis. Anabelle’s family, eventually discovering this, forbade her from seeing the commoner ever again. Joachim became determined to prove his worth to the woman he had fallen in love with and to her family. He returned his attention to the reason he set sail for Eorzea to begin with, beginning to study magic at an almost obsessive rate. It was also around this time that he was promoted yet again in the mining industry.

Joachim’s latest promotion paved the way for his soon-to-be success. An argument (the details of which remain unknown) with the head overseer caused Joachim to rethink his position, realizing that the company was holding him back from his own goals. Within just a few moons, he was able to gain a strong following amongst his fellow miners due to his expertise and strong personality. Joachim dug into his saved funds to start his own independent excavation team. He had to sell most of his own belongings to do so. The new excavation team, called “Avalon,” went right to work excavating in an area of Thanalan that Joachim’s previous boss refused to bother with. Joachim, claiming to sense some form of magical energy in the desolate area, had his team working nearly day and night.

On the verge of going bankrupt within the first four weeks and having seen several Avalon members quit the team from frustration and hopelessness, Joachim still remained more confident than ever that they would find something truly amazing. On the sixth week, they finally found what Joachim was sensing all along--a strange totem that was clearly from either a faraway land or from an ancient civilization. Joachim decided to make an intelligent business move by keeping the artifact, dubbed the Soulfire Apparatus, stashed in a safe location. He charged the deluge of researchers and scholars a fortune just to see the object and/or interview him about it.

Soulfire Apparatus

Charging people to learn about the ancient discovery gave Joachim the idea to create a museum. He estimated that the admission costs alone would keep Avalon funded while providing a marginal profit. But starting such a massive endeavor would be extremely costly. He reluctantly turned to Lady Anabelle Felstar for a loan and she happily obliged, against her family’s orders. Thus, the Avalon Heritage Museum was eventually built. The Soulfire Apparatus was put on display along with other various trinkets that Avalon discovered. The museum became an even larger success than Joachim predicted and within a couple more years, he was practically a noble himself as the museum continued to be added to. Avalon also continued to expand.

With Joachim’s newly found success came the approval from Anabelle’s family he had so desperately desired. Joachim and Anabelle thus wedded one another at an elegant wedding happily hosted by House Felstar. The loan that Joachim took from the family was dismissed following the marriage -- a wedding gift of sorts. Joachim then lived with Anabelle’s family while construction of the Mavanix Mansion began. Annabelle gave birth to their first child during this period of time, a daughter named Carmilla.

After the married couple moved into their new Mavanix home, they had their second child, another daughter named Sarah. Trying desperately for a male heir, they had a third child a year and a half later--yet another daughter, Margarette. The fourth child finally ended up being the boy that Joachim wanted so badly. He was named Darian.

Joachim and Anabelle then shifted their focus to making House Mavanix stronger by building up the museum and Avalon while raising their four children as best they could. Two suns following Darian’s eighteenth birthday, Lady Anabelle passed away from illness. Joachim became distant and closed off following this tragedy until he too passed away six years later from a heart attack. Their eldest daughter, Carmilla, left for Joachim's homeland and was not heard from again afterwards. The younger daughters, Margarette and Sarah, launched a moderately successful fashion line prior to either one of them marrying.

Family and Relations:

• Wife--Lady Anabelle Felstar.

• Daughters--Carmilla, Sarah, and Margarette Mavanix (in order from oldest to youngest).

• Sons--Darian Mavanix

• Parents--Unknown

• Siblings--Unknown

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Joachim was supposedly nicknamed “The Igniter” during his time in the military. This was apparently due to his exceptional skills with the element of fire. House Mavanix would later adopt the nickname for him as well, finding it appropriate considering that Joachim was the spark that ignited everything within the family.

• Rumor has it that Joachim had a vision of the distant future on the day that Lady Anabelle passed away. The contents of the vision were supposedly kept to himself, though it is believed that Carmilla was informed about the details.

• The name "Avalon" was used to display Joachim's beliefs of strong familial bonds. The term is used to often describe "paradise" by many. Joachim believed that family was the closest concept to paradise that any mortal being could reach.

• Following the birth of three daughters without a male heir, Joachim instated a House Mavanix rule stating that all female family members are required to keep the Mavanix name even after marriage. Refusal to oblige would result in being exiled and cut off from the family. The rule remained adhered to, though mostly out of respect for the family name rather than fear of being exiled.

• Critics often attack this era of the history by claiming it to be inaccurate and/or altered to fit the ideal Mavanix Patriarch. There are few notable sources to draw upon for Joachim’s history, save for what House Mavanix has revealed themselves. Critics believe parts of Joachim’s past were “conveniently discarded or altered.”

Chapter 2~ Era II: Darian Mavanix, “The Exalter”

Reigned from age 24 to age 85 (61 years).

“What you know the best, you observe the least. One’s greatest strength is also one’s greatest vulnerability.” -Darian Mavanix in a speech to the staff of the newly founded Mavanix Academy.

Historical Notes:

Darian Mavanix was arguably the greatest Mavanix patriarch to ever live. It was under his era that House Mavanix would expand more than any other era following him, perhaps due to him being the longest reigning head of the family.

His childhood was a combination of enjoying the benefits of nobility alongside a constant reminder of his father’s roots. Having three older sisters often made him feel out of place and Lady Anabelle even revealed in her diary that Darian had asked for a baby brother multiple times throughout his childhood. The family was a close one though and acted more like a single unit rather than a group of individuals. They would always, for instance, attend any and all public events together.

In his later teenage years, Darian became mesmerized by magic much like his father was. While he loved his mother greatly, he still felt that her lack of magical expertise didn’t do him any favors. Lady Anabelle even revealed similar regret about her magical roots in her diary, saying that being the only one amongst her husband and children to have limited knowledge and expertise in the magical realm sometimes made her feel out of place.

Darian spent much of his time with his childhood friend, Malina Zagbar. She shared his love for magic and the two often practiced spells together. The fact that Malina was also good friends with Darian’s sisters made her fit even more into the family, despite the fact that she belonged to the middle class.

After his mother passed away, Darian started to take over numerous operations for House Mavanix unofficially. As Joachim drifted into further seclusion, it fell onto the young man’s shoulders to keep the house strong. Darian remained respectful enough of his father in that he did not make any radical changes or decisions, acknowledging that his father was still the official reigning family leader regardless of his seclusion. During this time, Darian and Malina were wedded to one another. One year prior to Joachim’s passing, they had their first child, Darius.

Following Joachim’s death, Darian instantly shut down all House Mavanix operations for nearly two full weeks. This included the Avalon excavation team, the museum, and all other projects of the family. This was done out of respect for his father in order to maintain a proper period of mourning. This period of mourning would become a tradition of House Mavanix upon the passing of any prominent family member. This is also when the Mavanix Catacombs were set up beneath the mansion grounds. Lady Annabelle’s body was moved there to rest for eternity next to Joachim, though it would be moved to the Felstar Catacombs during the last era of the house.

Once House Mavanix restarted operations, Darian went straight to work in raising it to whole new heights. His first investment was creating a new private academy primarily aimed at the upper class, though financial programs were set up to help medium income families upon Lady Malina’s urging. The Mavanix Academy became a success, raising House Mavanix’s revenue by a hefty amount and paying off all expenses within a mere four years time. Around the time that the academy was starting to be built is also when Darian and Malina had their second child, Katherine.

Darian’s next order of business was to build up preexisting projects. First, the patriarch assisted his sisters in promoting their new fashion line. While the Mavanix fashion line, dubbed simply the Margarette and Sarah Fashion Line at first, never became quite as successful as other fashion lines, it still managed to further contribute to the family’s wealth. Next, Darian made an aggressive push to expand House Mavanix’s collection of artifacts, magical knowledge, and even the architecture of the Mavanix Mansion itself. The number of artifacts in the Avalon Heritage Museum more than tripled in this era. The same is true of magical tomes in the Mavanix library. Various new rooms, secret rooms and hidden paths included, were added on to the Mavanix Mansion as well.

What came next for House Mavanix remains controversial even today. Some scholars dub Darian’s biggest pet project a total failure whereas others have the complete opposite viewpoint. The patriarch greatly expanded the Avalon excavation crew and added a mercenary company under its umbrella. The new mercenary guild not only continued to excavate artifacts, but also took on missions from ordinary citizens for a fee.

A complex hierarchy of power was instituted as mercenaries were brought into Avalon. At the top was the Mavanix Patriarch himself, with the title of “Warden.” Below him were a group of three highly trained individuals who mastered the elemental arts in ways that few have ever done. The names of this rank varied, though they were most commonly referred to as the “Triumvirate” or “Elemental Triad.” Each specialized in only one element, but was capable of bending that element into doing just about anything conceivable. Little is known about this triad and it was never made clear on how Darian recruited them. But they were indeed fierce in the elemental arts and combat. The names of these three powerful figures remain a mystery to all but House Mavanix today, their records having been hidden or destroyed.

Below the Elemental Triad were various other ranks. Additionally, Avalon was given a research department and its own headquarters. Financially, the mercenary company project constantly bounced between breaking even and operating in the red.

Despite its financial fluctuations, Darian insisted on keeping Avalon on its path. It became his baby and he refused to watch it fall. Malina offered tremendous support in his endeavor and fourteen years after birthing Katherine, they had their third and final child together, Veronica.

Four years after Veronica’s birth, House Mavanix went through its biggest trial yet. A deadly assault against the family took place at Avalon headquarters by none other than the Triumvirate themselves. Having supposedly gone mad from being overtaxed in elemental energies, the triad ended up slaying numerous mercenaries and even Lady Malina herself. It remains unclear what happened to the Triumvirate following this event, as none of them were ever seen or heard from again.

Lady Malina’s brutal death sent shockwaves through House Mavanix. As per tradition, all House operations were shut down for a period of mourning. The family was constantly at one another's throats during this period. Darian and his eldest son in particular were supposedly fighting frequently. Following the period of mourning, Darian restarted operations much to his elder son’s dismay. Darius had insisted that Avalon should be dissolved following the tragedy, or at least the mercenary sector of it. Darian, however, refused to oblige and this caused his son to disown him and House Mavanix before leaving Ul’dah entirely.

Within several years of the tragedy, Darian attempted to move on and even remarried. He and his new wife, Lauralyn Vaza, had a single child together named Jonathan. Six years later, the two divorced due to irreconcilable differences and ended up sharing custody of Jonathan. Jonathan would later distance himself from House Mavanix and set up a weapons shop in Ul’dah, even eventually changing his last name. The shop no longer exists today.

Darian lived out his remaining days sustaining all of his projects and attempting to reach out to his eldest son to rebuild their broken bond. At age 85, he began to slowly pass away. Darius returned to Ul’dah just in time to reconcile with his father before he died.

Family and Relations:

• Wives--Malina Zabgar, Lauralyn Vaza.

• Daughters--Veronica Mavanix, Katherine Mavanix.

• Sons--Darius Mavanix, Jonathan Mavanix.

• Parents--Joachim and Anabelle Mavanix.

• Siblings--Carmilla, Margarette, and Sarah Mavanix.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Darian was bestowed the title “Exalter” due to his ability to raise House Mavanix to new heights that were not reached by any other House leader following him.

• Lady Malina was one of the least traditional heads of the family. Though passionate about magic, she also was quite the tinkerer. She helped to create a number of artifacts within the house before her untimely death.

• Darian instated a House Mavanix rule stating that the heads of the family should always marry someone of equal or greater magical aptitude. This was done out of the belief that two parents with exceptional magical skill would increase the likelihood of a magically gifted child. The rule was adhered to by most Mavanix family members.

Chapter 3~ Era III: Darius Mavanix, “The Inquisitor”

Reigned from age 62 to age 69 (7 years).

“Destiny is just a way of claiming your successes without claiming your failures.” -Darius Mavanix.

Historical Notes:

Darius served only seven years as House patriarch, making him the shortest official reigning head of the family. As a result, his accomplishments are far less than previous and future eras. This does not make his role as House Mavanix’s third patriarch insignificant though. As per his title, Darius would go on to question many of the House’s practices and projects.

Growing up under Darian and Malina, Darius tended to always be closer to his mother than his father. Many find this odd considering how wildly different the two were in terms of beliefs. His relationship with his sisters, Katherine and Veronica, was mostly non-existent though. Darius attended school at the Mavanix Academy and was known to become quite the flirt in his teenage and young adolescent years. He often got into trouble for bringing random women to the mansion.

As Darius aged, he realized rather quickly that he wouldn’t be patriarch of the House anytime soon due to his father’s own healthy lifestyle. Darius was fine with this, never really wanting to take over operations to begin with. He spent most of his life simply indulging in the pleasures of the upper class. Darius and Darian often got into heated arguments over these behaviors. Darian was of the belief that his son was taking advantage of the upper class styles whereas Darius was of the belief that the family had earned the right to indulge in pleasures on a daily basis. Malina further contributed to this belief by spoiling her children whenever she got the chance to, often defying her own husband when doing so.

When Malina was murdered by Avalon’s Triumvirate, Darius was enraged. He blamed his father for her death, stating that such elemental power should have never been left unchecked to begin with. His father defended his actions and Katherine even sided with him. Further enraged that his sister was on his father’s side, Darius disowned the family. He cut off all ties to the entire Mavanix clan. Rumors indicated that he was even further enraged when his father eventually remarried and had another child.

It’s not entirely clear what Darius did during his long hiatus from House Mavanix. The only official explanation he gave was that he was “adventuring.” What the adventuring entailed remains unclear even today. When word reached him about his father being on his deathbed, Darius rushed back to Ul’dah and reconciled with his ailing father just in time. Since Darian never changed his will, Darius still inherited the title of patriarch at the age of 62.

Following the traditional period of mourning, Darius instantly dissolved the mercenary sector of Avalon, stripping the guild back to its bare bones of the original excavation team. He also reversed other minor decisions made by his father over the next year, including the rule that stated House Mavanix leaders must marry someone of equal or greater magical aptitude (though this rule would be reversed once again by Veronica during her reign) and also removed the rule forcing female Mavanix members to keep their last name after marrying. He also lowered tuition costs at the Mavanix Academy and implemented numerous methods for less wealthy scholars to attend.

Katherine and Veronica were somewhat agitated over their brother’s reign, angered that he still even had claim to the seat of patriarch despite his long hiatus and previous disowning of the family. It’s believed by many that Katherine and Veronica conspired to force their brother’s removal from House Mavanix, believing that he had no right to full control over the House’s resources. Over the course of the next two years, Darius faced numerous challenges from outside sources as well. It was under Darius's rule when the group known as Decretum Umbra surfaced and made their first assault against the entire house. Decretum Umbra was a separate sector of the family descended from Carmilla Mavanix who believed they had claim to the house. With the help of Veronica's magic, they were able to defeat the group and their leader, Lemdarva.

Darius went on to set up an auction house under Avalon’s umbrella, believing that there was no use for the tons of “useless” artifacts cluttering the museum. He met fierce resistance from his sisters and the museum staff members in this decision, but it didn’t stop him from setting it up and successfully selling numerous artifacts to wealthy collectors.

Seven years into his reign and right before he was about to make a much hyped mysterious announcement about the new direction of House Mavanix, Darius died of poisoning. Many theorists believe that Veronica was behind his murder, though no proof ever surfaced. Darius never married nor did he have any known offspring to succeed him. Most believed Katherine would be next in line to succession, but the internal drama of House Mavanix was about to get intense yet again…

Family and Relations:

• Wife--None

• Children--None

• Parents--Darian and Malina Mavanix.

• Siblings--Katherine, Veronica, and Jonathan Mavanix.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Darius was bestowed the title “Inquisitor” due to his constant questioning of family policies and practices.

• Darius was one of the weakest mages ever in the Mavanix family, most of his training usually focusing on fencing and swordplay. He made numerous claims that he wasn’t all that interested in the family’s roots in magic. This only added more fuel to the family’s fire against him.

Chapter 4~ Era IV: Veronica Mavanix, “The Sibyl”

Reigned from age 53 to age 105 (52 years).

“The only means to defeat Fate is to embrace it. Any other self-important strategy is sure to be met with failure.” -Veronica Mavanix.

Historical Notes:

Veronica was by far the most controversial leader that House Mavanix ever saw, for more reasons than can likely be listed. Her strong position as a female alone was cause for debate by both feminists and male traditionalists alike. She was far and away the greatest mage House Mavanix has ever seen, displaying a stunning display of magical knowledge on all fronts. Her quirky behavior and seductive mannerisms made her the talk of the city in more than several instances. Her ability to supposedly have numerous visions and prophecies further solidified her role as the most powerful House Mavanix leader ever. But most controversial of all was the means of which she came to power to begin with.

Veronica was raised primarily by her father, Darian. Since Malina died when Veronica was still a toddler, she had no memories of her mother. She was relatively close to her sister Katherine, who tried to look after her little sister on numerous occasions. Veronica was not close at all to her eldest brother, Darius, due to his abandoning the family after Malina died.

Veronica grew up with an unrivaled fascination with the magical world. She sometimes locked herself in her room for days at a time just to read entire tomes. She reportedly had her first “vision” at age 10, accurately predicting her father’s death at age 85. She was said to have been terrified by the vision, refusing to acknowledge her father’s mortality at such a tender age. More visions came to her over time, most of them incoherent and vague. Many of the prophecies were recorded in scrolls and preserved.

As she grew older, she quickly realized how different she was from the rest of her family. Her magical aptitude was off the charts, even for a Mavanix. Her behavior began to slowly change and she became increasingly odd and unpredictable.

Various men often bedded Veronica over the years and she was far from ashamed of her promiscuous behavior, sometimes even flaunting it. At age 27, the future matriarch did something completely unheard of. A strong believer of her father’s theory about a child having as much magical aptitude of its parents, Veronica came to the conclusion that a male partner would simply weaken any child of hers. She decided to use pure magic to impregnate herself. Locking herself in the manor’s underground study for weeks, she made no contact with the outside world much to the worry of her father, sister, and staff.

Eventually, she put her spell into motion. It is said that a small tremor shook Ul’dah ever so slightly during the invoking, though there’s no way to know whether it was merely a coincidence or not. Veronica emerged from the underground study, confident that her spell succeeded. Sure enough, she was eventually proven to be pregnant. She would end up having a miscarriage within the first three months of her pregnancy though. Devastated, she locked herself in her room for several days to grieve. At age 29, she made a second attempt at the spell. No tremor was detected this time and she actually did give birth to a child nine moons later. The infant would die two moons after being born though due to intense mana poisoning. Veronica was once again devastated and abandoned all future use of the spell she had used. At age 39, she would eventually settle on a husband and have a child the traditional way, giving birth to Julius. She divorced her husband, Drogan Vanset, within a year of giving birth and took full custody of Julius after dragging her husband’s reputation through the mud during an ugly battle for custody.

As time passed and her father aged, Veronica’s visions began to intensify. She rarely spoke of the contents of the visions save to her sister. When Darius returned out of the blue and reconciled with their father, Veronica was furious. Darius became patriarch and proceeded to undo many of their father’s policies. After Darius sold numerous artifacts via his new auction house, including one of Veronica’s texts of prophecies, Veronica became infuriated and confronted her older brother. Harsh words and threats were exchanged and Darius even threatened to cut Veronica off from the family. It wasn’t long after that fight that Darius died from poisoning.

The traditional period of mourning was one filled with drama. Katherine, who was technically next in line for House leadership, refused the position and claimed that Veronica was more fit for it. Seeming to think her position was solidified as matriarch, Darius’s will came to light and named one of their cousins (son of Margarette) as the next leader. Zacriel Mavanix thus ascended to house patriarch, though it only lasted a grand total of five days (thus it is not recognized as an official era in the house's history). He resigned after a hostile argument with Veronica and two failed assassination attempts over the course of two days by hired goons. This time, nobody challenged Veronica to the position and she became the first female head of the family. Many scholars can’t help but theorize that House Mavanix would still be around today had this “coup” never occurred.

Veronica moved to quickly revert some of Darius’s decisions back to what her father had decided originally. She did however keep Avalon as it was, including the auction house. Her aloof behavior continued on even after her ascension to house matriarch. Staff members had a hard time determining when she was being serious or not half the time. She did however give her son, Julius, an intense amount of attention and care. She even tutored him in magic on a regular basis, though his magical aptitude wasn’t nearly on par with his mother’s.

Despite her controversial nature, Veronica had numerous of her own accomplishments during her long reign as matriarch. She expanded House Mavanix’s library of magical knowledge by nearly four times its original content. Numerous new artifacts were added to the museum, though less so than under previous eras. She also added a variety of magical wards to protect the Mavanix Mansion. Rumors also indicated that she cursed numerous “valuable” artifacts to ensure nobody would attempt to steal or sell them. She expanded the house’s knowledge of magic more than any other family member or leader, including the creation of some spells passed on only to the head of the family.

She lived to be an entire 105 years old, though she unofficially delegated much of the running of the house to Julius during her last ten years. Interestingly enough, she predicted the day and year of her own passing perfectly 20 years before her actual death.

Family and Relations:

• Husband--Drogan Vanset

• Children--Julius Mavanix

• Parents--Darian and Malina Mavanix.

• Siblings--Katherine, Darius, and Jonathan Mavanix.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Veronica obtained the title “Sybil” due to her numerous prophecies.

• A small cult called Hydra, named after one of Veronica’s favorite artifacts, was created after her death and still exists today, worshiping Veronica as a goddess. House Mavanix remained always remained distant to the cult.

• Veronica created numerous prophecies, though many are vague and difficult to decipher. Many of her scrolls have been lost and/or sold.

• Under Veronica's reign, her sister Katherine renamed the Sarah and Margarette Fashion Line to Margarah, a clever combination of the founding sisters' names.

Chapter 5~ Era V: Julius Mavanix, “The Guardian”

Reigned from age 58 to age 87 (29 years).

“True power comes not from the things we own, but rather the people we share them with.” -Julius Mavanix in a speech to the newly founded GIN.

Historical Notes:

Julius was born to Veronica Mavanix and Drogan Vanset, though his father had no place in his life after Julius’s first year of being born. To this day, nobody knows what became of Drogan after his mysterious disappearance. Julius grew up under the impression that he abandoned him, thus strengthening the boy’s future view’s on fatherhood.

The life of Julius was of course one of luxury. Under the protective watch of his mother, the youth would learn all of his mother’s magical secrets even though he was unable to actually master most of her spells. Despite the fact that Veronica was not matriarch of the house at this time nor was she even on the radar of being future leader, it was still fairly obvious that she was grooming her son to be future patriarch. Aside from passing on her knowledge and spells, Veronica also made sure to install her son with strong family values and leadership skills. She also sent him to the Mavanix Academy for the best possible education he could receive.

It was at the Mavanix Academy where Julius met Lady Rochelle Galavano. The two became friends rather quickly and then dated on and off again throughout the years. During their off again stages, Julius dated numerous other women who all came under fierce scrutiny from Veronica. Only Rochelle would receive Veronica’s blessing to be with her son. As such, Julius and Rochelle would finally marry one another shortly after Julius turned age 26. They would have their first child six years later, named Kalara.

Julius would eventually have another child with Rochelle an entire 15 years after Kalara’s birth named Nina. At this point, the house would unknowingly begin its plunge into disarray. Due to complications in Nina's birth, Rochelle became barren after her birth. She and Julius never told anyone about this, however, and the knowledge wouldn't surface until Rochelle's diary was found. Veronica began to pressure Rochelle and Julius into having a third child, hoping for a boy. The pressure mounted more as time went by, and Rochelle eventually blurted out that she was pregnant when Veronica began to use fear tactics and threats against her daughter-in-law. Panicking, Rochelle persuaded Julius to go along with the lie and pretend she was pregnant for fear of her own life. They agreed to go forward with a fake pregnancy and adopt a boy, having wanted to adopt anyway.

The plan would hit a snag several moons into the faked pregnancy. Veronica would reveal in a casual family gathering an artifact recently added to the family's collection. According to the matriarch, the bauble had the ability to allow its wearer to gaze directly at one's bloodline and trace it. The bauble or details about it were never discovered following these events, so the validity of Veronica's claims to its abilities remain unproven. However, Rochelle and Julius took the statement very seriously, realizing that their plan would be found out after the fake birth since the adopted child would be of a different bloodline. Fearing Veronica's wrath, the two returned to the drawing board.

As everything seemed hopeless, news would eventually reach the two that House Felstar's matriarch was pregnant as well, only about two moons ahead of Rochelle's fake pregnancy. The couple believed it to be a blessing from Nymeia, as all Mavanixs descended from Anabelle Felstar and thus had Felstar blood in their veins. As such, a Felstar child would be capable of deceiving Veronica's artifact if her claims were true. An elaborate plot was put into motion in which the Felstar child was abducted and passed of as dead. Julius and Rochelle claimed the child as their own and named him Cartius. The scheme worked and Veronica was never the wiser, as far as anyone was aware.

Time elapsed and Veronica began to delegate many responsibilities to Julius. When Veronica passed away, the traditional period of mourning went into effect and the former matriarch was buried in the Mavanix Catacombs beneath the mansion. Julius then took over the house with ease due to having already been unofficially handling everything at that point anyway. He maintained all of his mother’s policies and created few new ones of his own.

Julius made very few achievements during his reign, unlike his predecessors. His primary focus seemed to always be his family and he was known to spend a tremendous amount of time with his wife and children. Instead of taking on new projects to expand House Mavanix, he instead focused on simply sustaining the current ones.

Julius’s crowning achievement, however, would be the creation of the Goblin Information Network (or simply “GIN”). This strange alliance came about during one of Avalon’s excavations in which a peculiar black and grey egg was discovered in the Coerthas region. The native goblins near the excavation site insisted that the egg belonged to them, claiming it was a dragon egg with powerful enchantments that prevented the dragon from ever being actually born. To this particular clan, it was practically a religious icon. The goblins and House Mavanix quarreled over rights to the dragon egg for many moons before an agreement was finally made. The goblins agreed to allow House Mavanix to keep the egg so long as they kept it safe at all times and allowed their clan access to it at anytime for religious rituals and whatnot. In addition, the goblins would act as informants for House Mavanix as needed since goblins were known to be able to gather information at an accelerated rate in comparison to others. Should anything ever happen to the egg, the alliance would crumble.

Julius went to great lengths to keep the egg safe, placing numerous enchantments on it and adding it to a protected altar within the Avalon Heritage Museum. The end result was perhaps one of the most crucial alliances House Mavanix had ever made.

Julius continued to sustain the family projects and focusing his primary attention on his wife and children (and later grandchildren) for his remaining years. His goal was to reinstate a traditional and close family much like that of Joachim’s generation and in the eyes of most, he succeeded. He would pass away at age 87, leaving Cartius to take over as patriarch at age 40. Rochelle would pass away five years later.

Family and Relations:

• Wife--Rochelle Galavano

• Sons--Cartius Mavanix (Illegally "adopted")

• Daughters--Kalara and Nina Mavanix

• Parents--Veronica Mavanix and Drogan Vanset

• Siblings--None

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Julius was given the title “Guardian” for two reasons. First, he focused his attention solely on maintaining/guarding previous House Mavanix traditions and rules. Second, his role as first official guardian of the GIN’s dragon egg also contributed to the title.

• Julius went to great lengths to protect his family from overexposure to tabloids and to the overly critical lesser-middle classes of Ul’dah.

Chapter 6~ Era VI: Cartius Mavanix, "The Strategist"

Reigned from age 40 to age 48 (8 years).

"Checkmate." --Cartius Mavanix

Historical Notes:

Cartius was the last true patriarch of House Mavanix. Raised by Julius Mavanix and Rochelle Galavano, he enjoyed the many benefits of the Mavanix lifestyle like those before him. It wouldn’t be until Cartius was an adult that he’d uncover his true paternity.

Cartius had close ties to his sisters, Nina and Kalara. Veronica saw great things in his future and placed an elaborate amount of attention on the boy as he grew up, teaching him some of the things she had taught Julius himself. After Veronica passed away, Julius continued to groom Cartius as the next heir to House Mavanix.

Cartius, in his early twenties, met Lady Sophia Nox of Ishgard. The two fell in love with one another and eventually married. As they tried to have their first child, Sophia would eventually learn that she was unable to bear children of her own. The tragic news caused the sophisticated lady to turn to old tactics used by Veronica to impregnate herself. A powerful sorceress in her own right, Sophia tweaked Veronica’s spell so that it would simply cure her ailment rather than impregnate her out of pure magic. The spell was a success. Sophia and Cartius would have their first and only child together shortly thereafter. The spell, however, supposedly had spread a number of magical toxins through Sophia’s body and she would die immediately after giving birth to Castiel Mavanix (who later changed his name to Kylin, his mother’s preferred name per her diary).

Devastated by Sophia’s death, Cartius raised Kylin as a single father. Kylin remained afflicted from his mother's spell as well, forced to take ether-like medication daily for the rest of his life to keep the mana poisoning from manifesting. It would later be discovered that Sophia’s death (and Kylin’s ailment) was not a result of her spell at all, but instead of toxins traced back to Margarah’s original Formula V. Sophia, who had learned the truth of Cartius’s true paternity, had tried forcing the family to tell him the truth. To protect their secret and the family itself from House Felstar's wrath, the family secretly and carefully exposed her to the appropriate amount of toxins to wear her down and eventually kill her.

After Julius’s death, Cartius became patriarch of the house. His accomplishments were few due to his short reign in comparison to other Mavanix leaders. He did however expand the Avalon Heritage Museum’s collection of artifacts by more than any other house leader before him. He also helped found Outer Heaven, an adventurer’s guild composed of four different pillars that was wildly successful prior to Cartius suddenly pulling support from it for unknown reasons. Cartius was also the one who supposedly defeated Decretum Umbra once and for all with Outer Heaven's assistance. It was also revealed during this time that Seraphine Winter was the daughter of Cartius, birthed by an affair between him and her mother.

The Mavanix Mansion was one day attacked by goblins from GIN, along with fomor and GIN’s mechanical mammets. Cartius was "killed" in the attack. Elza Ashfen was unexpectedly named his successor in his will, a daughter that none knew of until the revelation. Elza took over as matriarch as the house began to crumble from perceived external enemies. The Mavanix Academy fell first when revelations about unethical experiments in the academy’s basement came to light. Most of the staff and students abandoned the school, causing an irreversible downward spiral for the institution before it was eventually bought out by an unknown noble. Margarah came next when Nina and Kalara Mavanix attempted to secede from the house entirely with their business. Elza managed to best them in a fashion duel using a group known as Everwatch as the models. Nina and Kalara died tragically that same night when their airship crashed, leaving Margarah completely without management. On the same night, Balthazor Mavanix’s home was attacked during a family meeting and almost the entire remaining Mavanix clan was wiped out. Margarah never recovered and slowly faded out before it was bought out by Sylvora Apparel.

The Mavanix Templars fell next when new head Templar, Kiba Pargux, was assassinated by Vertigo with the claim that he was planning to assassinate Kylin and Elza. On the same day, GIN received the artifact that kept the alliance between them and House Mavanix stable, thus severing the vital relationship and another of the house’s resources. In a final climatic turn of events, Ul'dahn officials received proof stating that Elza was not a Mavanix at all and thus did not meet the criteria of Cartius’s will. As such, Elza’s tumultuous and short-lived reign is not recognized by historians as an era in the house’s history. The embarrassment of the situation caused Ul'dahn officials to dissolve House Mavanix in its entirety as Cartius was revealed to in fact be alive and well living within Ishgard. The former patriarch had staged his death, claiming he had hoped to protect the house from his enemies by doing so. As new patriarch of House Felstar, Cartius made no attempt to reclaim any of House Mavanix as Ul'dah confiscated everything therein.

It was revealed that Xaliel Mavanix was the brains orchestrating the house's downfall prior to his death at the hands of mercenaries, as he was apparently a secret agent of the fallen Decertum Umbra. Numerous mercenaries were wanted for questioning in relation to these events, but the investigation was cut short with the coming of the 7th Umbral Era. Rumors run rampant that Cartius was the one who actually manipulated the house's fall, though no proof ever surfaced. House Mavanix is no more.

Family and Relations:

• Wives--Sophia Nox Mavanix, Nefron Felstar

• Sons--Kylin Felstar (formerly known as Castiel Mavanix)

• Daughters--Seraphine Winter, Elza Ashfen

• Parents--Julius Mavanix and Rochelle Galavano Mavanix (non-biological)

• Siblings--Nina and Kalara Mavanix (non-biological)

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Cartius was called the “Strategist” due to his unbelievable skill in the game of Chess. He’s also been said to exercise the same amount of critical strategic thinking in the real world, crushing enemies that oppose him and his family with complex plans. While no proof connects him to the fall of House Mavanix, many theorists believe he orchestrated the entire thing in a complex and twisted plot after discovering several horrid truths of the house.

• Cartius is believed to have had a number of flings over his years. His three known children all come from different mothers.

• Cartius enjoys collecting artifacts, often going to great lengths to add new ones to his vast collections.

Chapter 7~ Family Tree

((Please click the picture for full resolution and then click image again to expand. Also note that Cartius is in fact not the birth child of Julius/Rochelle, though it is depicted as such here.))

Epilogue

House Mavanix is a family steeped in history, deep familial bonds, and conspiracy. Existing for approximately 200 years and spanning multiple generations, the noble house's fall took many by surprise. It was not until during its fall that many of its past secrets were revealed.

Joachim Mavanix, elevated as a heroic figure due to his status as founding patriarch, had an era full of secrecy. His discovery of the Soulfire Apparatus was not by chance at all, as the man had come to Eorzea specifically for the sole purpose of finding it when it was initially taken from him somewhere beyond Eorzea. He waged a number of atrocities upon House Felstar when Lady Anabelle Felstar was caught having an affair with her knight, Juravis. Among these atrocities included cursing Juravis with a powerful spell that slowly turned the once charming knight into a demonic monstrosity and forever bound him to House Mavanix through a ruby ring. Juravis is believed to be dead now, having been slain by several mercenaries in a fatal battle within Thanalan. Joachim was also responsible for the founding of Decretum Umbra, urging Carmilla to leave Eorzea to begin a new secret sect of the Mavanix clan after having a vision of the house's demise. Decretum Umbra made numerous attempts to take over House Mavanix and set it down a different path, ultimately being destroyed by Outer Heaven through Cartius's strategic thinking.

Darian Mavanix, second house patriarch, was guilty of his own secrets just as his father before him was. After the founding of the Mavanix Academy, the young patriarch allowed for the creation of secretive underground facilities beneath the academy. These facilities were meant to enhance the magical aptitude of individuals known as the Triumvirate, three close friends of Darian and Malina who were already strong in the elemental arts. Using experimental magic and techniques, the house leaders sought to further enhance the trio's elemental affinities to extremely high proportions. They partially succeeded, though the three would eventually begin to mutate into monsters from the experiments. The Triumvirate thus turned on Darian and killed Malina during an attack on the academy, prompting Darian to lock the triad beneath the academy for years. Over time, future deans and house members continued to use the underground facilities for even more experiments. This included Margarah's creation of the toxic "Formula V" perfume that would later claim the life of Lady Sophia Nox Mavanix, wife of Cartius Mavanix. All of these secrets came to light as the house crumbled. The Mavanix Academy was purchased by an unknown buyer just before the house's fall. Margarah was bought out by Sylvora Apparel.

Darius Mavanix, third patriarch, is not known to house any major secrets. Having spent much of his life adventuring following his mother's death at the hands of the Triumvirate, the man's life remains mostly a mystery to all. When he returned to Ul'dah to his father's deathbed and took over the house, he began to attempt undoing many of the house's past blunders and set it on a new path. It is now confirmed that he was indeed murdered by his sister, Veronica Mavanix. The true reason for this remains unknown.

Though Zacriel Mavanix was named in Darius's will as his heir, the young man didn't last more than seven days before Veronica forced him to hand over power to her. Veronica's secrets as house matriarch are likely too many to name and many still remain secret even today. Her myriad of prophecies and visions remain mostly guarded by her cult, Hydra. The cult is named after one of Veronica's hand-crafted artifacts, the Hydra Scepter. It is known that Veronica oversaw the assassinations of numerous women who attempted to bed her son, Julius. Thus it is no wonder that Rochelle Galavano Mavanix caved under the pressure to have a third child and went through a fake pregnancy. The end result was the kidnapping of Cartius Felstar and the passing him off as a Mavanix child. It is also known today that Veronica foresaw the house's dismal destruction and used powerful magic to retain the spirits of the Mavanix leaders inside the family's mansion. In this way, she had hoped to revive the leaders and restore House Mavanix by using the Soulfire Apparatus at the correct time. The plan ultimately failed though due to the intervention of numerous mercenaries from Corvus Cinis, Everwatch, and Shimmersong. The mansion itself is now in ruins. The property has been purchased by another noble house and is being rebuilt into something else.

The reign of Julius was equally dramatic. Aside from the faked pregnancy of Cartius, many consider his forged alliance with GIN to have been mere blackmail. It still remains unclear today how the goblin tribe itself felt regarding this issue, but GIN has since reclaimed its artifact and is still stationed in the Coerthas region as of today.

Cartius, the last recognized patriarch of the house, remains head of House Felstar at the time of this writing after having faked his death in an attempt to protect House Mavanix from his own enemies. Some theorists believe Cartius to be responsible for the grisly fall of House Mavanix, though no proof has ever come to light. Elza Ashfen, Cartius's daughter who was named matriarch after Cartius's faked demise, has since left Ul'dah following the house's fall. It remains unclear where or what she is doing today, though she did take a great deal of the Mavanix funds before they were confiscated entirely by city-state officials. She has also taken the house's ship, the Scarlet Siren.

Despite its many secrets, including ones perhaps unknown to the public, House Mavanix remains a powerful vestige to Ul'dah's upper class. The house not only sets a number of examples for life lessons as they relate to family, but it also served to prop up many lives in Ul'dah. It employed numerous teachers and educated even more students through the Mavanix Academy. It provided a number of garments and helped establish fashion trends through Margarah. It collected countless artifacts that were studied and displayed at the Avalon Heritage Museum. It helped to establish the Outer Heaven mercenary company that in turn saved numerous lives. Most important of all, it stands as testament to the power, and danger, of familial bonds.

Though the house has fallen due to its own failures, one cannot discount its successes. House Mavanix has transformed a plethora of lives in countless ways. And at the end of the day, it will always be remembered in its light just as it is in its darkness.