House Saguntum

"Murus Non Cadunt"

House Saguntum is an influential Falthe vassal known for their vast owned lands that extend from the Central Meseta to the Mediterranian Sea in the Iberian Peninsula. They dedicate themselves to the training of talented Legionnaires to meet the Falthe quotas, production of defense and anti-aircraft artillery and agriculture.

Symbol
Two united golden stems of rosemary.

Backstory
House Saguntum is one of the two major Houses in Iberia, Earth, settled in the territory of Levant. They maintain friendly relationships with House Hakam, and their alliance resulted in many members from both families marrying each other. Primus Maria au Saguntum, besides a loyal bannerwoman to House Falthe, was a woman of business interests. She always looked for opportunities to leech other small families from the Peninsula of their possessions and use them to support her allies.

Alliance with Antoninus
Maria au Saguntum had her marriage arranged with Karpus au Belii, one of the two children in House Belii, vassals to House Saguntum because she was interested in their territory occupying Aragón. What she didn't know, though, is that those lands belonged to Karpus's twin brother Diokles, the Primus of House Belii.

During a dinner party, Maria was introduced to one of the Belii twins' friends, Antoninus au Baetulo. She learned that he was a Praetor, owned a rather small fleet but, most importantly, used to be a great advisor to the Belii's and she persuaded him to convince Diokles to transfer his possessions to Karpus. However, Diokles already planned to transfer the ownership of those lands to his daughters Sabina and Tacita, so Maria had to ellaborate a complex plan to seize their possessions.

Maria and Antoninus had plotted to stay in good graces with House Belii, commissioning gifts for Karpus's nieces every now and then, inviting them over for holidays, among other stuff. Antoninus began courting the oldest of Diokles's daughters, Tacita, while Maria graced Sabina with the Dux badge of Legio Rosmarinus in exchange of sharing her wealth. Maria and Antoninus agreed on him marrying Tacita to inherit her part of wealth and then, after her death, they would get married to unify everything under House Saguntum.

However, the plan didn't go as expected. Maria was still married to Karpus (and divorce meant having to split possessions) and Antoninus got Tacita pregnant. They conspired on a double assassination: Maria would get rid of Tacita and Antoninus would kill Karpus, but only if she spared the baby's life. Maria didn't agree with Antoninus's terms to let little Heron live, so she gave him space to meditate the offer. Five years later, the double assassination took place during a dinner party at the Saguntum estate after Maria promised Antoninus to take both him and Heron into her House and raising the latter as her own son.

Countless times though Maria au Saguntum, alongside her children, tried to get rid of Heron behind Antoninus's back. Her daughter Victoria and her twin brothers constantly cornered the boy and beat him up repeatedly, teased him for not fighting back and, once they graduated from the Institute, they showed off their Peerless Scars, as well as putting into practice all methods of torture and violence they learned on their years there. Once Heron became of age to attend the Institute, Maria au Saguntum requested him to be paired up with a stronger opponent during the Passage, but was surprised to see him come out alive and with a Peerless Scar.

Clash with House Salacia
During the summer of 737 PCE Maria au Saguntum, Victoria, Dux Sabina au Belii, two of Victoria's drinking buddies and Heron traveled to the Pyrenees to collect a debt owed by House Trivalia the day of their Primus's funeral. Knowing that the current Primus Clara au Trivalia wouldn't be able to pay back, not even with new conditions and deadlines, Maria executed her and allowed Victoria to trash the funeral dinner party.

On the meantime Heron, using a ghostCloak and gravBoots, gained access to the command center and disabled the anti-aircraft artillery to allow two more Saguntum corvettes to land and send reinforcements into the estate. However, with the defenses disabled, he indirectly allowed another ship to land and get involved with the huge mess: House Salacia's.

Constantine au Salacia, after seeing his son Philip's hand and legs get cut off by Victoria and Sabina, threatened Maria with a bloodbath unless she forgave Trivalia's debt and paid the reparations for the damage caused. Since the Saguntum matriarch refused, the Salacia soldiers murdered dizaines of Rosmarinus legionnaires, the drinking buddies and they gravely wounded Sabina. Victoria, however, agreed on Constantine's conditions after he defeats her in a duel.

Victoria receives a fatal wound on her stomach and Maria stops the duel, agreeing to the new conditions if Constantine spared her daughter's life.

The Schism
During the Fall of Luna, House Saguntum went through a schism. Due to the Manticore's actions affecting House Falthe's prestige and honor negatively during The Fall of Luna, the family's opinions were polarized. Maria, alongside her children Victoria, Narcissus and Agrippa, still wanted to remain by House Falthe's side, devoted to their sworn loyalty. Antoninus, though, didn't see eye to eye with his wife and urged her to switch loyalties, even considering surrendering or side with the Rising in the upcoming Republic, Heron even agreeing with the latter. After the Fall of Luna, followed by Maria and Antoninus' deaths and the disappearance of Heron, the Saguntum siblings chose to sail with the Falthe contingent and head back to Earth to ensure a victory for the Society and claim back their home.

Biological

 * Maria au Saguntum, former Primus of House Saguntum, former Legate of Legio Rosmarinus, mother of Victoria, Agrippa and Narcissus, wife of Antoninus and step-mother of Heron, deceased.
 * Victoria au Saguntum, Legate of Legio Rosmarinus, Primus of House Saguntum, oldest daughter of Maria, cousin once removed and step-sister of Heron
 * Agrippa au Saguntum, Praetor of Legio Rosmarinus, older twin to Narcissus, brother of Victoria, cousin once removed and step-brother of Heron.
 * Narcissus au Saguntum, Praetor of Legio Rosmarinus, younger twin to Agrippa, brother of Victoria, cousin once removed and step-brother of Heron.

Marriage

 * Antoninus au Saguntum, formerly Antoninus au Baetulo, Primus of the now extinct House Baetulo, second husband of Maria, father of Heron.
 * Karpus au Saguntum, (nee au Belii) first husband of Maria, father of Victoria, Agrippa and Narcissus, deceased.

Members (Offshoots)

 * Heron au Saguntum, formerly Heron au Belii, subPraetor of the Solar Republic, son of Antoninus, second cousin and step-brother of Victoria, Agrippa and Narcissus.
 * Sabina au Belii, Dux and Primus Pilus of Legio Rosmarinus, Primus of House Belii, cousin of Victoria, Agrippa and Narcissus, aunt of Heron.
 * Tacita au Belii, first wife of Antoninus, mother of Heron, sister of Sabina, cousin of Victoria, Agrippa and Narcissus, deceased.