His face was hard again, but his eyes were no longer focused on her, instead addressing the others. It was no longer her he was fighting with, it was the rest of the world, and they served as his witnesses. The peacebond bindings on his greatsword snapped with loud pangs as he easily drew it from its simple scabbard, showing its identity as the ancestral greatsword of the Flamehearts. He would never have lied with a fake scabbard, so instead he hid its true identity with an ordinary one. As the knights responded to him drawing a weapon, once more ready to cut him down, she cursed herself silently for not putting the clues together fast enough. If she had caught on in time, maybe she could have saved him.
There are two things that properly represent a noble house. The first is their coat of arms, which allows the world to see just who one is facing. This is worn by members of the family, its knights, its soldiers, its servants, anyone who they feel needs to be clearly marked as a representative that should not be messed with.
But the leaders also need a proper symbol, one that shows exactly what authority they hold. This authority isn't displayed by their signet ring, which can change and even exist in multitude. No, the true representation of a house tends to be done with an ancestral weapon. Understandable, as authority is forged from power through combat.
What the weapon is, really depends on the family. It could be a longsword, a spear, a bow, a mace, whatever properly represents not just the founder but the entire family. Some weapons are contained in a scabbard or come with another accessory, others simply are used by themselves. In rare cases, an ancestral shield is even used instead.
These weapons might be purely symbolic, as none would be foolish enough to use one in combat. In fact, their ceremonial nature means many aren't even suited for actual combat. However, a symbol has no value if not used. As such, in
Mǣdweburh nobles have developed the tendency to bring them out for various ceremonies. Knighting those in direct service of the house, celebrating a birth or a milestone birthday, and of course the handing over of power when the heir takes over from their parent and ascends to leadership.
Ceremonial and useless as these weapons are, make no mistake. These weapons truly represent their families, not just for the wielders but for outsiders as well. They are as important to a family as a name is to a person. Only a fool would ever spit on the legacy that these objects represent.
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