Taken from a letter to Martaine Quarrier of Winchester

I’ll tell you a bit more about House Karlennon, then you’ve got more to base your decision on. About 350-400 years ago, the last kings of Albion were lost in an accident at sea. There were rumours of an heir that survived, but these came to naught. Not wanting Albion to fall into anarchy, Roc of House Corvidae (the chief noble house of Albion) and people from House Karlennon (Guardians of the Caledonian Border) and House Hunter (Guardians of the Cymryjan Border) formed the Council of Lord Generals, who would rule in the Kings name, until such time as the King or his heir could be found.
Time passed, until about 1085, when Elspeth Charenten (House Charenten being a slightly less powerful noble family, related to the Corvidae) married Elias Karlennon, then the head of the House. He died in 1092, just after Elspeth became pregnant with Elias Jr. At that time, the people of Albion (Lions) were questing for the 7 swords of Waylund, which, our legends told us, would lead us to Excalibur and the true King. Roxanne, wife of Corvus of House Corvidae, was the guardian of the Swords, and each year, she could summon another, until, somewhere around the year 1100, all 7 would be here.
In 1094, Corvus declared that Albion needed a king now, and that he would be it, until Excalibur declared who was the true king. House Hunter and House Karlennon, led by Elspeth, stood against Corvus, for they did not believe that he would step down were it proven that he was not the King. A Civil War ensued, with the Harts of Albion (Houses Hunter and Karlennon, with other allies) facing the Lions (House Corvidae). During this time, Elspeth quested to the Chapel Perilous, where she became the Guardian of the Swords, at the price of giving her son to the Hunter.
The war raged for two years until, at the Gathering of 1096, the Harts and Lions fought an honour battle to decide once and for all, who would rule Albion. The Harts won, and the Lions left for Avalon, to live in exile. Elspeth Tarragon (for she had remarried during the war, to Martyn Tarragon, of the Hunters) took the position of Speaker for the Council of Albion. Also at the Gathering of 1096, Lysandra Charenten and Kathen Fairchild (the High Mage and the High Incantor of the Harts) forged the 7 swords of Waylund together to become Excalibur, which no one but the Guardian could carry, and no one but the true King could wield.
For the next 6 months, many tried to wield the sword, but none could. Then, at Yuletide, the Hunter returned Elias Karlennon to his mother, but instead of being a babe of 3 years, he was a man of 21. Time passes differently in the Hunters realm. Over the next few months, it became clear that Elias shared some sort of bond with Floris Brand, the Grand Master Magician and it shocked no one when ultimately, Elias proved himself to be the true king, and also, somewhat more surprisingly, the Pendragon – the Pattern of Law.
During 1097, Elias’s pattern became subsumed into the pattern of the Pendragon, a being of absolutes, in opposition to Mordred, the Pattern of Chaos. At the Gathering of 1097, the Pendragon (for Elias was really no more) summoned a bodyguard – a powerful Liche, to protect himself against Mordred. The Harts protested, and attacked the unliving, eventually destroying it and curing its corrupted pattern. At this, Elias realised what the Pendragon was doing, and ran to challenge Mordred. Eventually (and others have written of this in more detail, but I can elucidate if you wish) all of the Patterns were banished, and Elias was returned to the Harts, though mortally wounded.
Elspeth took the throne, as Elias’s heir, and named him her heir in turn. (Which was an amazing piece of legalese that you really should get a Quaesitor to explain to you.) Elspeth tried ruling both the country and House Karlennon but realised that she could not do both, so turned the House over to Benedict, a cousin of hers, but who is a Karlennon by blood rather than by marriage.
Now House Karlennon and House Charenten are tied together, both defending each other. Hugo and Lysandra are Charentons, as is Elspeth by her paternal line. Maternally, she and Hugo are Corvidae. Benedict is a Karlennon paternally, and a Corvidae maternally, and a cousin to House Charenten.
As is often said, “we don’t have a family tree, we have a family rose bush”.
You asked about the history of the House and I gave you the history of Albion. Does that sound egotistical? House Hunter, House Corvidae and House Charenten would have given you the same answer, with slightly different perspectives. For the history of Albion is made up of the histories of all within it, but some houses cast a longer shadow than others.