At the close of the age, those that remained...the keepers of the ruins of war...banded their knowledge together to form the Triadic Assembly.  Arcane masters of magic and industry, each with an eye on the past, dedicated their minds to the grand service of Io's survival, lest they return to the mistakes of their precursors.

  Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.  Knights of valor and wielders of the arcane, these eldritch students of war prepare for the distant battles of their ancestors, doomed to repeat themselves.  Never again will the mistakes of chivalry bind the people of Io to their fate and folly; the ghosts of the past stand in the way, and the sword of the future points forward forever.

  Eron Thornwall, in his infinite wisdom and arcane mastery, learned the true purpose of the School of Abjuration - to protect that which we covet.  We of Eden covet all our civilizations, and none more than Stormwrack, the tempest's nexus.  Never again will hordes breach our walls, and if they try, let their bodies be riddled with holes - a final warning to all who might seek the ruin of the last bastion of industry.

  The dark city of Oroboros stands as a reminder; a warning of the great power built into the ancient secrets of Erena and world beyond.  Espers, towers, children, and beasts - wonders of the world beware.  Great power comes at a cost, and the Shield of Oroboros remembers every coin, every life, every soul spent in the name of progress.  Only the strongest of wills can make the most necessary choices.

  Aloft in the elevated towers of Stormwrack sits the seven spires of The Tyrium Court.  Known to the lower droves as the gods among insects, they earn their titles through lordship and industry; cloak and dagger.  Each house holds their leashes - Diamond Dogs heel to their bidding - and their eyes watch for the first Spiral to emerge.

  The crimson house of Amaranth controls the arcane eyes over the whole of the city.  Ever-watching and documenting, they forge words and lore into the mantles of their colleagues.  It is through their eyes that the court sees what they wish to see, and are guarded from that which they don't.

  The amber house of Aster are keepers of the dead.  Archivists, documenters, and accountants, these brokers of the past enjoy the numbers of profit and the balance found somewhere between the red and the black.

  No one knows how to harness the flame of industry better than the printers and designers of the jade artisan house.  It is these lore seekers that stand as the bridge to the Torkmund Triadic Assembly, and reap the rewards of their products hitting the shipment line.  No grease upon these palms, however, only quills and ink and imagination.

  The snow house of the Snapdragon walks above us all.  Both the enlightened guard of nobility and nearly a caste themselves, those of the white robe rarely speak in the court; a voice, they say, that is always sounding cannot hear the arrow shouting for its silence.  One of two houses to ever mark themselves, these walkers of the sky float through the court as beautiful as they are deadly.

  None cross the golden house of Orquida, lest they wish their head removed from their shoulders.  The smallest house of the court, only a few tens strong, but strong nonetheless; they follow the old code.  They are some of the only few that still remember the time of the Cloudsinger - before the world burned.  

  Language and culture fascinate the violet house of Krokus.  Always with an ear to the ground and eyes on the street, a master of tongues is keen to the movements of the Strainers and the Ashers, and adore the underbelly of Wynnrik herself.  Were it not for their fine food, and fine clothing, they'd boast they'd fit right in with the rest of them.

  Sent by the Dawnfather himself to protect the sacred and enlightened, the arcane house of Zahar are the soldiers of the court.  They hold our secrets, protect our knowledge, and slay our enemies when no other option presents itself.  They are not brigands.  These holy warriors respect the codes of the old and the new, and seek justice wherever they are called.