House Dragoncrest

House Dragoncrest are the current royal family of the Erdannian Empire, and are the longest continuously ruling royal family in the world, having ruled the city of Erradan for over 700 years, from their original rise to the throne in 13.40 to the present day of 20.88
The Dragoncrest monarchs have a tumultuous and controversial history, but nevertheless have successfully overseen the rise of Erradan from a small city to a vast empire. However, they have also seen a rapid decrease in royal power over that time, as more political power has been shifted to the Merchant Houses and the Ministry.
The current head of House Dragoncrest is King Cyrus II.
=== History ===
==== Rise to the Throne ====
During the early 14th century, Erradan was ruled by King Emerick I of House Carmathen. However, on a journey across the White Bay, King Emerick's ship hit an unexpected storm and became shipwrecked. The king's siblings were also on board, and there were no survivors. Erradan did not mourn the loss of their king for long, since by all accounts he had been a strict and oppressive ruler. The crown was then given to Lord Varren Dragoncrest, who was the closest relative of the king, since he was also a descendant of the first king, Eradall I.
However, the authenticity of this has been analysed and questioned by historians. The genealogies and records which state that House Dragoncrest are royalty are inconsistent, and seem to include a number of fictional individuals. Additionally, the circumstances of King Emerick's death are suspicious, and were questioned by contemporary scholars and critics. The Merchant Houses of Erradan were quick to support Varren's claim for the crown, and so the rumour goes that they conspired together, out of a desire to place a king on the throne who was more lenient to the merchants and traders of the city.
In Erdannia it is commonly believed that the Dragoncrest's rise to the throne was legitimate, and that these rumours were crafted by the family's various rivals. However, outside of Erdannia, many view the Dragoncrests as "fake" royals, who gained their power through deception and murder.