FIVE: Fatal Paragon
House Öman
The noble lineage of House Öman was established when Toril Öman, a brilliant wanderer, anchored her trade ship in Ione's solitary port and called for an audience with the queen. Having been of known fame, the queen's consort met with her and listened to a trade proposal written up by the Cluster Kingdom of Lorah. Attracted to the rumors of mines filled with black, indestructible ores, the king of Lorah wished to reopen trade with Ione after it was conquered by the warrior tribe.
Toril bridged communication between her king and the Ionian queen, resulting in a willingness to acclimate back into the Cluster system that had been established before Io's conquest. The treaty written up by both the Lorah king and Ionian Queen paved way for the other Cluster Kingdoms to reach out to reestablish previously severed connections, realizing that the warrior tribe had more to offer than Ione's previous occupants did, who were at war more than they were at peace.
Once a successful route to trade with the Cluster Kingdoms had been established in Ione, thanks to Toril's vast knowledge of commerce, the Ionian queen offered Toril Öman a position among the elite. She asked for one thing in return, aid in expanding their trade beyond the Cluster.
Toril accepted.
Prior to Hákon's rise to power, Ione boasted steady connections in commerce. Their connections beyond the Cluster fell apart as soon as Hákon banned the trade of black ore and weapons made from them. The Cluster eventually forbade any form of exchange to and from Ione except the Kingdom of Baryon, who continued to support Ione until Hákon invaded with the might of his military.
The Öman Province sits on a large harbor south of Astoria. The noble family supervises commerce (with few exceptions that are taken care of by the royal family) and provides businesses an opportunity to trade with the Cluster Kingdoms and overseas beyond them.
Currently with the help of the Kou Empire's envoy, Yun, new trade routes to and from the Kou Empire have been established. They were only recently turned over to the current head of House Öman to manage.
Caj Öman is the current head of House Öman.
House Strand
The Strand family arrived to Ione on a trade ship pursuing opportunity in a new land. Ione was a goldmine to Oliver Strand, a business savvy man, who got his start helping people start organized businesses. He helped the Ionian queen establish a system that developed a solid economy and provided small businesses with a strong foundation for growth. Oliver went onto create several guilds throughout Ione that overtime evolved into profession-based markets that function hand-in-hand with House Öman and House Ljung.
House Strand manages all businesses and the country's money flow through the largest bank in Ione. Among the noble families, they are the richest and most influential.
Cilla Strand is the current head of House Strand.
Strand Province sits south of Astoria, nestled between the Tjäder and Öman Provinces (vertically speaking).
xl: I am back! So soon? Yes! Warnings for violence in the next chapter. I feel I should have given a warning about all the physical violence that goes on in this. I wrote it in the beginning, but these episodes are becoming a little more aggressive...so yes. Keep that in mind.
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Enjoy the chapter.