Hanoris Dellum pushed his chair back, away from the table and the guests that were sitting there. He rose and turned to the bookshelf behind him. There he grabbed a rather plain looking leather bound journal and upon returning to his seat at the table, casually tossed it to the two gentlemen sitting there. Ajadeen, desert ranger, and his companion Gaan, wizard of wind and lightning, tensed a bit. Gaan quickly scanned the book looking for any magical wards or properties and upon finding nothing, reached for the book and leafed through its pages. Only the first half-dozen pages or so contained handwritten notes, the majority of the book remained blank.
"There is a copy of all my notes. Everything I could dig up on the Adella family. That's yours to take with you. May my efforts to uncover the mystery of why the Adellas were pronounced damnatio by the government guide you as you explore the family necropolis." The three men returned to their meal and wine. Spending the rest of the evening going over the terms of their partnership.
Later back in his quarters, Gaan spent an hour or two reading and rereading the pages before handing it over to Ajadeen to do the same -
The Tragic and Mysterious Fall of House Adella
Within several generations, three distinct branches had emerged among the Adella family. The Sardisi, the Voxus and the Daellum clans. Pride like a cancer had wormed its way into the Adella psyche. It polluted the noble house. It spelled the end for each of the three branches in succession, in both insidious and dramatic ways.
The Sardisi Clan - House emblem: The Howling Medusa
The Sardisis became preoccupied with pleasure and self indulgence. The last of the clan, Drusus Adella, was known more for the fanatical devotion of his five daughters than for any significant accomplishments. His lack of achievement so profound that he eventually retrereated into a shameful self-imposed exile. His daughters had been married off to important aristocrats who forbade them any contact or correspondence with their disgraced father for fear of public humiliation. Lonely and destitue Drusus committed suicide, opening his veins in a seedy Absalom brothel and bath house. His five daughters murdered their husbands in 4222 before vanishing from society and retreating into obscurity.
The Voxus Clan - House emblem: The Mocking Medusa
Known for their nautical prowess, the Voxus clan traces their lineage back to Pasco Adella. During the 42nd century, Pasco was admiral of the Taldan Third Fleet and veteran of over a hundered sea battles. Later generations would exploit this renown to become import/export tycoons, controlling vast fleets of merchant ships throughout the oceans of Golarion. But this branch of the family withered into a civil war between twin brothers. Vespacio and Vincenzo, who went so far as to field armies against each other in typical Taldan fashion. The fratricidal fued dealt utter ruin to the Voxus clan. Whether or not this fued was spurred by the action of their five murderous cousins is a matter of debate.
The Daellum Clan - House emblem: The Cross-eyed Medusa
Bartolomae Adella, leader of the Daellums, was a cunning and ruthless commander in the Taldan military. His examplary and highly successful leadership seemed like it might help the Adella name weather the ignominous end of their cousins. Yet Bartolomae went on to suffer a crushing military defeat against Qadiran forces on the frontier between the two warring countries. Humiliated to the point of blasphemy he threw himself on his sword, the powerful Infernus Murco, in an act of contrition. Yet this act was not enough to atone for the military failure. Bartolome's siblings, his younger brother Cadimus and beautiful sister Lucretia, mysteriously disappeared shortly after. Their fates, unknown.
The Grand Prince Bedlam II was so appalled by the family's impressive descent into murder, hubris and blasphemy that he proclaimed the entire family damnatio - their memory wiped from every public record and monument. Pronouncing that all members of the family be forever stripped of noble status.
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