House Ceres

The walled bread House of the harvest goddess, holed up for winter behind its ovens — stormed and taken by Darrow in five minutes.

Story so far

House Ceres is the House of the harvest goddess, a walled fortress by the frozen Argos whose ovens still smoke with bread, coveted by both Mars and Jupiter. Long besieged and never conquered, its soft, bread-fed students learned to hole up for winter behind dogs, night watches, and burning tinder, meaning to emerge strong in spring after the warring Houses starve. Darrow denies them that spring: with a band of twenty-four he buries in the snow overnight and rushes the wall at dawn with a felled tree as a ramp, Pax and his strongest heaving it up while Mustang, Milia, and Darrow scale it and open the gate.

Pax storms in like a horned minotaur and shatters the defenders; in five minutes the ovens and citadel are Darrow's. Its captured students, softer than the rest and baffled to see slaves freed, are enslaved anew under Mustang's owl standard and offered freedom if they win Darrow a fortress.

Appearance

A walled bread-fortress by the frozen Argos, its keep full of baking ovens, ringed by dogs, night-watches, and tinder-fires; its students soft and pale from bread and little meat.

Role

The walled harvest House and bread-source, stormed and captured by Darrow's free army.

Relationships

the-houses — One of the twelve Institute Houses, the coveted bread-bastion of the north.

Darrow — The Reaper who storms its wall at dawn and takes its ovens in five minutes.

pax-au-telemanus — The titan who opens the way and shatters its defenders.

house-jupiter — The rival northern power that also lusted after its ovens.

Sources — 2 recorded facts, by chapter

Chapter 21

The Institute House of the Harvest Goddess, holding a river fortress of crops, orchards, and horses on the southern plains.

Chapter 37

The walled bread House of the harvest goddess, holed up for winter behind its ovens — stormed and taken by Darrow in five minutes.