House DiCaela, Kings of Solanthus

The line of DiCaela represents one of the most ancient dynasties in Solamnia.
The first record of the family is found in the Imperial Archives of Dalthigoth (Cartularium DLXLIX) where we can read about "Uthberthus DiCaela, Comes Meridonis", (Uthberthus DiCaela, Count of Meridon), that had come in 2216 P.C. to the Imperial Palace for the coronation of the new Emperor, Quevalyn XXI.
The County of Meridon (the ancient name of Solanthus) had to be very large, because the DiCaela were considered the second most important family in the Eastern Counties, after the lords of Vingaard. An old tapestry in Castle DiCaela, in most part rotten and obliterated by time, shows Count Enguerrand II DiCaela (the son of Uthberthus) mounted on his horse, and galloping on the map of his county: roughly, it occupied a half of modern Heartlund.
Moreover, we must guess the existence of an Enguerrand I, that could be the father of Uthberthus, or even a more distant ancestor. So, we can't say with an acceptable degree of certainty who was the first Count DiCaela.
Legends of the Family hold that the founder of the line was Aloisius I, a knight who fought with heroic bravery a cloud giant that held captive a princess of the Imperial family (whose name, sadly, is lost). The giant had captured the young and fair Princess in a cloudy day, when she was quietly walking in the Imperial Gardens. The brute brought her in his fabulous castle, that was placed on a big, snow-white cloud. Than a strong wind began to blow, and the cloud drifted east. Many Knights of the Imperial Guard, and among them Aloisius, rode in pursuit, but after one month no one knew where the cloud was: it was the middle of spring, and the sky was often clouded; moreover, strong winds blew constantly and the clouds moved very fast and unpredictably. One day Aloisius, exausted after the long pursuit, dismounted and sat under a tree, willing to take some sleep. And in dream he saw a monk, whose face was deeply buried in his hood, who asked him: "Should you find the right cloud, you valiant Knight, how will you reach it? Can you fly higher than a locust? Can you jump higher than a cricket?" And the knight remained silent, for no knight who rode in pursuit of the Giant had thought of how to reach the top of the clouds. So the monk said:"Fear not this, brave warrior: take this seed, plant it under the right cloud, and the flower of my wisdom will lift your body and, I hope, elevate your soul all the same."
Then Aloisius awoke, and to his consternation, he held in his right hand a small brown seed.
Then, he recognized the monk as one manifestation of the god Manthus (Majere), and his soul rejoiced: he had been chosen by the gods to save the princess, so nothing was now impossible.
After two more days of riding, he finally found the towered cloud: he planted the seed, and an enormous plant grew before his eyes: he began to climb its emerald green stem, and after a long and perilious ascent he set his feet on the soft white cloud. The plant had pierced it, and Aloisius saw to his marvel that it was a beautiful red rose, that seemed to flourish directly from the cloud. Later, this image became the blazon of the Family.
Aloisius, aided by his might, succeeded in his quest, and after a long and hard battle he finally slew the evil giant, rescuing the princess. After the death of the giant, the cloud began to dissolve, and the castle gently descended, landing in the fair plains of Heartlund.
Eventually, Aloisius and the noble princess fell in love, and established in the castle of the giant. The Emperor, who was the uncle of the Princess, granted Aloisius the title of Count, and with the treasure of the giant Aloisius himself transformed the small village of Meridon in his capital city.

House DiCaela provided the Knighthood with a great number of Grand Masters, and was by far the greatest dynasty in Solamnia, up to the Age of Darkness. In the years immediately following the Cataclysm, the DiCaela lost control of the Kingdom of Solanthus, and retired in the ancestral walls of Castle DiCaela, ruling only an extension of land the size of a Barony.
The last male descendant of the line, Lord Robert III DiCaela, ascended to the rank of Lord of Swords, and finally retired.
After his only daughter and heir, Lady Enid, married Lord Bayard Brightblade, Castle DiCaela and the title of Kings of Solanthus passed to House Brightblade. Still, as the couple initially had no children, Lord Brightblade and his wife adopted the third son of Count Andrew Pathwarden, Sir Galen Pathwarden Brightblade-DiCaela, who ended his career as a Lord Warrior of the Order of the Crown. After the birth of the son of Lord Bayard, Sir Emelyn, and the marriage of Sir Galen with Lady Dannelle DiCaela, daughter of Sir Robert's late younger brother, Lord Brightblade chose to split once more the lineages and decided that the descendants of Lord Galen would continue the DiCaela line, inheriting the pretence to the Kingdom of Solanthus. So, Lord Emelyn Brightblade returned to Castle Brightblade, ruled the lands near the ancient castle and had some influence over Vingaard itself, albeit he didn't use anymore the title of King.

House Brightblade, Kings of Vingaard

The Brightblade line is perhaps the most glorious dynasty of Solamnia, and probably the most ancient, too. Legends hold that, in the Age of Light, at the end of the Second Dragon War, a wise and valorous priest of Kiri-Jolith, whose name is lost in the mists of time, led a small group of human refugees in the Vingaard Mountains, seeking shelter from ogre raids. The Empire of Ergoth was still uniting, moving its first steps, and the Vingaard Mountains were, at the time, no-man's land. The refugees built their modest village in a small and narrow vale, difficult to spot and easy to defend. The village was close to the springs of the Vingaard River, some 50 miles to the site where Palanthus would rise. After a generation or two, as a tribe of hobgoblins began raiding the village, the refugees built a small stronghold, no more than a fortified house with a small tower, some ten miles from the village, and at the same distance from the mountain pass where, centuries after, would rise the High Clerist Tower. The small stronghold of the refugees was in sight of this mountain pass, and moreover blocked the narrow path that led to the village. Gorian, grandson of the priest, was the first commander of the keep, and managed to protect his people with his prowess and a garrison of a dozen men. The responsibility passed to his son, Berthel, another natural-born warrior. Around 2500 P.C., in a clear winter morning, Berthel was patrolling in proximity of the mountain pass, when he rescued a lone traveller, a dwarf, from being captured by a group of Hobgoblins. The dwarf owed his life to Berthel, and after one year he returned with a gift: a magnificent sword he himself had forged, whose name was Brightblade. So splendid was the weapon, that from then on Berthel was surnamed "Brightblade", and the name passed to his scions. Even in the family blazon it holds a predominant role: the sword, glowing red (symbol of fierceness in battle) is backed by a golden sun in splendour (whose light is said to be captured in the steel of the legendary sword), and is thrusted deep in a field of silver, representing the mountains and the pass defended by generations of Brightblades. The gaudy colours of this blazon (red and gold) are said to be the only thing, concerning House Brightblade, that is not stern, severe, and modest.
By the way, in the course of the centuries, the Brightblade became the most important family of the village, and exerted a sort of control over the mountain pass. As Ergoth ascended and took control of all the lands nearby, the village (who still had no name!) maintained its substantial independence, simply because it was so poor that no one cared about it. And the Brightblade continued to exert a mild and enlightened control over it, defending it from any external threat. Only in 1750 P.C. the imperial bureaucracy reached the village and began exerting a tribute. At the time of the Rose Rebellion, the last of the Brightblade, another Berthel, left the peaceful but overtaxed village and eventually joined the Army of Vinas Solamnus, becoming his trusted lieutenant. After the foundation of Solamnia, Berthel built a castle halfway between the mountain pass and the capital, Vingaard, were resided his friend King Vinas. Most people of the village chose to follow him, and settled close to the new and majestic Castle Brightblade. Berthel's son, Bedal, became an officer in the Solamnic Army, and surpassed even his father's valour, defending a pass from a horde of desert barbarians: by himself. Bedal reached the highest ranks in the Order of the Rose, and was eventually appointed first King of Vingaard.
From then on, almost all the Brightblade reached important positions within the Knighthood, and many were the Grand Master chosen among this powerful House.

House Pathwarden, Counts of Warden Shire

House Pathwarden is quite ancient, dating back to the Third Dragon War. The founder of the dynasty was Alfric, brave squire of  Master Warrior William Jochanann. This valiant knight was attempting to cross enemy lines to rescue some prisoners, when he was ambushed in a grove by a patrolling group of ogres. The old man, after having defeated most of them, was injured almost to death and lost his senses. His squire managed to defend him against the last surviving ogre, and since he couldn’t carry back his patron (he feared the ogre’s club had crushed Lord William’s spine) he firmly mounted guard, effectively blocking the narrow path in the grove. After two entire days, a group of knights eventually came to the rescue, and found young Alfric standing near his master, blocking the path: his sword in his hands, wounded, thirsty and starved (he had given all water and food to the injured knight), almost asleep on his feet, but surrounded by the bodies of several hobgoblin and ogre scouts. Alfric was on the verge of delirium, but spoke of a centaur that, with his halberd, had helped him in the worst battle with a couple of ogres… the rescuing knights were puzzled, since no traces of the centaur were found, but some bodies on the ground presented large wounds that were clearly made by such a weapon. Two days after, young Alfric was made Knight, and Lord William, who had eventually recovered with the help of a cleric of Mishakal, made him Patrice of Moat House, a small village in the Kingdom of Hargoth. Not surprisingly Sir Alfric chose, for his blazon, a silver centaur armed with a halberd.
Some years after, his grand-grandson, High Warrior Daniel Pathwarden, married Lady Eleanna Silveraxe, the unique heir of his neighbour feudatory, Lord Angus Silveraxe, thus inheriting the title of Baron and the nearby lands.
Finally, in 522 P.C., Sir Kendal Pathwarden, Lord Clerist and hero of the Ogre Wars, increased once more the family lands, and was bestowed by the Council with the title of Count of Warden Shire. After the Cataclysm, Counts Pathwarden were not very affected by peasants’ revolts, and effectively continued to govern family lands, but these lands had drastically changed: the fertile plains and rich forests were slowly giving way to the swamps, and the richness of the Shire drastically decreased. Still, the Pathwarden continued to live up to their brilliant family tradition: Sir Andrew, Master of Swords, fought bravely at the Chacktamir pass against Nerakan troops. His third son, Sir Galen, was adopted by Lord Bayard Brightblade-DiCaela. Galen, who eventually became Count of Wardenshire (his senior surviving brother, Brithelm, being a druid of Habbakuk), married Lady Dannelle DiCaela. Lord Galen’s first son, Sir Agion I Pathwarden-DiCaela, inherited Castle DiCaela and the pretence to the Kingdom of Solanthus, while Brithelm’s son, Sir Alfric II Pathwarden, hating intensely animals (and especially swamp fauna!), was adopted by him and eventually inherited Castle Pathwarden, becoming the head of the main branch of House Pathwarden, and ruling as Count of Warden Shire. So, the family had now split in two branches. Oddly enough, in the next generation, there was a marriage between Count Eddard Pathwarden and Lady Marigold DiCaela, so the two lines became even more entwined.