A wiki for Chaos is Eternal.
The Five Great Houses represent the foundational philosophies and magical precepts of the empire. Each house has its own doctrines, oversight boards, and military forces.
House Verdanthall - Precept Biomancy EDF🟩Verdanthall Symbol: a leaf dripping with blood. Focuses on the manipulation of life and organic processes. Responsible for the domains of growth, evolution, reproduction, decay, etc.
House Cogwright - Precept Technomancy EDF🟩Cogwright Symbol: A steel skull etched with circuit traces. Integrates magic with advanced technology. Responsible for bringing industry to the empire, and furthering scientific knowledge.
House Temporus - Precept Chronomancy EDF🟩Temporus Symbol: An hourglass full of stardust, sitting on top of a leather bound book. Controls and manipulates time. Responsible for recording history, and changing it for the benefit of the empire.
House Grundstone - Precept Geomancy EDF🟩Grundstone Symbol: A finely cut gemstone glowing with power, emerging from rough hewn rock. Deals with earth and mineral magic. Responsible for traditional methods of craftsmanship, and dominating the souls of worlds.
House Voidhart - Precept Astromancy EDF🟩Voidhart Symbol: A model solar system remarkably similar to a carbon atom. Focuses on celestial bodies and space magic. Responsible for psionics, faster than light travel, prophecy, and more.
I am imagining that the Great Houses (possibly should be called something else, but it’s the best I’ve got right now), as institutions, serve 2 major functions.
1) They’re the beurocracy of the empire, responsible for managing the day to day affairs of the empire’s many organizations and assets. Anything above local governance falls under the jurisdiction of imperial government, and thus the great houses. The great houses are technically a separate structure from the cult, but most if not all seats of power are filled by cult members.
2) Noble families are not great houses. In fact, members of a family are often split apart to different houses. This is to instill rivalry within families and loyalty to the empire instead.
The Penultimate Lords are a council of 5, one for each house. The Octogrammic Knights technically answer to both the Archdemons and the Penultimate Lords. However, all 5 of these lords are members of the cult, and as such answer to the Archdemons. I imagine that the attitude of the knights is that the lords can piss off, but that may vary by individual.
I have yet to explore this idea in depth.