House of Barows appears in Suikoden V.
Description[]
One of the prominent families of the Queendom of Falena, the Barows family were one of the two most powerful political families in the Falenan Senate, the other being their rivals, the Godwin Faction. As the more peaceful advocate in Falenan politics, the Barows family advocated several policies, mostly pushing for political actions that would gain them greater wealth. As well as maintaining power in their home city of Rainwall, the Barows Faction also enjoyed great popularity throughout Haud and Estrise and through parts of the eastern islet of Lelcar up until around SY 450, following a major political scandal dealing with the Dawn Rune. The Barows Faction subsequently fell greatly out of favour, later being conquered by the Godwins in SY 450 and having the patriarch of the family - and the head of the Barows Faction - Salum Barows murdered in the same year.
Policies[]
The Barows family mostly advocated policies that would enrich themselves as well as their constituents. Unlike the more xenophobic and warmongering Godwin Faction, the Barows had little problem with foreigners, at one point even working out a deal with New Armes that would carve a separate Kingdom from Falena before making the East Kingdom a vassal state of New Armes. Strong believers in culture, they also introduced a large scale art project in Haud village. However, the project failed to catch on in mainstream appeal, and as a result the ones who live in the town are most likely to be the artists who built it.
History[]
Role During the Succession Conflict[]
When Salum became the head of the House of Barows, he pushed Falzrahm Falenas to usurp the right to the throne from Shahrewar Falenas, the crown princess. This was mostly due to politics; Falzrahm was married to Salum’s cousin, Kauss Barows, but Shahrewar was married to Mardas Godwin, the Godwin family being the largest political threat to the House of Barows. This would spawn a bloody conflict between the two princesses. Queen Olhazeta Falenas, an elderly and long ruling monarch, did not have the strength to keep the two factions in check, and even allowed Falzrahm’s daughter Arshtat to have her Sacred Games before Haswar, the next in line for the throne after Shahrewar.
Following Olhazeta’s death, a bloody war broke out between the two factions. Both sides hired Nether Gate assasins in order to brutally dispatch the other. Like the Godwins, the Barows lost their share of family; Kauss Barows, Falzrahm’s husband, was murdered, as was Hiram Barows, Salum Barows' eldest son. Following Hiram’s death, Salum Barows' wife Alison Barows became a recluse, unable to stand the world after losing both Hiram and her eldest daughter many years before.
Alough Falzrahm would prove triumphant in this noflict, the House of Barows did not ultimately gain much from backing the victor, due to her early death and their inability to control the new Queen, Arshtat. In addition, New Armes invaded the eastern lands of the Queendom in attempt to take over the country after it had been weakened by the Succession Conflict and was held by a young monarch. This further eroded support for the House of Barows in the senate.
Role during the Lordlake Rebellion[]
During the year SY 447, the Barows Faction decided to build a dam in the southern reaches of their territory, approximately in the same place as Hatred Fortress would later be built by the Godwin Faction. Due to this dam blocking it, less water flowed down the Feitas to Lordlake, much to the ire of the citizens of the town.
Eventully, the unrest grew larger and larger, spanning a protest as a group of citizens decided to march to the dam in protest. Rovere, the leader of the town, attempted to assuage the mob's anger, but had little success. Euram Barows, the garrison captain stationed at the fort, panicked, and ordered that guards disperse the peaceful-if-angry mob by force. However, the rather small garrison was quickly overwhelmed, and the Lordlake citizens, their ire bolstered by their treatment, destroyed the entire dam, sending wreckage to a watery grave throughout the Feitas.
The crowd, buoyed in their furvor by it's success, decided to march directly to Sol-Falena in order to lodge a formal protest with the Queen. Salum Barows, quickly appraising the situation, decided to send some of his own men to infiltrate the army, and, upon passing the East Palace, to loot it and steal the Dawn Rune. This attempt was successful, and the Dawn Rune remained lost to the royals for the next three years.
The Queen, Arshtat, had decided to bear the Sun Rune in an effort to prevent the Godwin Faction from taking advantage of the Lordlake Incident and choosing that time to attempt to gather the Sun Rune. Unfortunately, the Sun Rune had a ruthless effect on Arshtat's personality and, affected by the rune's influence when informed of the Lordlake uprising, she used the Sun Rune on the land, almost instantly turning the once vibrant land into a dry, arid desert. In addition, she had the Rovere family killed, a move that would silence the most moderate of the families within the Falenan Senate and leaving it less stable.
Following this, both the Godwins and the Barows would enact harsher and harsher policies in regards to Lordlake in an attempt to silence anyone who would bring up the truth of their power-hungry plans.
Role During the Falenan Civil War[]
Following the Godwin coup of 449, Prince Freyjadour Falenas, along with Georg Prime, Lyon, and Sialeeds Falenas fled to the Barows territories in search of refuge. Salume Barows immediately escorted the displaced royals to Rainwall. There, he promised them that the Barows would help the royals retake Sol-Falena. However, it rapidly became clear that Salum had his own interests in taking in the royal's input; rather, he was more interested in using the Prince as a figurehead. Salum thought to create an East Kingdom, whereby he and the Prince, with the help of the New Armes Kingdom, would make the Barows territories a sovereign kingdom. Following this establishment, Salum planned for the prince to meet an unfortunate accident, and install himself as sovereign. However, Prince Freyjadour turned down Salum's offer to make him a king when approached, saying he only wanted to rescue his sister.
The royal party, suspicious of Salum's intentions, recruited the strategist Lucretia Merces for advice and hired the detective Oboro to investigate deeper into the Lordlake Rebellion. Lucretia With the help of Obaro and Norden, the royals discovered that the Barows had taken advantage of the Lordlake Rebellion in some way; further investigation into the Barows Mansion revealed that the Barows were the ones who had stolen the Dawn Rune during the Lordlake Rebellion. In addition, it was revealed during the Rainwall Defense Campaign that Salum had allied with the Armes Southern Mountain Corps. These revelations shook the royal trust in the Barows, and the Prince and his entourage decided to part from the Barows territory, moving to Ceras Lake Castle.
In SY 450, the Barows territories were conquered by the Godwins. The Godwins confined the Barows to their mansion, effectively limiting any remaining influence the Barows had. Late in the war, Sialeeds Falenas assassinated Salum Barows, leaving the House of Barows without a leader. The Barows Faction quickly crumbled without the political maneuverings of Salum Barows holding it together.
Role Following the Falenan Civil War[]
Following the Falenan Civil War, Luserina and Euram barows, Salum's surviving children, attempted to right the wrongs done by the house of Barows through the years, donating the Barow's Mansion to the restoration effort and helping Rainwall rebuild following the war.