Q: Why is the House named Beaumayn?
A:Like most Houses of the Sidhe, House Beaumayn is named after it's founder, albeit less obviously. Jalendrel had lost the use of one of his hands. This, along with his nature, caused him to be called "Beaumayn" Which meant in Archaic French "Fair" or "Good Handed".
Q: Why don't the "Good" Beaumayn just tell other Houses about the Harbringer of Exodus, Geremin's Heresy, and the Brother's War?
A:Well, besides the fact that some other Houses might use this as an excuse to wipe the Beaumayn out, there is also the matter of the Ancient Oath of the brothers still being binding on all Beaumayn not to. See BoLH, pg 20 3rd paragraph if you doubt it.
Q: Hey, it looks like the Sidhe NPCs in the Beaumayn "Members of Note" section were once of another House, then found out "oh, we're Beaumayn?" and just left? Don't they have the Flaw of the House they left then?
A:Yeah, this one raised some eyebrows from a lot of people. While there is Canon answer beyond the official ruling that those leaving a House lose the boon but keep the flaw, we do have some alternate solutions you can use yourself, or ignore.
- The Caul of Silence was one powerful ritual, only now is it fading. Perhaps, in a twist of cosmic irony, it has allowed Beaumayn to leave their former Houses without paying the usual price: A curse turned to blessing.
- While some people forget this point, the 2nd Ed. Core book did mention that members of the Houses remaining (Now returned) in Arcadia sometimes arriving on Earth, before the second resurgence. If it suits your Chronicle (and sensibilities) better, you can assume the former "members" of the other Houses were not true oath-sworn members of the Houses in question, but merely affiliated. Pg 69, the third paragraph under "The Houses" section, is where you can find this reference.
- Naturally, you can play it as those House flaws staying instead, one could emulate this in character creation by taking flaws similar to the House flaws in the merits and flaws section. Perhaps Duke Jeremy and his brother have the curiosity flaw now. It is a handicap, but it's not lethal. One could even use the freebies from those flaws (with ST's permission if he is using this method) to buy Lore in the ways of the former House. A personal note, unless you go with option two, you may have a fine excuse for an enemy flaw on a minor or grand level as well. Its unlikely others Houses like the idea that some criminal House had spies among them.
Q: How come this visionary House knows so damn little about the other Lost Houses, when those other Houses seem to know plenty about it?
A: Well, Banal as it sounds, the real reason might be House Beaumayn was ready to be printed before the Author knew what the other Houses were going to be. You'd have to ask the Author for details. Now, for game purposes, you can handle it different ways. Personally, we're giving the Beaumayn in our stories a bit more knowledge of their fellows. It's very likely that Varich, Daireann, and Aesin were there at the trial with thumbs down. In fact, the Varich section confirms they were. Conversely, you could play it so that, as part of some master plan on another House's part, the Beaumayn were sent to Earth with their memories blocked or muddled even more than the mists would normally do.
Q: How the heck do they know so much of the Shadow Court?
A: First of all, while the Shadow Court book itself gives no hint that the Shadow Court ever existed in Arcadia; the Houses Ailil, Balor, and Leanhaun who joined it upon resurgence certainly did. Given the hatred Beaumayn has for Ailil and Balor, it's not hard to picture that enmity transferring over. House Beaumayn is full of prophets, and they likely saw the Court to be in dark visions long before it became a reality. The House Aesin section of the BoLH also hints that the Arcadian Houses could spy on the Exiles. The Beaumayn were imprisoned, but if this knowledge could be accessed even in their cells, it would also explain a lot. Lastly, there is every indication House Beaumayn was the first of the "lost Houses" to return. If it suits your chronicle, you could say they have been here for a few years, and only now with the arrival of the others are stepping out publicly.
Q:What's with New Orleans, and this Principality of Jazz? I thought Louisiana was called the Duchy of the Delta Crescent?
A:Well, it would seem Peter Woodworth went by the LARP Setting, instead of the regular RPG information as presented in KoW. Since he wrote the rules for the LARP, it's kind of understandable. However, in KB: Eshu, he corrected his mistake (and of course, if you prefer the LARP setting to the TT one, it wasn't a mistake after all), and the Duchess Lisette is missing or dead, depending on who you ask. The Shadow Court is still strong there, but it's not unreasonable to assume that the Duke Jeremy and Count Brendan have 'officially' taken over, even as they struggle against Marie Laveau, the Shadow Court Eshu who in truth holds more power over New Orleans than they do. At least that's how we're going with it at this site... for now. |