The Silent Lord of House Serraphar

The Serraphar dynasty is amongst the oldest noble lineages within the Empire of the Endless Flame. Before the Arrival of the Enmanari, they had held the esteemed title of Landgrave of Southern Zalmerri, granting them a vast fiefdom of valuable holdings. Their lordship historically stretched from the Whispering Grove, along the northern shore of the Oathsworn Sea, and as far east as Telangol. As the name would suggest, they also dominated a significant portion of the immense Forest of Zalmerri. Nowadays, their ancestral homelands have been lost to the Blightlands. Instead, they have been granted the Landgraviate of Northern Alnerin within the Bastion of Myrengol.

Noble families are, in the grand scheme of imperial history, a fleeting thing. The Empire's tomes of history contain the names and titles of ten thousand families who no longer exist, courtesy of bad luck, falling out of favour, or merging into another bloodline. The Serraphars are the exception to this rule. Their ancestors were amongst the first to ally with the burgeoning Hearthkeepers of Myrengol and, for over seven millennia, have remained loyal. Whilst their significance has fluctuated across their storied history, they have endured the brutal politicking of a hundred generations of feudalism.

Any lineage that survives as long as House Serraphar has is bound to be fraught with controversy. For many centuries, these blemishes were unremarkable, until a small team of scholars discovered conflicting records that had previously been overlooked. The Landgraves of Southern Zalmerri had ensured that their family legacy had been well-documented and preserved, which allowed the researchers to uncover a peculiar mystery. Lady Arros Serraphari VII died of natural causes at the age of 77 and was succeeded by her son, Lord Berros Serraphar XI, who reigned for 34 years. However, as the historians read additional contemporary familial records, they found that Lord Berros XI perished unexpectedly at the age of 27.

This, of course, enraptured the scholars' curious minds. Apparently, Berros XI's reign began seven years before he was born, or continued seven years after he died. It became obvious that something was amiss. Many theories developed, with the most popular being that his reign had been extended to obscure an erased person. Since this contradiction was over a millennia old, no living Serraphar could offer any insight into the conundrum. Furthermore, it seemed that there had been considerable effort to thoroughly omit the missing figure from the annals, and so they became known as the Silent Lord of House Serraphar.

The mystery spread beyond the original team of researchers. House Serraphar was no stranger to embarrassing members despoiling their name (Genos the Cowardly, Stevros the Salacious, and Heos Redtooth, to name a few) so it was even more fascinating that the family had seen it fit to truly strike a name from the record. Capable Diviners united to make a concerted effort in pursuit of an answer, though even their craft did little to uncover the truth. In fact, the few insights they did gleam encouraged them to abandon their search. Strange visions assailed their minds: a pale horse without eyes, an uncaring crow enwreathed in flames, and a shaking voice whispering the same phrase without end - "flesh in fractal."

Speculation ran wild as these puzzling revelations were shared. At once, there were calls for an expedition back to the ancestral home of the Serraphars (where more records of their history may still survive), and preparations were made for an armed escort to accompany the inquisitive researchers. This journey, however, would never commence. Although the current Landgrave and head of the Serraphar family was enthusiastic about unravelling the mystery, she received an undeniable demand. Correspondence from Emperor Venaeos himself firmly instructed against any further inquiry. He offered no explanation as to why it was to be forbidden, but disregarding his command would carry a severe penalty, and so the research team was disbanded immediately. Although the endeavour officially ended there, it inadvertently stoked even more interest; Emperor Venaeos was alive at the same time as the Silent Lord of House Serraphar. The ageless Hearthkeeper's direct intervention betrayed that he knew the answer to their query, and that it was best left unknown. As such, this mystery is often pondered in hushed whispers and private notes.