The Missing House
I can't tell you how much it disturbs me that an entire House and its history just seems to be gone. I obviously was very concerned about their fate at one time. I believe their leaders may have even been good friends of mine, since security footage shows me having extended conversations with no one on several occasions, and there's several records of me making diplomatic visits to a House with no name. And then there's Dame Flubb. Poor Flubb! She was so lost when she showed up here at the Warren. I'm glad she's found a place here, and I hope the other Castaways also manage to find a place to belong. At least we're all in the same boat with this, and we know we haven't lost our minds -- or if we have, everyone has.There was once a Major House that had something to do with cats. It disappeared at the end of The Third Word War, and nobody remembers anything except the vaguest details about it. All references to them in literature, history or media have simply disappeared. Some believe there were two or more Minor Houses that were in service to this Major House; others believe that these were factions within that House. And what complicates matters is that no one knows why they disappeared, or how, and there are a number of people, now called The Castaways, who remain wandering, Houseless, and with big holes in their memories. It is as though their existence has simply been erased from reality. Most blame The Iron Tome. Some of the former members of The Missing House choose to continue to consider each other a group, and they refer to themselves as "The Alliance," suggesting that some alliance existed in The Missing House.
Structure
There is considerable debate about what sort of House structure the Missing House had. It is known that like many older Houses, there was a Monarch and an Heir. There are people in the Realm who remember that these people were their friends, or that they were involved in activities or actions with them (for instance, it is generally accepted that significant members of the House were involved in The Battle of the Book or The 50K Offensive, and Voiders Anonymous believe one of the House members may have been one of them at one point.)
There were at least two factions within the Missing House that were significant. Vague memories among the Castaways suggest that one may have had something to do with the sea, and another with plants. This is hotly debated among interested scholars, since these things seem contradictory to a House of cats. However, a current study lends this theory some support. Examining muscular development and callous formation among the Castaways suggests that many Castaways might have been sailors or gardeners. Some may also have been fibre artists, suggesting that perhaps The Missing House organized itself into trade guilds.
Some sociologists, who have interviewed the Castaways, believe these factions may have been independent Minor Houses, because they consider their loyalties to have been primarily to these factions. However, there is no evidence that these groups ever acted independently of the Missing House, so this is a topic of debate as well.
From the remnants of the governmental infrastructure and mechanisms that were left behind, the Missing House organized its Protectorate(s) as absolute monarchies with an essentially feudal structure, but they maintained a modern mixed economy. Official letterheads and documents left behind reference "the Crown," but all coats of arms and other indications of the identity of that Crown are gone.
It is clear that the Missing House's Protectorate must have been a confederation, because its constituents were once a number of separate European nations.
Culture
It is assumed that the Missing House was a Werecat House, because many of the Castaways seem to be werecats. However, even this is uncertain. Even such things as art and statuary have vanished or been replaced.
Assets
The Missing House apparently held two Protectorates: a small chunk of the Pacific Northwest, which was once Washington State, and part of Oregon and Idaho; and most of Western Europe. The European Protectorate currently remains without anyone at the helm, but the Pacific Northwestern section has been ceded to House Ailurus by mutual agreement of the Lapin Protectorate and Meles Protectorate.
It is assumed that the capital of the Missing House's Protectorate was located on the site of a large crater that now remains within the Pacific Northwest. Whatever disaster swallowed the House is also believed to have swallowed its capital city.
History
The Missing House likely started its existence as a Minor House that primarily gave its fealty to House Lapin, because there is reference to a House without a name that was ceded land and title under Queen Sable Aradia; although it is understood that they also had a relationship with House Chiroptera. They may have existed prior to that, since there is reference to a House also disappearing a few hundred years ago, as Literomancy declined, but this cannot be proven, since no evidence remains. At some point early in 2022 they were elevated to Major House status, although the reasons behind this are also lost.
Disbandment
General consensus is that the Missing House disappeared some time near the end of The Third Word War. They may have been present at the Battle of Mount Mitchell but disappeared immediately afterwards. Certainly, many of the Castaways have memories of fighting in the battle, whether living or undead. Officially, scholars agree that the Missing House was gone for sure as of December 2, 2022.
Foreign Relations
The Missing House once seems to have had alliances with Lapin, Chiroptera, and possibly Sauropoda.
This article is a work in progress, and may be subject to changes.
This article is part of a series related to streaming the Game of Tomes. For more information, see Streaming Game of Tomes.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
Unknown
Unknown - Presumably, December 1, 2022
Type
Geopolitical, Great house
Alternative Names
Unknown
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
Unknown
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Mixed economy
Gazetteer
The Missing House's Protectorate once encompassed a chunk of the Pacific Northwest that used to be Washington State and parts of Oregon and Idaho; and it also included Western Europe.
Currency
Unknown. All previous currency of the Missing House has vanished. The Euro has been reinstituted to make up for this lack in the machinery of the world economy, and the UK is working on trying to rejoin the European Union.
Legislative Body
With the absence of the Missing House, the various constituent nations of their Protectorate have been falling back on their original national governmental structures as much as possible. The Great Houses have sent in a mutual peacekeeping force to keep order during the confusion of the transition.
With a number of embassies of the Major Houses in Western Europe, several European nations have significant movements that are seeking annexation by various other Great Houses. The Great Houses are looking into the implications of dividing up the nations of Western Europe according to the wishes of their populations, but are cautious about upsetting the geopolitical balance any more than it already had been.
Neighboring Nations
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
Oh, I like the idea of a missing house that disappeared to history- or was actively scrubbed from it!
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