So when it comes to Zenith, like everywhere else, there are the haves and have-nots, and more specifically there is the elite upper crust that wields significant political power. Zenith is no different from anywhere else. And in Zenith, these social elite is commonly referred to as the “Noble Houses.”
Who are the Noble Houses?
The Noble Houses have been a part of the fabric of Zenith since it’s inception, and since the first shovel broke ground to create the city. The stories all say that one day hundreds of years ago, a being known only as “The Architect,” approached a group of families with a dream for an amazing city that would become a beacon of the future. And they worked with them to make their dream a reality.
Since that day, and given their long history, the noble houses have wielded significant influence over the city of Zenith, and despite not having an official position in the government of the city. They do wield influence over key parts of the infrastructure.
What families are the noble houses?
The Noble Houses are made up of six families that fundamentally control key elements of the city and it’s function. And these areas of influence combined with their long history have created dynasty’s of significant power and influence. The families are:
- House Herald; A family of tiefllings that control all news and information services. In other parts of the world, they control both mundane mail systems, as well as arcane messaging services. In Zenith itself, they control “The Herald’s Beacon,” a news organization for Zenith and the world proper.
- House Karidark: A family of half-orcs who maintain interests in all forms of agriculture and mining interests. They own many of the mining companies and are ultimately responsible for interests in mundane materials, but also own the companies responsible for mining Dragon Essence.
- House Zaphresz: An elven family that has a controlling interest in the hospitality industry. They control interests in hospitality all over the world and especially Zenith.
- House Embersong: A family of predominantly drow, that maintain security and military interests. They support mercenary companies and provide training and strategy support for many of the world’s military. They provide themselves on providing protection services.
- House Azerath: A family of tritons, that are responsible for the transportation industry, and provide services to support transportation via boat, airship, drake rail, and even teleportation circles.
- House Remmington: A family of humans who control the manufacturing interests around the world. They specifically are known for their Research and Development efforts. They drive much of the innovation in the world and provide new cutting edge technologies, many of which are powered by Dragon Essence.
The key thing to note based on the above, is that there is a web of dependencies between the different Noble Houses. And the fact that they are so entrenched in the fabric of the city means that “not working with the other house,” is definitely not a viable strategy.
More than their unofficial influence, the houses do send representatives to the “Silent Council” which is the highest authority in Zenith.
How can I use the Noble Houses in my campaign?
Like a lot of the rich and powerful, the Noble Houses can serve several different functions in your game, the following are key directions I’ve used or would recommend:
- Quest Giver / Group Patrons: A great use for the Noble Families is to bring them in as potential quest givers and patrons. This makes for a great way of giving the players in your game options for benefiting from the Ouse, while also being pulled into the politics.
- BBEG / Adversaries: The inverse of the above, is also an option. You could leverage the noble families as an enemy in your games. But this one should not be taken lightly. The reason being that many of these families cultivate their power base in Zenith itself, which means they are not likely to want to bring it to harm.
- Client: Another great way is to have them pay the adventuring party to solve a problem.
What else can you tell me about the houses?
In the future there will be posts outlining each of the noble houses, and the specific family members that make up those families. That’s a little more than I can give in one blog post. But stay tuned for more.