House Karnstein belongs to Bloodcall's fallen aristocracy.

Once powerful, the family lost its leading position to House Țepeș. Its response has been the continued pursuit of influence and the possibility of a return.

The Karnsteins' reputation rests on cruelty, cunning and the use of fear. Their words, “Rule by Fear,” make that reputation an explicit statement of political method.

Their arms show a bone-white, coiling, two-headed serpent on black, framed with red. One head rises above the other, creating a symbol suited to a house remembered for dangerous persistence.

A lost position does not make a noble family harmless. Old relationships, inherited ambitions and the memory of authority can survive a political defeat.

For Bloodcall, the Karnsteins represent an internal struggle over who deserves—or can seize—a place near power. For anyone dealing with them, an offer of cooperation has to be understood against the future the family hopes to recover.