Noble Houses

The Thirteen Noble Houses of Aperion are separated into two groups, the Upper Noble Houses and the Lower Noble Houses. Each house was sanctioned by a Blood King in the founding years of Aperion, the Blood Era.

Upper Noble Houses
The Upper Noble Houses were all founded by Amadeus Flynn, who saw each house as representing something vital to the new nation: Protection, Offence, Defence, and Wisdom. The Upper Nobles, with the exception of the Fifth House of Lewis, are seen as some of the most influental and respected Aperonians, each with a family history stretching back to before Aperion was founded.

Lower Noble Houses
The Lower Noble Houses were all founded by Blood Kings, but most notably Founding King Amadeus Flynn and his grandaughter, Queen Iris Flynn. Each Lower House represents a craft, knowledge set, or skill vital to the preservation and improvement of Aperion, both in Rover skills and everyday life. Although seen as ranking below the Upper Noble Houses, the Lower Nobles are no less respected throughout Aperion.

Fallen Houses
Although the exact number is unknown, it is believed that at the time of the Blood Kings, the Noble Houses numbered anywhere between 20 and 25. However, when the Blood Kings fell from power and Aperion entered the Briar Era under King Travers, several lower houses did not make the transition and fell from power, giving up their land and responsibility. The territory and people under the Fallen Houses were taken in by neighboring Houses, or simply abandoned until later reclamation.

To date, no Upper Noble Houses have fallen, although some have had brushes with financial ruin. However, despite scandal and potential ruin, each of the Upper Noble Houses has recovered.

When a Lower Noble House falls, the remaining houses have traditionally shifted in number so that no gaps are left, symbolic of patching up any potential weaknesses of the crown. For example, the Thirteenth House of Dregg, occupying the final numerical house, was once the Fifteenth House of Dregg. But when the Dreggian Rigmasters incorporated the now fallen House of Sailsmiths and the House of Blackguards fell, they shifted to the Thirteenth House to accomodate the gaps. However, numerical position does not denote rank: all of the Lower Noble Houses are considered equal in stature and rank, although some houses, acting on their own, choose to claim otherwise.

The most famous fallen house is that of the Blackguards.

For more on Fallen Houses, see Lower Noble Houses.