The Noble Houses of Valdaran

Descended from the greatest warriors of the original six clans which made up the Valdaran people, the Noble Houses of Valdaran have become miniature clans unto themselves in the modern day. The majority of the Houses require that the head of the House be an active Wyvern Knight, though knights who have retired from active duty retain great influence and prestige within their Houses.

While every Wyvern Knight is a noble, not all of the knights are of noble birth or even belong to the Houses. The Allking sponsors a tournament every five years to allow commoners of exceptional talent to demonstrate their abilities for members of the Houses. The winners of the tournaments often are adopted or sponsored by one House or another, becoming squires to prominent knights belonging to the House and eventually earning a Proving of their own to become a new knight.

Rather than describe every House in Valdaran, here are some of the major Houses whose members either have an impact on the story of Laeryk's Proving, or are names of note in the setting.

HOUSE WYVERNCROWN

House Wyverncrown is not, technically, one of the Houses, but no one would dispute the noble status of its members. The Wyverncrowns are the royal family of Valdaran, tracing their heritage all the way back to the original Allking, Korvaft. Each Allking must be a Wyvern Knight, though customarily each Allking takes their own heir as their squire, violating the tradition most Houses have of fostering their children with other Houses as squires. Currently, Wodan Wyvercrown is Allking of Valdaran. His son, Ragnar, and his daughter, Freya, are the only other living members of House Wyverncrown. Flying in the face of tradition, Ragnar Wyverncrown, heir to the throne, has become betrothed to Elsebet du Lemaigne of Deldanare. This has caused some concern among the leaders of the Houses, who feel that Ragnar will be polluting the lineage of Korvaft with the blood of an outlander.

HOUSE WHITEROSE

House Whiterose is the most powerful House in Valdaran, second only to the Wyverncrowns. The Whiteroses can trace their lineage back to one of Korvaft's brothers, which makes them a "Cousin" House. While any trace of familial connection has long since vanished, the two Houses remain close. Whiteroses are often considered suitable candidates to marry the Allking or their heirs. The Whiteroses also maintain many of the wyvern aviaries in Valdaran, establishing a connection with the wyverns that make many of the other Houses jealous.

The Whiteroses have a strong military tradition, boasting the largest number of active Wyvern Knights in their ranks in all of Valdaran. Whiteroses have been Wing Lords and have held places of honor in each of the five Wings. The current Wing Lord of Silver Wing is a Whiterose. Each Whiterose competes to distinguish themselves from both their ancestors and the other children of the House, resulting in many stories and legends of the exploits of famous Whiteroses. Perhaps the most famous of the Whiteroses is no longer considered a member of the House, having been banished from the House for treason (see House Thorn for more information).

Currently, Vikar Whiterose holds the most influence within House Whiterose. Though he was forced to retire from active duty as a Wyvern Knight after suffering an injury that nearly killed him, Vikar Whiterose's ambition has led him to acquire tremendous political power within Valdaran. This power and influence allowed Vikar Whiterose's son Gavain to be raised closely with the Wyvercrowns, to the point that Ragnar Wyverncrown and Gavain refer to each other as cousins.

HOUSE ICEHART

Another of the "Cousin" Houses, House Icehart once held a controlling interest in the mines of Valdaran, but their fortunes have waned of late after disease killed off the majority of the House's members. The most prestigious member of the House currently is Arngrim Icehart, who only passed his Proving two years ago but has earned prestige during several missions as a member of Bronze Wing. Some wonder what the fate of House Icehart will be, while other worry at the sudden interest Vikar Whiterose has taken in the ailing House.

HOUSE WYVERNCLAW

House Wyvernclaw is a new House, founded when Wing Lord Garon Wyvernclaw passed his Proving. Garon Wyvernclaw was a commoner whose family sacrificed nearly everything they had to earn their son a chance to compete at the Allking's tournament. Garon won the competition and Cradden Thorn had offered to take Garon as his squire. Garon went on to become nearly family with the Thorns, and best friends with Cradden's son, Derris. Garon's potential was evident to everyone, and it came as no surprise when he was made second in command of Steel Wing, and eventually Steel Wing's Wing Lord. Garon took the name "Wyvernclaw" as an homage to owing his success to the opportunity the Allking's tournament afforded him. House Wyvernclaw has earned a modest income, though nearly all of its influence is due to Garon's position as a Wing Lord. Having never married, Garon Wyvernclaw has no heir.

HOUSE THORN

While it lacks the prestige of many of the other Houses, no House is as well-known as House Thorn, the House born of treason. Valdaran had been invaded only twice since its founding, once by the Morkavian Empire, and once by the vile, inhuman Naelfarn. While Valdaran repelled the Morkavians, the Naelfarn managed to reach the capital of Wyvernholme and nearly destroy it, all thanks to the treason of one man: Jellik Whiterose.

Jellik Whiterose had been second in command of Silver Wing, and one of the most renowned Wyvern Knights of his day. Each of his sons was a Wyvern Knight, and anyone fortunate enough to become Jellik's squire was certain to earn great prestige upon passing their Proving. No one would have suspected that such a renowned knight would betray Valdaran, but at some point Jellik Whiterose made contact with the Naelfarn and agreed to help them attack Valdaran under the condition that Jellik be made the new Allking. Jellik recruited a surprisingly large number of Wyvern Knights to join him, while the Naelfarn used foul magic to keep the rogue knights' wyverns under control. All of Jellik's sons joined him except for one, Allynder Whiterose, who tried to convince his father to abandon the mad scheme. Allynder's words fell on deaf ears, and the young knight was unable to stop his father from killing the Allking during the invasion. Allynder was able to stop his father from killing the heir to the throne however, fighting a duel with his father made famous in song. Allynder slew his father, and offered both Jellik's head and his own to the new Allking in penance for his failure to alert the Wyvernthrone of the danger his father had posed. The new Allking spared Allynder's life in exchange for Allynder uniting the remaining Wings to stop the rebel knights. After Allynder had crushed the rebellion, Allking Tyrnan granted him his pardon, but included the condition that Allynder step down as a Wyvern Knight. Allynder agreed, but House Whiterose was unsatisfied with the gesture. They declared that neither Jellik nor any of his sons were members of the House, but had become "thorns" in the side of Valdaran.

Proud to the end, Allynder decided to accept the name, and encouraged his own children to strive to become knights. Allynder Thorn lived long enough to watch one of his grandchildren pass their Proving and establish House Thorn.

The Thorns have remained a modest House throughout the years. It retains a stigma from the actions of Jellik Thorn, though few who have served beside a Wyvern Knight from House Thorn can dispute their commitment to the throne or their fellow knights. In recent years it had looked as though House Thorn was on the verge of finally shedding the dark cloud hanging over its reputation, but the death of its most recent leader, Derris Thorn twelve years ago brought everything to a halt. Derris Thorn's son, Laeryk, was sent to live with his aunt and uncle in House Frostwind, and the modest coffers of House Thorn were drained by the greedy Frostwinds. Thorn Manor was sold to the crown to pay for House Frostwind's taxes. While Laeryk Thorn was squired to his uncle, Belok Frostwind, he has spent the last twelve years without earning a Proving from his uncle, and many doubt that he will earn one by the time of his twenty-first birthday, when he will become ineligible to become a Wyvern Knight, ending House Thorn completely. There are some who look at the darkly intense gaze of Laeryk Thorn and wonder if this would be such a bad thing...

Next Time: A discussion about magic in Laeryk's Proving!