Upper Noble Houses

The first five Noble Houses among the Nobles. These families were the first established under the juristiction of Amadeus Flynn, the first Blood King. For a number of years, they stood at the only Noble Houses. Each represents something Flynn the First valued in the leadership of a nation.

The First House
Represented by the dragon. The First house is the House of Kings and was originally held by the Flynn family. After the Fall of Blood, the House was held by Travers Macguiness, the first Briar King. Macguiness established the House as a continuing trend, a testament to upholding the ideals of the first three Blood Kings.

Due to the fact that the crown changes hand to an unrelated member, the First House is also known as the Transient House. Its crest is the only one among the Nobles to change with every new Head. Each Rover King or Queen has had a slight variation on the theme of dragons as their unique crest. The livery of the House changes with each new Era as established by the Fifth House.

The First House's Manor doubles as the King's castle and is located in Vysania.

The Second House
Represented by the phoenix. The Second House, known as the House of Order, is held by the Ayasato family. The Ayasato House represents the hand of the Law: defending with the Fourth House, wielding the weapons of the Third House, and interpreting the knowledge of the Fifth House. It includes two branches of the Ayasato family. The primary branch oversees the major work assigned to the House. The secondary branch is focused almost entirely on the security of the Rover King.

The Ayasato House is in charge of the Second Defense Force, known commonly as the SDF, a military operation that acts as an enormous police force that patrolls in separate sections of Aperion. The SDF's activity is confined almost exclusively to the Uplands. With the rise of the Silverwing Brigade, the SDF has become an organization that deals mostly with national defense on a large scale should the country every be threatened. Most Upland towns and cities have a local SDF force made up of citizens. Reports are fed, through a system of command, to the Second House, where overall direction for the SDF, including funding, troop movement, and armaments, are decided.

The Second Manor is located on a lower tier of Vysania, though most operations are carried out in outposts in major cities.

The Third House
Represented by the tiger. The Third House is the House of Weaponmasters, held by the Rein family. The Reins oversee both the manufacture and development of weapons of all sorts. The Lord or Lady of the House must be proficient in both weaponplay and the creation of said armaments. Many Noble families and wealthy Guild members have blades forged by former Lords and Ladies themselves and are treated as family heirlooms.

The Reins, along with the Ryfels of the Fourth House, are the oldest families in the Noble Court. Their fame with weapons and forges extends back to the earliest records of Aperonian history. They are well-known to have a bitter rivalry with the Ryfels, with whom they share a common ancestor and an ancient disagreement.

The Third Manor is located in Reinsholme, the ancestral home of the Rein family. Reinsholme and the manor itself are part of a massive, ancient fortress that is said to have been built by hand by the Rein clan in the days before the Unification War.

The Fourth House
Represented by the turtle. The Fourth House is known as the House of Armorsmiths and is held by the Ryfel family. The Ryfel family develops and forges armor and other defensive utilities, primarily for the SDF. The House Lord or Lady personally oversees prototype armor development personally. A suit is crafted for each new Rover King and is presented to them upon their ascention to the throne.

The Ryfels, along with the Reins, are the oldest families in the Noble Court. They share a long history of their craft- The first Blood King was known to wear armor crafted by the first Lord Ryfel. The Ryfels share a feud with the Reins; they disagree over a dispute whose details have been long forgotten.

The Fourth Manor is located in Caer Ryfel, the ancestral home of the Ryfel family. Their city is a heavily-protected zone nestled inbetween mountain peaks which has, historically, never been breached.

The Fifth House
Represented by the gryphon. The Fifth House, the House of Knowledge, is held by the Lord or lady Lewis. The Lord of Knowledge is a unique position among nobles; the title changes hands much like the Transient House. Though this goes against the laws of the Noble Court, their methods are quietly tolerated due to their relative independence from the rest of the Court structure.

The House of Lewis's duties include the collection and interpretation of lore, books, folk wisdom, and information in Aperion. Their position was originally created due to the First King's regret of the loss of much of the country's recorded history due to the turmoil predating the Unification War. They are a fairly insular society that functions much more like a monastary than a House. Those who become a part of the House's work are chosen individually and invited. Visits are rare.

The Fifth Manor is located close to the Barrier Range, though the location is not easy to discover, nor is it particularly well-known. Much correspondence between the Fifth House and the outside world is done through a specially-bred type of owl used exclusively by the Fifth House. These owls are seen far more frequent than any actual member of the House.

The Fifth House is rumored to host the remaining gryphons of Aperion, long known to be creatures culturally associated with wisdom.