Dragonmarked house
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In the Eberron campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, dragonmarked houses make up some of the larger power groups. Most of the houses are made up of family members, some of whom have a dragonmark, a tatoolike discolouration that gives them certain magical abilities. Each house carries a different dragonmark, and has used its powers to acquire economic power. To keep the bloodlines pure, marriage between members of different dragonmarked houses are forbidden.
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[edit] Trueborn bloodlines
[edit] House Cannith
Mark of Making. 2500 years old.
Tinkers Guild: repairs and maintenance.
Fabricators Guild: construction and production.
Race: Human.
Heraldic beast: Gorgon.
Month/Moon: Eyre (Mid-spring, ~April, fourth moon).
House Cannith's main activities centre around building. This house built the Lightning Rail and the warforged. Following the destruction of Cyre they have lost their patriarch and many of their members; the house has split into three parts, although they still show unity in public.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] House Deneith
Mark of Sentinel. 2600 years old.
Defenders Guild: protection.
Blademarks Guild: hirelings and mercenaries.
Race: Human.
Heraldic beast: Chimera.
Month/Moon: Olarune (Late winter, ~February, second moon).
House Deneith operates under a strict military hierarchy. Since all houses have vowed to stay neutral in conflicts, House Deneith supplies to both sides of a conflict.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] House Ghallanda
Mark of Hospitality. 3200 years old.
Hostelers Guild: bars and inns.
Race: Halfling.
Heraldic beast: Blink dog.
Month/Moon: Nymm (Early summer, ~June, sixth moon).
Although most halflings are nomadic, the members of House Ghallanda operate an impressive number of entertainment institutions, all over Khorvaire.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] House Jorasco
Mark of Healing. 3000 years old.
Healers Guild: health.
Race: Halfling.
Heraldic beast: Griffon.
Month/Moon: Therendor (Early spring, ~March, third moon).
House Jorasco provides mundane health care services to the public, as well as magical healing to those who can afford it. Common people visit House Jorasco hospitals instead of churches, since clerics generally reserve their healing abilities for the faithful.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] House Kundarak
Mark of Warding. 2500 years old.
Banking Guild: money, loans and safekeeping.
Warding Guild: security and protection.
Race: Dwarf.
Heraldic beast: Manticore.
Month/Moon: Vult (Early winter, ~December, twelfth moon).
House Kundarak operates out of the Mror Holds, running the banking and moneylending business in Khorvaire. With close ties to House Sivis, all kinds of coin exchange, credit and safekeeping services are provided by House Kundarak.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] House Lyrandar
Mark of Storm. 2000 years old.
Raincallers Guild: provides good weather for farmers.
Windwrights Guild: transport over water or through the air.
Race: Half-Elf.
Heraldic beast: Kraken.
Month/Moon: Zarantyr (Mid-winter, ~January, first moon).
House Lyrandar members have the power to manipulate the weather, and have used that power to create an island paradise for themselves, off the coast of Aundair.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] House Medani
Mark of Detection. 1500 years old.
Warning Guild: protection with prescience.
Race: Half-Elf.
Heraldic beast: Basilisk.
Month/Moon: Lharvion (Mid-summer, ~July, seventh moon).
Because the members of House Medani can see trouble coming, they are very effective in personal security. Its magic item inventions were instrumental in ending the War of the Mark.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] House Orien
Mark of Passage. 2000 years old.
Couriers Guild: postal service.
Transportation Guild: freight.
Race: Human.
Heraldic beast: Unicorn.
Month/Moon: Aryth (Late autumn, ~November, eleventh moon).
Members of House Orien control the Lightning Rail and several caravan routes.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] House Phiarlan
Mark of Shadow: 3000 years old.
Entertainers and Artisans Guild: entertainment.
Race: Elf.
Heraldic beast: Hydra.
Month/Moon: Sypheros (Mid-autumn, ~October, tenth moon).
Part of House Phiarlan split off recently, to form House Thuranni. According to rumour, the members of House Phiarlan also engage in espionage.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] House Sivis
Mark of Scribing. 2800 years old.
Speakers Guild: diplomatic services and translation.
Notaries Guild: notary services.
Race: Gnome.
Heraldic beast: Cockatrice.
Month/Moon: Rhaan (Early autumn, ~September, ninth moon).
The members of House Sivis guarantee the authenticity of documents. It is known for its impartiality, and is relied on to send sensitive information securely. It is also known for its bureaucratic red tape.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] House Tharashk
Mark of Finding. 1000 years old.
Finders Guild: finding.
Race: Human and Half-Orc.
Heraldic beast: Dragonne.
Month/Moon: Barrakas (Late summer, ~August, eighth moon).
The members of House Tharashk are highly skilled trackers and bounty hunters. They are also in the mining business, and control most of the trade with Eberron dragonshards.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] House Thuranni
Mark of Shadow. 25 years old.
Race: Elf.
Heraldic beast: Displacer beast.
Month/Moon: Sypheros (Mid-autumn, ~October, tenth moon).
Like its parent, House Phiarlan, House Thuranni is in entertainment. The members left Aerenal and travelled to Khorvaire around the time of the destruction of House Vol.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] House Vadalis
Mark of Handling. 1800 years old.
Handlers Guild: breeding.
Race: Human.
Heraldic beast: Hippogriff.
Month/Moon: Dravago (Late spring, ~May, fifth moon).
The members of House Vadalis breed any number of animals, mostly mounts, but also animals used in offense of defense, or pets. House Vadalis operates out of the Eldeen Reaches.
Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] Other houses
[edit] House Tarkanan
Aberrant Marks. Age unknown.
Race: Any race capable of bearing a dragonmark.
Aberrant marks can be created when two dragonmark bearing people, each of whom has a different dragonmark, have children. They are considered an abomination by the trueborn houses. Sometimes aberrant marks spontaneously appear on members of races that can bear dragonmarks.
House Tarkanan is not an official house recognized by governments or other dragonmarked houses. It was founded by Thora Tavin, a former Brelish spy who worked as part of a group of Aberrant Marked spies. Near the end of the Last War she recruited several of the spies and fled Brelish service. She named her organization "House Tarkanan" as a mockery against other dragonmarked houses - Lord Halas Tarkanan was a leader of Aberrant Dragonmarked people during the War of the Marks. It currently exists as a loose criminal association of people bearing aberrant dragonmarks, hiring its services for robbery and assassination. It has a presence in Sharn[1].
[edit] House Vol
Mark of Death. 3300 or more years old. Extinct.
Race: Elf.
One of the first dragonmarks to manifest, the Mark of Death was also the first dragonmark lost. The lich Erandis d'Vol is the last known bearer of the mark, but its powers have become dormant since she is no longer technically alive. Several times it has allegedly re-surfaced but they were either all hoaxes or Aberrant Dragonmarks. In a novel set in Eberron, a young elf named Espre is believed to bear the Mark of Death, and d'Vol's forces pursue her. d'Vol's priests claim Espre is a descendent of House Vol and bears the actual Mark of Death, although it's possible it is an Aberrant Dragonmark[2]. Dragonmark Abilities:
[edit] References
- ^ Baker, Keith. The City of Towers. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. ISBN 0-7869-3584-7
Baker, Keith and Wyatt, James. Sharn: City of Towers. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast, 2004. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4 - ^ Forbeck, Matt. Marked for Death. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. ISBN 0-7869-3610-X
- Baker, Keith; Slavicsek, Bill; Wyatt, James (2004). Eberron Campaign Setting. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4
- House Phiarlan, Part One at Wizards.com website
- House Phiarlan, Part Two at Wizards.com website
- House Phiarlan, Part Three at Wizards.com website
- Eberron calendar at Wizards.com website
- Moons of Eberron at Wizards.com website