House of Maine

The House of Maine is one of the noble families present in Ardeiria, known for their vigilance on the border to the Bull and their creation of the Vanquishers.

History
A cousin line to the extinct House of Raeford, whom had control of Raeford's Fields and the Barony of the Iron at one point, the House of Maine have been dedicated to a vigilance against Bull-born aggressions since the Stag's conversion to the Light. While their cousins and Lords had rebelled against their rulers, House Maine refused to send troops and holed up the Iron Bastion. Nevertheless, the Raefords continued on despite their families' loyalty to their lieges, while the Maines gave open support to Ardeirian troops.

Once the rebellion was successfully quelled, most of the Barony of the Iron and all of Raeford's Fields were taken by the House of Caer to peacefully stop any more forms of dissent - which went directly against the King's orders to eliminate all remaining rebels. However, this was never truly reprimanded and, years later, the House of Maine created the Vanquishers to serve as a religious police and wardens against the Bull's forces. To reward them, the Caers returned the lands taken after their cousin's rebellion and promoted them to Barons of the Iron.

Mentality
The Maines have no care for gold, nor executive power. Instead, their ambition lies in militant prowess, not unlike most soldiers of the Bull in some regards. While the House of Caer is known for its overabundance of honor, the Maines' experience in the darker, more true side of war have greatly eaten away at this. Theirs has become a sort of militant honor, which involved obeying Caer and - perhaps more importantly - Vaught orders. The people of the Barony of the Iron are also known for their militantism, and the implied requirement of two years of military duty having been deeply ingrained into their culture.

The Barony of the Iron
The Barony is situated directly on the border to the Bull, while the Iron Bastion also serves as a border-check for crossing men of the Bull. Outside of deportees and Ministry, almost none of them are accepted in, as have been the requirements since the start. Named for its iron mines, it's directly split half between miners and soldiers, while only 2% have taken up farming. Due to this, they've been able to keep the status of the Stag's only true soldiers - outside of the Knights of Caer - and have one of the largest standing armies in Ardeiria. Characterized by its damp features, the Barony receives the same amount of rain as the Bull and all of the Stag's heat, causing its native hydra problem. However, these are commonly slain for sport by its soldiers.