The House of the Firebird

(This article is related to @Sir Otto Rochefort , @Sir Alaric Rochefort , @Sir Lorenz Rochefort , @Rochefort Castle, and @Feuergeist von Rochefort )

@Haus Rochefort is a distinguished noble house from the southern reaches of the @Hesan Empire, situated near the imperial capital. Rochefort was itself was a southern kingdom before the unification of the empire. The esteem of the house in the imperial capitol in Konigsheim, however, was granted to Sir Ludolf Rochefort over 250 years ago in recognition of his ancestor’s service during the early years of imperial unification. Known for their martial discipline and unwavering loyalty, the Rocheforts have long been regarded as paragons of Hesan nobility. Their colors of Hause Rochefort are in accord with the empire: Deep-red, dusk gold, and onyx. The coat of arms and sigil of Haus Rochefort is a Firebird or a Phoenix. Family archives reference this symbol of the undying flame of the Rochefort sacrifice for legacy. Their motto is “We do not rise. We burn.”

@Sir Otto Rochefort, the current lord, is a stern and disciplined knight whose reputation as a martinet precedes him. His devotion to the Empire is matched only by his high expectations for his sons, @Sir Alaric Rochefort (who wields @Zweihander of the Sky's Wound) and @Sir Lorenz Rochefort (who wields @Sword of Star Ash), both of whom have earned knighthood under his exacting tutelage.

Lady Mechthild Rochefort, née Eisenruh, hails from a northern house and embodies the austere elegance prized among Hesan aristocracy. Statuesque and emotionally reserved, she serves as both a symbol and steward of the family's noble image. The union between Otto and Mechthild represents a strategic alliance between north and south, reinforcing Haus Rochefort’s influence at court. Though the family is marked by emotional distance and rigid tradition, their legacy is carved into the very stone of their ancestral halls—a lineage defined by honor, service, and the quiet weight of expectation.

@Feuergeist von Rochefort: The Story of the Firebird of Rochefort

(relates to the monster @Feuergeist von Rochefort)

House Rochefort bears the firebird sigil not as a mark of pride, but as a reminder. Their ancestral keep is built on scorched stone said to be the crater where the firebird fell, so the legends say. Their blades are forged with ash from that soil. Their motto is unspoken, but known:

“We do not rise. We burn.”

Es fiel, nicht flog.
Es schrie, nicht sang.
Und aus seinem Schmerz ward das Schwert geboren.

The firebird did not descend in glory. It fell—wings torn, throat raw, trailing ash like a bridal veil of ruin. The sky split to receive it, and the world flinched.

Where it struck, the stone wept flame. The trees bowed. The rivers turned to smoke. And the stars, startled from their silence, scattered like embers across the void.

It did not rise.

It burned.

And from its bones came the first forge. From its scream came the first oath. From its breath came the wind that carries memory.

The firebird is not a god. It is a wound that remembers.

In Rochefort halls, they do not believe its there. They carve it into iron. They wear it on their chests and capes. They kneel before its image in restraint. For to bear the firebird is to carry the scream. To wield its blade is to bleed without glory. To dream of its flight is to invite fracture. But there is a second verse. Forgotten. Forbidden.