House Kneller
House Kneller is a somewhat important noble house in the Jakonian Empire. Although in theory they own some of the wealthiest and most verdant lands within the empire, in practice, they have little control over their tenants. The territory they own is primarily the halfling Villages and the neighboring town of Davenport. Neighbored by the holdings of the much more powerful House Wooding, the leaders of House Kneller are often intimidated into supporting their positions. The wealth of the halfling families contributes to this as the halfling caravans pay a pretty sum to make sure that the Knellers do not rock the boat so that profits continue to pour in. This has made the Knellers modestly rich, and occasionally the leaders of the house have allowed this to enable them to create kingmaker scenarios to support their own efforts.
Public Agenda
A common saying in the noble courts of Jakonia is "to see which way the political winds are blowing, look at what position House Kneller takes." The Knellers are best known for simply playing a support role to more powerful political interests. Rarely have they initiated plots of their own effort, and instead will support whichever family seems most likely to bear the heaviest influence on the imperial throne. At the moment, that means that the Knellers currently support the efforts of Chancellor Ebenezor Woodring, and are firmly against any attempts to centralize power or curb the privileges of the nation's nobility.
Assets
House Kneller possesses a sizeable treasury, the lucre of taxation of the highly profitable halfling caravans operating out of the town of Haven. The money does not often translate into military might, as few of the tenants and fiefdoms under the control of House Kneller possess people allowed to participate in the Jakonian military. Although they could conceivably muster ten regiments of halfling irregulars, during drills it is rare that more than a quarter of the halflings actually show up to participate. Instead, the Knellers rely upon a single imperial regiment assembled from Davenport, and their own house guard, relying upon their alliances and money to keep them safe from conflict.
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