When Valér Scylla was Lord Admiral of Rebma, House Scylla could send its scions into the navy knowing that they would rise at least as far they deserved. The resulting power base was self-reinforcing, and for many decades, Scylla's voice carried great weight in deliberations of naval affairs, and therefore--given the importance of the navy to Rebman power--in deliberations of foreign policy in general. The conquest of Taslinta--whose excellent timber would facilitate the further expansion of the navy--had long been a major goal of Scylla, but the death of Queen Moins stalled the project for decades. Worse, by the time Queen Moire felt secure enough to resume laying the groundwork for the invasion, events had conspired to make a non-Scyllan, Admiral Namac Lír, the obvious choice to plan and lead the campaign. And worse still, Admiral Lír's cautious strategy precluded the heroic displays of martial virtue by which military reputations had always in the past been made. And worse still, the single most famous incident of the first sixteen years of the war was a debacle.  Admiral Belandé Scylla disobeyed general orders by attacking while outnumbered, and though she unequivocally won the battle, it cost a third of her ships. Commanders have been cashiered for less, but Admiral Lír merely relieved her of command and sent her back to Rebma, writing to Lord Admiral Valér, "As the severity of her offense is a matter of some complexity, I leave any further discipline to Your Excellency's discretion." This left Admiral Lír beyond reproach while opening his superior to accusations of favoritism toward his own House if Admiral Scylla's punishment were viewed as inadequate. Thus the Lord Admiral felt obliged to cashier Admiral Scylla himself. House Scylla has held a grudge against Admiral Lír ever since.

But by then the die had been cast. House Scylla's tide had ebbed. Admiral Lír's overly cautious strategy ensured that he would never suffer a humiliating defeat of his own, even though it wasted Rebman lives by needlessly prolonging the war. But Lír's political connections were second to none: he was the husband of the Queen's own sister. Not only was he authorized to prosecute the war as he saw fit; after he was given credit for Rebma's inevitable final victory, he became the obvious candidate to succeed the aging Lord Admiral Valér. House Scylla could find no coalition against Lír's candidacy, and had no choice but to join the consensus in his favor. Their humiliation was complete.

~

Scylla is a large House, and Scyllans remain a plurality in both the Admiralty and the naval officer corps as a whole, though not by such margins as in their heyday. It was led for nearly a century by Lord Admiral Valér's eldest sister, Fléurine; for the past thirteen years it has been led by Fléurine's daughter Anephrielle. Anephrielle aims to return Scylla to eminence sooner rather than later, and she is clever enough to pull it off... if the same impatience that set Scylla against Admiral Lír does not prove their undoing again.