It would be easy to dismiss the Sovereign House as the fossilized remnant of a dead civilization. Their pointless posturing, their ostentatious displays of wealth and power, their mindless and cruel political games, they all point to a state of degeneracy and waste that would cripple any other governing body. All these observations, however, fail to take into account their single greatest achievement: Survival. The Sovereign House has survived the loss of their homeland, the Exodus, the rage of Dragons and the disintegration of their civilization. Somehow, they have managed to adapt, evolve and overcome all obstacles before them, and still emerge on top.
Though few would acknowledge it, the current arrangement with the Directorate suits the Sovereign House perfectly. Blinded by the transient promise of power, the ambitious youth of each Lineage devotes its energies to joining the Directorate, freeing the eldest among the Sovereign House to focus on their true objective. For countless millennia the Lineages have amassed resources and honed their forces with but one objective: the reclamation of their long lost ancestral lands.
Spurred by their Sovereign, that elusive yet terrifying figure that rules over them with an iron fist, the bitter memory of defeat and humiliation has helped the Lineages to keep their focus on recovering their lost lands. In preparation for this momentous event, they have hoarded the vast majority of the resources, that the Spires have harvested across millennia.
To further their efforts in the Reclamation, the Linages of the Sovereign House vie for prestige and influence by funding the creation of ever deadlier and more efficient warriors. Month long tournaments are sponsored by the Sovereign, where each Lineage can display its prized war beasts in brutal challenges that serve to entertain and distract the nobility in times of peace.
Over the course of countless years of debauched blood sports, they have honed their personal forces into formidable fighting machines geared towards this single, explosive release, intended to sweep their ancient Enemy from the promised lands. This most recent fracas with the Merchant Princes is but a small diversion, a long-awaited chance to pit their honed forces against the hapless inhabitants of this realm.