The Veiled Core Chronicles · The Great Houses

Archons of the Pantheon

Eight Houses. Eight votes on the Board. Eight people who can turn entire worlds into pieces.

The Archons sit at the apex of Cetia-243, presiding over campaigns that grind across Caldereth and beyond. Each one carries the full weight of a House sigil, centuries of doctrine, and the quiet understanding that every decision they make will be carved into the memory of the Board. This is not a council of politicians. It is a living pantheon of policy, power, and carefully measured cruelty.

Dossier extract · Cetian central registry · Access level: restricted

Portrait of Marro Veldran, the Oracle of House Veldran
House Veldran

Marro Veldran

The Oracle
Pronunciation: Mah-row Vel-dran /ˈmɑ.ɹoʊ ˈvɛl.dɹən/

Marro is composed calculation made manifest. She does not negotiate, she corrects. Her authority feels older than the Board itself, and no one is brave enough to test where that feeling ends and reality begins. Her beauty is geometric precision, unnerving and deliberate. Dark eyes land like data probes. She inspires compliance, not warmth.

Portrait of Aello Navoris of House Navoris
House Navoris

Aello Navoris

The Architect of Unease
Pronunciation: Eye-ee-low Nav-or-is /ˈaɪ.i.loʊ nævˈɔɹ.ɪs/

Aello never raises his voice. He doesn’t have to. His silence is sharper than most threats, and his presence lingers long after he is gone. Rooms where he has spoken feel slightly misaligned for hours afterward, as if the geometry of the conversation has not finished collapsing.

Portrait of Gunthor Caldres of House Caldres
House Caldres

Gunthor Caldres

The Immovable Pillar
Pronunciation: Gunt-her Cal-dres /ˈɡʌn.θɚ ˈkæl.drɛs/

Gunthor speaks only when silence breaks, and when he does, the room adjusts. Tradition, weight, and inevitability sit on his shoulders like armor. He is not quick, but he is final. Once his decision settles, even the Board seems reluctant to contradict it.

Portrait of Milla Draxen of House Draxen
House Draxen

Milla Draxen

The Fortress
Pronunciation: Mee-yah Drashen /ˈmiː.jə ˈdræʃ.ən/

A fortress in flesh, Milla is blunt, unyielding, and ruthlessly efficient. She sees diplomacy as logistics and prefers action over ambiguity. When she speaks at the Board, it is with the cadence of a verdict already carried out.

Portrait of Tila Quenhar of House Quenhar
House Quenhar

Tila Quenhar

The Velvet Tactician
Pronunciation: Tee-la Ken-har /ˈtiː.lə ˈkɛn.hɑɹ/

Tila orchestrates rather than commands, weaving influence through poised language and flawless timing. She is grace sharpened into inevitability, making people believe they arrived at her decisions on their own.

Portrait of Lladro Othalei of House Othalei
House Othalei

Lladro Othalei

The Grinding Stone
Pronunciation: Yan-droe O-thal-ee /ˈjæn.dɹoʊ oʊˈθæ.li/

A man of resentment and rigid pride, Lladro does not dominate the room, he wedges himself into it. Constantly on the edge of boiling over, he seeks respect the way others seek revenge, grinding down opposition by refusing to move.

Portrait of Varek Thorne of House Thorne
House Thorne

Varek Thorne

The Final Voice
Pronunciation: Varek Thorn /ˈvɛɹ.ək θɔɹn/

The diplomat who speaks last and makes it final. Varek is elegance without pretense, control without cruelty. He plays the long game and wins by making you think the outcome was your idea from the beginning.

Portrait of Brayne Tormayne of House Yvrix
House Yvrix

Brayne Tormayne

The Living Contradiction
Pronunciation: Bru-een Tor-mun /bruːˈiːn ˈtɔɹ.mən/

The living contradiction of House Yvrix. Brayne is loud, blunt, and earnest, more brawl than ballet. Beneath the crude defiance lies unwavering loyalty and a dangerous sense of timing. When he finally stops joking, people listen.

Pronunciation Guide First line gives a simple spoken guide, the second line gives the IPA for readers who like precision. However you say their names in your head, the Board will still hear you.