The Artisans

During the dawn of the Kingdoms, it was the Bangor’s beloved sister, Lady Kai, who created the traditions and customs that would become the social system of Kingdoms. In the one thousand years since that time, there have been precious few times that the Red Oak have not utterly dominated the social environment of the Kingdoms. The reign of Jansor was a period of prosperity for the Red Oak, with the clan supplying wives to almost all the Kings of the Land, and dominating the position of Emerald Champion for much of that time. The beauty of the Red Oak’s system is that they reinforce their dominance of social conventions through sword forms, the formal dueling method that is used to resolve differences between Nobles. The fact that the Red Oak were partially responsible for the creation of the Kingdoms’s justice system and the emphasis on sword forms, an art at which the Red Oak are unquestionably the masters in the whole of the Kingdoms.

The wars that ravaged the land a generation ago took a significant toll upon the Red Oak. Decades of war were ushered in by the Fey War, a war which saw many of thier most productive lands razed by one enemy or another. The Red Oak struggled to recover, but with each successive war it seemed that their situation only grew more dire, culminating in the Destroyer War, which largely spared the Red Oak lands, but during which a virulent plague decimated both the population and the crops, leaving the Red Oak in an absolutely terrible state, with their ability to survive the end of the war in question. Despite the hardships, all four of the Oak’s families survived the war and emerged to serve the Kingdom during a new era.

The Mehra are the lords of the clan, the masters of court.
The Brueckner serve their lords as elite guard and peerless duelists.
The Takacs fill the ranks of the clan’s armies and scout the lands of enemies.
The Lawrance maintain the Kingdom’s spirituality and its vast network of temples.

The tumult in the Colonies in recent years has not been to the liking of the Red Oak, who are never more successful than during times of peace. The Red Oak excel at politicking and diplomacy, and conflict only complicates such things. Since the withdrawal of Fey from the mortal realm, the Red Oak have seized the opportunity and, in the wake of their recent war with the Water Oak, are trying to achieve dominance on the Colonial courts as they have in the courts of the Kingdoms. Their efforts are no unopposed, however; the Water Oak continue to bear them significant ill will, and the Pin Oak enjoy foiling the Red Oak for sport, ensuring that their task will not be a simple one.

The Red Oak Clan Champion, a darling of the court beloved by all, is Kyle Takacs, a man sometimes called the Smiling Blade. Though Kyle has numerous enemies, there are few if any who can truly say that they do not like the man, at least on a personal level, and it is this simple fact that makes him dangerous. With the gifts at his command, Kyle could rule the courts with an iron fist, but he prefers to be given that which he requires, rather than taking it by force. Under his command, the Red Oak have retaken their rightful place as the lords of the court.