House Ornelos traces its noble lineage back before the founding of the Chelaxian Empire itself, giving it the highest pedigree of any aristocratic family in Korvosa. The family first came to Korvosa after Lord Volshyenek Ornelos fell out of favor in the Imperial Court. Seeking a fresh start on the Varisian frontier in what was then known as Fort Korvosa, Lord Volshyenek played a key role in the final defeat of the Shoanti barbarians and the establishment of settlements on the mainland.

Already an accomplished wizard when he arrived in the city, Volshyenek’s legend only grew as he threw himself into the founding of the Acadamae. As the decades left him unchanged, people began to call him the Immortal Lord. Multiple generations of his descendants lived and died under his perpetual guidance. But roughly 150 years after his arrival in Korvosa, the Immortal Lord was finally slain defending the Acadamae from a pit fiend that had escaped its binding.

Even in Volshyenek’s absence, House Ornelos maintains a firm grip over the Acadamae, with the aged Toff Ornelos serving as the current Headmaster. Unlike much of the Acadamae’s faculty and students, however, House Ornelos has resisted converting to devil worship. But it remains loyal to both Korvosa and Cheliax and exerts influence not only through its control of the wizarding school but also from the many advisers it has placed at the ears of the monarch, other noble families, and important institutions throughout the city.

Members of House Ornelos

• Lord Toff Ornelos, Headmaster of the Acadamae

• Volshyenek Ornelos, the Immortal Lord

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