House Castus

House Castus is a Caelish noble house that currently is the ruling house of the Caelish Princepality. In the second age, House Castus was a small family that were primarily soldiers but since the arrival of the Caelish in 1 AFT, they have been the principal noble house of the Caelish Princepality.

Their sigil is a white griffin on a golden field. Their words are "Ave Caelorum" which means "Hail Caelum" in Caelish. Their head of house also has ruled jointly as the Princeps of the Caelish.

Traits
The Castus typically have reddish/brown hair, silver eyes and stern faces. Some are known for their martial abilities while others have been known for their diplomacy. They also generally produce tall and muscular people. The current head of house, Korvus Castus, stands at 6 ft 3 inches, well above the current average height in Caelum.

Customs
House Castus generally buries their dead in a mausoleum beneath Cael Castus. House members that die in battle have a statue of a griffin erected where they died.

House Castus traditionally follow the religion of the Rhovorn, the pantheon of the Caelish.

Arrival in Teriam - Circa 1 AFT
House Castus’s sigil is a White Griffin. This stems from a story during the first arrival on the new continent. When Arctorius first arrived on the new continent, he went out to scout the surrounding landscape but found himself being hunted. He was ambushed by a particularly angry looking Tyrannosaurus. Death was certain, until suddenly the T.Rex found itself assailed by a pure white Griffin, a beautiful and mesmerising beast. In the ensuing fight, the T.Rex died but left the Griffin mortally wounded. In honor of the beast, Arctorius put his remaining strength into healing the Griffin and fell unconscious upon completion. He woke up in the Griffin’s talons. At first he thought he was being carried for later consumption but soon he saw in the distance, the shores and with it the handful of ships that sheltered his people. The Caelish, upon seeing the massive form of the Griffin, quickly picked up their bows to shoot it down but relented upon seeing the body of Arctorius in its grasp. Arctorius was gently let down on the ground. The Griffin hovered a few feet away from Arctorius, who glanced warily in caution and awe. The last thing Arctorius saw before slipping back into unconsciousness was the Griffin roaring and flying away into legend. To this day, it is unknown why the Griffin spared Arctorius (historians reckoned it was due to Arctorius’s own mercy that spared him) but to honor the beast that saved him, he declared that forevermore, House Castus’s symbol to be that of a White Griffin on a Golden field.