Within Kaldreach, twelve Noble Houses once reigned.Alongside the Church, the Imperial Administration, and what little remained of the Aurelian Royality, the Noble Houses oversaw the major ongoings within Kaldreach, and by extension, the entire North of the human-controlled regions of the Thalmyra continent.Of these twelve Noble Houses, currently, only three could still be said to be a major independent power, commanding respectable armies, wealth, and reputations to their name.The rest were presently left in varying states of dissolution. Some had been destroyed by demons, others by more ‘human’ and internal sources. A few had even fractured into a dozen squabbling minor Houses, fighting over what little was left of their family’s fortune.In some instances, they might have even been assimilated into one of the larger factions in Kaldreach, such as the Church, the Empire, or even by the three Major Houses.Neither House Elathion nor House Dervaine were one of those three Major Houses, but Lord Draevan would freely admit that House Dervaine was closer to their status than most.The reception alone proved that point. Where Lord Draevan had only been able to greet his guest with the bare minimum of food and board, Lord Horatio of House Dervaine had come prepared with much fanfare. His servants lined the walkway to the castle’s entrance, immaculately dressed and bowing deeply as he and his entourage entered. Maids, butlers, squires, even knights… Their numbers dwarfed Draevan’s own household twice over, and that was only what was presently presented.The young party of five Chosens looked used to their presence, though Draevan (...)