Stokenshires
The Stokenshires are a close knit and long-lived family known throughout the world as masters of their various trades. The name Stokenshire has been carried down over countless generations since the beginning of the TS era and commands a great deal of respect. Not only are the Stokenshires usually experts in their chosen professions, they are also considered to be the most honest and trustworthy people to do business with. Stokenshires always keep their word and always aim to please. In Mendalian society a Stokenshire is as above reproach as a guardian. Even those Stokenshires who are not world famous merchants or tradesmen still carry a great deal of respect in their communities by simply bearing the name.
In addition, the Stokenshires are widely known to be close allies to the Daughters of the Sun. They consider themselves to be at the service of the Daughters of the Sun and will do anything to aid or protect the line of Ester.
History
The Stokenshires path to notoriety started when [Sarah Fantas] helped lift [Terrance Stokenshire] and his entire family out of slavery by using her influence as the Fantasma's daughter. In addition, she helped Terrance start his tailoring career by using her connections inside Fantasmal Mountain to secure exclusive deals. Terrance was an expert tailor and invented Ustus. Because of this, he became famous throughout the world and was considered top of his field. Shortly after Terrance married Sarah.
Terrance also had two brothers who also had opportunities to thrive in their chosen professions by working in Fantasmal Mountain, thanks to Sarah. Johnathan Stokenshire was a chef and worked his way up to be the chief of the Fantasmal Kitchen staff within a matter of years. Yaylin Stokenshire was a blacksmith whose custom made armor became the standard for the [Fantasmal Forces] for several centuries.
The Stokenshires always attributed their wealth and prosperity to the kind act of [Sarah Fantas] and they passed this down from generation to generation, constantly telling the story of the wonderful woman who started their family's success. It was because of this that when Henry Stokenshire was approached by a messenger of Elohim to help Sarah's descendant, Angela, to start the Sunnin Social System, he did not hesitate. The messenger told him that as long as the Stokenshires were faithful to the Daughters of the Sun, they would continue to be successful and prosperous and the name Stokenshire would live on forever.
Henry and his family took this promise to heart. They donated to the Sunnin Social System without question and did everything they could to help the Daughter of the Sun. They found that because of their connection to the Daughters of the Sun, their notoriety grew. People considered anyone that was as close to the line of Ester as they were to be above reproach. The Stokenshires always received the top contracts or deals in their respective fields and they were always considered the best at whatever business they undertook. The continual success of the Stokenshires has never been matched by any other family in Mendalian history.
The Stokenshires continued to pass this tradition down from generation to generation, always careful to remember their obligation to the Daughters of the Sun. Because of this, they have always been quick to act on any request, no matter how great or small, and consider themselves honor bound to serve the Daughters of the Sun in any way possible.
During the [Great War] the Stokenshires helped rally the largest army in Mendalian history to go to the dimensional void to aid Daughter of the Sun [Ruth Lowens] and rest of the [Five Warriors]. Before leaving, Ruth entrusted the Prism Of Alcodia to [Kaveen Stokenshire]. When Ruth and her friends did not return, Kaveen kept the prism safe and it was passed down through his family.
The Stokenshires were the only ones who truly believed that the Daughters of the Sun would return to Mendala. Many believed that the line of Ester was broken when Ruth was presumed dead after not returning from the dimensional void after the Great War. The Stokenshires refused to believe this. They were the only major contributers who continued to donate to the Sunnin Social System after it was absorbed into the Fantasmal Government.
When the Daughter of the Sun returned to Mendala 10,000 years later in the form of Earth native Ashley Summerson, she made her presence known to [Salov Stokenshire]. Salov contacted several prominent members of his family and it was with their help that Ashley and the Fantasmal Fighters were able to thwart Davron and obtain the [Five Jewels].
Family Traditions
The Stokenshires have developed long standing family traditions that they strictly adhere to so as to maintain the honor and respect that has been given them by society.
The Stokenshire Name
The most significant family tradition revolves around the Stokenshire name. The Stokenshires are one of the few families to ever invoke the [Cognomian Clause] of the [Family And Marriage Law], allowing the eldest members of a family to petition that a family member be stripped of their surname. This has been used 13 times by the Stokenshires to strip a member of the family of the privilege of using the name Stokenshire because they have performed acts "unbecoming" of the name. Seven of these incidents have been because of a family member's failure to come to the service of the Daughter of the Sun when asked.
Stokenshire women generally keep the Stokenshire surname when they marry. This is especially true if they already have or plan to have a business. In addition, Stokenshire women always include specific clauses in their marriage contracts so that their husband does not gain "ownership" of the Stokenshire name if she does elect to change her surname to her husband's name. The ownership of the name is retained with the family.
Non-compete Agreement
The Stokenshires excel in many different professions, many of them merchant or trade oriented. Family members are not allowed to compete with one another in merchant or trade related professions, even if those professions are in two completely different geographic locations. For example, there is always only ever one Stokenshire in the tailoring business in all the world. The right to continue that business after a family member retires first goes to their children and then to other family members if the children elect not to continue the business. Stokenshires that are not merchant or trade related such as artisans, writers, scholars, guardians, quickeners, etc. do not have to adhere to these restrictions.
Political Office
The Stokenshires have a long standing tradition of not running for or holding any political office. This includes such titles as town elders, monarchs, or even council members. Only two Stokenshires have ever broken this family tradition and they voluntarily surrendered the Stokenshire name before doing so.
Honor
The Stokenshires have an extremely high sense of honor. They do not break their word, they do not lie, they uphold all agreements they make even if it is to their detriment. On a rare occasion that a Stokenshire does lie or break a promise it is almost always because of the immediate need of the Daughter of the Sun. In example, a Stokenshire would lie to protect the secrets of the Daughters of the Sun.
Stokenshire Professions
The Stokenshires engage in many professions but only some of these are ones that they are considered "top" of their field. These are those professions in which the Stokenshires have significant notoriety and success in. In addition, most of the fields listed below are ones where only one Stokenshire can work in that particular profession at any give time.
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Tailor
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Chef
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Blacksmith
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Cobbler
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Seaman / Fisherman
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Scientist*
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Scholar*
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Artisan*
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Writer*
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Actor*
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Musician*
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Poet*
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Hair Stylist
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Architect
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Interior Designer
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Wedding Planner
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Matchmaker
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Engineer
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Jeweler
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Woodworker
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* Non-compete agreement does not apply.
Noteworthy Stokenshires:
See Also:
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