Psychological Warfare I

Life isn't always peaceful in high society. Prestigious families often engage in power struggles. The Batian and Erne families are particular rivals in this game of houses. The Batians resent House Erne for cooperating with the merchants, who are a rising power in the city. At a banquet attended by the patriarchs of both families, Theophil Batian casually observed that Dominic Erne demeaned all nobility by doing business with such baseborn merchants. This shot across the bow was the start of an ongoing feud between the two families.