The Teckla, named after a salt marsh harvest mouse, are the only one of the seventeen houses without noble status. They make up over 90% of the Empire's population. It is possible to join the House of the Teckla by swearing fealty to a noble of the Dragaeran Empire; there are no "tests" to join, and indeed several notable Easterners (such as Miklós, Brigitta, and Sándor) have joined the Teckla in order to acquire a link to the Orb, which remains even after they abandon their lords and return to the East. See also Speculation:Cycle Turnings.