House Phiarlan

Also covered in Dragonmarked. The five heads of the Hydra represent the five artistic demesnes of the house, and they also appreciate its general reputation for resilience.

The roots of House Phiarlan can be traced back to the ancient conflict between the elves and the giants of Xen’drik. The elves of that lost age were not a single, monolithic culture, and in the dying days of the giants, the former slaves among them fought alongside the warriors of a dozen different unconquered elf tribes. A corps of bards and scouts traveled from front to front, carrying news and intelligence that helped coordinate the elves’ attack. These couriers also struggled with the impossible task of maintaining morale and preserving the fragile alliances between the elven tribes. They called themselves phiarlans, a word meaning “spirit keeper.” As the end drew near, the prophet Aeren called on the phiarlans to help him gather elves from across the continent, creating the refugee fleet that would ultimately found the nation of Aeranel.

Before the rise of the Undying Court, Aerenal was a loose alliance of tribes and city-states. Members of the phiarlan bloodlines continued to serve as liaisons and troubadours, traveling from court to court bringing songs and news. Phiarlans worked to maintain peace and order through open mediation, but they also began to collect clandestine knowledge on their travels—knowledge that they would anonymously pass to competing tribes and leaders when doing so served the greater good. Gradually, intelligence-gathering became a secret industry for the phiarlan families, even as their skill with art, song, and dance became a shield against detection.

With the rise of the undying court, the phiarlans came into their own as spies, serving the nation of Aerenal as a whole. Their task was a noble one—bringing the light of observation to bear against the shadows of deception so that justice could be served.

Some thirty-two hundred years ago, two of the first three dragonmarks appeared among the Aerenal elves. The Mark of Death was limited to the line of Vol, but the Mark of Shadow appeared within a number of elf bloodlines, all tied to the phiarlans. Though the nature of the marks was a mystery, the elves were quick to recognize their connection to the Prophecy of the dragons—the great wyrms against which Aerenal had intermittently fought for thousands of years. Suspicion was brought to bear against the dragonmarked, and in the end, the very real schemes of the line of Vol were uncovered. The civil war that ensued saw that line and the Mark of Death destroyed, and sent waves of fearful refugees from Aerenal to Khorvaire.

This exodus included the vast majority of the phiarlans, fearful that the fury that had destroyed the Mark of Death would be turned against them. A few remained behind and were absorbed into other lines; today, the Mark of Shadow is found among the Aereni from time to time. In Khorvaire, the majority of those elves with the Mark of Shadow set out to create a new life. To mark their departure from Aereni society, they formally joined their lines into a new alliance: House Phiarlan.

The people of Khorvaire had never seen anything to compare to the artistic skills and talents of the exiled elves, and a renaissance in culture quickly spread across the land. Elf entertainers were welcomed in every village and city, allowing Phiarlan’s knowledge and contacts to grow. In time, the leaders of the house parlayed Phiarlan’s reputation into secret contacts with the nobility, and they began to sell the intelligence-gathering skills they had honed over thousands of years while serving as the eyes of the Undying Court.

Today, House Phiarlan lives in two worlds. Its performers can be found on the greatest stages and in the humblest taverns, and its eyes watch Khorvaire even where no elf is ever seen. Few people realize the true reach of the house, but kings and queens respect its power.

In 972 YK, House Phiarlan was torn asunder by a conflict that had festered within its ranks for centuries. In the end, The Shadow Schism saw the creation of House Thuranni and the loss of most of House Phiarlan’s holdings in Karrnath and The Lhazaar Principalities.

Though you have seen wealth, fame, and beauty as a child of Phiarlan, you know that knowledge (and the power it brings) is the greatest treasure of all. However, the path you take to claim that power is very much up to you.

As a scion of the house, you might choose to be a socialite, taking pride in your house’s works and enjoying the fame that goes with them. As an adventurer, you likely seek inspiration for some epic work you have in mind. Performance is in your blood, though, and between adventures you are never far from the theater, the tavern, or any other place where you can regale friends and strangers with story or song.

If you choose the path of the agent, you serve the will of the Serpentine Table. Though some who know of Phiarlan’s intelligence services might call you thief or spy, you know better. The Serpentine Table chooses each assignment with care, and through your work in the shadows, you shape the future.

A third path is that of the nomad. You respect the traditions and methods of your house and wish to hold influence within it, but you have no intention of working your way up through standard service. Instead, you create your own power base, starting with the members of your adventuring party. You will weave your own web of influence, and the Serpentine Table will accept you as an equal in the end.

Joining House Phiarlan

In the past, House Phiarlan allowed individuals to marry into the house only rarely; it would have been unusual to see two such unions in a single century. However, the Shadow Schism was a great blow to the house, reducing both its population and the diversity of its family line. As such, Phiarlan’s ranks have become more open to those outside the dragonmarked families, though only elves are ever considered for membership. A candidate must have exceptional artistic skill or remarkable talent in the arts of stealth and subterfuge. Phiarlan spellcasters typically focus on divination, enchantment, and illusion magic, which can be used both for the secret work of the house and for the entertainment activities that conceal it.

Advancement

In the Entertainers and Artisans Guild, talent rises to the top. Ranks in Perform and an aptitude for magic are the pillars of a career with the guild, but it takes more than a single performance to earn the top spot in a theatrical company. Repeated success is necessary in order for the house to invest resources in promoting you. As an adventuring entertainer, your life might not put you on the fast track to house leadership, but you could seek the right to carry one of the heirloom performances of the house.

The life of an entertainer easily suits a bard, but other adventurers are more likely to be drawn to the Serpentine Table. Children of the house play games of intrigue and deception, and the lessons of your youth remain with you. As you undertake missions for the house, you receive ongoing training in the silent arts. Beyond this, the house can provide you with insight into the secret struggles taking place in the shadows across Khorvaire.

As a member of House Phiarlan, you are taught to be ruthless and expedient when a mission requires it. You are trained to search for the secrets in any situation, since any piece of knowledge might someday prove valuable.

Missions

Should you serve the Serpentine Table, your adventuring companions are seen by House Phiarlan as an extension of you—a tool you are expected to mold and use for the benefit of the house. House Phiarlan excels at magical surveillance, and you will never undertake a mission that could be accomplished by the simple use of scrying. As a low-level agent, you might be sent on so-called shadowbait missions, following a target or penetrating an unexplored location to serve as an anchor for magical observation. If you are especially talented, you might be sent to steal a lock of hair from a target the house wishes to spy upon, or to plant a shadow eye. Missions in the service of the house and its clients could set you against kings, dragonmarked viceroys, masterminds of the Aurum, or even the Lords of Dust.

House Phiarlan has no special dispensation to break the law, and agents captured while engaged in illegal activities suffer the consequences. Serpentine liaisons require full disclosure about the reasons driving an assignment. Assassination requires excellent justification, and the house never kills or kidnaps a client in good standing—one of the reasons rulers prefer to work with the house instead of against it.

While House Phiarlan long ago severed its ties to the Undying Court, members of the house still hold their history and the memories of their ancestors in high regard. The greatest treasures of the house are the works of ancient artists: the dance with which Jhazalaen Elorrenthi blinded the King of Fire, the song that Maenol sang as the elves boarded their ships in Xen’drik, and other epic performances. One of the greatest honors any elf can receive is the right to perform one of these heirloom works. Each is incredibly hard to master, and requires intensive training and the study of ancient tomes. Traditionally, the bearer of an heirloom performance chooses his successor, but should he die without designating an heir, the council of the appropriate house demesne selects a new elf to perform the art. Stories circulate of unworthy heirs assassinated by demesne councils in order for an heirloom performance to be transferred to a superior artist, but these have never been substantiated.

Memory: This discipline encompasses the written word, including prose, poetry, and even propaganda. History might be dictated by the victors, but the smartest hire Phiarlan word-weavers to write it down. The Demesne of Memory is located in the city of Fairhaven and run by Viceroy Dulaen Elorrenthi d’Phiarlan (N male el), Lord Seneschal of Aundair.

Motion: These are the arts of the body, including dance, gymnastics, wrestling, contortion, massage, and more. Gifted students of motion are often recruited by the Serpentine Table, their skills adapted to burglary and battle. The Demesne of Motion is located in Wroat, the capital of Breland. It is administered by Viceroy Surael Shol d’Phiarlan (N female elf), Lord Seneschal of Breland.

Music: The Demesne of Music teaches the arts of sound, including song and the use of instruments. The demesne is located in the city of Flamekeep, under the leadership of Viceroy Kels Tialaen d’Phiarlan (N male elf), Lord Seneschal of Thrane.

Shape: The discipline of shape covers the creation of physical objects. This ranges from purely functional goods (the costumes, props, instruments and the like required by the performers of the house) to the physical arts of sculptors, painters, and potters. The masters of this discipline belonged to the Thuranni lines, and the newborn house claimed the Karrnath enclave that housed the demesne during the Shadow Schism. House Phiarlan has reestablished the Demesne of Shape in the Thrane city of Thaliost, but its operations are overshadowed by those of House Thuranni. Currently the demesne is led by Viceroy Idal Tialaen d’Phiarlan (N male elf).

Shadow: In its broadest sense, this is the art of deception. This includes the artistic use of illusions, puppetry, and literal shadow plays, but the Demesne of Shadow also encompasses the verbal arts of deception and coercion, feigning emotion, and playing a role. Actors and orators learn their craft at this demesne, and while a storyteller might create his tales at the Demesne of Memory, he learns to bring those tales fully to life at the Demesne of Shadow. The first Demesne of Shadow was located in Metrol, but was relocated to Sharn after the Day of Mourning. The current matriarch of the house, Elvinor Elorrenthi d’Phiarlan, resides at the Demesne of Shadow.

While House Phiarlan's artistic demesnes are well known, its covert demesnes are less well known.

OSInt: Ellorenthi

Larceny: Shol

HumInt: Tilaen

ArcInt: Paelion

Assassination: Thurrani

To the average citizen of the Five Nations, House Phiarlan is as harmless as it is intriguing. When a house member is approached, he is likely to be asked which famous Phiarlan entertainers he knows. Those who know of the Serpentine Table treat members of House Phiarlan with more caution, whether out of respect (and a friendly reaction) or carefully veiled hostility.

House Phiarlan’s strongest ally among the dragonmarked houses is Ghallanda, and members of that house are friendly toward scions and agents of Phiarlan. Members of House Thuranni typically treat their cousins with cool indifference, though some are more overtly hostile. The only true enemies of the house are the Bloody Shadows (page 119), who are always hostile toward Phiarlan heirs.