Noble Houses of Arkland

There are hundreds of noble families all throughout the nine baronies. This is exclusive of any Lord Commanders, who although small land owners, are largely not considered a direct part of the nobility of a land. Nobility in Arkland is a grant of heritage, wealth, and land ownership. Not all noble families are equal. There are less than 40 houses who are powerful enough to truly stake a claim towards being a baron, but nonetheless, any noble house in some way is in the proverbial, political, chess game in terms of the rise and fall of power. Power is measured as a sum of wealth and land. Thus, the most powerful families own some great combination of both. Not all land in Arkland is of the same value, either. Obviously, land under a city is far more valuable than rural land as would be land ownership over the Ironwood forests. Thus, sheer volume of land does not dictate power so much as value of land.

To compete with one another, noble houses often play a game of subterfuge, attempting to undermine those that are nearby and in essence find a way to either gain more money or have the ability to stake claim on lands. Rarely, this is done through force of arms, but more commonly it is done through economic and industrial sabotage. Noble families may also build alliances, especially through inter-marriage or debt, which will increase their power base simply by combining the overall economic power of several families.

## Houses of Arkland

The following is non-exhaustive list of notable Houses in Arkland.

**House Bittecourt of Chavriselle**

House Bittecourt owns nearly 25% of the city of Chavriselle and has a sizable stake in the profitable dock yards within the city. Bittecourt records its own history as being established in 611 AF by its patriarch, Silvain Bittecourt. Silvain was a captain of industry during his time, starting with his own personal business and propelling that slowly into an empire. By middle age, he was a vastly wealthy member of the Merchant Class. Using his business expertise and ruthless dealings, he was able to pit the interest of several of the existing houses of that time against each other in an economic feud of which he was the actual victor. Using their financial ruin as a spring board and by issuing them debt notes to fund their feud, Bittecourt was able to finally procure land of his own and rise to the stature of nobility before his death. He passed on the legacy of ruthless business to his children, of whom Gervaise Bittecourt, his youngest daughter, learned best. Through Gervaise, the Bittecourt financial empire continued to consume land under what was to become the port of Chavriselle. Now, the legacy of ruthlessness has not ended and the power and wealth of Bittecourt has grown beyond measure. Any bargain made with a Bittecourt is considered a devil's deal, but at this point, they control so much land and power in Chavriselle that there are very few who can outright refuse to deal with them. All matters of business, from large to small, in Chavriselle have a Bittecourt somewhere behind them.

**House Costeau of Felderelle**

House Costeau is a direct ally of the Priests of Light in Felderelle. Their legacy is ancient, dating back as far as 318 AF. For the majority of the history of Arkland, this noble family was tiny in comparison to others, but their rise to greatness began in the last century and a half when the Priests of Light became established in Felderelle. It was House Costeau who owned portions of the relatively worthless land that the fortress monastery was built on and who gifted that as well as their sworn devotion to the Light to the new Priests. Patrice Costeau, the eldest of the Costeau land owners, saw in the Priests of Light something that the rest of the nobility chose to refuse to see, power in the commoner. By granting land and providing for the Priests of Light, Patrice Costeau built for his house an extremely valuable ally who over time has given great wealth and power to the house. Now, House Costeau controls much of the politics of Felderelle, and their devout following of the Priests of Light fills their business dealings. A portrait of every Light of Arkland sits in the great hallway of their mansion, just above the portraits of all Costeau family leaders stretching back for 600 years.

**House Gaumont of Trevignon Peninsula**

Known as the people's house, House Gaumont is tiny in comparison to much of the other nobility in Arkland. This is so because the Trevignon Peninsula is a relatively barren place and certainly not wealthy. Yet, House Gaumont has learned that true power can be found in embracing the shared hardships of the land with the commoners. Very rare in Arkland, the gates of House Gaumont remain open to any commoner who wish to visit the nobility. The sons and daughters of House Gaumont work the docks of the Peninsula, some of which are even fishermen themselves. This relative openness with their people has created an unbreakable bond of loyalty between the commoners of their lands and the house. So much so that repeated attempts by the Priests of Light to establish flocks on their lands have failed miserably in that the commoners simply do not trust outsiders nor would ever betray the trust of their lords and ladies. The banners of House Gaumont are few, but the soldiers in those banners are considered some of the most fierce in all of Arkland. These soldiers not only serve a house, they serve what they consider to be an ally and family. There have not been many armed attempts at conquest over House Gaumont, as the land they control is not valuable, but those greedy lords who have tried have found that the banners of House Gaumont are nearly indestructible.

**House Dubois of Brandoux**

With the symbol of the dagger and snake on their family crest, House Dubois has never made any pretenses about their feelings towards outsiders. Their matriarch, Odette Dubois, rose to the status of nobility in 706 AF. She was a commoner with whom a noble son fell in love and married. Yet, as the family would soon find out, Odette Dubois was cunning, ruthless, and extremely ambitious. She was able to dominate her weak willed husband and use his small influence to begin building alliances within the family. It wasn't long before rivals within the House began to fall ill of sickness and poison as Odette began a campaign of terror to seize control of the entire family. Odette's greatest strength was not just in her raw ambition but also in her ability to see in others aptitude at the nefarious tasks that she needed completed. Having no compunctions around meddling with commoners as she was one herself, Odette was able to surround herself with highly skilled assassins, accountants, and lawyers, the three things every conquering lady needs. She operated a network of spies, all hired from commoners, who would keep her safe, bring distrust among her enemies, and eventually, see Odette take control of the entire House. From there, House Dubois has continued to operate from the shadows. Most nobility in the area refuse audiences with the House out of fear, but this does not stop House Dubois' lengthy spy networks from gathering information nor the assassin's blade from finding its mark. It is well understood that the downfall of House Dubois will be at the hands of the greater law, just as soon as someone figures out how to make something stick.

**House Leonhard of the King's Wald**

With a family crest of the Montilliare Mountain Lion, House Leonhard has a history, exact dates unknown, that stretches about as far back as Arkland itself. The members of House Leonhard boast that it was their men and women who were present to defend Arkland in its infancy in the First War of the Stars. Leaders of this house are expected to act both with fierceness but also honor and fairness. Such attitudes have seen their power come and go over the years as operating with honor endears alliances but also invites treachery. Yet, none have ever been able to topple the House, and this is largely in part to the stalwart Lord Commanders that House Leonhard is famous for nurturing. With a healthy share of the Ironwood forest, House Leonhard is as wealthy as it is ancient. Such is the pride of those of House Leonhard that they always are seen wearing the cloak with the crest of their house on it around their shoulders. They would have all the world know who they are and are never ashamed of their past. Such is the virtue of a house of honor.

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--Neil (talk) 20:50, 21 October 2016 (AST)