House Merrowdane

House Merrowdane keeps its dignity under grey banners and colder scrutiny. The line claims old ward-kings, but its halls are filled as much with lawyers, scouts, marriage envoys, and debt ledgers as with swords. Its family rites recite victories and failures together, because the Marches mistrust blood that remembers only triumph. Merrowdane strength is legitimacy; Merrowdane danger is the belief that legitimacy should be obeyed before it has repaired anything. Hungry towns respect old names when those names bring grain, bridge crews, road guards, and winter medicine. Otherwise they become songs sung by warm nobles to cold people.