House of Night/History

Reveal

The House of Night was initially an alliance of lesser clans populating the Stormsea, created largely to counter the rising influence of more powerful factions such as Valor and Immortal Flame. Unlike many other great clans, there was no blood relation between the families that made up the House of Night. Despite this, they all came to share the lineage of Storm God.^[1]

The clan traces its origin to Nightwalker, who was sent to the Eternal City on his first winter solstice. While other Sleepers had also been sent there, he was the only one to survive, managing to escape aboard the Night Garden, which drifted near the city. The Eternal City itself was described as an immortal abode — a utopia where death could not reach, and where enlightened beings lived in peace and prosperity, continually reborn when their bodies and souls grew frail. It was also a resting place for weary deities. Over time, however, its current state became unknown. Even Nightwalker himself had only seen its outer edges — the piers, the wharf, and the lighthouse.^[1]

The most important treasures of the House of Night — the Night Garden, the lineage of Storm God, and the map charting the course to the Eternal City — all came from there. According to Naeve and Bloodwave, the lighthouse of the Eternal City is not just a lighthouse, but also a temple dedicated to Storm God, within which a star is trapped. This star is the source of the lineage of Storm God. Anyone who enters the lighthouse and is bathed in its silver light is reborn as a descendant of Storm God — or dies, as many do.^[1]

Nightwalker entered the Lighthouse and survived, receiving the lineage of Storm God. Before escaping the Eternal City, he collected a portion of the starlight into a special Memory. This Memory allowed the founding members of the House of Night to also receive the lineage, though some perished in the process. Later on, marriages occurred between different branches of the clan, but Nightwalker himself only ever had one child.^[1]

The House of Night and the Eternal City remained inseparably intertwined, since the clan itself was born from Nightwalker's survival and discoveries there.^[1]

The starlight stolen by Nightwalker and contained within the Star Lantern was not infinite. It was described as merely a wisp and was eventually exhausted. Aether was the last person to directly benefit from it. Furthermore, not every child born in the House of Night inherited the lineage, and with the frequent deaths of Awakened, the bloodline was always at risk of vanishing. Over time, no one manifested the lineage as strongly as Nightwalker himself.^[2]

Status Quo

The status quo had changed, with only two Great Clans remaining. The House of Night lost its competitive edge due to the lack of a Sovereign; they cannot bring millions of mundane humans into their area of influence and develop their Citadels into prosperous cities. They could not keep up with the exploding number of Awakened, Masters, and Saints the other two Great Clans now commanded. The House of Night was relegated to the role of a supporting player in the great game between Valor and Song.^[3]

Reveal

Mordret's deceit was too strong, and only a few began to suspect something terrible was happening inside the House of Night. Naeve, one of the first to suspect this, had a chilling experience. He initially suspected the Skinwalker had infiltrated the House of Night, but his next steps were more difficult. He couldn't continue the investigation alone and didn't know whom to trust. He found a few trustworthy allies who tried to ascertain the scale and depths of the encroaching corruption, but it was too late. They had run out of time and had to prepare a path of escape for themselves and their families, eventually arriving at the Valor compound in NQSC, and asking for asylum.^[4]

Mordret had fully inherited Soul Stealer's Transcendent Ability, allowing him to split his soul and possess multiple vessels simultaneously. He collected Saints and key figures of the House of Night without being discovered. However, his ability seems to be limited, as he did not take everyone, including awakened warriors, Masters, and mundane clan members. Mordret revealed himself and took control of the Stormsea after the Sword Army became entrenched in Godgrave. This led to recent bloodshed, as Mordret was cleaning the house and eliminating those he had failed to possess.^[4]

Reveal

Over two-thirds of the Masters (core power of the clan) of the House of Night were either taken or lost their lives, with the remaining survivors in Godgrave. The mundane dependents, including family members and loyal servants, were in the waking world, displaced, traumatized, and scared. The royal clan's envoys had to ensure that none of them were a hidden vessel of the banished prince. The Awakened warriors were in a precarious situation, as every Citadel in the Stormsea was under Mordret's control. They could either become Mordret's hostages or victims. To avoid this, they had to be brought to a new Citadel by a Saint and anchor themselves at its Gateway, or pass through a Dream Gate and enter the Dream Realm physically. Their fates were in the hands of Morgan, who had given Anvil carte blanche to deal with the remnants of the House of Night. They had no choice but to obey her, as the remaining members of the House of Night were full of desire to avenge their fallen kin. Morgan would offer them a chance to fight against Mordret and possibly promise to take care of the mundane members of their families.^[5]

Mordret's brutal culling of the Great Clan left only three Saints, with the rest either taken as vessels or killed by the Prince of Nothing. The remaining members of the House of Night were determined to avenge their fallen kin.^[5]

Reveal

The House of Night was disbanded, and the survivors were absorbed by the Government, which make it more or less the third great clan. The Government is still responsible for the waking world but their role in the Dream Realm became prominent. They ruled Stormsea and Jet is in control of Night Garden as the "Steward of the South".^[6]

Reveal

Nightwalker was a living legend, with his image influenced by the goodwill people had towards the House of Night. After rising to Supremacy, he was among the new Sovereigns who would replace the previous rulers of the Dream Realm, becoming one of its new leaders. Upon arriving at the Night Garden, Nightwalker found the members of his clan waiting at the front of a crowd of people, then climbed onto its deck, flashed them a smile, and raised a fist while inhaling the salty breeze from the sea.^[7]