More than hundreds of years ago...
In the southwest of the Lufondal Empire lay the March of Bastos, a land ruled by one of the most prominent noble families of the Kingdom of Lamar. The Bastos family was old—so ancient, in fact, that legends spoke of their existence long before the Lufondal Empire itself rose to power. Renowned not for their military might but for their staggering wealth, the Bastos family wielded influence that could rival the seven kingdoms of the empire combined.
Yet, despite their strength, the Bastos family showed no interest in power struggles or the throne. They neither bowed to the emperor nor rebelled against him outright. Instead, they stood apart, a looming dragon too proud to kneel but too dormant to provoke. Even the emperor himself, after years of failed attempts to undermine them by empowering rival nobles, had resigned himself to their coexistence.
