The Septemvirate
The Septemvirate is the common term for the pervasive Great Dynasties of Frankonia. These are the financial anchors of the entire Republic, and their power runs parallel to the political system itself. However, they are rarely at peace with one another, and constantly compete for profits and economic expansion.
The Seven Families
As its name suggests, the Septemvirate consists of seven different dynasties. Each family has numerous offshoots and cadet houses, and most of them, except the Garderique Great Dynasty, regularly adopt promising candidates in order to stay competitive. The head of each family is styled according to that particular house's traditions, though they all share the common title of Septemvir.
- Dandale Prime Thalassocrat Elaine de Dandale rules over Frankonia's largest merchant fleet, and possibly its richest dynasty (this is contested by the other Great Dynasties, and their closed records make it impossible to assert anything). They are the Great Dynasty with the smallest presence in Frankonia proper, instead focusing on overseas ventures; Nova Aera and the Yelanid Alliance in particular.
- Clandestane Agonarch Ambrosine Silencieuse is the head of the Republic's infamous 'family of unending whispers,' the Clandestanes. They have earned their notoriety through historic allegations of subterfuge and intrigue, though always having managed to avoid direct implication. Whenever rumours abound of political corruption or scandalous behaviour by prominent citizens, the Clandestanes are always assumed to be involved, in some capacity or another.
- Emmondif Enarch Clovis Albert Saussure-Hoitou is the ruler of the Emmondif family, as well as the current Prince-Mayor of Frankonia. The Emmondifs are the youngest of the Septemvirate dynasties, though this is only used as an insult by the other Septemvirs. They are widely seen as ambitious and somewhat vain.
- Garderique Grand Dynarch Irène Argent presides over the Garderique Great Dynasty, the oldest and most exclusive of the Septemvirate families. They only bestow the Garderique (or the Parlure or Fermanette, its two cadet branches) name to natural-born descendants of its members; as a consequence, they concentrate their efforts on bolstering their numbers by extensive employment instead. Indeed, the Garderiques are the foremost non-mercenary employer in Frankonia, and are longstanding rivals with the de Dandales for financial supremacy.
- Merandure Captain & Defender Jaspert Castelvou Merandure leads the most martial-oriented Great Dynasty. Their main area of operations are mercenary contracts, though they also maintain several mining and smithing enterprises. A common Frankonian saying is that "No war is endured without the Merandures."
- Ostenmanc High Plutocrat Marianne manages the banking-focused Ostenmanc family. Their mints are renowned for their quality and metallurgical fidelity; coins from the Ostenmancs have never been debased, a feat which lends them their reputation.
- Valyves Four-Corner Physiocrat Yves Valyves cultivates a vast farming empire, and some would say that the Valyves' barony of bread is what keeps entire kingdoms fed. The other Great Dynasties consider their humble roots and simple business to be highly plebeian for their high station.
History
The Septemvirate families gradually rose to prominence after The Silent Morning, filling the sudden vacuums caused by the wholesale purge of the criminal syndicates of Ponvarus. It was an uneventful appropriation, with most citizens indifferent, or even relieved, with the shift in management. Eventually, their influence diversified into what now constitutes the Great Dynasties of the Grand Republic of Frankonia, with the Azure Conventus being pressured into recognising their entrenched status by dubbing the heads of the Seven Families as Septemvirs; thus, the Septemvirate was born.
