Houses

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Houses are noble families, the highest echelons of society, where all members are related by blood and are led by an Atriarch with the advice of their eldest.

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There aren't many Houses in Aethyr, with roughly 50 per Kingdom, depending on the population size: the smaller the population, the less Houses there will be.

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This title is awarded by the Senate/Monarchy to a family which has grown greatly in influence, riches, and popularity, as proof of their superior bloodline, and it is illegal to apply for, or self-award.

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It is more than a title however: it is proof of a bloodline's superiority over the common folk, and as expected, it is not granted easily, requiring quite a few generations of success before a family is considered to be elevated.
As such, a single member cannot give their entire family value.
There is an exception to this however, if a commoner attains any of the following titles, they will be eligible to create their own House: Senator, Army General, Guard Chief, and Elder Keeper.

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One can only a part of a House by being born in it, or by uniting into it and having offspring related to members by blood.
Adopted or ward dragons are never viewed as legitimate House members, and the family of the dragon that unifies into the House does not become a part of it.

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Arranged unities are common, but reproduction contracts have long since been banned ever since the system changed from Clans to Houses, as society didn't need such high reproductive yield once the First War ended.
Since contracts are against the law, the fines are often high enough to deter any Houses or Families from choosing this, and if that isn't persuasive enough, a judge may decide some temporary incarceration to be an eye-opener to the Atriarch or House Elder who forces contracts on their family members.

While Houses and Families all keep their eggs, they may still divide them according to traits when it comes to multi-egg clutches, with the House keeping the eggs that display their traits, and those that do not, being handed to the other family/House.

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Houses may be voted to have their status removed if:

• They have too many members: the resources will be scarce and eventually, they will fall out of favour.

• If their members do not have enough achievements: or these are very few, leading to their fall from grace.

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They may even be disbanded/disgraced on the spot if:

• They break the law: the justice system in general is rather unforgiving, specially with the increase of more candidates to be awarded the House title. If they are found to be breaking the law, they risk an immediate disband depending on the severity of the transgression.

• They are found to have mixed-alignment members or bastards: this is the same as the first point, as it is law to not mix Aether-born with Nether-born. Neutral-born are exempt from this law.

• They are found guilty of dissent: with the precarious social situation in the Heartlands specifically, this is considered a heavy grievance, and if a House is found to be the cause of hatred or dispute against another House, they may be disbanded for it.

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Leadership within a House depends mainly on the Atriarch and the House Elders: they decide the House's priorities, goals, spendings, arranged unions, training and education, etc...

To aid in this, House Ambassadors act at the behest of the Atriarch and represent them where necessary, such as at social events, creation of arranged unions, negotiations, hiring contractors such as guards, tutors, and so on.
 

The House Elders (5 up to 10 of the eldest members of the family), do not interfere with House matters beyond acting as advisors due to their seniority, with their biggest power laying in the fact they may relieve an Atriarch of their title: if the grand majority votes for it, the current Atriarch may be temporarily or even permanently relieved from their leadership position.
When this  happens,  the heir of the House will be brought forth for the new position if they are old enough, and if not, a temporary Atriarch may be elected until the heir is appropriately ready for the role.

If, for whatever reason, there's no heir available, the Elders will vote who will take upon the role instead. This is an extreme and rare situation, and only occurs if the current Atriarch proves to neglect their traditions, values, or shows ineptitude.
Something Elders may also vote to reject are heirs, arranged unions, or other decisions made by the Atriarch.

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Choosing a new Atriarch may vary between Houses, sometimes depending on either the Elders' of the House, or the current Atriarch who wishes to step down.

If they want to pass the mantle on as soon as the heir is done with studies at 25 years old, they may. But most usually take upon the role once they're done with their service to the Guard or Army at 30 years of age.

In the event that the Atriarch still wishes to remain in charge, in that case it may not be the Atriarch's firstborn that will take the Heir role, but either another younger offspring of theirs, or even one of their grandchildren.

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Commoners often look up to Houses, as an achievement to obtain due to their influence. However there is a minority that despises them due to the potential or even clear bias society has towards House members: they are often treated more favourably than commoners, and have easier access to high positions.
And yet the worst part is how House members may get away with crime far more easily than commoners due to either influence or wealth.