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Nord Family
Supreme Dragon Seal
Contents
Biodata
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Nord Family (诺德家族) |
| Affiliation | Golden Leaf Dynasty; the Black Armored Army is nominally a dynastic force but serves as the family's direct-line army 8 |
| Occupation/Role | Foremost noble and military family of the Golden Leaf Dynasty |
| Status | Active |
| First Appearance | Chapter 2 |
Background / History
The Nord Family was founded by Simon Nord, who fought beside Great Emperor Golden Leaf during the dynasty's founding campaigns. Eight centuries later, after ten emperors, the family remains the dynasty's foremost house while many other founding-era powers have declined 13.
Its enduring position rests on military control rather than imperial favor. The family controls roughly one-third of the Golden Leaf Dynasty's military strength, leaving successive emperors unable to feel secure despite the family's formal loyalty 13. The Black Armored Army is its greatest support and the principal reason the imperial house has avoided openly moving against it for generations 8.
The family maintains a vast mansion in the imperial capital, with direct descendants assigned residences according to rank; Qi Bei's eastern courtyard reflects the privileged status of his branch 21. Its ancestral graveyard, located west of the capital, is reserved for direct descendants and their principal wives 27.
Military Power
| Force / Institution | Nord Family Connection | Known Details |
|---|---|---|
| Black Armored Army | The family's direct-line army, though officially part of the Golden Leaf Dynasty 8 | Consists of about 12,000 soldiers. A single 400-man battalion is said to be capable of routing an ordinary force ten times its size 8. |
| Nord Military Academy | Founded by Simon Nord and used to cultivate future military personnel 30 | Most graduates enter armies controlled by the family as core personnel 30. |
| Shadow Guards | Elite retainers directly reassigned by Cody Nord to Qi Bei 43 44 | Little Nine is an Earth-Wind dual-element mage; Thirteen is a King Grade warrior trained in stealth and assassination 44. |
Political Position
The Nord Family and Emperor Hanmos maintain a public relationship of ruler and loyal subjects, but both sides recognize their conflict as irreconcilable. Hanmos considers the family too powerful to eliminate immediately and seeks to restrain it while preparing a longer-term plan 2 16.
The proposed marriage between Qi Bei Nord and Princess Mingyue is primarily a political concession meant to appease the family. Cody Nord exploits the discovery of a Dark Mage near Princess Ruixue to force Hanmos to set the engagement date 22 23.
The engagement does not resolve the underlying struggle. Princess Mingyue openly acknowledges that the royal family and the Nords may eventually fight for control of the dynasty, while Qi Bei rejects her request for a promise to spare the royal house if the Nords prevail 39.
Internal Structure
| Position / Succession Matter | Details |
|---|---|
| Family Head | Cody Nord is the current patriarch 13 22. |
| Succession | The current patriarch's eldest legitimate son is expected to inherit when Cody steps down; the elder generation would then enter the Elder Council 26. |
| Judicial Court | The most powerful position beneath the patriarch is the head of the judicial court. Raymond Nord and Sico Nord are leading contenders, creating friction between their branches 26. |
| Younger generation | Mio Nord, Huai'an Nord, and Will Nord are known as the Nord Three Prodigies 26. |
| Family unity | Despite internal rivalries, the family closes ranks when its collective interests are threatened 13. |
Known Members
| Member | Position / Notes |
|---|---|
| Simon Nord | Founding patriarch; fought alongside Great Emperor Golden Leaf and founded the Nord Military Academy 13 30. |
| Cody Nord | Current patriarch; Qi Bei's grandfather. A calculating political figure who uses the appearance of frailty and senility to mislead rivals 16 23. |
| Raymond Nord | Qi Bei and Huai'an's father; a leading member of his generation and a contender in the struggle for future authority 16 26. |
| Lilith | Raymond's late wife and mother of Huai'an and Qi Bei. She died in childbirth after Qi Bei's birth and is buried in the family graveyard 8 27. |
| Huai'an Nord | Commander of the Black Armored Army and elder brother of Qi Bei. Known as “Nord Tiger”; an advanced warrior who cultivates the King Grade Mad Demon Tiger Ferocity Art 2 14. |
| Qi Bei Nord | Cody's fifth grandson and the Fifth Young Master. Once dismissed as unable to cultivate, he returns from the Undead Mountain Range as an intermediate warrior and is later sent to govern West Spirit City 13 14 43. |
| Mio Nord | Cody's legitimate eldest grandson and expected future patriarch. A King Grade Water Mage who manages family business across ten northeastern provinces 30. |
| Will Nord | Sico Nord's eldest son, an advanced warrior, and one of the Nord Three Prodigies 26. |
| Sico Nord | Raymond's brother and Will's father; competes with Raymond for the future headship of the judicial court 26. |
Family Symbols and Holdings
- Nord clan ring — Worn by every direct descendant as a symbol of identity and authority 13.
- Nord Family mansion — A heavily guarded imperial-capital estate with layered courtyards, pavilions, and an eastern residential quarter reserved for high-status direct descendants 21.
- Giant Sun Elephants — The family keeps these fourth-tier magical beasts in its beast yard; Qi Bei sends two to Marquis Lanling as an intentional insult 25 27.
Story Role / Major Arcs
Search for Qi Bei
After Qi Bei disappears in the Undead Mountain Range, Huai'an refuses to abandon the search for eight months, deploying Black Armored soldiers in the region 2 8. Qi Bei's survival and return overturn the capital's view of him as the family's useless Fifth Young Master 13 16.
Marriage Politics and Dark Magic
The family gains leverage over Emperor Hanmos after Qi Bei exposes the Nine Nether Soul Spike Technique being cast on Huai'an through Princess Ruixue's maidservant 15 22. Cody uses the evidence of the maid's Netherworld Mark to press the emperor into formalizing Qi Bei and Princess Mingyue's engagement 22 23.
Engagement and Departure to West Spirit City
Qi Bei's engagement to Mingyue publicly joins the royal and Nord families while emphasizing their concealed hostility 38 40. After Qi Bei defeats Fentian, Cody immediately sends him to West Spirit City with Little Nine, Thirteen, and 250 Black Armored soldiers, using diversions to evade a likely imperial interception 42 43 44.
Escalating Conflict with the Throne
Emperor Hanmos attempts to promote Qi Bei and alter his fief after his departure, but Cody claims Qi Bei has already left for his territory 45. This political exchange marks another open setback for the royal family and further sharpens the conflict between the two powers 45.