Also known as the *Anciens* # Overview The Houses of Séllur govern the many cities of the realm, along with having exclusive ability to hold rank in the Séllurian administration of the realm. This means only nobles can serve on the [[Primrose Council]], command the [[Fleurier Order]], or be Admiral of Séllur's naval forces. # Greater vs. Lesser Houses The distinctions between Houses are both prestige based and historically founded. The Three Lesser Houses were founded by the banner men of [[Jacque|Jacque]] following their victory in the [[Petaled Revolution]]. The Three Lesser Houses each agreed to join the lands ruled by Jacque, each of them having 2 counties centered on a city. The modern Greater Houses each joined the Séllur later in its reign, joining with the [[Crownlands]] on certain conditions. The [[Day Counties]] were the first to join and negotiated privileges that the Lesser Houses were not afforded, such as more autonomous governance, the hereditary title of "Duke" and holding a higher level of prestige than the Lesser Houses, resulting in the bowing/kneeling tradition becoming a staple of [[Séllurian Species & Culture]]. The [[Dawn Counties]] and [[Dusk Counties]] followed after.  The Houses each have privileges that common folk don’t, the prime example being monopolies. Similar to how nobility worked in real life, each family is given the privilege and land by the monarch to control industries. The caveat is that they are subservient to the crown and obviously need to give a cut to the ruling house. Regardless of the cut to the ruling house the nobles still stack cash higher than anyone else can because of this advantage. # Greater Houses: - Own the most land, have the best monopolies and privileges. Are considered more prestigious than the Lesser Houses. Often have more of a focus on maintaining their bloodline’s primacy than Lesser Houses (i.e. not marrying commoners) # [[Jacquemond|House Jacquemond]]: The ruling family that claim the symbol of the Sun. They are the least in number to make succession easier and are the largest land owners in the Kingdom. Members of House Jacquemond are expected to conduct themselves with the utmost responsibility. # [[Leverge|House Leverge]]: The family that controls international shipping and receiving of the Kingdom’s resources. They claim the symbol of the Iridescent Fin They have fey descendancy so many are Firbolg, Satyr, or Eladrin in addition to the normal Half-Elf, or Human. # [[Midinet|House Midinet]]: The family that controls the agricultural production in the kingdom. They claim the lion as their symbol. They are human with a small minority branch of half-elves. House Midinet is known for its elaborate and abundant feasts and festivals. # [[Coucher|House Coucher]]: The drow house. They control creation of spell scrolls, enchanted objects, magical education, and mining/quarrying the mountains that straddle their territory. This is touchy because the mountains go through 3 different holdings but only this house can mine them. They are pretty snooty and keep to themselves compared to the other houses. # Lesser Houses: # [[Lansois|House Lansois]]: They claim the symbol of the Unicorn. They have a monopoly on religious land, meaning that they collect the tithe from the clerics and priests. This house is built on the devotion of the kingdom but the tithe collection is difficult to coordinate and not reliable. This house is a lot of humans but there are elven and half-elven branches. # [[Marleau|House Marleau]]: They claim the symbol of the dragon. They have a monopoly on the various guilds in the kingdom. They collect the dues of each guild, along with overseeing their leaders. This is more of a social control mechanism than anything else, but it does bring a modest income to the house. They are dominated by humans, half-elves, and the occasional tiefling. # [[Verfille|House Verfille]]: They claim the bear as their symbol. They have a monopoly on smithing, producing weapons and armor. They are the most stable of the Lesser Houses, having ready buyers all over the Kingdom and Tavra. Legend has it that [[Blooming Blades|Rothmund]] was the descendant of a true stone giant. This house is full of goliaths, human-goliath mix, and humans.