Ever since Illucia could remember, the Barov Family, with its well-stocked warehouses and vast estates, had begun worrying about money.
The Barov Family's history could be traced back to the breakup of the Kingdom of Arathor, when the kingdom's wealthiest merchant consortium took most of the Arathor Empire's gold and assets north to establish the Kingdom of Lordaeron.
Soon, backed by the seemingly limitless power of money, the new nation took shape across the vast northern lands.
House Menethil, the Barov Family, and the Agamand Family jointly named this nation Lordaeron.
Once the kingdom was founded, those who had contributed received fiefs. The Barov Family's ancestors were wise and farsighted. They claimed vast stretches of fertile land east of the Alterac Mountains.
Royal power was not eternal, just as shared interests could never last forever.
Unlike the Agamand Family, the Barov Family was not beholden to Lordaeron's Royal Court.
As the nation's founders grew old one by one, conflicts among the nobles intensified. The Royal Court did not want two great powers within the kingdom.
The Barov Family's descendants grew increasingly hostile to the Menethil Royal Court's actions. And so they made a bold choice.
While retaining their fiefs, the Barov Family accepted titles from the Kingdom of Alterac.
This domestic struggle spread throughout the Alliance. The Barov Family gained a long respite, which lasted until Lord Alex Barov succeeded as head of the family.
War had always been a powerful tool for upsetting the balance and reshuffling the board. When the Kingdom of Alterac collapsed, Alex lost his political protection and soon became an obstacle in the Royal Court's eyes.
A succession of indirect attacks left Alex in misery.
Taxes were imposed under every imaginable pretext. Eventually, the Royal Court abandoned all pretense and openly squeezed the Barov Family