Dragonmarked house

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Dragonmarked houses are organizations set in the Eberron Campaign Setting that are based on bloodlines descended from families that first manifested dragonmarks. A person with a dragonmark will find that they are linked to a dragonmarked house at some point in their ancestry. Each house has its own dragonmark and it is forbidden for individuals to procreate with members of other houses to protect the purity of the marks.

The dragonmarked houses are the cornerstone of the economy of Khorvaire. Most banking, security, communications, transportation and fabrication are run by the dragonmarked houses which use their exclusive access to the powers of dragonmarks to sustain their economic empires that extend far beyond rather mundane powers of the dragonmarks themselves. The houses can attribute most of their success to their meticulously crafted reputations for standardization and quality that have elevated bearers of dragonmarks with a status that mundane wizards and artificers cannot possibly match.

History
While many assume that each house can be traced back to a single individual that can first manifested each dragonmark, the real story is much more interesting and unusual. Each mark appeared on several individuals spanning multiple families, though they were linked to certain races and regions. After several generations, these families began to understand the significance of each individual mark and came to see certain marks as true marks, the rest of the marks, the aberrant dragonmarks, were the result of interbreeding between members of different dragonmarked bloodlines.

There were seven known dragonmarked families by the time that Karrn the Conqueror attempted to unite all the lands of Khorvaire under his rule, although none of the families themselves were united. Some of the families were allied with Karrn, while others were counted among his foes. Though Karrn ultimately failed in his quest, he was instrumental in helping to raise the awareness of the dragonmarked families by spreading their influence throughout the continent.

The War of the Mark
Over the following centuries, following examples from the Sivis and Cannith families, the dragonmarked families began communicating with one another, but no real progress towards unification would happen until after the War of the Mark. There are few known facts regarding the War of the Mark that survive to the current day beyond what the houses themselves wish to be known. The remaining folktales speak of aberrant powers so vast as to shatter cities and lay waste to entire communities. Naturally when people wield such power madness often follows and these mad aberrants touched by darkness became known as the Children of Khyber.

In the aftermath of the war the families formed a council known as the Twelve, codifying the traditions of the dragonmarked families and set forth the standards by which the current houses are governed to this day.

The Twelve
The houses were formally cemented at the conclusion of the War of the Mark by the creation of a citadel dragonmark research and development. Though there were only ten dragonmarked houses at the time, Alder d’Cannith had managed to convince the committee that he believed there were two more as of yet unidentified dragonmarks (the two marks, Warding and Finding, were not identified until after the creation of the Kingdom of Galifar).

While it still remains the premier center for learning and arcane research and the Twelve would prove to be pivotal in the shaping of the dragonmarked houses in the early years, its power has waned in recent times to a much more servile position to the houses themselves. There are some that speak of a secret inner cabal working towards a revival of their once considerable world changing empowerment.

The Korth Edicts
In time a ruler, Galifar I succeeded where Karrn had failed and unified the land of Khorvaire. The house leaders met with Galifar I in the city of Korth and made arrangements with the would-be-king that would limit their political power in exchange for assurances of their continued economic strength.

These accords have lasted for a thousand years and have prevented any member of the dragon marked houses from creating a standing army (with the exception of house Deneith to provide mercenary services), marrying into the aristocracy of Galifar (without one of the two giving up all heritage rights), or holding a grant of land.

The Last War
When the kingdom of Galifar fell apart the dragonmarked houses were called on to supply the nations with their individual special services. The Korth Edicts where set aside allowing house enclaves to maintain forces far beyond those allowed by the edicts.

Several houses now have large holdings of their own, and the houses themselves have garnered so much power so as be nearly as powerful as the nations themselves. It currently remains to be seen whether the nations can band together to enforce the edict or if the houses have gathered enough power to renegotiate the terms.

True Houses

 * House Cannith (Mark of Making)
 * House Deneith (Mark of Sentinel)
 * House Ghallanda (Mark of Hospitality)
 * House Jorasco (Mark of Healing)
 * House Kundarak (Mark of Warding)
 * House Lyrandar (Mark of Storm)
 * House Medani (Mark of Detection)
 * House Orien (Mark of Passage)
 * House Phiarlan (Mark of Shadow)
 * House Sivis (Mark of Scribing)
 * House Tharashk (Mark of Finding)
 * House Thuranni (Mark of Shadow)
 * House Vadalis (Mark of Handling)

Other houses

 * House Tarkanan (Aberrant Mark)
 * House Vol (Mark of Death)

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.

House Vol
Mark of Death. 3300 or more years old. Extinct.

Race: Any Race.

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. Dragonmark Abilities: literally the power over death itself. Depending upon the size of the mark, a bearer of the Mark of Death can kill either through physical contact or, if the mark is large enough, by sight or even simply through thinking of the target.