Noble Families of Volantis

The Old Blood of Volantis live within the part of the city of the eastern side of the Rhoyne, within the protection of the Black Walls of the Old City.

From the Old Blood the Triarchs are chosen by election. Any freeborn who holds land within the city may vote for their choice of candidate when the time comes for selection of the leaders of the city.

## Main Families

### Aertaris

One of the only families of the Old Blood which worship the Lord of Light over keeping the Gods of Old Valyria, the Aertaris family live in a manse built from the same pale redstone bricks as the Temple of the Lord of the Light located just outside the Black Walls, although on a scale much more subdued. Despite this, the manse of House Aertaris, with its metal archway entrance and sprawling gardens is large by Essosi standards, and home to a number of pools and fountains filled with crisp, clear water.

The family owns a Valyrian Steel axe called Red God's Light, its handle a delicately carved piece of bloodwood from the Summer Isles shaped into an inferno of flames that creep along its length.

They were wiped out by an attack by Malyrio Staegone who declared them traitors to the city of Volantis. Their possessions have been *seized* for the city of Volantis but in reality, their possessions have been lost to House Staegone which now wields their ancestral axe. A daughter of their house still exists but in secret and in the captivity of Matarys Staegone, Malyrio's son.

### Galtigar

The Galtigar family own stretches of land both within the city and to the north, along the Rhoyne. In the Golden Fields southwest of Dagger Lake, they utilise their leagues of fields to grow vast swathes of cereals like grain and barley, as well as fruits and olives. They own a small fleet of cogs with spring-green sails through which they trade with the other Free Cities.

### Maegyr

Traditionally staunch supporters of the Tiger party, the Maegyr family has produced some of the most martially-minded men from within the Black Walls over the centuries, most recently so Thoran Maegyr, who served as Triarch for nearly a decade. In 277AC he was beaten by his own son, Jaqar, who is instead in support of trade, and thus the elephants. Father and son have rallied against each other in the subsequent elections, but the Elephants have always triumphed thus far, owing to both the popularity of Jaqar amongst the residents of the city, and the profits brought by the cogs he commands.

The family owns a helmet of Valyrian steel armour, currently in the possession of Thoran.

### Naraelor

The Naraelor family are known for two things. Firstly, the Tower of Naraelor, a construction of slate, limestone and marble that stands proud of the Black Walls, making it a prominent sight to all those that look upon the Old City has stood within the eastern side of Volantis for centuries. Around the Tower is the manse of the family, a modest holding compared to some of the neighbours, for much of the space is provided by the many floors of their proudest construction.

The other thing the Naraelor family is famed for is their monopoly like ownership of the vast majority of the city's elephants. Seven out of every ten elephants in the city will display the the initials LN upon the base of their tusks, designating them as property of the descendants of Lazaro Naraelor, who purchased a pair of the grey beasts from Qartheen merchants when the Black Walls were still being moulded into shape by the Dragonriders.

### Paenymion

Despite the last of the dragons more than a century ago, the Paenymions still stylise themselves as Dragon Lords, regardless of gender, something that both their manse and appearance reflects. Famed for their frilled collars of red, orange and yellow feathers imported from the Summer Isles, said to mimic a column of flame, the Paenymions reside in a manse of black stone, surrounded by walls designed to copy the design of the Black Walls of Old Volantis.

Traditionally supporters of the Tiger party, the Paenymions have one of the largest standing forces of the Volantene nobles when all the guardsmen of their lands to the north and east are included in the count. One of the three current Triarchs is of House Paenymion.

### Qhaedar

The Qhaedar family are locked in a deep rivalry with the neighbouring Tagaros family, a feud that has carried across generations. The exact cause of the squabble remains unknown, but a number of suggestions have been suggested over the years. Included amongst these are tales of a maiden from one family and the heir of the other sailing away to the Isle of Love the consummate their secret marriage, although the identity and lead perpetrator of the story varies between the family. Other still talk of goods stolen from a Qhaedar cog, traditionally marked with bands of sky-blue and crimson-red, although the Tagaros family insists that it was not theft, merely confusion resulting for the similar scarlet-red and ocean-blue stripes of their own cogs. The final tale, most popular amongst the smallfolk in the taverns of the city is that one night the Head of the Qhaedar family, returning from a drunken night at a nearby alehouse, stumbled into the manse next door to his own, and to his chagrin bedded and impregnated the Head of the Tagaros family's wife whilst he was away securing a trade deal with the Tourmaline Brotherhood of Qarth. Waking to realise his mistake, the Qhaedar fled, never telling a tale, but when the babe was born, the events of that drunken night were all too plain to see.

### Qoheros

Members of the Qoheros family are invested heavy in the trade of spices and gold from the Far East and with it built a fleet of nearly thirty ships. They own three separate manses, one within the Black Walls, one in the city of Volon Therys near to the Founders' Tower and a final one in Valysar, where they also control many timber-yards that process goods sent down the Rhoyne by the Qohorik.

The traditional colours of the Qoheros family are royal purple and a deep brownish red, something that is reflected in all aspects of their dwellings, from the flowers in the gardens to the semi-precious stones that decorate the gates.

### Staegone

The current Head of the Staegone family is Malyrio, who has served on and off as Triarch for a number of years. After serving in the Volantene navy at the demands of his father and uncles, Malyrio returned to the city, hoping to apply his experiences at war and battle to governing, for the betterment of the city of Volantis. He has been re-elected a number of times, and utilises the fear that still lingers after the horde of Khal Viqallo sacked parts of the city in 258AC to persuade continued expansion of the Volantene forces, despite any current immediate threat.

Malyrio, although in his fifties, maintains a trim and athletic form, and is most commonly seen wearing gauntlets of Valyrian steel, his proudest possessions. He is a staunch believer of the Gods of Old Valyria.

### Tagaros

The Tagaros family are locked in a deep rivalry with the neighbouring Qhaedar family, a feud that has carried across generations. The exact cause of the squabble remains unknown, but a number of suggestions have been suggested over the years. Included amongst these are tales of a maiden from one family and the heir of the other sailing away to the Isle of Love the consummate their secret marriage, although the identity and lead perpetrator of the story varies between the family. Other still talk of goods stolen from a Qhaedar cog, traditionally marked with bands of sky-blue and crimson-red, although the Tagaros family insists that it was not theft, merely confusion resulting for the similar scarlet-red and ocean-blue stripes of their own cogs. The final tale, most popular amongst the smallfolk in the taverns of the city is that one night the Head of the Qhaedar family, returning from a drunken night at a nearby alehouse, stumbled into the manse next door to his own, and to his chagrin bedded and impregnated the Head of the Tagaros family's wife whilst he was away securing a trade deal with the Tourmaline Brotherhood of Qarth. Waking to realise his mistake, the Qhaedar fled, never telling a tale, but when the babe was born, the events of that drunken night were all too plain to see.

### Vaelaros

The predilection of the Vaelaros family for the beliefs and policies of the Elephants is plain to see by their overwhelming presence in the harbour of Volantis. Commanding a fleet of forty mercantile cogs and around a dozen vessels outfitted to protect them on their journeys across the Known World, the Vaelaros have always been involved in trade, specialising in lace and tapestries from the Daughters, velvet from Lorath and high-quality parchment and silk from the Far East.

The Vaelaros family lives in a manse in the south of the Old City, its entrance a maze of bushes and densely packed trees through which guests must navigate to gain entry.

### Vhassar

Half of the Vhassar family lives with the city of Selhorys to the north, but the other half still reside within the Black Walls. Owners of the rich and fertile lands along the river Selhoru, the Vhassars preside an area of land nearly two-thirds the size of the Reach of Westeros, with similar levels of production capabilities.

After being harvested, the wide array of crops, fruit and livestock are sent down river to Selhorys, Valysar and Volon Therys, as well as Volantis itself.