House Zun

House Zun

Personages

Patriarch: Lungarl Zun Consort: Harpyn Zun (m) Heir: Weverell Zun Membership (Nobles): 7 Predominant Faith: Tempus

Faction Details

Common Descriptors: Strong, ferocious, lusty. Primary Classes: Fighters, Rangers, Barbarians Alignments: CN, N, CE, NE

Faction Ranks

• Favored: Rank 1. You are a favored member of the House. If you are a scion of the House, you have pleased the patriarch sufficiently to gain his notice. If you are an agent or retainer of the House, your efforts to aid the House have gone well-noted. • Lynchpin: Rank 2. You are given a position of some responsibility in the House's operations. If you are a scion of the House, the patriarch considers you one of the favored scions of the House, and consults with you on matters of House importance. If you are an agent or retainer, your contributions and skills in service of the House have won you a position of no small regard and respect in the patriarch's eyes - although that may earn you the jealousy of his blood kin who are less favored than you. • Matriarch/Patriarch: Rank 3. You are the acknowledged and legal head of the household.

Interests

Trade & Interests: Cattle farming, mercenary fighting Holdings: Waterdeep

History

Ethnicity: Tethyrian Founded: 1103 DR Previous Eras: 1354 DR

A family much diminished, House Zun once boasted nearly two score folk in Waterdeep to bear the name Zun. Now they are hard pressed to fill any of the rooms in their North Ward villa. The Spellplague took its toll on them, especially since the Lord during the Wailing Years couldn't get sufficient hired protection for his House's many ranches and cattle farms, so they deployed their own mercenaries and fit members of the family to help protect such an incredible source of wealth and source of health for Waterdeep. Zuns died by the half-dozen, the most notably when Elinkater Ranch outside of Amphail was ripped in half when a portion of it suddenly rose into the air as an earthmote.

Today, the Zuns who remain are hard, all of them having grown up in the last remaining Zun mercenary company, the Horns of the Dessarin. There are few of them, but they are all quite tough: trained as heavy cavalry, and quite capable in battle. While many of Waterdeep's elite sneer at them as "jumped up cattle barons," they mean to play this game as their predecessors failed to.

Members of the Family

• Lord Lungarl Zun: Patriarch (Renown 10) • 45 years. The so-called "Lord of Horns" is thickly built, with scars and a soldier's hair-cut. Lungarl was fetched back at the death of old Lady Ludmilla Zun twelve years ago, and has been a target of a great many whispers since then, mostly questioning his fitness for civilized society. His winning consort has done a great deal to win him some choice favor, and some of the nobility quite respect the garrulous old lancer.
• Harpyn Zun: Consort (Renown 7) • 36 years. Former quartermaster of the Horns of the Dessarin mercenary company, Harpyn is ruggedly handsome and quietly charismatic. He has an ordered mind, though no humility to speak of. He and Lungarl have been lovers since a young Harpyn enlisted with the Horns and immediately set his sights on the Zun officer nine years his senior; within a year, he'd seduced a (largely oblivious) Lungarl. They've been inseparable since. Now Harpyn puts his quartermaster skills to the ordering and prosperity of the House, and his charm to winning over the social set instead of officers.
• Weverell Zun: Heir, patriarch's younger brother (Renown 6) • 38 years. Though he served with the Horns as well, Weverell took to a part of the soldiering life that his older brother frowns on: hard partying. Weverell loves to challenge his fellow nobles to keep up with his drinking and bedding, goading them for their "lack of stamina." He's absurdly popular among some of the younger noble set (who can better keep up with him). Lungarl has told Weverell that he's heir until he manages to marry someone and throw a whelp; Weverell replied: "Well that's hardly any encouragement to find a bride, is it?" Weverell resents the fact that Harpyn was a subordinate in the Horns, but because of his marriage to Lungarl, he now legally outranks him.
• Hislir Zun: Patriarch's uncle (Renown 8) • 61 years. Hislir lives nearby, just up Saerdoun Street. After a life of service with Zun-owned mercenaries, including seeing his beloved company the Steelthew Bulls be destroyed by rampaging Spellplague-wrought monsters, he has retired and nothing can convince him to come out of it. He always answers summons to Overlook House, and his door is always open to any Zun, but he has little advice to give: he knows nothing about being a lord, and is too far from the Horns to give any of them good advice (although young Verrond does like to stay with Hislir when he's in Waterdeep, precisely for those talks).

Other Zuns

• Dulorla Zun: Patriarch's cousin (Renown 5) • 25 years and
• Ohrledrin Zun: Dulorla's consort (Renown 3) • 26 years. Two of the three remaining Zuns operate the two large cattle farms in the Undercliff, Lancer Meadows and The Zunfields. Dulorla grew up in Zunfields, and married Ohrledrin, the second son of another rich farmer in the area. The two of them are often at Overlook House, although they tend to find the military-minded company they find there to be a little overwhelming sometimes.
• Verrond Zun Patriarch's cousin (Renown 5) • 23 years. The commander of the Horns of the Dessarin in name, Verrond is in something of a crash apprenticeship with the old trainer and officer who taught Lungarl and Weverell the running of the company. His cousin Lungarl has also made it very clear that he'd like the young man to find a good wife for himself sooner rather than later.

Holdings

• Resources Limit: If necessary, House Zun could probably generate about 29,000 gp in liquid coin and valuables within a month.

Overlook House (Villa)

Tarsar's Street & Saerdoun Street, North Ward

Perhaps one of the most modest noble villas in Waterdeep, Overlook House lives up to its name: it abuts the eastern cliff of Waterdeep, just south of Endcliff Tower. This gives the Zuns an incredible view of the Undercliff villages and farmlands, where they themselves have several holdings. It is made up of two buildings, the street-facing Zunkeep, a fortification in miniature, complete with crenellated square tower that rises another two stories above the four floors of the rest of the Zunkeep.

Tucked back behind the other buildings of Saerdoun Street is the second, smaller building of their villa complex. Properly called Mortindal Hall, it is usually just called "the Barn" by house members for its wooden, two-story construction with a massive steer skull over its main garden entrance, the horns of which stretch nearly twelve feet, tip to tip. The Barn is constructed mainly with ample storage for the main house on the first floor, and additional dwelling space on the second, but these days there is little call for such space. It tends to remain locked up.

Cattle Farms

Though Zun ranches were once as plentiful as the house's membership, today there are only two left: Lancer Meadows and the Zunfields, both in the Undercliff. They still turn a decent profit for the House, though Lord Lungarl would like to see the House purchase a few more before his days as lord are done.

Mercenaries

Once, House Zun fielded a full half-dozen companies. Now only the Horns of the Dessarin, an impressive troop of heavy lancers whose officers affix bull horns to their helmets. They are currently on retainer as part of Amphail's defense.

Known Faction Perks

Scions and agents of House Zun in good standing might receive the following benefits:

• Living Quarters: Renown 1+. Those in good standing with the House are given quarters within the House's Waterdhavian villa appropriate to their role in the House.
• Living Expenses/Salaries: Renown 1+. Those in good standing with the House also receive a stipend of 1gp plus 5sp per day per point of Rank. This is not actual cash, but simply familial credit towards payment of Lifestyle costs. This stacks with the same kind of familial credit received from the Waterdhavian Noble Background (see Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide).
• Business Opportunities: Renown 3+. Lynchpins to the House's operations receive access to a variety of business opportunities within the House's money-making endeavors. This is handled as "Running a Business" in downtime months. This does not incur a business expense, but if too many of the character rolls results that end in a loss of money, he can and will find his Rank in the House reduced.
• Heir or Consort (Title): Renown 3+. The holder of one of the legal titles Heir of House and Consort of House, as recorded with the city of Waterdeep, is entitled to an additional 2gp per day in familial credit, per the "Living Expenses/Salaries" entry above. The heir is also accorded certain privileges within the legal system of Waterdeep, including the ability to speak on behalf of his House in some legal proceedings and the like.
• Wealth of the House: Renown 10. The patriarch of the House is in total control of the House's finances and various holdings, established by the laws of Waterdeep.