A Guide to the Powerful Upper Class Fantasy Homes

A magocracy rules from grand castles. This light gray castle's shape resembles the upper body of a kraken. It has many windows and a golden trim around the door. Red, blue, and green diamond symbols surround the door. A gray path leads to the door and pink diamond statues line it. The castle sits atop a grassy plain with several mesas in the background. Above them is the pink sky with oval clouds. This castle is one of many upper class fantasy homes.
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Sunfire

CONTENTS

The Premise

Traveling plays a large role in many stories in fantasy. The protagonist and his allies crisscross the kingdom as they face whatever challenges head their way. Alongside the way, they see large, expansive buildings situated in the middle of nowhere. Some of these buildings are none other than upper class fantasy homes.

These particular buildings are where the nobility dwell. While not as grandiose as that of those of the royal family, they’re impressive in their own way. These structures serve to exemplify the power of the nobles, which is second only to the royals, who call them home.

The upper class fantasy homes are in a class all their own. The nobles spared no expense in building these beautiful, luxurious homes, using the finest materials available in the world. There are two separate kinds of this home: urban and rural. Each is distinctly different from each other though they have some similarities.

All powerful nobles wish to be close to the national power center, the castle where the royal family rules the kingdom from, and yet they seek to have their own separate from the royals. That’s where the two key types of upper class fantasy homes come in. Each plays a different role though shrewd lords and ladies use both to their advantage in order to advance their agenda.

Regarding their position in the world, these fantasy palaces play a large role. They are where the nobility make decisions that affect their families, the people who they rule over, and the kingdom itself. Some of these decisions can have far-ranging effects for good or ill.

This is the thirteenth article in the series looking at the various kinds of fantasy buildings. If you like this article and want to see what else we have, you can find them on our blog page. New articles come out weekly so keep checking it out!

The 2 Main Types of Upper Class Fantasy Homes

Many, if not all, of the upper class fantasy homes have stood for decades and centuries. They’ve seen many generations of the family who own them come and go and their power has only grown over time. They serve as the power center, the base of operations, for the powerful lords and ladies.

Being a status symbol of their high position in society, these beautiful homes were constructed using the best materials found in the world. The deep diversity of materials range from bricks to stone and each one of them was painstakingly placed to ensure that the home looked as great as it could.

There are two major types of upper class fantasy homes: urban and rural. Each has its own distinct appearance and function. Urban homes tend to be smaller, either being massive apartments or townhouses, though they retain the luxurious appearance found in their countryside counterparts whereas the other is as large as a castle.

The head of a fantasy theocracy lives in a grand palace. This gray palace with brown beams has six spires at its top. Light blue windows are all over the palace. The palace is in the middle of a courtyard with many bushes and brown paths. A couple of paths go to the hills in the distance. Above them is the blue sky with oval clouds.

The homes in cities, specifically the capital city, are only used when their owners are in town on official business for the kingdom. When they’re not there, their servants work constantly to keep them looking spotless and whatever messages that arrive are delivered to the one out in the country.

The rural homes are palatial in nature. Large courtyards and gardens surround these great castles and they are where the nobility spend most of their time. They only leave them when they need to go to the capital or other major cities for business. They entertain guests and hold feasts throughout the year among other things.

There’s a multitude of activities they can do in the country that they can’t otherwise do in the city. Many lords and ladies enjoy riding their horses and nearly all of these buildings have stables for their horses. Other activities include taking a stroll around the estate, gardening, and so on.

Location Matters for Upper Class Fantasy Homes

If there’s one thing the majority of nobles care about, it would be power. As such, they endeavor to be situated either near major sources of power like the royal castle or be the power themselves. To that end, they want to live in places that emphasize how much power they wield in the kingdom.

Location is key for upper class fantasy homes. The two types of homes mentioned in the previous section plays a significant role in showing off and using the power the nobility have. They both play a role in advancing the agenda of the head of the family though they’re used in different ways.

When it comes to urban homes, all the powerful families have at least one in the capital city. These homes are typically found not too far away from the royal castle. The reason for this is so that they can be close to the king whenever he calls upon them or if he has a major decision to make that will affect the kingdom.

Fantasy cities are important in the genre. This image depicts a city with a castle on a hilltop above it. The city has both rectangular- and square-shaped buildings with a wavy roof on each one. The buildings come in four colors: light yellow, brown, light blue, and white. The roofs come in the following colors: dark blue, red, light black, and dark brown. Many of these buildings have windows and some have a visible door. The road itself runs down the middle of the image, swaying to the right and then the left, ending at the doorstep of the castle. The road also meets two others, one that runs to the left, and the other to the right. Behind the city is a grassy field with blades of grass scattered throughout. A river cuts through the field, meandering from the left edge to the right edge of the image. The castle itself is white with gray shadows. It has four red turrets and diamond-shaped windows. The sky above is a bright blue with two white clouds. Some birds are flying on the left side, above the castle, and the right side.

The upper class fantasy homes in cities have another purpose besides being in close proximity to the royal castle. Whenever they’re in town, the nobles use them to gather support for their plans or policies they seek to implement. In order to make it happen, they throw parties or have other gatherings.

Though they may have homes in the capital and other cities, the upper crust prefers the solitude that comes with living out in the countryside. Some of their homes are near small towns whereas others are further away. They spend the majority of their time living in these places.

The heads of the families who dwell in these enormous estates focus on managing the lands and towns under their dominion which is why they spend much of the year in the countryside. There’s a plethora of issues they have to deal with such as collecting taxes and making capital improvements like roads, dams, and so on. These lords and ladies need to be close so they can effectively manage the areas under their purview and keep tabs on what’s going on within them.

Upper Class Fantasy Homes and the World

With how much power the nobility wields, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the buildings they call home plays a large role in both the kingdom and the world. Moreover, these upper class fantasy homes serve as physical symbols of power since the nobility assists the monarchy in running the kingdom. Whatever decisions they make within their hallowed halls will affect a great number of people.

The powerful families govern the lands they control on behalf of the king. As such, they’re considered agents of the king and whatever decisions they make has his support. Additionally, whenever the king issues an edict or something else, they are duly obligated to enforce it.

Serving at the pleasure of the king, the upper crust tend to matters in the areas in their sphere of control. In their homes, they focus on a wide-ranging number of issues like doling out punishments for lawbreakers or making arrangements for upcoming events like the fall harvest or holiday celebrations. Doing this ensures they have a high-profile visibility in their communities.

Fantasy forests fit right in the genre. This image depicts a forest with a castle-like building rising above the trees. Several large hills also stick out of the forest. The orange sky has four oval clouds and birds flying.

There will be times when hostilities erupt between rival lords. While not going all the way to war, the tension generated between them can affect the stability of the realm. In these times, their upper class fantasy home become the site of decisions they make to harm or outright destroy their enemies. Sometimes the king chooses to remain out of it due to his not wanting to offend either side whereas other times he will have no choice but to intervene in order to diffuse it before it devolves into open warfare.

When the monarch declares war on a neighbor or rival country, the nobility are expected to summon their banner men to respond to the king’s call for men. They order all able-bodied men to serve and their dwellings become command centers. They discuss strategy and tactics and they also coordinate them with their fellow allies.

Whenever foreign dignitaries visit the kingdom, the nobility offers their homes as a place for them to stay in during their visit. They exchange stories and discuss the latest going-ons in both countries. Shrewd lords and ladies use their visit to find out what people from other places think about how things are going on in the realm so they can either keep that info to themselves or inform the king.

Tying it all Together

In conclusion, upper class fantasy homes are in a class all by themselves. Second only to that of the royalty in terms of power and influence, their importance to the kingdom cannot be understated. Moreover, they’re among the most breathtaking castles in the realm.

Many members of the nobility own more than one home. In urban communities such as the capital, the homes they have enable them to be close to the national corridors of power. Out in the countryside, their homes are where they focus on local issues that affect the lands under their dominion. Both types of homes are used to advance the nobility’s agenda.

Location is king when it comes to the placement of the upper class fantasy homes. As prominent citizens of the realm, nobles prefer to be near major sources of power such as the royal castle. Additionally, they are powerful in their own right and they use their homes in the countryside as the site in which they manage the lands they control on the king’s behalf.

These homes play a major role in the world. Besides being where decisions that affect people’s lives, they are where the lords and ladies host important events throughout the year as well as entertaining guests, especially those from other countries.

If you’re creating a story where the nobility plays a role, you have to give them a place for them to live and you can’t go wrong with creating upper class fantasy homes!

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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,

Sunfire

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