House Lascard of Elmore
Among the great noble houses of the Divine Empire, none inspires stronger opinions than House Lascard. To their allies they are loyal servants of the Throne, gifted administrators, and enlightened patrons of history and learning. To their detractors they are ambitious upstarts who purchased honour with loyalty rather than inherited it through noble blood. Both views contain an element of truth. Unlike the ancient houses whose ancestry stretches back to the Higher Wars or even before the coming of the Elves, House Lascard was born only with the foundation of the Divine Empire. Their rise from common birth to the highest circles of Imperial society remains one of the most remarkable stories in the Empire's history, and one many older noble families have never entirely forgiven. The founder of the house, Beldon Lascard, served as Master of Hounds to the final Kaegorian Emperor, Kaegor XIII. Though a man of humble birth, he possessed remarkable courage and unwavering conviction. During the final assault upon the Mad Emperor's palace, it was Beldon who secretly admitted Innocence and his companions through a little-used postern gate, allowing them to reach the Imperial apartments and end the tyrant's reign. For this single act of extraordinary bravery, Emperor Innocence raised Beldon to the nobility and granted him a new coat of arms bearing the Golden Hound, a tribute both to his former office and his unwavering loyalty.
The honour alone would have made House Lascard remarkable, but their fortunes were secured through Beldon's marriage to Lady Fleta of House Elmore. Widowed during the civil war after her husband repeatedly broke his parole to fight for the Mad Emperor, Lady Fleta faced the forfeiture of both title and lands. Her marriage to Beldon preserved the ancient estates of Elmore while uniting old nobility with new. Though already beyond what many considered child-bearing age, she gave birth to twin sons before dying in childbirth, an event still regarded by the family with equal measures of pride and sorrow. Beldon later remarried, producing a large family whose descendants spread rapidly throughout the Empire. Within only a few generations the Lascards had become one of the largest noble dynasties in Warlderia, providing administrators, judges, diplomats, priests, officers, and councillors to almost every province. Where other houses sought military glory, the Lascards mastered the machinery of government.
Today Lord Beldon Lascard, great-grandson of the founder, serves amongst Emperor Innocence's closest advisers. Few decisions made within the Imperial Court escape the notice of House Lascard, whose influence extends through ministries, embassies, courts, and noble households across the Empire. Although they hold comparatively little military power, many believe no noble family possesses greater influence over the day-to-day administration of the Empire. The Lascards are unwavering supporters of Emperor Innocence and the institutions he created. Whether from genuine devotion or enlightened self-interest, they oppose almost every proposal that might weaken Imperial authority. Their critics accuse them of preserving an ageing system for their own benefit, whilst their supporters argue that they are merely defending the stability upon which the Empire still depends.
One characteristic sets House Lascard apart from every other noble family: an extraordinary passion for history. The family possesses one of the finest private collections of manuscripts, artworks, sculptures, relics, and antiquities in all Warlderia. Their galleries contain Elven statuary, Imperial regalia, illuminated chronicles, ancient maps, ceremonial arms, and countless artefacts rescued from forgotten ruins. Cynics dismiss the collection as an attempt to purchase the heritage denied them by birth, but even the harshest critics concede that countless treasures would have been lost forever had the Lascards not preserved them. Indeed, many historians privately regard the Lascard Collection as second only to the Imperial Archives themselves.
Yet House Lascard possesses a darker reputation as well. The family is famed for its long memory. Insults are rarely answered immediately, but neither are they forgotten. A slight delivered at court may not be repaid for years, sometimes decades, until circumstances favour a measured and devastating response. Their enemies have learned that while the Lascards seldom lose their tempers, they also seldom forgive.
An old saying amongst the Imperial nobility warns: "Cross a Chapray and he will lecture you. Cross a Lascard and he will remember."
Despite centuries of success, the family remains acutely aware of its origins. Many members still feel compelled to prove themselves before an aristocracy that quietly considers them inferior. This lingering insecurity has driven generations of Lascards to pursue excellence in administration, scholarship, diplomacy, and patronage, determined that no one should ever question whether they truly belong amongst the Empire's greatest houses.