House Quest

Introduction House Background Humanity Dynasty Significant NPCs Other Information

Introduction

House Quest, in the final analysis, is much like many another noble House of Eridanus. Like many of such, it started small, grew rapidly, exceeded the abilities of its leaders, and fell as hard as it rose. The difference is, unlike these other houses, Quest is still around, though only a shadow of its former glory.

House Background

It isn't every obscure, petty-nobility House whose first act on the galactic stage is to betrothe its only marriageable daughter to none other than the Void Incarnate, but Joseph Quest managed to perform this very feat. The fame and notoriety this act incurred changed House Quest from a minnow to a lesser house overnight.

House Quest expanded rapidly, growing from a minor Transport House to the largest Transportation provider in Eridanus, becoming a major political player with over twenty senators, and being a major part of the Eridani Coalition, an alliance powerful enough to at least challenge Goratrix or Slick Ink.

With time, however, the Coalition grew large with hubris, and commenced open warfare with Goratrix. Quest was the first member of the Coalition to see that the war could not be won, and the first to split from the Coalition, joining Roma-Goratrix as Seneschal of the Northern Domain and earning the disdain of many of its erstwhile allies.

Later still, House Quest was intimately involved in Patricius Goratrix's reclamation of his body and the final destruction of Roma. After this, Joseph Quest struck up a genuine friendship with Patricius and remained a power in the North after the reunification of the Empire.

Two events which came in rapid succession changed House Quest forever. Firstly, Joseph Quest's borrowed time finally ran out, as he died at the age of 81. Then, to the surprise of all, Patricius Goratrix dissolved his House and left the Void Engineers in the stewardship of Gethsemane Quest, who was revealed to be his bastard daughter.

Lochlannach Quest, elder nephew of Joseph, took the reins of power and had barely time to get the Premier's seat warm before the Emperor, Cuthbert Godwinson, died of natural causes. Cuthbert's son, Grimbold, took the throne by right of succession. Lochlannach, along with elements of the Eumenides, objected violently to Grimbold's presumption, leading to the hugely destructive Eridani Civil War. After months of fighting, mostly on Godwinson's stronghold of Mebsuta Magna, and Quest's on Acubens, Grimbold died in battle, and Lochlannach also died, an apparent remorseful suicide. Lochlannach's son, Iowerth, is now Premier; grief-stricken and sickened by the waste of the Civil War, Iowerth had Quest withdraw from the day-to-day business of the galaxy, foregoing all its businesses and senators and keeping only stewardship of the Void Engineers and sufficient military force to keep the Void Portals safe.

The above is for public consumption. The following is less well-known. Twenty-five years before Keturah Quest was promised to Laurence Goratrix, Joseph Quest was only a commoner with big ideas and a wealthy wife. He needed a noble title to go interstellar, so obtained one by winning it in a poker game using marked cards and a stripped deck. The previous holder of the title died, ostensibly a suicide, although the body was never found.

Lochlannach had been controlled by Gethsemane almost from her birth, mostly in ways too subtle to detect. It was Gethsemane who, wanting to weaken or destroy the apostate Void Templars, goaded Lochlannach to attack Godwinson, forcing Quest to become renegade in doing so. As wars do, this one got out of hand. Quest's only co-belligerents were Houses Boudicca and Forge, while Houses Ataraxia, Despair, Malvolio and others rallied against Quest, keeping Acubens continually under siege for months. Meanwhile, Houses Slick ink, (Quest's ostensible ally) and Pershing remained out of the fighting but rumbled ominously. Had Grimbold not insisted in fighting on the front lines at Mebsuta, he might not have been killed, and Acubens might have eventually fallen. Lochlannach was embittered by so many Houses turning against him, his former ally Malvolio's turning, and Slick's non-involvement, being particularly galling.

In any event, Gethsemane decreed that Lochlannach's usefulness had ended; and directly controlling his actions for the first time, she made him shoot himself. She believed that Iowerth, the new Premier, would react violently against the Houses which had stood against Quest and was surprised when instead, the grief-stricken Iowerth ordered the closing-off of Quest from the galaxy.

Humanity

In a galaxy with almost a dozen non-human sentient species, House Quest is undeniably human and non-psionic. Gethsemane, of course, having no true Quest blood, is the exception. Three members of the House have been far more famous and prominent than the rest: Joseph Quest, (Deceased): Premier - womaniser, traitor, opportunist, classic Byronic hero; Oscar Quest - womaniser, athlete, playboy, loving husband and father, warrior, in many ways, the conscience of the House; and Gethsemane Goratrix-Quest: Last daughter of Patricius Goratrix, Void Incarnate, psionic superbeing, and eternal reminder to Lochlannach of his wife's faithlessness.

Dynasty

• Joseph Quest (DECEASED) - Former Premier
  

• A diligent, charismatic individual. He was an average duellist and administrator.
  

• Background: A man of great appetites, a ruthless streak and a hidden past; a firm friend, a relentless enemy, a rake, a rogue. Joseph and his sister Aimee were orphans born on the backwater fringe world of Schedar. Joseph refused to accept the lot of the common man and adopted the name Quest as a constant reminder that his destiny was his own to pursue. Realising he needed a noble title to go into interstellar business, he decided the only reasonable course was to steal one. Joseph more recently had a brush with death. Abuse of an illegal auxiliary liver caused a stroke and multiple organ failure. He survived through total body replacement. His reward for being the first House leader to join Roma-Goratrix was the title of Seneschal of the Northern Domain, being Goratrix's second, and having direct domain over the planets of Tarazed, Terpsichore and Syrma Prime, which he had named the Isles of Skye. He died at age 81 from a brain aneurysm.

Appearance: Joseph had thick black hair, pale blue eyes, the characteristic Quest cleft chin, and was ruggedly handsome. His Prometheus body was that of a weightlifter. Visual reference: James Garner (Maverick, The Rockford Files, The Great Escape)

• Agnes Quest (DECEASED) - Joseph's widow
  

• A diligent, ordinary individual. She was a mediocre duellist and an average administrator.
  

• Background: Agnes DuBois was a wealthy, but not noble heiress on Schedar. Joseph courted her for her money, but later, and quite accidentally, found he had true feelings for her. Her own feelings had soured in the meantime, and she and her brother Zephaniah plotted to kill Joseph and have Zephaniah take over the title. Joseph barely managed to foil the coup but was restrained by a promise Agnes had extracted from him not to seek revenge. Since then, Joseph gave Agnes and Zephaniah senatorial posts to keep them busy and out of his hair. Most recently, Agnes and Zephaniah were almost slain by the Terror of Syrma Prime and remained on life support in a comatose state. Agnes died a few years after Joseph.

Appearance: Agnes was something of a beauty in her youth, but gained weight and bitterness with age. She had brown hair turning to gray and green eyes.

• Aimee Quest - Sister of Joseph, Mother of the Premier
  

• An apathetic, ordinary halfwit. She is a mediocre duellist and administrator.
  

• Background: One of the highest-ranking members of the Children of the Slaine, Aimee suffered crushing disappointment when a member of the Slick Ink family became the Exalted of Slaine and rapidly drove the faith into the ground. She found a new interest in life as the often spokesman for House Quest in the Senate. When House Quest relinquished all political power, Aimee went into a quiet retirement. She is the real mother figure of the House, as Joseph and Agnes never had children. Aimee's brood (Keturah, Lochlannach and Oscar) are the only second generation of House Quest. She, along with her husband Gabriel, has recently received a new body from the Prometheus Project.

Appearance: Aimee, of course, looks much younger than her true age. She's a pretty but vacuous blue-eyed blonde with the Quest chin.

• Zephaniah Quest - Brother-in-Law of Joseph
  

• An idle, repellent individual who loves solitude. He is an average duellist and administrator. * Background: Agnes' brother, and her catspaw in her scheme to murder Joseph and take over the House. In his own opinion, Zephaniah is a brilliant man. a duellist and politician; in Joseph's opinion he is a loudmouthed, incompetent fool. An ideal example of a Remittance Man, Zephaniah had been made the senator for Dubhe in an effort to keep him far away from the day to day workings of the House. After House Quest quit politics, Joseph imprisoned the siblings; they escaped, only to be attacked and almost slain by the Terror. He is now on life-support and in an enduring coma. This didn't stop Joseph from cynically naming him Senator of Syrma Prime at one time.

Appearance: A dessicated old man in a coma. He was tall and thin and could never have been called handsome.

• Gabriel Quest - Father of the Premier
  

• A diligent, irritating intellectual. He is an able duellist and an accomplished administrator. * Background: Aimee's husband, a former member of a cadet branch of House Sparkhammer. Gabriel shuns the limelight, but in many ways has been the single most important member in the early days of the House. Without his skilled handling of SpaceQuest, the House would not have risen to greatness; and without his siring of three children, the House would have had no future. He is the most responsible and serious of the clan. He recently retired from actively running a sphere and has a new Prometheus body.

Appearance: A tall, modestly good-looking man with sandy blond hair and intense blue eyes.

• Lochlannach Quest - Premier (Divorced Yutsoko Sun.) (Married to Saeko Mithruelia.) Head of Transportation. * A driven, ordinary individual. He is an average duellist and a superb administrator. * Background: Elder son of Gabriel and Aimee. Acted as Premier when Joseph was indisposed and made several hasty and unpopular decisions which nearly caused House Quest to be ejected from the Eridani Coalition. He is a gifted medical technologist and organiser of researchers. He was largely responsible for the project which replaced Joseph's body. Lochlannach was trained in the SAVIOR war machines used by his House, and was present at Keid when Goratrix troops attacked and wiped out Quest's fortresses on that world after an epic defence. He survived the battle and escaped capture. Lochlannach was married to Yutsoko Sun, who gave him his sons Iorwerth and Abiel. However, Yutsoko and her clan became withdrawn from galactic events as they became more entwined with their faith. Eventually the Suns left the galaxy altogether with little notice, taking Yutsoko with them. Lochlannach divorced Yutsoko and married Saeko Mithruelia, who happened to be a close look-alike of Yutsoko. Saeko gave him a daughter, Gethsemane, and a son, Luatha. (At least, that's what he thought - see the entries for Saeko and for Gethsemane.)

Appearance: A reasonably good looking man, he is showing his age. His pale blond hair is receding, much to his embarrassment, but he will not consider any cosmetic work. his eyes are medium blue.

• Oscar Quest - Brother of the Premier (Married to Heulfryn Boudicca.)
  

• A dynamic, irritating individual. He is an average duellist and an awesome administrator.* Head of Geological. Background: Younger son of Gabriel and Aimee. A renowned athlete, infamous playboy, and possibly the galaxy's supreme unarmed martial artist. Oscar found his soulmate in Heulfryn, who despite being as licentious and promiscuous as he, shares a deep and enduring love with him. Unlike most Pat/Mat couples, they maintain a home together where they raise their children. Originally, this was on Gienah, Heulfryn's home world; more recently, they have lived on Terpsichore with the Quests and are now back on Gienah. At one point, they became estranged due to Heulfryn's exploration of the Void Engineer faith. Oscar did not take this well and in a subsequent conflict with Goratrix, fought on the front lines, bearing personal responsibility for the destruction of a hundred civilian facilities on Sterope, as well as defending Keid. He was wounded and captured by Goratrix forces, was restored to health, and repatriated personally by Patricius Goratrix after peace talks between Patricius and Joseph Quest. Oscar was involved in the conflict on Syrma Prime which led to the End of Hope War. He currently serves in the ceremonial post of Marshal of Quest armed forces as well as running the Geological sphere. Lochlannach recently dissolved the marriage between Oscar and Heulfryn, citing that Heulfryn had used the connection to gain intelligence on Quest's military. This has, not surprisingly, caused a rift between the once-close brothers.

Appearance: probably the most handsome of the Quest men, he has blond wavy hair, intense blue eyes, and when not smiling, a hint of cruelty in his features. He has the Quest chin. Visual reference: Sean Bean (Sharpe).

• Keturah Goratrix - Sister of the Premier (DECEASED) (Widow of Laurence Goratrix.) (Married to Captan Boudicca) * A driven, ordinary intellectual. She is an average duellist and a mediocre administrator.
  

• Background: The eldest child of Gabriel and Aimee. Keturah was promised to Laurence Goratrix, the first Void Incarnate. The vast age difference and the corruption the Void worked on Laurence meant Keturah was violently opposed to marrying him - to the point of attempting suicide. After the marriage, Keturah made the best of a bad situation and rose high in the hierarchy of the Void Engineers, having the permanent title of "Revered Consort". After Laurence died, Keturah was wed to Captan Boudicca. She had no children. Keturah gave her life sacrificing herself for the new Void Incarnate, Gethsemane Goratrix-Quest.

• Iorwerth Quest - Eldest Son of the Premier, Heir Apparent (Married to Saeko Houraisan)
  

• An idle, irritating intellectual. He is a superb duellist and an average administrator.
  

• Background: The eldest child of Lochlannach and Yutsoko. A thoughtful and artistically-inclined young man, he might be considered an "evolved Quest." He is married to Saeko Houraisan and they have two children, Nozomi (a Lunarian) and Baldwin ( a human,) with a third on the way. Both of them attended the same Military Academy and are both sword masters. Iorwerth and Saeko had, while teenagers, engaged in a series of adventures which literally involved saving the universe, although only themselves and a handful of mystics even remember it. If one were to ask the strictly-monogamous Iorwerth what happens now that his greatest adventure is past him, he'd say "living happily ever after, of course."

Appearance: Iorwerth is a tall man with the black hair of his mother. This is shocked white at the temples, a legacy of a traumatic incident during his Void Engineer. His eyes are so deeply blue as to be nearly indigo. he has the Quest chin.

• Abiel Quest - Second Son of the Premier (Married to Utbah Sunfell)
  

* An apathetic, irritating genius of markedly small stature. He is a mediocre duellist and administrator.
* Background: Second child of Lochlannach and Yutsoko. A bitter disappointment to his father, who has often compared him poorly to his elder brother. Abiel has been resentful about his limited stature in a House filled with alpha-males. When insecure, which is often, he tries to overwhelm those around him with his considerable intellect; a habit which makes him no friends. It was hoped that his arranged marriage to the aggressive and practical Utbah Sunfell would straighten him out somewhat, and this has proved to be the case

Appearance: A short, stout man of not much over than five feet in height, he covers his somewhat weak chin with a rakish goatee.

* Shona Boudicca - Niece of the Premier* An idle, ordinary intellectual.* Background: The eldest child of Oscar and Heulfryn. Now married to Goldwyn Malvolio and the mother of one, making Oscar and Heulfryn grandparents and Erina Boudicca a great-grandmother. Her marriage with Goldwyn appears to be a great success.

* Ialach Quest - Nephew of the Premier (Married to Gabrielle Rook)* A diligent, repellent dullard. A superb duellist and a poor administrator.
* Background: The second child of Oscar and Heulfryn. While Shona was the apple of her father's eye, she was trained in the arts of leadership from an early age by her grandmother, and became a polite and well-adjusted young woman. Ialach was spoiled rotten as Heulfryn's darling little boy and given little guidance. Consequently, he has become a distorted mirror of his father Oscar, owning all his worst features and none of his better ones - a lazy, arrogant bully with a monolithic sense of entitlement. His father sent him to military academy in hopes that this would knock the rough edges off him. It only succeeded in making him a more effective bully. His marriage to Gabrielle Rook is barely functional.

* Gethsemane Goratrix-Quest - Ward of the Premier and Void Incarnate (Married to Felix Ataraxia)* A driven, ordinary genius. She is a mediocre duellist and a poor administrator.
* Background: First child of Saeko. Actually the daughter of Patricius Goratrix. Gethsemane was conceived by Saeko when she desperately seduced Patricius during her initiation into the Void Engineers, an initiation she was sure would kill her without Patricius' help. Her parents contrived to have her massively exposed to Void Portals in utero to either increase her power or abort her - obviously, she survived. Lochlannach was allowed to believe Gethsemane was his child until she came of age. Born with a genius adult intelligence and the potential for enormous psionic ability, Gethsemane (or "Gem" as she prefers) was earmarked by Patricius to take over from him as the Void Incarnate. This responsibility has matured Gem. She is deeply in love with both her husband Felix, and her best friend, Awena Boudicca.

Appearance: Gem is a pretty urchin with long black curly hair. Her eyes have over-large pupils and thin violet irises. Although not a Quest by blood, she oddly enough has a Quest chin. Visual reference: Brooke Fraser. (vocalist originally from New Zealand)

* Luatha Quest - Third Son of the Premier (Married to Aurelie Dekara)
* A dynamic, ordinary dullard. Secondary stats evolving.
* Background: Second child of Lochlannach and Saeko. For some reason, incurred the wrath of his father, sufficient for him to marry Luatha off to a septugenerian.

* Jarlath Quest - Nephew of the Premier
* A dynamic, charismatic genius. Secondary stats evolving.
* Background: Third and youngest child of Oscar and Heulfryn. Jarlath was mostly left to his own devices when his middle-aged parents grew into greater responsibility, and it was a great surprise to everyone just how well he matured. He is betrothed to Morwyn Forge.

Significant NPCs

• Natasha - This mysterious woman was on the payroll as the Premier's "aide", but was also his mistress. She disappeared under mysterious circumstances and has now turned up working for Patricius Goratrix.

• Robert "Pluto" Kastakidis: Oscar's best friend, and best man at his wedding.

Other Information

Origins and Animosities:

The story of how House Quest came to be, and how Joseph almost lost it before it got started. Includes Natasha's Story.

Pop Cuture: Eridanus

A thread about the various entertainments that bored nobleman and hard-working commoner alike enjoy.

Felix Ataraxia's Birthday (NSFW)

Gethsemane Quest and her BFF Awena Boudicca throw Gem's husband a birthday bash! Caution: Adult content.

NOTE: House Quest's player formerly played House Ventruz, also in Eridanus.