Greater Aliahn Noble Families

These families are considered second only to the royal family in terms of power and wealth. To carry the name of one of these houses is both a great privilege and honor and a great responsibility.
 * Hawkbloode Family: One of the contenders for the throne when it was last vacant. They control the majority of Aliah's illithyst mines, and this has given them much power and wealth. Unfortunately the house has recently fallen into inter-house strife and is not the power it once was. The head of this family, Lord Peravus, is the Grand Duke of Estro (the region richest in illithyst) and rules from his keep, Hawk's Roost. Their crest is a green and purple field with a red hawk.
 * Merriwind Family: A strong ally of the current royal family. They watch over much of the northern border and have a large amount of illithyst on their lands, though not nearly as much as the Hawkebloodes. The crown princess is married to a Merriwind, which means the next King of Men is a Merriwind. The head of their family is Grand Duke Arimus. Their crest is a purple field behind a violet flower.
 * Serpae Family: The Serpae are considered the experts on military matters. They house, train and equip more soldiers than any other house, and this alone once made them a strong contender for the throne. In order to win their favor the Uris family has given the Serpae the majority of their lands to govern over. This leaves the current royal family with very little power aside from the throne. To the chagrin of the Serpae the Merriwind house is poised to take control of the throne. The Serpae crest is a winged silver serpent perched on a pair of crossed black arrows over a blood red field. They are headed by Grand Duke Merrock from Drakewind Keep (so named because the founder of house Serpae rode a silver drake that was liberated from Velhanni aeries).
 * Ballathas Family: Another strong ally of the Uris house. Their lands lie mostly on the southwest mountains and there they have many aeries where griffons are bred and trained. These griffons and their riders, known across Jord as the Brothers of the Five Hammers, were a decisive part in Aliah's revolution. Their crest is, naturally, a golden griffon on a field of gray. Currently their leader is Grand Duchess Ganel (the first woman to lead a greater house).
 * Kaadai Family: House Kaadai was actually a well respected family of Velhanni that sided with the Aliahns during the rebellions that preceded the nation's formation. To this day this still hold a bit of resentment from the Vehlanni magocracy and even the Aliahn people have a hard time trusting them at times. Despite this they have remained a strong supporter of Aliah. Much of the arcano-tech that is produced by Aliah has some tie to the Kaadai family. Their crest is a great purple dragon and yellow stars on a field of black. Grand Duke Engward heads this house currently.