Noble Families

the carriages moving up the path numbered five, each large enough to hold hold a family of four as well as a few small number of servants not including the coachman. The carriages themselves were fairly standard in make and were constructed of different types and shades of wood, some darker than others. Each carriage was drawn by two horses of roughly the same color as if in an attempt to ensure that everything was symmetrical in style. Each carriage was driven by a coachman or coachwoman who all wore simple travelers outfits except that their cloaks each bore a coat of arms on the chest representing the family they served.

As the carriages pulled up to the manor and around in a semicircle before the entrance where Jien and family stood the coats of arms all came into view. The first of which was a carriage with a golden colored eagle bearing a bow in one claw and an arrow in the other, a crown sitting atop its feathered head. This was the coat of arms of the Knowles family. Jien having spent time learning about the surrounding families for the purposes of having decent relations knew that this family was located to the west of Afrem. They lived in Elker City, a city that focused on agriculture and the harvesting of many different types of vegetables and grains. In fact besides the grains that Afrem produced thanks to the hard work of Jien's late mother they were the main source of grains for this region of the Elitrix Empire.

Behind this carriage stood one that bore the symbol of the Griffith family, an anvil with twin hammers crossed as a backdrop and a crown of flames hovering above. The Griffith family loved to the north of Afrem City, on the border of the beastkin territory nestled into a mid sized mountain range. They ruled over Silvios City, a city known and named for the silver that they had found and continued to mine from the mountains the bordered their city. Silvios City became a mining and forging city where some of the best blacksmiths lived and worked. Though the Halbus Mountains were known for silver they also had a wide variety of other metals to mine. The Griffith family had started as a mining and blacksmithing family who seized the opportunity to rule over the territory by the merit of their craft.

Next came a carriage with a stylized wolf rearing on its back legs and breathing blue fire. This was the crest of the Mason family who had their territory to the southwest of Afrem. They were a smaller city, closer to that of a town that shared close ties with the Knowles family. The Mason family was known for growing and harvesting herbs and other plants used in alchemy. Though most of these plants were not magical in nature they were still known for their research in how to grow and harvest magical plants in a way to try and assist the empire in having a firmer supply chain for such items.

The fourth carriage was that of the Bell family. Their crest was simple in nature, a pair of dogs facing each other with a long sword between them. They were in charge of Lyaberon City to the south of Afrem near the Forest of Songs. Their territory was mostly known for hunting within the forest of songs and leather working. Their infrastructure was heavily intertwined with the dangerous forest and though it meant danger for them it was also a source of opportunity that they took hold of. The royal family had in fact made them the protectors of the Forest of Songs and if not for a decree from the royal family the Bell family would have likely been requested to handle the bandits instead of Lord Losler.

Last but not least was the Romero family, their crest a crow with its wings spread wide and a dagger held firmly in its beak. They were a family to the east of Afrem, in charge of Xoum City which served as a trading hub between the capital in the far east and the other five families. Xoum City for all of its trade and connections with the capital was one of the more stark cities in the empire. The Romero family did not find interest in much of the various fancies that one could see in a city and as such their city was more like a warehouse and distribution center than a place for entertainment. This was less because of a lack of desire on the part of the cities citizens and more because the Romero family were known for a second reason.

The Romero family were a very distant branch of the royal family, one that were trained as protectors. Though they were given control of a trading hub connected to the capital, this was known to be for better control over trading routes than because the family itself raising merits or having a talent for it. In this way the royal family held a firm hold of all items traded and were able to eliminate a large number of problem individuals before they could either arrive at or fully escape from the capital.

All of this had earned the Romero family a pour reputation as the executioners of the royals and their hidden blade against those who wished to cause trouble. Of course the Romero family cared little about what they were called, they simply wished to complete their duties as they were given.

As the carriages came to a full stop Jien felt slightly anxious. He had not met these families in the past even though he knew their names and about the territories under their control. It was a feeling of butterflies in his stomach and also a sense of wariness. He was slightly excited to meet others and hopefully be able to learn from them where he could but he didn't wish to interact with them in person like this. His final thought as the carriage doors opened was that he wished they were all just books so that rather than having to interact with them he could just take in their knowledge and move on.