Xen’drik lacks both lightning rails and major trade routes. Orien’s major financial interest in Stormreach lies in arranging teleportation between the city and Khorvaire. Few travelers have the funds to afford such a trip (5,000 gp one way to Korth, Sharn, Passage, Korranberg, Fairhaven, or Flamekeep), but when the need for speed and security outweigh any question of cost, House Orien is there to answer the call.
The house operates out of quarters in the Citadel of the Twelve, under the capable hand of Uskal d’Orien. Uskal plays many roles; he makes reservations for travelers, sees to the needs of Transportation Guild members when they are in Stormreach, and represents Orien in diplomatic affairs. Though the years are taking their toll on him, Uskal is a jovial and energetic man, with streaks of red remaining in his white beard and smile lines worn into his cheeks. Uskal has no dragonmark, but he is a capable administrator.
In addition to his work as a travel agent, Uskal oversees four members of the Couriers Guild. Three of them make deliveries only within the city. Rain d’Orien is the exception. Orien has a reputation to uphold, and when deliveries must be made to Last Chance, Zantashk, or dig sites, those in need call on Rain. In addition to her own impressive talents, Rain has made a few contacts among the drow and the giants. But when she’s heading into unknown territory, Uskal hires guards to ensure that the delivery is completed. Deneith or Tharashk mercenaries serve, but if an adventurer of Orien blood is around, Uskal always prefers to work within the house.
At least once every three days, an Orien heir who has the Siberys Mark of Passage teleports to Stormreach from Khorvaire. The Transportation Guild charges 5,000 gp for people to travel with an heir through use of the Siberys mark’s greater teleport ability. Even if there are no customers ready to be teleported to Khorvaire, the heirs teleport to Stormreach with messages and packages for the Couriers Guild. The Siberys heirs can also arrive in response to contracts from Khorvaire, so there’s always a chance an heir will be in residence at the citadel. However, unless wouldbe travelers make reservations with Uskal (requiring a 10% nonrefundable deposit), they discover that the heir’s services have already been booked.
Currently, three heirs run the Xen’drik teleportation circuit: Elari (NG expert 12/heir of Siberys 3), a young prodigy who enjoys talking with travelers about their journeys; Breyn (N rogue 4/expert 8/heir of Siberys 3), a house veteran who rescued a handful of nobles in the Last War and who is not above accepting smugglers’ gold; and Dekker, who is not actually an heir of Siberys but a rakshasa named Marishantar (LE rakshasa sorcerer 9). This fiend sports a bogus Siberys mark and uses the Silent Spell feat to conceal that it casts greater teleport rather than using the mark. Marishantar is a servant of Sul Khatesh, a rajah bound beneath Aundair; this overlord has a number of followers hidden in House Orien and across Aundair. Marishantar has no direct ties to other rakshasas in Stormreach. It serves the interests of Sul Khatesh and has no need to manipulate the Storm Lords or delve into the city’s mysteries. As a supposed heir of Siberys in the Transportation Guild, Marishantar has access to Khorvaire’s rich and powerful, and over the course of centuries, it has used its skills and spells to draw knowledge from its clients and to plant ideas.