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.

Traditionally, the Old Blood are the pool from which 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. However, since the ascension of Belicho Maegyr, no new Triarchs have been selected.

## Main Families

### Aerteris

One of the only families of the Old Blood which worship the Lord of Light over keeping the Gods of Old Valyria, the Aerteris 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 Aerteris, with its obisidian archway entrance and sprawling gardens is large by Essosi standards, and home to a number of pools and fountains filled with crisp, clear water.

They have one of the largest temples to R'hllor in the known world, and the second largest in Volantis.

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. The head of the axe itself is dark Valyrian Steel, colored red with the arts of Qohor.

They have been tasked with ruling over the city of Volon Therys and thus the majority of the family resides within that city instead of inside the Black Walls.

### 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.

They have been tasked with ruling over the city of Valysar and thus the majority of the family resides within that city instead of inside the Black Walls.

### 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. Belicho Maegyr changed the system when he declared himself more than Triarch atop Viserion, and has ruled as Emperor ever since.

### 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 supposed death of the last of the dragons more than a century ago, the Paenymions still stylised themselves as Dragon Lords, regardless of gender, something that both their manse and appearance reflected. 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 resided in a manse of black stone, surrounded by walls designed to copy the design of the Black Walls of Old Volantis.

With the arrival of Viserion in the city under the command of Belicho Maegyr, the Paenymion family grew deeply covertous and schemed to steal the beast from the newly-made Emperor. Their attempts failed, and the Paenymions and their manse burned for it.

### 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.

Since the Tagaros family's exile, the Qhaedar family has moved to sieze many of the assets of their rival family, although most have fallen into the possession of their Emperor, much to their own chagrin. They have been tasked with ruling over the city of Selhorys and thus the majority of the family resides within that city instead of inside the Black Walls.

### Qoheros

Before their exile, the members of the Qoheros family were invested heavy in the trade of spices and gold from the Far East and with it built a fleet of nearly thirty ships. They owned 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 controlled many timber-yards that process goods sent down the Rhoyne by the Qohorik.

The traditional colours of the Qoheros family were royal purple and a deep brownish red, something that was reflected in all aspects of their dwellings, from the flowers in the gardens to the semi-precious stones that decorated the gates. Upon refusing to put aside the Elephant Party, they were exiled from the city by the Emperor.

### Staegone

The Staegones have since carried a reputation for their fiery temper, were traditionally stout supporters of the Tiger Party before the ascension of Belicho Maegyr. Seeing the power wielded by the Emperor was far greater and further reaching than the Tiger Party before them, the Staegone family were one of the first to accept Maegyr's rule, and have benefitted greatly for it.

Martially, they are one of the strongest families within the Old Blood of Volantis.

### 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.

Since the Tagaros family's exile for refusing to acknowledge Emperor Belicho Maegyr's ascension, the Qhaedar family has moved to sieze many of the assets of their rival family, although most have fallen into the possession of their Emperor, much to their own chagrin.

### 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 mercantile cogs and about half 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 Myr and Tyrosh, 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.