A Sacred Covenant(3)

Most of the nobles in the south were very well off, and even though their soldiers' equipment was not as neat as Ashetra's, it still gave them an advantage over other kingdoms.
In contrast, the nobles of the rest of the world looked rather shabby.
Most of the nobles in the north had only mediocre mail and plate armor, and the quality of their weapons was much worse than that of their southern counterparts.