Royal Houses of Lato

Power in the Kingdom of Lato is held in the hands of the monarchy and the six royal houses. The monarch (be it a king or queen) is chosen from one of the royal houses, which each house is also responsible for a sphere of the kingdom's functioning. The houses are Systola, Gagea, Paradisea, Biflora, Edulis and Saxatilis.

### Systola

Technically speaking, the Systola house is the oldest of the six royal houses. It was created when the Kingdom of Pedals and the Kingdom of Oxidora combined. It ruled the kingdom alone for 2,500 years, before its members decided to create the royal house, elected monarchy system. Even since the elected system began 2,378 years ago, Systola has had the most monarchs elected. Its monarchs have the best reputation for gallantry and nobility. In the current day, the family provides a great deal of knights for the standing army, as well as many leaders in the civil service. It is comprised of humans and half-elves. Its emblem is three Systolan tulips blooming from the same point.

#### Notable members

King Ylisse Systola \*deceased\*: King thousands of years ago, was the king who proposed the elected monarchy system.

King Storn Systola \*deceased\*: King who oversaw the end of the recent civil war. Widely loved among the population of the kingdom.

General Noah Systola: The current Head of Household, he is the only son of King Storn. He handles affairs within the family, such as formations of royal tribunals. He is also the head general in the Lato army, reporting directly to Queen Noor.

Officer Mia Systola: The daughter of Noah Systola and granddaughter of King Storn. She is a high-ranking Judgment officer and leader of the Witches Three. Is somewhat estranged from her family due to her choosing Judgment instead of the army.

### Gagea

Descended from the royal family of the Duchy of Gagea, the Gagea family makes up the bulk of the rank-and-file members of the royal army, as well as a good deal of the royal navy. In the era of the elected monarchy, Gagea has had a fair amount of monarchs. Some have been great leaders, but many have not been as skilled on the throne. In the current day, the family is trying to keep a low profile. After their scion Fell's fall from grace, its members are trying to prove themselves overly loyal to the kingdom. It is comprised of humans. Its emblem is a fist holding a sword.

#### Notable members

Vut Gagea \*decreased\*: The original heir named by King Storn, he died in a hunting accident before King Storn's reign ended. A strange occurrence, since Vut was regarded as a master hunter.

Ex-King Fell: The most recently elected king, he tried to exert power with an iron fist. After he had his hyper-loyal First Platoon massacre the town of Nanum, he was deposed and exiled to the Polyodon Archipelago, where he remains to this day.

Rail Gagea \*deceased\*: The leader of the First Platoon, Rail took orders from only Fell, drawing the ire of Noah Systola and other members of the leadership of the royal military. After the massacre at Nanum, Rail, along with many other members of the First Platoon, was executed. He was a cousin of Fell's, a second-cousin from the main branch.

Benton Gagea: The Chief Admiral of the royal navy and the current Head of Household. He is Fell's uncle. Benton has distanced himself from his nephew to keep himself in the good graces of the crown.

### Paradisea

The Paradisea family is unique among the six royal houses in that it is not truly a single family. As the forerunner of the house was the Republic of Paradisea, this royal house is a close coalition of several of the leading families from the days of the Republic. The Paradisea family runs almost every educational institution of worth. Three quarters of all academic papers published in the kingdom have at least one writer from the family. Its members are often somewhat aloof, so it has not had a very storied history on the throne. It is made up of halflings, and its emblem is a quill writing in a book.

#### Notable members

King Vilt Paradisea \*deceased\*: King several decades ago when the civil war raged. Widely believed to have let the problem get worse by not addressing it.

Yix Paradisea: One of the most well-respected academics in the kingdom, he is the authority on several different subject areas, including dragonology, evocation magic, transmutation magic, arcane history and ancient Lato history. He is a cousin from the main branch. He teaches at Fermi University.

Olga Paradisea: The current Head of Household, she is the president of Fermi University and on the board of every institute of higher learning in the kingdom.

### Biflora

While the Systola family is technically the oldest royal family, the Bifloran family goes back over ten thousand years, all the way to the Miyan Kingdom and the Kingdom of Falkun. The family is a unification of three different elven factions. It oversees almost all the finances in the kingdom, with the family controlling 90% of the banks in the kingdom, either directly or indirectly. It is said that if your gold coin hasn't touched at least five Bifloran hands by the time it gets to you, it's probably counterfeit. At the inception of the elected monarchy system, the family waived its right to consideration for the crown, instead focusing on creating a strong economy for the kingdom. Its emblem is a silver tulip with a B blooming from it, with stacks of coins on either side.

#### Notable members

Haruko Biflora: The Head of Household and the chairman of the First Royal Bank, the largest bank in the kingdom. He is also on the board of every other bank in Lato

Yato Biflora \*deceased\*: The third son of Haruko, he was an executive at the First Royal Bank. He began a movement to get the family to reconsider its self-imposed ban on consideration for the throne. However, shortly after he proposed the idea he was murdered by his cousin, so it is unclear if the plan will move forward.

Naga Biflora II: A niece of Haruko's, she runs the Bank of the Sea, a commercial shipping bank. She supported Yato's plan and will likely continue to push it.

Marcia Biflora: A second cousin of the main branch, she runs the Lilium Capital Bank, the bank that works the closest with the crown. As such, she is friends with Queen Noor.

Kazu Biflora IV: A far distant cousin of the main branch, he has made a name for himself as a Consulting Detective, solving cases around the kingdom with ease.

### Edulis

The Edulis family dates all the way back to the Juban Empire in the ancient days of the Lato Island Cluster, although it was not the ruling family at that time. It has, however, been running the dwarven kingdom for thousands of years. Known for their technological savvy, the Edulis family is in charge of most of the construction projects in the kingdom. Nearly every aqueduct system and bridge were designed by an Edulis engineer. The family often clashes with the Biflora family over funding for its projects. It has had a fair amount of monarchs, many of whom oversaw substantial building projects. The family is made up of dwarves. Its emblem is a hammer pounding an anvil.

#### Notable members

Grimlock Petra (Edulis) \*deceased\*: The personal bodyguard of King Storn, Grimlock had a reputation as being the greatest warrior in the kingdom. He changed his last name to Petra to distance himself from his royal roots. After retiring from public service, he started a mercenary guild. Was recently murdered by a mysterious black dragonborn.

Klein Edulis: The Head of Household, he runs many of the engineering institutes. He is credited with the conception of the new locomotive technology that is capturing the imagination of the kingdom.

Healthcliff Edulis: Klein's oldest son, he was recently named one of Queen Noor's two heirs. He is known for being humble and not placing himself too highly above the commoners, despite his rank.

### Saxatilis

The Saxatilis family hails from the foundation of the Pandoran State at the beginning of the first wave of kingdoms. However, they did not gain prominence until after the Tyranny of Snow. The tieflings of the Saxatilis family have always been devout followers of the Pantheon and administer nearly every temple in the kingdom, centering their power at the Grand Temple Complex in Trifolium. They are very dedicated to helping the common people, leaving them with somewhat poor relationships with the rest of the royal families. Made up of tieflings, the family's emblem is the basket-of-gold flower in the palm of two cupped hands.

#### Notable members

Queen Noor Saxatilis: The current queen of the Kingdom of Lato. She cares greatly for the common people, to the point of approving massive spending projects to improve their daily lives. She is despised by the loyal supporters of ex-King Fell.

Abadoor Saxatilis: Queen Noor's personal bodyguard and head of the Queen's Guard. She is a paladin of Athena, as are most of the other members of the Queen's Guard. She takes security very seriously and works closely with Judgment to ensure a safe kingdom.