House Cameton is the ruling house of Byzantium Secundus, as such they are often at odds with the Imperium and Alexius who they find they are often vying with for power. Most specifically is their enmity towards the Imperial Eye. An agency that nearly took control of Byzantium Secundus but was forced to give up large tracts of land following the Emperor Wars. Despite these setbacks, House Cameton remains the single largest land-holder on ByzII, but struggles constantly against encroaching imperial power. Specifically, the house still controls the continent of Harmony, once a lush, jungle paradise but under incompetent and corrupt Cameton leadership it has become a squalid, hellhole of pollution and toxic waste with groteseque overcrowding and a complete lack of development planning. Home of the Novgorod shipyards, Harmony is full of a whole host of industries that exploit down-trodden citizenry and the Chainers have no problem finding victims here, some of whom are so desparate on account of their brutual oppression they are actually happy to get out, even if that means slavery. The disparity of wealth between the rich and poor here is so shocking, even many nobles would be sickened and appalled.
House Cameton maintains a small duchy on the continent of Tamerlain, a landmass that is constantly wracked by volcanic activity, earthquakes and harsh storms. Located on the relatively stable southern coast, the Duchy is a walled city surrounded by vast stretches of wilderness. The duchy is popular with tourists and pilgrims who travel to Tamerlain, and the Cameton nobles here maintain strong interests in the southern coast-based magic lantern industry. However, while the rest of Tamerlain remains at the forefront of independent intellectual thought, artistry, and progressive Church policy, House Cameton maintains a much more conservative and traditional city-state. Houses Cameton and Hawkwood jointly rule the arctic wasteland at the south pole called Tarsus - a towering snow-capped peaks of vast glaciers, rift valleys, precipices and fjords. Sparsely populated, with a handful of guildposts built around natural steam vents that neither house do much to rule, and the hardy people that live here, individualistic miners and guildsmen, prefer it that way. Aldaia is the home continent of House Cameton, and they rule here undisputed by other houses. They also claim Gasperah - part of the Galatea island-continent. House Cameton has descent from Arabesque culture and is lead by the Marquessa Lekoya Scareenon Astanyani, who is also the Governor of ByzII. Duke Andrea Cameton was the head of the house but is now too ill to continue in that role. The members of this noble family are typically arrogant, greedy, and insincere, usually becoming diplomats or administrators to better to serve their own interests. While they control Byzantium Secundus's extensive police network and hold numerous administrative and governmental positions, they are also responsible for many of the planet's problems. Their utter disdain for anyone of lower rank or influence has caused them to ignore the plight of those commoners they oversee, causing them to turn a blind eye to the massive poverty and pollution in their territories. Many run small loan- sharking operations, feeding off the poor like parasites, and employing wage-slaves to work in the most appalling of industrial factories Once a rising power, this house fell prey to manipulation, greed and gullibility, outmanuevered by the major houses time and again. Their fortunes rose and fell with alarming regularity. Indeed, they have in the past been strong enough to absorb other houses, such as House Hamin, House Tal and House Webster. Many in the family remain bitter over their current decline in fortunes and scheme to rise up again. In addition to being in strong competition against the Emperor, they are also in an intense rivalry with House Li Halan. They have made efforts to befriend members of The Authority, the more regressive members of the Church, and the anti-Alexius members of House Hawkwood. They are also seeking allies among House Decados and the Hazat who still seek the throne for themselves.