House Kemmes

Built the modern double wall on Norton land while the family was scattered, mining copper from the Norton hills with slave labour. Lorist storms the wall on arrival and squeezes the Kemmes into the four-family alliance.

House Kemmes comes from merchant stock. The viscount's father headed the largest construction guild of the former Crissen Empire, sided with the Second Prince in the civil war, and became one of his chief paymasters. After the Iblia Kingdom was founded he bought the viscount a landed-noble title and lands in the Northern Lands for two hundred thousand gold Forde.

Having gained a domain, the family poured vast sums into developing it, raising a family castle and settlement in the Red River Valley. Foreseeing a long stretch of turmoil from Duke Lukins's ambitions, the viscount's father judged an undefended valley castle too easily taken and sent surveyors to find an impregnable site — which proved to be the Mantou Hills on Norton land.

The house is led by the elder lord (the former guild head) and his son, Viscount Kemmes — outwardly gracious but greedy and vindictive, vainly mindful of the hundred thousand gold Forde he had personally spent. The Mantou Hills construction was run by the goat-bearded steward Boris, and the castle was designed by Master Siroba, a celebrated but erratic architect brought in from the capital.

Later the viscount inherits the title of count. After the alliance is sealed Count Kemmes becomes a close friend of Lorist's, calling him 'brother Locke' and begging with merchant's zeal for the heavy steel ballistae — to guard against Grand Duke Fisabrun's Masters of the Sword.

On the seized Mantou Hills the family began raising a lavish fortress: a seven-metre outer rampart and a ten-metre inner wall of buildings with battlemented roofs, coated in costly blue clay. By plan the castle would hold ten thousand people with a three-thousand garrison, and a mountain town of fifty to sixty thousand was to rise beside the copper mine. The family allotted three hundred thousand gold Forde and five years for all of it.

The work was done by nearly a thousand slaves; copper mined from Norton land was stored on site. Later House Kemmes holds the entire eastern Northern Lands alone and fields a twenty-thousand-strong army, including two companies of formidable longbowmen.

The Kemmes are Lorist's first rival back home. For half a year they assaulted the Norton castle, seized the copper mine, and built a wall across the family's only route to the outside world, hoping to box in the weakened Nortons and force their surrender. Lorist takes the wall and captures the castle plans, Master Siroba, and steward Boris. The conflict escalates into a war-merchant standoff with the siege of Rockcastle.

After the 'Roaring Bear Massacre' and the Second Prince's collapse, Count Kemmes reconciles with Lorist and joins the four-family alliance. From an enemy the house becomes a reliable ally and trade partner of the Nortons, buying their arms and sharing out the Northern Lands together.