House Ailil

House Ailil is one of the noble houses of the Unseelie Court.

Overview
Known for their Machiavellian political acumen, House Ailil is the best known of the Unseelie noble houses. The house’s founder, King Ailil, was the husband of Maeve, the queen who instigated the Cattle Raid of Cooley, in which the great hero Cuchulainn lost his life. Ailil was an astute politician, a philosopher and a great student of secret knowledge. Both House Ailil and House Eiluned hark back to his line. It is said that Ailil stayed on Earth when the sidhe left in order to preserve its connection to the Dreaming, taking a new name and gathering around himself a group of changelings dedicated to protecting his sanctuary from Banality. Although Ailil himself can hardly be considered Unseelie, the house which bears his name is firmly entrenched among the Unseelie and are active participants in the Shadow Court.

Members of House Ailil tend to be masters of politics, intrigue and manipulation. They are rarely fully trusted by other Kithain, even those of their own house. They make the most of their talents and have an innate arrogance and supreme confidence in their ability to handle any situation and come out ahead. They love creature comforts, fine clothing and other evidence of their noble standing, taking these as their due, but they love power even more than the trappings that come with it. Ailil often fine tune their Ravaging to evoke as much pain and terror from their victims as possible, claiming that nightmares produce the sweetest and most potent Glamour. They have little regard for those whom they Ravage, believing that there is always more Glamour to be had.

Because of their political skills, when they interact with Seelie Courts, they are often found as advisors to kings, leaders of political factions and as the real power behind the thrones of weaker rulers. Fiefs ruled by House Ailil are hotbeds of intrigue and often suspected of Unseelie and Shadow Court activity even when they are not actively involved. Of course, the word “actively” can have so many meanings....

As a house, Ailil wants to overthrow the Seelie nobility and gain influence in the mortal world. They believe the Seelie have become stagnant and that Ailil is most fit to lead (through the Shadow Court) the fae through the Endless Winter and into the coming Spring. They are not trying to bring on the Winter, just preparing to survive it and gain power while doing so. They plan to allow the Winter to demoralize and destroy their opponents and seize power when their foes are weakest.

The more traditional members of the house are members of the Purist faction. They see the need to right the balance: The Seelie ruled for 600 years; now there needs to be an Unseelie time, then a return to alternating rulership. The younger members and the real movers-and-shakers want total Unseelie rule. They control the Reformist party. Many Ailil, particularly those of the Reformist party, masquerade as Modernists, promising equality to the commoners in exchange for their loyalty. These are usually marked as cannon fodder; Ailil has no intention of giving up their noble rights and privileges.