Family Factions

The wall-keeping house of the Mute March, holding the Mute Wall for the whole world generation after generation. Guardianship and sacrifice are their values; being overlooked by the south for too long is what has set them thinking.

The royal house of the Kingdom of Ironhold, holding the Throne, the Royal Guard, the rite of accession and the right to strike coin. They believe ceremony can hold the truth down — which is at once their strength and their blind spot.

The bankers' combine of the desert kingdom, holding the world's exchange, credit and transfer across borders, and holding no right to strike coin. Their creed: any disaster can be bought.

The church that holds the oracle, the paladins and the faith of the common people, and takes one of the seven houses' seats for itself. It presides over the rite of accession, and it holds a position that grows harder to hold: making everyone believe the gods are still listening.

The three great houses that keep the Royal Tomb, the rites texts and the examination of the dead for the dynasty: Greypen, Silverhall, and the third house. Three rows of bronze statues should stand in the Tomb Gallery; the 12 of the third house's row are all empty places.