Noble Houses of the Seabird

From the introduction:

The Old City is in ruins. The scions of the Noble Houses have commissioned great seabirds adorned with opulent houses; they will fly from perch to perch over the ocean to the New City. None trust each other enough to fly together, so their birds wing lonely through the sky, moving from point to point.

You cannot see eye-to-eye on these winged steeds. But you can communicate. You can intrigue...and who knows who will be lesser or higher when the birds arrive at their final destination?