The Athea Kingdom has three kinds of families: the Merchant, Noble, and Legacy Families.
Merchant Families are the backbone of trade and commerce. They control the flow of goods, services, and wealth within the kingdom.
These families operate vast networks of caravans, ships, and marketplaces, ensuring that the cities remain well-supplied.
Merchant Families often influence local economies and form alliances with nobles and commoners to expand their wealth. While they don’t hold political power, their riches give them considerable sway in kingdom affairs.
Noble Families are the rulers of the various cities in the kingdom. Each Noble Family governs a specific city and surrounding lands, overseeing laws, taxes, and military forces.
They are tasked with maintaining order, protecting their territories, and ensuring the prosperity of their regions.
These families are granted titles such as Lords and Ladies, and their influence shapes the culture and politics of the Athea Kingdom.
Legacy Families stand above all others and are the kings of the kingdom. They are the royal bloodlines that rule the four kingdoms on the continent.
Legacy Families are seen as divine or chosen by higher powers, entrusted with the ultimate authority over the kingdom’s fate.
They can unify the cities, declare wars, or establish peace. The Legacy Families ensure stability across the kingdoms while managing relationships between the Noble and Merchant Families.
Together, these three types of families create a delicate balance in the Athea Kingdom, each playing a critical role in its governance, prosperity, and survival.
However, while these three types of families may appear harmonious on the surface, they all covet each other’s roles.
The lower Merchant Families aspire to rise to the level of the Major ones, while the Major Families dream of becoming Nobles.
Similarly, the Noble Families harbor ambitions of becoming Legacy Families and ruling the entire kingdom.
This ambition led to John Ashland’s downfall, resulting in his family being razed to the ground overnight. A tragic end, but no one sympathized with them.
They had brought it upon themselves by daring to challenge a higher power through nefarious means.
Now that the Ashland Noble Family is no more, the twelve Major Merchant Families from the twelve cities of the Athea Kingdom are vying for the chance to ascend and claim the mantle of nobility.
These Major Merchant Families have earned their recognition through their significant contributions to the kingdom.
The Oren Family is known for their sales of weapons. They supply the army as well as various merchant families and businesses that deal in weapons.
It is said that this family has connections with the Dwarven Empire, making them one of the few to hold such prestige.
The Axel Family is renowned for their excellence in alchemy. They are among the major suppliers of pills and alchemy-related materials in the kingdom, and like the Oren Family, they also have connections with the Elven Empire.
The Grayson Family is widely known for their jade mining businesses. They contribute significantly to the jade market in the human kingdoms and beyond.
The Basil Family are also miners; their field is gold and spirit stones. They are one of the most powerful merchant families out there.
The Martial Family, on the other hand, is what one might call the perfect fit for the position of nobility. Their family comes from a unique bloodline specializing in healing.
The Martial Family are the healers; even the Kings held dear in all four major kingdoms. Their healing powers are of immense commercial value to them.
So, while one may argue they shouldn’t be classified as a merchant family, everyone knows they are indeed very powerful and highly valued.
The Otto Family is focused on the sales of herbs. They sometimes clash with the Axel Family, known for alchemy. However, while one might say the pill and herb markets are the same, they are also distinct.
So, while they may seem to be operating in the same sphere, there would be no pills without herbs. Because of this, over time, the Axel Family stepped back and allowed the Otto Family to dominate the herb market.
The Falk Family dominates the sea trade. They are widely known for building ships and transporting goods between kingdoms and empires.
While reaching the ancient battlefield of Parting allows one to cross into other empires, traveling by sea is also a viable option.
However, to do so, one must possess either a flying treasure with sufficient defense or a ship equipped with enough firepower. The Falk Family thrives in this sector.
The Vexen Family specializes in the textile and silk trade. They are the best merchant family to connect with, as they maintain extensive ties with both the Elven and Dwarven Empires.
The Calder Family are expert tamers. They supply exotic spirit beasts to the kingdoms and are considered some of the finest beast tamers in the human empire.
Due to their unique skill set, they are regarded as one of the most important merchant families.
The Draycott Family deals in wine and spirit medicine, supplying their goods to kingdoms and beyond.
It is said that all wines crafted by the Draycott Family are heavenly, often selling for thousands of spirit stones. In fact, they own some of the finest restaurants and wine parlors in the kingdoms, further emphasizing their importance.
The Valen Family serves as the kingdom’s information network. They are the go-to source for purchasing intelligence on anything within the kingdom and beyond.
They are one of the few merchant families no one dares to cross. In fact, they possess secrets so potent that, if revealed, they could disrupt the economy overnight.
Though they don’t deal in tangible products, their information is invaluable for those seeking to navigate the world with minimal obstacles.
But while these 11 are important, the Zephyr family is perhaps the overlord of all merchant families.
They are overly important because of the trade they specialize in. They are known for selling rare artifacts, and they own most auction houses, the most popular and important being the Silver Leaf Auction House.
They run many businesses that deal in rare items like skills, techniques, rare artifacts, and even cultivation secrets that can’t be found anywhere else.
They have some of the best exploration teams that enter ancient tombs, realms, ruins, and other domains to unearth lost artifacts from the passage of time.
In fact, their importance is so great that the kingdom listens to them more than anyone. However, they are merchants; thus, they are present to determine who will become the next noble in the city.
Now, inside one of the big meeting rooms in Caprath City, the 12 patriarchs of these major merchant families meet to decide who inherits the noble title.
They all want that title to spread their influence far and wide. They wouldn’t be wasting their energy if becoming a noble wasn’t something to fight for. They want the fame, the power, and the secrets that come with being a noble.
Since it can’t be done through war, they can only meet and think of a way to move forward. After all, they all want to know what it feels like to be a noble.