Landons

The Landons are noble, intelligent folk from the land of Terma.

Territory
The Landons rule the territory in the West of Terma, albeit the majority of their population is situated in the southern areas of their lands. They rule a vast swath of biomes, including grasslands, forests and even some mountains in the North. Because of their proximity, they have received many visits from the Sholan.

Government
The Landons swear allegiance to their king/queen. The King has control of national matters, such as taxation of the counties, external military matters (Including alliances), external trade, the high court and the division of counties. The Queen can also control these things, but her opinion is second to that of the King. Should the King die, the Queen assumes full control of the kingdom. Should both the King and Queen die, the titles pass to their eldest child and his/her spouse. There is no other way short of rebellion for the royal rulers to be usurped. The King/Queen also have control of a very large army.

Beneath the King/Queen, there are Counts/Countesses, who are appointed by the King/Queen and who run different regions of the kingdom. Aside from the matter of collecting and paying the taxes to the monarchy, the Counts/Countesses have relative free reign. They are free to collect any surplus tax, to raise their own armies, control their county's exports/imports within the kingdom, and settle civil disputes within their county. They can be replaced at any time on the authority of the King/Queen.

One final thing worth mentioning is the triad of royal symbols. These are symbols that represent animals which in some way embody an aspect of royalty. The symbols are often used by the nobility in designing clothing, crests, banners and mosaics. The three animals include the Raven, representing how a leader must be cunning to keep their leadership. In darker ways, the Raven also represents treachery required by politics. The second animal is the Horse, representing how leaders must help the people, and must react swiftly to the needs of their subjects. This is the most neglected of the three symbols. The final symbol is of the Dragon, representative of the inherent power that comes with royalty, and of the strength that is required by it. The Dragon also represents the greed that a leader can succumb to.

Origins
It is unknown how the Landons originated. It could be possible that they were simply a group of people from various groups who united for a common cause and continued under that leadership.

History
The Landons have long been important members of the Terman society. They tend not to form too many transactions, preferring to be self-sufficient.

Expertise
The Landons do not have any areas in which they visibly excel, rather they maintain acceptable expertise in all areas that matter to them, such as the military, architecture and agriculture. Many Landon peasants are farmers.