The Naoro Family

The ze Naoros are a Canthan noble family that once wielded considerable power in the empire, particularly in the southwestern part. Much of the authority that it held was lost following the day of the Jade Wind two hundred years ago, but in recent years the family has made itself known again through its assistance in the second defeat of Shiro Tagachi.

Background

The earliest records of the family, written on ancient manuscripts that are kept in a vault deep within the Ministry of Earth's office complex, date back to the reign of Emperor Chang Hai, the first ascendant emperor of Cantha. They were written as part of a wider project to document various matters relating to governance, trade, religion and culture. According to these manuscripts, the ze Naoros were one of several families that split from the Kurzick clan and left the Echovald region shortly before the great houses declared independence. This origin can be deduced from 'ze', an alteration of the obscure Kurzick term 'zu' which Kurzick scholars insist means 'of' (this is a widely debated matter as the only modern example of the term in use is the name of the leading house itself, zu Heltzer). The name 'Naoro' may have been a Canthan translation of an original Kurzick name.

Three family members are listed at the time of writing, which is assumed to be about the year 520 CC. The first, Haijen, is recorded as being a talented artist in Emperor Chang Hai's court. His wife, Mai sen Naoro ('sen' means 'belonging to' or 'in service of') is described as a beautiful dancer who performed many times in the presence of the emperor. The relation of the third member to the other two is not recorded, but his age, 71, makes it likely that he was Haijen's grandfather, or perhaps his great uncle. His name was Rutgei, which bears remarkable similarity to the common Kurzick name 'Rutger'. The records only describe his social status as 'member of the court', and no further information about him is given.

Considering the level of description of the family's origin, it is strange that so few names are actually recorded. One possibility is that the rest of the family migrated to an area of Cantha not covered by the records, or maybe even another continent. Whatever the case, after these records the ze Naoros are not heard of again for nearly six hundred years.

In 1096 CC, a reasonably wealthy Canthan courtier named Kinpai ze Naoro married Jamei, the eldest daughter of Emperor Senjuan. The emperor, whose treasury was lacking at the time, gave the couple a small amount of gold and an old estate on the estuary of the Echovald River. On their first visit to the estate, the couple found that the main building was in a considerable state of disrepair and would require a large amount of renovating before they could live in it. Kinpai was able to acquire some money by selling land on the northern side of the river to a Kurzick merchant who wanted to build a trading post there. He then paid the Ministry of Earth's private construction agency to send a team of builders to work on the site. Though he presented his plans to the builders, they were under no obligation to follow them, and so all Kinpai could do was return with his wife to live in the emperor's court while the work was taking place. The estate was almost entirely rebuilt over a period of one and a half years. The couple returned to find that that the builders had carried out Kinpai's plans to near perfection. Kinpai was so delighted that he sent a message to the emperor inviting him to travel down to see the finished work.

[work in progress]