Citadel of the Twelve (Stormreach)

House Cannith has no true enclave in Stormreach, but the house maintains a small facility within the Citadel of the Twelve and has developed strong ties with the Stormreach Forge. Cannith’s interest in Xen’drik has grown considerably over the last century because of the magical secrets that have been recovered from the interior; it’s thought the breakthrough that produced the creation forge was the result of Aaren d’Cannith’s travels in the depths of Xen’drik. The Cannith workshop in the Citadel of the Twelve isn’t designed for production; it’s built for research, focused on analyzing magic items and schemas recovered from the ruins of the shattered land.

The wizard Toven d’Cannith directed Cannith operations in Xen’drik for the last twenty years. However, in the wake of the Day of Mourning, Merrix d’Cannith assumed control of the house’s southern operations. Merrix dispatched one of his personal protégés, an artificer named Channa of the Vown family, to take over the Stormreach facilities and replace the majority of the staff with people loyal to Cannith South. However, Toven d’Cannith holds an independent position within the Twelve and continues to work at the citadel in this capacity. Bitter tensions seethe in the citadel’s shadows, further fueled by Toven’s interest in the Blood of Vol and Channa’s devotion to the Traveler.

Merrix has directed Channa to focus resources on the warforged, and Cannith expeditions are directed toward finding docents, warforged components, ancient creation forges, or anything else that could further Merrix’s work in Sharn.

House Ghallanda has its seat in the Chapterhouse in the Marketplace, the largest inn in Stormreach. What the Chapterhouse lacks in local flavor it makes up for with its reliability, reasonable rates, and excellent entertainment. In addition, many of the inns and taverns in the city are licensed by House Ghallanda, giving them the right to show the house’s seal of approval on their trade signs. It’s up to the DM to decide which businesses pay dues to Ghallanda; if a tavern doesn’t have the Ghallanda seal, that fact should be a warning to potential customers.

The Jorasco Enclave (Stormreach) in Respite always has a steady stream of clients. Stormreach is a dangerous city, and whether it’s magical mending or mundane treatment, there’s always work for healers. The enclave is well supplied for such a small city, including an altar of resurrection, the cleric Alhaura, and three adepts of 7th–9th level, along with a number of experts trained in healing.

Alhaura and her adepts don’t follow any of the major religions of Eberron; their faith is an abstract devotion to the principles of life and health, a path common within Jorasco. Followers of this path have access to the Life and Healing domains, and NPCs of this path can prepare only abjurations, divinations, and spells with the healing descriptor. A DM using Miniatures Handbook might wish to make Alhaura a healer instead of a cleric.

In the past, Jorasco has been content with its revenue stream and has made few efforts to expand its influence in the city. However, the new viceroy Iriakan is more adventurous than his predecessors, and he is determined to expand Jorasco’s role.

House Deneith maintains the Deneith Enclave (Stormreach)

Strong cases can be made for both House Deneith and House Tharashk, but the distinction of the most powerful dragonmarked house in Stormreach must likely fall to House Kundarak. The dwarves were among the first of the dragonmarked to arrive in force, and they have done very well for themselves ever since. They were the first to recognize the potential inherent in establishing an enclave in an area outside the purview of the Korth Edicts. Stormreach proved the ideal environment for a house that specializes in banking and securities, since the demand for both is high in Xen’drik.

Beyond this, two things stand out as being most responsible for House Kundarak’s success. The first is its long-standing alliance with Yorrick Amanatu, the Storm Lord who oversees Silverwall. A fellow dwarf and one of the wealthiest people in Xen’drik, Amanatu has acted in the house’s interests at almost every step of the way, especially during the negotiations that paved the way for House Kundarak’s greatest victory in the city: the establishment of Coasthold. Unlike the other dragonmarked house enclaves in the city, the dwarves actually own the land on which their enclave sits. With help from their cousin Yorrick, they successfully convinced the city to let them buy and build on the undeveloped land on the eastern edge of town. They made a number of concessions in the process (agreeing to host the Citadel of the Twelve, for example), but the deal ultimately benefits them. The house’s presence provides substantial revenue to the city and to Yorrick in particular, and in the final analysis, House Kundarak acts almost completely independent of the city’s authority.

These successes are largely the work of the Ghedin bloodline, a family that suffers some measure of ignominy back in Khorvaire thanks to the dominance of the Kundarak line there. The head of the Kundarak Enclave (Stormreach) is Korbek Ghedin, the nephew of Lord Durdik Ghedin, the current patriarch of the Ghedin clan worldwide. A thoughtful and quiet person, Korbek is one of the most influential individuals in Stormreach, but one would never know it by his behavior. He runs a tight ship and clearly sees a line of demarcation between his house and those outside it, despite his willingness to serve all who call on its services. Publicly, he is known for being nearly humorless when it comes to the security of his enclave, and rumors of would-be interlopers disappearing without a trace circle throughout the city. Korbek is almost never encountered without Yarik, a hulking brick of a dwarf clad in mithral plate. Nobody knows just what Yarik’s title or role is (aside from guarding Korbek), but some dwarves whisper of his connection to House Kundarak’s paramilitary arm, the Ghorad’din.

Stormreach is a center for sea trade and a port that lies outside the restrictive Korth Edicts imposed by Galifar. House Lyrandar has always seen tremendous opportunity in Stormreach, but its ambitions were held in check by the Harbor Lords. Despite being fellow half-elves, the Wylkeses obeyed the orders of the king of Galifar and placed limits on Lyrandar expansion. But over the last thirty years, everything has changed. With the development of the airship, Lyrandar raised Falconer’s Spire in the Marketplace. Lord Lassite is open to Lyrandar persuasion, and the house uses the spire as its embassy and seat of business.

The next shift came with the arrival of Calynden d’Lyrandar at the end of the Last War. In the past, Calynden served as a seneschal of Lyrandar. Some say that Matriarch Esravash sent Calynden to Stormreach because she disliked the old man’s cruel and calculating ways; others believe that Esravash is more cunning than she appears and that she sent Calynden to extend her domain. Within Lyrandar, Calynden is known as “the Kraken” because he is deadly and powerful but never seen until he strikes. A masterful negotiator, Calynden specialized in weather extortion during his time in Khorvaire—bargaining with generals or farmers at times when the weather played a vital role, offering Lyrandar’s assurance that the weather would go their way—with the clear implication that it could be made otherwise. It’s possible that he is continuing this practice in Stormreach; someone who can control the weather is a powerful force in a port city.

Whether the assignment was intended as punishment or opportunity, many significant events have occurred since Calynden’s arrival. Foremost among these is the mysterious death of Harbor Lord Graden Wylkes and the ascension of his son Jonas. The new Harbor Lord is far more pliable than his predecessor. Calynden showered young Jonas with gifts and galas, and in the process renegotiated the arrangements made with prior lords. Having finally secured the rights to the eastern peninsula, Lyrandar is in the process of building its own shipyard. Once complete, this facility could allow Lyrandar a level of freedom unprecedented under the Korth Edicts. Calynden also hopes to wrest the secrets of elemental binding from the depths of Xen’drik to build new galleons without relying on Cannith or Zilargo; however, this plan is only a dream at present.

Many Lyrandar vessels pass through Stormreach, and any heir in good standing can find simple lodging at the enclave. One of the most recognized captains is Lazrea d’Lyrandar, known both for her beauty and her love of dueling with those who offend her. Lord Calynden has been using her to manipulate Jonas Wylkes, and so far Lazrea has no objections to romancing the handsome Harbor Lord. However, if she discovers proof that Calynden was behind the death of Graden Wylkes, she could turn against him. Like many of the children of Lyrandar, Lazrea is a free spirit. If it turns out that the Kraken has dark plans, Lazrea could be a valuable ally to the PCs.

House Lyrandar has two strong allies in Stormreach. The first is House Tharashk, which relies on Lyrandar shipping to transport its dragonshards and other goods to Khorvaire. Also, Lyrandar has spent decades cultivating relations with the sahuagin in order to ensure safe passage across the Thunder Sea. Sahuagin emissaries are often seen in the house’s harbor facilities, and Calynden frequently dines with sahuagin priests, conversing with them in their own tongue. Most likely, this alliance is simply a matter of business—something that gives Lyrandar an edge over independent captains. However, some in the house say that Calynden is one of the leaders of the Kraekovar, a cult that ascribes the powers of the Mark of Storm to the Devourer and that advocates the conquest of Khorvaire. If this belief is true, Calynden’s hospitality might hide a dark purpose.

House Medani has little interest in Stormreach. The house has a single apartment in the Citadel of the Twelve, and now and again the house sends a representative to the citadel to observe events in the city. Typically, Medani heirs found in the city are either on direct assignment from Khorvaire, or else they’re free agents pursuing their own agendas.

Although no Medani true heirs are in permanent residence, one man in Stormreach has the Mark of Detection. Culan Silvereyes is an expatriate, expelled from the house after he knowingly withheld information that caused the death of his employer. He is driven by oracular visions (or so he believes), and these might cause him to seek out adventurers or act against them. Most of the time he works as a freelance inquisitive, with a knack for showing up at the moment when a prospective client decides to seek help.

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.

House Phiarlan has an economic interest in The Chapterhouse in the Marketplace, but it maintains a separate Phiarlan Enclave (Stormreach) in the Temple district. There, Viceroy Morian Shol d’Phiarlan arranges entertainment for the taverns, inns, and theaters in the city. Although the Serpentine Table—Phiarlan’s espionage division—has operatives scattered in the city, Morian deals in the arts, not in intelligence. The eyes of the house study anyone who comes in search of secret services; if the job is worthwhile and the resources are available, a Phiarlan agent approaches the prospective client to discuss the deal. Morian doesn’t even know the identity of the Serpentine spymaster, though he’s certain that this agent works out of the Onyx Fountain (page 24).

Phiarlan heirs can always find lodging at the enclave, provided they are willing to perform for a few hours or share interesting news from the wider world. One frequent guest is Eiras Tialaen, a bard who has devoted his life to recovering lost artistic traditions of the ancient elves from the depths of Xen’drik. Tialaen was scarred in an accident in the jungles, but he hides his disfigurement beneath a layer of illusion. The bard could be a useful patron or ally for explorers, or a rival; a PC might want a magic item for its power, while Tialaen wants the relic for its artistry

House Sivis runs one of the smallest operations of any dragonmarked house in Stormreach, but that’s not to say that it has no presence, thanks in large part to the efforts of its ever-approachable leader, First Stonespeaker Amilene Santor. The Sivis gnomes maintain no enclave per se in the city, but they have a space of their own outside the offices of the Citadel of the Twelve. Thanks to good relations with the dwarves, House Sivis keeps private offices inside the Kundarak Enclave (Stormreach). These offices contain a message station (with two active speaking stones), the First Stonespeaker’s private office, and a small but valuable arcane library of which she is especially proud and the maintenance of which she oversees personally.

Most business of a mundane nature is conducted next door at the Sivis offices in the Citadel of the Twelve, where the local Notaries Guild is headquartered. Legal services there are overseen by barrister Wernor Lyrriman, an elderly but experienced attorney who specialized in international law in his youth and who is today the leading expert on the bureaucratic system of the Storm Lords (especially as it pertains to the workings of the dragonmarked houses).

Although the Coasthold, but she has garnered a citywide reputation for being cordial and approachable in her space, and she enjoys being a neutral party in Stormreach.

Most people think of Tharashk as a house of inquisitives and bounty hunters, its members using their marks to solve mysteries and track criminals. But the House of Finding makes far more money from prospecting than it does from its inquisitives, and over the last two centuries, Tharashk has taken the lead in exploiting the hidden resources of Xen’drik. Tharashk has established a number of mining camps beyond Stormreach. Dragonshards are the common quarry, but Tharashk miners also sell iron ore and other precious metals to the Stormreach Forge. It’s dangerous working a mine in Xen’drik, and many a crew has disappeared without a trace. But the money is good, and the flow of goods from Xen’drik has helped the young house prosper over the last century.

Within Stormreach, House Tharashk dominates the Graystone ward in Cross. Even though a steady stream of traffic passes from the Harbor district to the Marketplace, the ward itself is almost entirely dedicated to House Tharashk. The massive refinery is one of the largest employers in Stormreach, processing shipments of dragonshards and other goods brought up the Koronoo River. Many of the refinery workers are unmarked members of House Tharashk, but the refinery also employs locals and immigrants from the Shadow Marches, providing lodging in dormitories in Graystone itself; most of the one thousand orcs and half-orcs found in Stormreach live in Graystone. Thanks to canteens spread around the dormitories, workers never need to leave the ward; however, many enjoy drinking at the Harbor district taverns or watching the fights in the Red Ring, and things can get rowdy when a shift lets out at the refinery.

Viceroy Kurn d’Velderan makes his home in the Tharashk enclave. The enclave is also where people can go to hire inquisitives. Four bound Tharashk inquisitives work in Stormreach, and their services are often called on by those frustrated by the corruption within the Stormreach Guard. Shurya d’Velderan is the best of them, and her prices reflect her skill; at a base rate of 100 gp plus 50 gp per hour, only viceroys, Storm Lords, or others among the wealthiest of Stormreach can typically afford her services.

Kurn d’Velderan is a busy man. He manages numerous mining camps and monitors activities within the city, which includes navigating diplomatic tightropes between the Storm Lords, dragonmarked houses, and other forces. He’s working to strengthen the presence of the Dragonne’s Roar, the division of the house that recruits mercenaries and laborers from the monstrous races. Under Kurn’s watch, House Tharashk has developed ties with the hill giants and half-giants. To date, the drow have shown no interest in working with the house, but Kurn is always searching for new possibilities.

Kurn oversees the business of the house, but he doesn’t have the time or skills to direct the refinery. This is the work of Durgran’Torrn, an orc whose good humor is almost as boundless as his strength. Durgran is a gifted warrior who deals with any troubles or brawls at the refinery. He has the respect of the workers, and has even represented the house in the Red Ring on occasion. Unknown to Kurn, Durgran is a devotee of the teachings of the Gatekeepers. Durgran is in Stormreach to watch for signs of darkness and rumors of a daelkyr at work below Xen’drik. He speaks the Giant tongue and often accompanies Kurn on his visits to the Tents of Rushemé. Durgran seeks out conversation with the giant workers at the refinery, and he is becoming quite knowledgeable about the myths and stories of Rushemé. If a PC is a Gatekeeper or member of House Tharashk, Kurn might provide assistance—especially if it interferes with the plans of the Cults of the Dragon Below.

Like Houses Medani and Orien, House Thuranni has no public presence in Stormreach aside from a sparsely staffed office in the Citadel of the Twelve. Unlike those houses, however, a substantial difference exists between the house’s public presence and its private one. In truth, House Thuranni is a force to be reckoned with in Stormreach, having grown over a period of time and with the calculated precision that comes with the long-lived outlook of the elf race.

The strength of House Thuranni today is the strength of rewarded patience, the power of a long and systematic accumulation of knowledge. From Shadows, its brothel in Locksmith Square, Thuranni plays host to the wealthy and influential, visitors and locals alike. If a complete list of the place’s clients were to become public knowledge, its contents might come as a shock even to the most hardened Stormreachers. Through the brothel’s nighttime liaisons, the Thuranni “overhear” (read: extract) some of the deepest and darkest secrets and desires of their clients. Drunk on the finest spirits and their own passions, the citizens of Stormreach let slip things of which they would normally never speak. Most of the time, they leave having forgotten ever doing so, but even when they recall their indiscretions, they rest easy in the knowledge that the elves of House Thuranni won’t misuse the information.

And they are right. The head of Thuranni in Stormreach, a powerful wizard named Lady Miravella, has more important matters on her mind. In order to attend to them, she requires the freedom and anonymity that neutrality and innocuousness provide. More important, she needs the city’s wealthy and powerful—the Storm Lords and the other dragonmarked houses in particular—to realize that she knows as much as she does and yet still stays out of their affairs. This détente of sorts provides the very freedom that she and her family members require.

That is not to say that Lady Miravella shies away from the work for which her house is known; she accepts the occasional bid for assassination or other dirty work, but she chooses such jobs carefully and almost always turns down requests to rid the city of one of its most public or powerful figures. When she does take on such a job, she typically sends her nephew Vaedin, a gifted killer who never leaves a trace. Longtime residents have seen the results of his work, however, and he is among the most feared individuals in town, though few even know what he looks like. For internal security, she relies on her other nephew, Jaye, who is always on the lookout for the intrusive snoopings of House Phiarlan’s Serpentine Table and its many agents.

No dragonmarked house has a smaller presence in Stormreach than House Vadalis, but that situation is precisely how the local Vadalis head likes it. Where House Medani and House Orien distance themselves from affairs in Stormreach, House Vadalis is entirely absent from city politics, having no enclave within the city proper. This absence is a calculated artifice.

House Vadalis does have an enclave near Stormreach, but its location allows the local house members to maintain not only their policy of detachment, but their privacy and profitability as well. Near the coast north of the city stands House Vadalis’s sprawling ranch, Blackbriar. Named for the curious plant that grows wild in the region, Blackbriar is easily the largest private holding of any dragonmarked house in Xen’drik. Few know just how large it is, since rumor holds that the fields of blackbriar plants encircling the ranch expand and contract at the housemaster’s whim, but locals estimate its size at three hundred acres or more. According to the few who have been allowed to visit, the blackbriar grows higher and thicker the closer to the ranch one goes and is well over head-height when it breaks suddenly, revealing a dirt path that winds its way through rolling grassy hills toward a central manor and several outbuildings. A house member greets would-be visitors near the road from Stormreach and, after grave warnings about straying too far, guides them through the blackbriar personally. It is said that the briar itself refuses to allow anyone not sanctioned by the house to find the way through.

Blackbriar was established by a highly regarded druid named Mundir d’Vadalis, an avid naturalist who oversaw the house’s interests in Xen’drik during the Last War. In the final year of the war, Mundir received a new apprentice breedmaster named Tyris, a young man who had gotten into trouble for allegedly conducting unauthorized breeding experiments in and around his native town of Erlaskar. (Rather than ruin Tyris’s life, the head of the Erlaskar enclave opted to send the young man off to Xen’drik.) Mundir was trampled to death in an accident shortly after the Treaty of Thronehold, leaving the fate of the Xen’drik enclave in doubt. Mundir’s daughter Khepra pled valiantly for the right to head the operation, but her lack of experience in both breeding and magic ultimately resulted in that critical responsibility falling to Tyris.

Since taking over, Tyris has continued his former master’s policies for the most part, but he seems to be taking pains to make the house even more removed from city affairs than before. It takes a rare occurrence to draw him out of Blackbriar, and one of his first acts as house leader was to instruct Rhomas d’Vadalis, his agent in the Citadel of the Twelve, to assume oversight of Tooth and Nail (page 37), the one business in Stormreach that House Vadalis has a direct interest in. Today, Rhomas deals almost exclusively with explorers and other visitors to Xen’drik (such as PCs). All who work for Tyris are sworn to secrecy about their activities, but some have implied that they were hired to capture exotic animals from the wilds of the continent’s interior on his behalf.