[INFO: THE NOBILITY]
The title carrying members of Tyrolian society are known for their pride and extravagance. Though some do enter the Citadel or the Golden Hour, on the whole they are better suited for commerce or lives of leisure. Though not necessarily landed, many own large estates just outside the city walls. However, their time is mostly spent within their metropolitan compounds.
Among these families, there are a number of rivalries and alliances. And, as many of them are intermarried, charting their relationships becomes exceedingly complicated. Commoners view the squabbles of the nobles as foolish, while the nobility view the commoners as, well, common. Climbing the social ladder is near impossible in Tyrol.
The first player to app into a house may write a blurb characterizing the family and its history.
The House of Bharquite, the Royal Family is famous for its cunning, and it comes as no surprise that through the dealings of the current king's father they came to the throne. Scupleless and arrogant, the family is not loved by the people of Tyrol, but they are shown the respect they deserve. The king, however, is a spineless man, hardly indicative of his family's temperament, and most royal decrees come from his elder sister, the Duchess. The Queen died of a fever shortly after the birth of the Princess Sevda. The king does not wish to remarry, but may find himself forced to if his hold on the throne continues to slip.
Members: King Ishmael Bharquite II, Duchess Katrin Bharquite (deceased), Prince Arman Bharquite, Princess Lusine Bharquite (NPC), Princess Sevda Bharquite (NPC).
The House of Naevin is a prominent noble family in Tyrol, though not for any reasons they might like if they took the time to notice. (Spoiler: they don't.) The family had some kings in their history, but got in trouble for putting too much into appearances and suffered some generations back, knocking them off the throne and having a fair chunk of the head family executed. Some of them were left to live, and through fearful instruction have since kept mostly out of the political arena, though there have been a few potential brides up for grabs. Now, however, they are known for being simply an eccentric and fashionable bunch of nobles that keep their place through careful picking and choosing of investements, monetary and otherwise, which many are amazed to discover they can do as they are otherwise a seeming bunch of airheads and fops. Some might compare them to the Sabremes, but they aren't quite so effective as that. They do enjoy the arts, but they're interested in anything shiny, really. Fashion and entertainment is of particular concern to the Naevin family. They do enjoy their frills!
Members: Ezra Joseph Naevin
The House of Evandros is known for being, well, a little clueless. They're mostly intelligent people but tend to be so wrapped up in their own areas of interest that they ignore the rest of the world and suffer for it. They're a very old noble house but rarely hold much power, due to heads of family generally having had interests other than being politically cutthroat. Sometimes seen as a joke, most other noble houses don't see them as much of a threat. The Evandroses are usually ignored in favour of more meaty targets.
The current Evandros brood consists of the Lord and Lady Evandros, and seven children, the oldest 32 and the youngest 16, most of them married off with kids of their own. All of them have middle names from Norse mythology because it just HAPPENS to be Lady Evandros's area of interest.
Members: Duncan Heimdall Evandros, Rayna Arlend Evandros, Jonathon Evandros (5), Mirza Evandros (2).
The House of Sabreme: Having been around for what the Sabremes would happily let you assume is forever but is really just six or seven generations, the Sabremes are a fairly established branch of nobility. Having been created from the line of a particularly valorous knight back in the mists of time, it's a surprise that they appear to be such fops now. The Sabreme family are great patrons of the arts in Tyrol,spending great deals of money to sponsor and invest in great cultural works - though their focus as a main is on established, "safe" artists. Their children are taught music from an early age and they generally have a few bards employed around their household. It's a fairly open secret that most artists they employ are as paid much for the information they can pass back to their sponsors as they are for their art works. A bit of friendly spying and healthy competition never hurt anyone - if the family's a little...cut-throat, does it matter? The head of the family caused some controversy by marrying a woman from a merchant family two decades ago, but is still respected for his sharp wit and survivability. However, his health is ailing and with only one son (who is still young and might easily be disposed of or manipulated) the vultures - or the Sabremes, as they are known in polite society - are beginning to circle.
Members: Cataline Taresa Sabreme, Sena Abela Sabreme, Cristofolo Garel Sabreme.
The House of Vaux is best known for luxury and indulgence, notable even amongst the nobility of Tyrol. They are known for their fine, generous spreads of food; their large cellars filled with wine and ale, some of which is made by the Vaux family themselves; their lavish, wild parties; and their luxurious --if perhaps overwrought -- estates. Their extravagance has gone on for generations, as if each is trying to outdo the previous.
They are also known as a collection of gossipers, privy to a number of scandals, if only because they are somehow involved. That is not to say they are known to be indiscreet, it just seems that wherever scandals and vices are found, the House of Vaux is often not far from the scene.
The family Vaux is quite large, and as such have a number of connections, typically via marriage, to other noble families, and useful individuals. This also results in a rather colourful family history, full of backstabbing and strange marriage connections as various relations jockey for position.
Members: Valentin Vaux, Laurent Vaux, Adelle Vaux.
The House of Aronine hold a reputation as a dormant and highly disciplined, if not rigid, House. Historical documentation shows that the Aronines have seen more infighting and conflict than the other Houses. Until recently, the Aronines were weakened by inbreeding, and witless, naive and/or submissive heirs, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation by others in the quest for advancement and power. Faced with the threat of extinction and a blight to their name, familial zealots took it upon themselves to be the last bastions of the Aronine's honour. They were determined to transform what was commonly seen as a hollowed, faltering House into a symbol of strength to be respected. In a matter of generations, the Aronines went from being a name of weakness to one of force (if not fear) - one could not say that ruling with an iron fist did not have its advantages. The family became invested in training military personnel and logistics, with many members serving as bodyguards for powerful figures throughout Tyrol's history and more notable ones as members of the Cancellarius. There are whispers among locals that the darker members of Aronine's families have branched out into hunting Others, serving as assassins or mercenaries for hire, but these remain unaddressed by the family.
The Aronines have now established themselves as a militaristic and stoic House whose members seem to speak quietly but carry a huge stick. Outwardly, the Aronines seem to lend their name and might to causes of their picking, some of which seem motivated more by irrational and unbridled spurts of passion than political reasons. Due to the oddness of their behaviour, the House of Aronine has sparked a bit of speculation and unrest at times, but never enough to cause widespread or damaging disturbance. Even those of watered down bloodlines and tenuous relations throughout Balfour seek to use their name for petty, ill-disguised attempts at intimidation and territory building. Of course, there are still central family members who are deemed little more than wallflowers and figureheads, but the House now wields more power than it has seen in its recent history and it would be wiser to err on the side of caution when it comes to dealing with the Aronines. Despite this, they do not seem to show any interest in political endeavours, and are largely perceived to remain silent, if not dormant on such matters.
Members: Vida Aronine.
The House of Bercator: The Bercator line is old blood and has not always been filled by those with noble intentions. The Bercator noble lineage can be traced back many generation, though in truth the entire ordeal formed from one simple act: the betrayal of one sibling by another. A plot to assassinate a King was foiled when the youngest Bercator child managed to expose the coup d’état that his older brother planned, quickly throwing the power balance back in favor of the royal family. After exposing his elder brother's treachery the family was given a pardon and the younger brother was even given a noble title; a title which was meant to be honorary but never stick for generations.
If House Sabreme is known for throwing money to the arts, House Bercator are known for throwing their money to pleasure. Bercator are the owners of quite a few taverns, gambling dens and brothels - as well as acting as a source of money lender (for quite a hefty interest) - and one could say that they are the nobles quite often lifting the King's coin. The Bercator family is known not only for their dealings in the seedier side of city life, but as well for their arrogance and stubbornness. Many members of the Bercator family have had fiery personalities - hot tempers, sharp tongues, quick wit - and as such are not exactly the most well-liked noble family. Sixteen months prior to game start, Delling Bercator suffered massive head trauma from a slip getting into his private bath and passed away. His wife, Ran Bercator, passed nineteen years prior due to complications in child birth - though their child survived. He never remarried.
Members: Hollis Bercator, Dominic Bercator, Lord Vidar Bercator (deceased), Zisa Bercator (deceased), Frey Bercator (deceased), Var Bercator (deceased).
[The openings for members of the nobility have no current limit. However, we will cap them if they start to seem ridiculously large.]