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Dragonmarked House

Lore

A halfling healer touches a dying man; the mark on her forehead blazes with blue fire as his wounds close and vanish. A half-orc bounty hunter reaches out with the power of his mark to find his prey. A human artificer touches a creation forge, and the symbol on her hand flares as the eldritch machine rumbles to life. Each of these people possesses a dragonmark, a symbol etched on the skin in colors more vivid than any tattoo, magical power made flesh.

A dragonmark enhances the user’s ability to perform certain tasks. For example, the Mark of Making guides the hands of the smith, while the Mark of Shadows helps its bearer avoid enemies. The power of a dragonmark can also manifest in more dramatic ways. The Mark of Storms can scatter enemies with a blast of wind, while the Mark of Shadows can weave illusions.

You can’t buy or choose to develop a dragonmark; each mark is tied to bloodlines within specific species, as summarized in the Dragonmarks and Their Houses table. A dragonmark appears on a person around adolescence, though not every heir manifests the mark.

Long ago, the families that carry the marks joined together to form the dragonmarked houses. Over the course of centuries, these houses have used their gifts to establish powerful monopolies. For example, only House Lyrandar heirs with the Mark of Storms can pilot airships. This control over vital services gives the houses tremendous power.

In the past, the dragonmarked houses were held in check by the united kingdom of Galifar. But in the wake of the Last War, people wonder if any nation has the power to enforce its wishes on the houses.

All about the Houses

Every dragonmarked house has traditions and secrets. Here’s a few facts that apply to most of the houses:

Enclaves. Most dragonmarked houses maintain enclaves in major cities. These serve as strongholds and hubs for house businesses. A city may also have any number of businesses tied to the house, but these are simply providing services and don’t have any direct connection to house leadership.

Names and Ranks. Any heir of the house who develops a dragonmark is allowed to add the d’ prefix to the house name: for example, Merrix d’Cannith. Despite the Korth Edicts’ proscription against house members holding noble titles, regional leaders within the houses are called barons. Most houses are led by a matriarch or patriarch, though some are led by a council.

Emblems. Each dragonmarked house has an emblem, a distinctive symbol that features on their heraldry, official seals, crafted goods, and anything else that warrants the house’s stamp of authenticity. Each house’s emblem appears along with the related dragonmark on the following pages.

The TwelveThe Twelve is an organization that facilitates cooperation among the dragonmarked houses.

ExcoriatesExcoriates are dragonmarked heirs who have been cut off from their houses.

Foundlings. Foundlings are people who have a dragonmark yet have no tie to a dragonmarked house.

Test of Siberys. Dragonmarks manifest around adolescence. Each house puts its heirs through a trial called the Test of Siberys. The specific trials vary by house, but they place the heir in circumstances where they are likely to manifest the mark, if they have it. About half of the members of a bloodline manifest the mark.

Korth Edicts. The Korth Edicts prevent the houses from owning land, holding noble titles, or maintaining military forces (with an exception for Deneith). The edicts were established when the Five Nations were united. Today, many in the houses feel the edicts have become obsolete in the wake of the Last War.

Source: Rising from the Last War


Dragonmarks might well be the defining element of the current age. They are believed to be a manifestation of the mysterious Draconic Prophecy, yet even the draconic sages of Argonnessen are uncertain about their true nature and purpose. Clearly more than random genetic mutations, dragonmarks have appeared only on members of certain bloodlines and races. In the 3,000 years that they have appeared on the flesh of living beings, why do dragonmarks appear in some families and not others? Why do some children of a line develop a mark when other children do not? What is the meaning of the aberrant marks that have to begun to appear in great numbers throughout the populace—or of those heroes who have developed dragon marks without any blood connection to one of the great houses? Is possession of a dragonmark a sign of destiny, branding the bearer as part of the greater puzzle—a living symbol of the Prophecy?

These are among the great secrets of Eberron, and they might never be revealed. But whatever role the dragon marks serve in the larger universe, their existence has changed the balance of power in this world. Over the centuries, the families that carry these marks have come to dominate the economy of Khorvaire, establishing guilds that control every major trade. In the past, the strength of the united kingdom of Galifar held the houses in check. Now, it remains to be seen whether the ambitions of these merchant princes will eventually challenge the dominion of kings.

The dragon marked houses can affect a campaign in many ways. They can be patrons that drive an adventure, especially if one or more of the player characters are heirs of a dragon marked bloodline. They can be a source of services or information. And they can be dangerous enemies if PCs interfere with their plans.

Although the dragon marked houses work together under the banner of the Twelve, each house has its own goals and ambitions, which can easily set the houses at cross-purposes. There are bitter rivalries between House Tharashk and House Deneith, House Thuranni and House Phiarlan, and House Lyrandar and House Orien. Feuds can arise within a house, as shown by the widening schism within House Cannith. The following chapter explores each house in turn.

Source: Eberron Campaign Guide

The Power of The Houses

Eberron Campaign Guide

In dealing with the dragon marked houses, it is important to understand the nature of their power and how they gained it. It has taken the houses over a thousand years to reach the level of influence they enjoy today, and each of the following factors has played a role.

Unity and Wealth: These two elements are related. The dragon marked families were drawn together by their marks. This unifying factor (along with the mystical powers of the marks) gave these early guilds a competitive edge over independent artisans, and so they prospered. Over the centuries, each house has become quite wealthy, and many of them have used this wealth to eliminate rivals. House Cannith doesn’t care about a single independent blacksmith in Wroat. But if that smith somehow began producing warforged or remarkable magical goods and refused to join the Cannith guild, there’s a good chance that the house would arrange to have the smith eliminated, whether through a smear campaign or by hiring Thuranni assassins.

Rituals and Focus Items: Rituals didn’t appear out of thin air; every ritual had to be created, and many of them have gone through multiple stages of development, as new innovations lowered the cost and requirements to use them. Many breakthroughs in ritual magic were pioneered by dragon marked heirs tapping into the powers of their marks: For example, the Wordsmiths of House Sivis were the first to perfect the Sending ritual. Although most rituals can be used by any ritual caster, there are magic tools that can be used only by someone who has a particular dragon mark. Only those who bear the Mark of Storm can reliably control an elemental airship, and only those who have the Mark of Scribing can use a Sivis speaking stone. Eberron is a world in which magic is a part of everyday life. But some of the most vital parts of that magic—tools used in communication, transportation, medicine, and industry—can be operated only by the dragonmarked houses.

Training: After centuries of consolidation, most major trade schools are run by the dragon marked houses. An apprentice agrees to serve in a house guild in exchange for training—thus strengthening the control of the house guild over that trade.

Industry Standards: Whether it denotes a licensed business or a direct arm of the house, a guild seal promises a certain level of quality that the people of Khorvaire have come to rely upon. This is reflected by the standards for goods set down in the Player’s Handbook. A sunrod made to House Cannith specifications burns for 4 hours and costs 2 gp. If you go to an unlicensed alchemist, you might be able to get a sunrod at half the price—but it might last for half the expected time, or might not work at all. Of course, an unlicensed business could also exceed guild standards: There’s no way to know.

It is important to understand that beyond the dragon marks themselves, the influence of the houses is derived from over a thousand years of work—product development, propaganda, and the elimination of rivals. The houses have helped shape the modern world, developing rituals and techniques now taken for granted. Although the houses are neither omnipotent nor omnipresent, it’s always worth considering whether a business is a house arm, licensed by the house, or independent—and if it’s independent, whether it meets the standards people have come to expect, and what the cost might be for doing business with it.

Industries not under the control of the houses

  • Textiles
  • Logging
  • Mining
  • Agriculture (~Lyrander)
  • Real Estate
  • Fishing (~Lyrander)
  • Fashion
  • Construction

Rising from the Last War ch. 4

No other group exerts as much influence over the Five Nations as the combined membership of the dragonmarked houses. Each dragonmarked house is part noble family and part business cartel, involved in businesses ranging from hospitality to espionage-for-hire.

The reach of the houses is so extensive that they have interests in every facet of life in the civilized lands of Khorvaire and beyond. Those interests often bring them into conflict with local rulers and national governments. Unified Galifar had the strength and influence to impose its will on the collected dragonmarked houses, but in the wake of the war it remains to be seen if any single nation has the resources to challenge them.

Although most houses have distinct spheres of interest, their concerns overlap just enough to cause friction. House Orien’s control of transportation and shipping is threatened by the growing reach of House Lyrandar’s airships. House Tharashk’s arrangement with Droaam threatens House Deneith’s monopoly on providing mercenary services. House Cannith lost its leadership in the Mourning, and rival barons are fighting for control of the house.

An organization called the Twelve seeks to mediate disputes and encourage cooperation between the houses. Adventurers could be caught up in the rivalries and schemes of the houses, or they could work with the Twelve in an effort to resolve these feuds.

The Houses in the War

The dragonmarked houses generally thrived during the Last War. Each house’s unique talents were easily adapted to the war effort. Ostensibly neutral in the conflict, the houses made huge profits by selling services and material to every nation involved in the war. For all the houses, ultimately, the war years were a time of vigorous growth and increased influence.

In some ways, though, the dragonmarked houses did feel the brunt of the conflict. House Cannith, for instance, suffered great setbacks near the end of the war. Many of its foundries and factories were destroyed, and the Treaty of Thronehold forced the house to dismantle the creation forges that produced the warforged. Worst of all for the house, the destruction of Cyre left Cannith without a clear leader, resulting in the house being fragmented into three semi-independent branches.

In another major development, House Thuranni broke away from House Phiarlan during the war, in part because of the conflicts of interest that arose within an espionage organization that was being called on to serve multiple sides in a complex conflict.

Arcane Workshop

Map 4.1 depicts an arcane workshop, of a sort commonly constructed by the fabricators of House Cannith. These facilities are well stocked with raw materials, artisans’ tools, and magical reagents. Most of them have small libraries containing works related to the workshop’s signature creations.

Arcane Workshop Features

Arcane workshops have many features in common, from workbenches and tools to diagrams etched into the floors and walls. Although most workshops are controlled by House Cannith, that house is not the only group of artificers who build and operate such locations. Zil gnomes who bind elementals and Mror dwarves who forge powerful weapons and armor must have spaces devoted to that work. The wizards of Arcanix in Aundair who create magic items and test new spells build specialized workshops for those purposes.

Arcane Workshop Adventures

Characters might find their way to an arcane workshop for a variety of reasons. Some possibilities are outlined in the Arcane Workshop Adventures table.

map41_arcaneworkshop.jpg

Map 4.1: Arcane Workshop

View Player Version

Arcane Workshop Adventures

d12 Adventure Goal
1 Steal a pattern for creating a magic item, before the workshop’s artificers finish making the item.
2 Petition the ranking artificer for access to the workshop’s specialized library.
3 Use the workshop to create a crucial magic item.
4 Locate a stolen construct that has been modified for use as a servant in the workshop.
5 Storm the workshop before the artificers complete a doomsday weapon.
6 Investigate the workshop for signs of the illegal creation of warforged.
7 Defend the workshop against an invasion while the artificers try to repair a magic item.
8 Bring an unknown artifact to the workshop so the artificers can identify it.
9 Convince the owners of the workshop to give up one of their subordinates, who is wanted for crimes in another nation.
10 Escort a newly discovered bearer of the Mark of Making to the closest Cannith workshop.
11 Seek assistance from the workshop’s masters to determine why a young artificer’s magic is producing unpredictable, often dangerous results.
12 Request assistance from the artificers in recovering crucial memories from a destroyed construct or warforged.

Dragonmarked NPCs

The reach and influence of the dragonmarked houses means that they can play many roles in a campaign. Dragonmarked heirs can be valuable patrons. Dragonmarked villains usually covet magical knowledge, wealth, or influence, and their methods are appropriate to the marks they bear. Dragonmarked agents can range from lowly spies bearing the Mark of Shadow hidden within a circus troupe, to a dragonmarked warlord of House Deneith who has decided to establish their own fiefdom. Examples of NPCs from dragonmarked houses appear in the Dragonmarked NPCs table.

Dragonmarked NPCs

d12 NPC
1 A renegade from House Cannith arms a group of bandits with fearsome elemental-bound weapons to prey on caravans as well as facilities belonging to other houses.
2 A gang from the League of the Bitter Blade in House Deneith squeezes tribute from local towns in exchange for “protection.”
3 An heir of House Ghallanda poisons members of other dragonmarked houses who stay in non-Ghallanda inns, discrediting rival businesses while attacking the houses.
4 During a plague, a House Jorasco healer chooses which victims to cure and which to let die — and worse, which ones live to spread the plague to the house’s enemies.
5 A House Kundarak thief from the Warding Guild breaks into non-Kundarak vaults and banks to discredit them.
6 A House Lyrandar airship captain uses the vessel to terrorize the countryside.
7 A rogue heir of House Medani starts selling secrets, effectively establishing a new espionage guild within the house.
8 A disgraced caravan leader turns to banditry, hoping to win back House Orien’s favor by disrupting non-Orien trade along a busy route.
9 Two elf assassins, one from House Phiarlan and the other from House Thuranni, are each working to discredit or slay the other while spying on local nobility.
10 An heir of House Sivis starts blackmailing people based on the content of intercepted messages.
11 A bounty hunter of House Tharashk hunts one of the characters or an associate of theirs.
12 A rogue heir of House Vadalis is breeding monstrous animals and setting them loose in the countryside.

Dragonmarked House Campaign Themes

The dragonmarked houses provide an opportunity for your campaign to explore the role of magic in society and the power of industry in the postwar world. If the adventurers are allied with a dragonmarked house, you can concentrate on the house’s positive aspects and its work in moving Khorvaire beyond the feudalism of Galifar. At the same time, the houses also represent a way to explore the consequences of corporate greed and unrestrained expansion. This self-interest can be a defining feature of some or all of the houses, or you can focus on factions within certain houses, with idealistic leaders seeking to direct the house along a more responsible path while barons are driven by greed alone.

As a prominent part of society, the dragonmarked houses strive to maintain the appearance of respectability and propriety. Thus, even when a house is utterly corrupted, any agents who are caught in their evil deeds are quickly and convincingly disavowed, preserving the house’s image and reputation. If the plays a significant, recurring role as a villain in your campaign, the characters’ eventual task will be to prove that these so-called “rogue agents” have actually been taking orders from the top of the house’s leadership.

Dragonmarked House Adventure Hooks

The Dragonmarked House Adventure Hooks table presents a few ways to pull characters into tales concerning the houses.

Dragonmarked House Adventure Hooks

d12 Adventure Hook
1 A House Cannith artificer hires adventurers to steal secrets from a forge associated with a rival branch of the house.
2 House Deneith is recruiting adventurers to oppose a sudden rise in bandit or monster activity in a nearby forest.
3 A hostel run by House Ghallanda has gained a reputation for being haunted, and the disturbances are growing more dangerous.
4 People healed at a local Jorasco enclave suddenly manifest strange abilities they never could before — and soon thereafter, a strange curse as well.
5 The Kundarak Bank needs brave adventurers to test their new wards by trying to break into their vault.
6 A Lyrandar sky captain lost much of their crew in a recent attack by flying monsters, and hires hands to defend the ship on its return voyage.
7 A Medani bodyguard is killed defending their charge from assassins, but manages to force the attackers to drop a clue to the identity of their employer.
8 The characters are hired to protect a crucial shipment aboard an Orien lightning rail.
9 At a carnival run by House Phiarlan, customers begin acting strangely. They all hum the same song, which spreads like a virus as more people hear it.
10 A Sivis translator has gone missing after being hired to decipher a trove of scrolls thought destroyed during the Last War.
11 A House Tharaskh mine collapses, and time is running out for the trapped miners.
12 House Vadalis needs help recovering a herd of magebred horses stolen from a local ranch.

The Houses as a Patron

Your group works for one of the most influential organizations in Khorvaire: the dragonmarked houses. Whether or not any member of your group carries a dragonmark or is even related to one of the houses by blood, you act on behalf of a house to advance its interests. You might function openly as representatives of the house, wearing its badge and exerting its authority, or you could be covert or unacknowledged agents.

The thirteen dragonmarked houses are described in detail earlier in this chapter.

Patron Benefits

With a dragonmarked house as your group’s patron, you gain the following benefits:

Compensation. Your patron house pays you for the work you do on its behalf. On average, the house pays each member of your group an amount equal to 10 gp × the average level of your characters per day you spend on the mission.

House Services. When you require the services provided by your patron house, you can secure them at a discounted rate (10 percent off the normal charge). You might also be able to trade in a favor to get extraordinary services or a larger discount.

Independence. Each member of your group is issued papers that identifies you as agents of your patron house. Because the dragonmarked houses are bound to political neutrality by the terms of the ancient Korth Edicts, these papers guarantee you the right to travel freely across national borders on the business of your patron house. (If you assert that you are on the business of the house, even if you aren’t, border agents are unlikely to challenge you.)

Build Your Group

Dragonmarked houses employ adventurers who suit their needs. The roles characters play in a group with a dragonmarked house patron often have more to do with their relationship to the house than with the specific roles in the party. Consider some or all of these roles for your characters:

Adventurer. Some characters are associated with your patron house because of their connection to its ruling family or its businesses. The Adventurer, though, is hired by the house for more traditional adventuring skills—usually capabilities that the house’s other agents lack. The Adventurer might have a wide range of abilities, particular to whatever needs the House has at the time. Many with peculiar skills or highly specific fields of expertise find themselves in the employ of dragonmarked houses or house members with eccentric interests and deep pockets.

Guilder. Every dragonmarked house is more than a single family. Each house encompasses at least one guild that operates just like a traditional craft or trade guild, and hundreds of people associate with these guilds while having no other relationship to the houses that oversee them. The Guilder is among these, perhaps being a skilled physician or cleric in House Jorasco’s Healers Guild, for example, or an inquisitive associated with House Tharashk’s Finders Guild. The Guilder might have the guild artisan background or some other set of skills suited to the specialties of your patron house’s guilds.

Heir. The Heir is a member of your dragonmarked house patron, related by blood and carrying the house name. This character most likely chooses the race that matches the bloodline of the house. The Heir can be dragonmarked (with the appropriate marked subrace or racial variant) or unmarked. The house agent background (described in this chapter) proves particularly appropriate for this character.

House Missions

Your group and your DM should decide together which house employs you. The nature of the missions you undertake depends in part on the house or guild you work for, but there are general categories of work that every house needs agents to perform on its behalf. The House Missions table provides suggestions for which house might employ you along with multiple possibilities for adventures that overlap with their interests. For the more general kind of work you might carry out on behalf of any dragonmarked house, consult the General House Missions table.

General House Missions

d8 Mission
1 Establish a safe location for a house enclave in a hostile environment.
2 Find the wreckage of a crashed vehicle (airship, lightning rail car, sailing ship, or other) carrying house property.
3 Retrieve assets from a house enclave in the Mournland.
4 Protect a leader of your house from an anticipated assassination attempt.
5 Enforce your house’s territory by preventing a rival from stealing its business.
6 Find a trove of dragonshards for your patron house to use.
7 Recruit a renowned sage to join the house’s team of researchers.
8 Persuade a hostile tribe to agree to a trade agreement with your patron house.

House Missions

d12 House Mission 1 Mission 2 Mission 3
1 Cannith Escort a valuable shipment of goods Track down rare materials Advance the cause of one branch of the family at the expense of the other two
2 Deneith Act as bodyguards for a prominent or wealthy person Serve as mercenaries in a lingering border conflict Enforce the law across national borders as Sentinel Marshals
3 Ghallanda Establish useful diplomatic contacts Acquire rare ingredients or recipes Defend a Golden Dragon Inn that is under attack
4 Jorasco Provide healing for a caravan or military unit on a dangerous mission Seek out the source of a mysterious new illness Find a cure for an exotic curse afflicting a wealthy patient
5 Kundarak Safeguard something valuable until it is locked in a vault Recover something stolen from your house Find an abandoned vault in the Mournland
6 Lyrandar Hunt down pirates in the Lhazaar Sea Salvage a prototype airship lost in the Mournland Accompany a new airship on its first voyage
7 Medani Protect a powerful figure from kidnapping or assassination Track down the source of rumors pointing to an imminent threat Find the villain behind a series of apparently unrelated crimes
8 Orien Carry a sensitive message to its destination Retrieve an important package stolen from another courier Investigate a problem on a lightning rail line
9 Phiarlan and Thuranni Sneak into a secret area to serve as the target of a scrying spell Steal plans for a powerful new weapon Carry out an assassination
10 Sivis Mediate a tense negotiation Assure that two parties keep to the terms of their agreement Break a code used during the Last War
11 Tharashk Track down fugitives Locate a supply of dragonshards Find the bandits who have been preying on house prospectors
12 Vadalis Capture wild animals and tame them Prevent magebred specimens from upsetting a delicate ecosystem Handle the animals drawing a massive caravan across the continent

House Status

Politics within a dragonmarked house can be vicious. Perhaps your the house leadership’s favorite scion. Perhaps you’ve been exiled from your house for misdeeds—your own or another’s. In any case, use the Group Status table to determine your party’s standing within the organization.

Group Status

d4 Status
1 Favored. You have access to the leadership of the house, owing to your record of faithful service.
2 Reliable. You are reliable contributors to the house, and can count on it for help in difficult situations.
3 Oddballs. You don’t quite fit in, and tend to draw strange assignments or those that other operatives pass up.
4 Outcast. You have made some mistakes in the recent past, and your status in the house is tenuous at best.

Dragonmarked House Contacts

Your primary contact within your patron house is another house agent—perhaps a dragonmarked heir, another family member, or a guild leader. Some contacts are devoted to the house and its interests, while others might use your group to pursue a personal agenda. Consult the House Contacts table to determine what sort of arbiter oversees your party.

House Contacts

d8 Contact
1 A lesser guild functionary who is cowed by your group (especially if it includes a dragonmarked character) and apologetic about giving you assignments
2 The stern and demanding parent of one (or more) of the characters in your group
3 The lovingly indulgent parent of a character in your group
4 The smugly superior dragonmarked sibling of an unmarked member of the family in your group
5 The money-minded business manager of a guild within your patron house
6 A retired adventurer within the family who would rather join you on your adventures than assign them to you
7 The proud leader of a regional branch of the dragonmarked family
8 The patriarch or matriarch of the patron house

Masters of Trade

Dragonmarked

The wealth of Khorvaire is built on magic, and the dragonmarked houses are the mortar that holds this magical economy together. Communications, transport, banking, animal husbandry, security—the cornerstones of Eberron’s pseudo-medieval culture are all effectively owned by the dragonmarked houses.

The wealth and influence of the modern houses extends far beyond the power of dragonmarks, however. Though the unique magical abilities of the Mark of Making might have given Cannith smiths an edge over their mundane competitors in centuries past, the spell-like abilities of the dragonmarked are hardly novel in a modern society where adepts, artificers, and other spellcasters are far from rare.

Rather, it is the carefully crafted histories and reputations of the dragonmarked houses that are responsible for their commercial dominance in present-day Khorvaire. The skillful manipulation of magic and artifice has allowed the houses to use the dragonmarked as the keys by which even greater magic is controlled. House Sivis’s speaking stones, the lightning rail of House Orien, Lyrandar airships, and the Cannith creation forges have all kept the dragonmarked houses at the center of Khorvaire’s economic, military, and social development. As a result, the dragonmarked enjoy a status in Khorvaire that “mundane” wizards and artificers cannot match.

History

It is often assumed that each house has a single founder: that some ancient Master Cannith was the first person to develop the Mark of Making, with House Cannith born of his children. The truth is not so simple. Each dragonmark first appeared within multiple families, although the marks were bound to specific races and regions. The Mark of Sentinel appeared among the people of Khorvaire’s northern coast, while the Mark of Making was found in the region that would eventually become Cyre. It took generations for these first dragonmarked to realize the significance and power of their marks. During this time, aberrant dragonmarks were as common as those that would come to be seen as true marks, in part because there was no taboo against mingling the bloodlines of dragonmarked families.

Each dragonmarked family has stories about the exploits of its ancestors, although these are often contradictory. The Lyrriman gnomes of House Sivis claim that their forebears were the first to identify and unify the dragonmarked families, while members of the Vown family of House Cannith make similar claims. Seven dragonmarks were known by the time Karrn the Conqueror sought to bring all Khorvaire under his rule, though the families that bore them were not yet unified. The Sivis League, the Tinkers Guild of Cannith, and the Phiarlans of Aerenal had all laid the groundwork for their future houses, but the Sentinel families of the north were still divided. Some fought alongside Karrn, while others were among his strongest foes.

The Last War

When the Kingdom of Galifar was shattered, every nation needed the services of the dragonmarked houses. House Cannith was called on to produce wands, magic siege engines, and mundane arms and armor, in addition to reinforcing walls and fortifi cations. Cyre made the most extensive use of House Deneith’s services, but other rulers hired mercenaries for critical tasks. House Sivis played a vital role in the coordination of troops, while House Orien and House Lyrandar helped transport goods and soldiers. House Jorasco medics were in high demand. With the hounds of war baying and the dragonmarked houses ascending, the Korth Edicts were quietly set aside during the last war. Even now, many house enclaves maintain forces beyond those allowed by the edicts, and a number of houses have successfully claimed land and holdings of their own. One notable example is Stormhome in Aundair, which is for all intents and purposes a territory of House Lyrandar.

In the wake of the war, the status of the edicts remains uncertain. The Treaty of Thronehold called on the authority of the Korth Edicts when House Cannith was ordered to shut down the creation forges. Though Cannith acquiesced, the house was in chaos at the time, its leadership shattered on the Day of Mourning. Today, more and more dragonmarked nobles are holding to the opinion that the edicts were an agreement with the King of Galifar, not the rulers of the Five Nations. It remains to be seen whether the Thronehold nations can join together to enforce the terms of the edicts once more—or whether the growing economic and military power of the houses will allow them to dictate new terms to the nobility

History

Dragonmarked

When the Kingdom of Galifar was shattered, every nation needed the services of the dragonmarked houses. House Cannith was called on to produce wands, magic siege engines, and mundane arms and armor, in addition to reinforcing walls and fortifi cations. Cyre made the most extensive use of House Deneith’s services, but other rulers hired mercenaries for critical tasks. House Sivis played a vital role in the coordination of troops, while House Orien and House Lyrandar helped transport goods and soldiers. House Jorasco medics were in high demand. With the hounds of war baying and the dragonmarked houses ascending, the Korth Edicts were quietly set aside during the last war. Even now, many house enclaves maintain forces beyond those allowed by the edicts, and a number of houses have successfully claimed land and holdings of their own. One notable example is Stormhome in Aundair, which is for all intents and purposes a territory of House Lyrandar.

In the wake of the war, the status of the edicts remains uncertain. The Treaty of Thronehold called on the authority of the Korth Edicts when House Cannith was ordered to shut down the creation forges. Though Cannith acquiesced, the house was in chaos at the time, its leadership shattered on the Day of Mourning. Today, more and more dragonmarked nobles are holding to the opinion that the edicts were an agreement with the King of Galifar, not the rulers of the Five Nations. It remains to be seen whether the Thronehold nations can join together to enforce the terms of the edicts once more—or whether the growing economic and military power of the houses will allow them to dictate new terms to the nobility.

Eberron Campaign Guide

The first dragon marks appeared over 3,000 years ago, and it was not until many centuries later that the houses assumed their current forms. During this time, aberrant marks began to spread across the land, in part because of the mingling of pure dragonmarked bloodlines. The stories told by the houses’ historians say that the bearers of aberrant marks had terrible powers, and were often gripped by madness. The fear and enmity engendered by those tales led to the War of the Mark. More about this struggle can be found in the sidebar on the facing page; it served to unify the newly formed houses, as they joined forces to exterminate the perceived aberrant threat. In the wake of the war, many of the current customs and structures of the houses were set into place, including the taboo on marriage between members of different houses. Following the war, House Cannith drew the other houses into the alliance known as The Twelve, a foundation formed to pursue the mutual interests of the houses and to undertake interdisciplinary research.

The second major factor in the history of the houses occurred when Galifar Wynarn I united the nations of Khorvaire. At the time, the houses didn’t have the strength to challenge Galifar’s rule; recognizing the threat they could pose, the king instituted the Korth Edicts. These laws prevent a member of a dragon marked house from owning land or holding any title of nobility, and place limits on the size of house enclaves and the troops they can maintain (with special dispensations for House Deneith).

With the fall of Galifar, it is questionable whether the Five Nations are sufficiently unified to continue to enforce the Korth Edicts.

Hierarchy

Dragonmarked

Each house has its own distinctive traditions. However, most houses follow a similar leadership model. The ultimate authority within a house is the patriarch (or matriarch), who oversees the house’s ruling council. The patriarch is appointed by a council of viceroys; term of office and the means by which an inept patriarch can be removed vary from house to house. Many patriarchs also take the title of Baron. The patriarch is advised by a council whose members represent each of the nations in which the house operates.

The members of this council are known as the lords seneschal. In addition to the regional lords, additional lords seneschal are appointed by a patriarch to act as his personal representatives. A seneschal can be dispatched to investigate a corrupt or ineffective viceroy, or to negotiate an especially critical agreement between houses or nations. Houses with multiple guilds often have an additional lord seneschal appointed to each one. These individuals serve as the ultimate guildmaster, coordinating reports from each region and advising the patriarch.

Viceroys (so named regardless of gender) are regional directors. A viceroy manages guild operations and house affairs in her assigned region. This office is bestowed by vote of the local council of viceroys, and while a viceroy can theoretically be stripped of her rank, the position is hereditary in most houses. Long-standing alliances ensure that viceroyalties remain under the dominion of particular branches of a family.

The next tier splits into two paths. Administrators who specifically oversee guild functions are known as masters, while those who manage the internal affairs of a house are ministers. Beneath these come the standard hirelings of the house, whose titles are simply descriptive. In House Ghallanda, the Viceroy of Sharn oversees all activities in the region, and the Master of Agriculture coordinates supplies and the purchase and distribution of foodstuffs, but each individual hostel is run by a house member with the lofty title of innkeeper.

In addition to these offices, any member of the house who has manifested a dragonmark (including player characters) is allowed the title of lord or lady. This title does not grant any sort of privilege within the house, however: Lord Cantal might work in the mail room, while an exceptional administrator who never develops a dragonmark could work her way up to seize a viceroyalty

Eberron Campaign Guide

With the exception of House Tharashk, the ultimate power within a dragon marked house is held by a single individual, typically known as a baron. Beneath the baron stand the lords seneschal, who oversee all operations within a particular country; the viceroys, who manage regions within a country; the ministers, who manage house affairs; and the masters, who maintain the guilds. Any member of a dragon marked house who has a dragon mark is allowed to use the honorary title of “lord” or “lady,” but the presence or absence of a mark on someone has no effect on that individual’s standing within the house. The dragon marked Lord Carren d’Cannith could end up working the bellows of a forge, while the unmarked Cainan d’Cannith rises to the rank of viceroy.

The mercantile holdings of a house are split, with one portion staffed entirely by members of the house and the other made up of the licensed businesses of the house’s guild. A smith licensed by House Cannith will put that house seal on his trade sign. However, the smith is not a member of House Cannith. Most of the artisans and laborers of Khorvaire fall into this category—licensed and often trained by one of the houses, but not bound to them by blood.

Excoriation: On occasion, the baron of a dragonmarked house banishes a member of the house who has committed a major crime or brought terrible dishonor on the house. In the past, the process of excoriation involved cutting away the dragon mark of the offender, which often resulted in death. Today, excoriation does not carry physical punishment, but an excoriate cannot hold any rank in the house or make use of the house’s name or its resources. Members of all dragon marked houses are forbidden to aid or associate with an excoriate of any house.

House Products

Source: Exploring Eberron

The dragonmarked houses form the foundation of Khorvaire’s magical economy, and they’re the source of many of the magic items you can buy in the Five Nations. 90% of potions of healing are either made by House Jorasco or produced according to their specifications. If you have two +1 shortswords produced by a Cannith forge, they’ll be essentially identical, while an Aereni shortsword would be lovingly crafted by a particular artisan.

In dealing with house products, consider whether the item is military or civilian in nature. During the war, a large portion of House Cannith’s manufactured goods were designed for designed for military use. If you buy a cloak of protection from a Cannith dealer in Sharn, is it an elegant model made for a noble to wear to the Tain Gala, or is it a Brelish Bear cloak, originally issued to an elite commando? If an item is essentially a tool of war, then it may have actually been used in the war; if so, which nation was it made for? Is it legitimate surplus? Was it likely sold by a retired soldier, or salvaged from a battlefield?

Military gear is often more functional than decorative. It may bear the markings of a particular nation, and it’s possible it shows signs of use. On the other hand, civilian products need to lure in customers. Consider a potion of healing. The potions Jorasco sold to the Brelish army were known as “coppers” because of the coppery taste of the fluid, and the potency is clearly marked for accurate administration; a Brelish soldier might call a superior potion of healing a “copper-3.” By contrast, a civilian potion of healing could be called something like “Vivacity,” with a shiny label and available in a variety of flavors. You might find a barker in a part of town where the people are wealthy enough to buy such a product. “Feeling worn down? Perhaps you’ve had a little fall? Get back on your feet with a shot of Vivacity!”

Siberys Marks

Exploring Eberron

The thirteen true dragonmarks are tied to bloodlines. By the rules provided in Eberron: Rising from the Last War, a dragonmark must be selected during character creation. A dragonmark provides a basic set of abilities, gives you access to that subrace’s or variant race’s Spells of the Mark feature if you are a spellcaster, and allows you to make use of dragonmark focus items associated with your mark.

Rarely, a dragonmarked character develops power that surpasses that of other dragonmarked heirs—a fighter with the Mark of Passage could teleport even though they have no other spellcasting ability, and a Ghallanda innkeeper could summon a magnificent mansion. These rarest and most powerful of dragonmarks are known as Siberys dragonmarks. They are larger and have a far more complex pattern than do other dragonmarks. Typically, a Siberys dragonmark evolves from an existing mark, following a dire situation in which the bearer performs a remarkable feat related to the abilities of their developing mark. However, on even rarer occasion, someone spontaneously manifests a massive, powerful dragonmark despite having never possessed a lesser one.

Regardless of whether they manifest on a dragonmarked heir or an unknown foundling, the dragonmarked houses value heirs with Siberys dragonmarks. A character who displays such a mark is treated with more respect by other members of the house, but the barons and seneschals may also place greater demands on them. So a Siberys dragonmark is a blessing, but it can also be a burden. The manifestation of a Siberys dragonmark—especially one appearing spontaneously on an unmarked character—can be a sign that the bearer has an important role in the Draconic Prophecy, as well as a warning that dragons, fiends, and other powerful forces may try to manipulate or harm the character.

The evolution of a dragonmark could be represented by the existing rules for the Spells of the Mark. At the discretion of the DM and player, a dragonmarked character who has the ability to cast a 5th-level Spell of the Mark could be described as possessing a Siberys dragonmark. Similarly, a dragonmark’s progression can also be represented by linking class features to your mark; for example, a rogue with the Mark of Shadow could describe their use of Evasion as a cloak of shadows summoned through the dragonmark. Either of these approaches could reflect a growth in the power of the mark, depending on the story you want to tell and the abilities you want your marked character to possess

Dragonmarks

Source: Dragonmarked

A dragonmark is a magical symbol that manifests on the skin, but its color immediately differentiates it from any mundane tattoo. A dragonmark is etched in shades of blue, green, and purple so vivid that they appear to glow, though the mark provides no real illumination.

A dragonmark is associated with one or more magical abilities, and a person who carries a dragonmark can exercise these powers. When a bearer invokes the power of a dragonmark, its colors shimmer and flow, and the skin grows warm to the touch. The mark grows warmer each time its power is used over the course of a day; by the time the bearer has expended his full allotment of spell-like abilities, the mark is fever-hot and cannot be used again until it cools. Shapechanging ability and illusions can mimic a dragonmark’s appearance, but usually cannot make it warm to the touch.

In keeping with their magical nature, dragonmarks are not simply skin deep. If a mark is cut or scarred, it reappears as the skin that bears it magically heals. If a warrior loses the hand that bears his dragonmark, the mark will manifest elsewhere on his body. Creatures under the effect of polymorph, wild shape, and other shapechanging effects retain their dragonmarks unless they specifically will them to be hidden.

Nearly all dragonmarked heirs first manifest the least mark of their house. When a character increases her dragonmark’s power, the mark physically expands. A typical least dragonmark covers an area 2 inches square on the skin. Lesser marks are typically 3–5 inches across, while greater dragonmarks are 6–8 inches. Siberys dragonmarks are vast designs that often cover the bearer’s entire chest or torso.

Marked by Blood

Dragonmarks are tied to bloodlines. The dragonmarked houses are the descendants of the families that first manifested the marks, and a character with a dragonmark can always find a connection to a dragonmarked house somewhere in the roots of his family tree.

Though the appearance of marks cannot be consistently predicted, approximately half the children born to dragonmarked parents eventually develop dragonmarks of their own. Common belief holds that parents with powerful marks are more likely to produce gifted children; likewise, children often develop the same powers as their parents. Within House Sivis, members of the Torralyn family typically manifest whispering wind, while Syrralans are more likely to possess the power of arcane mark. Houses often arrange marriages with marks in mind.

Despite these beliefs, dragonmarks are clearly about more than selective breeding. A child born to parents possessing least marks might later manifest the greater mark, or no mark at all. It is also known that the hybrid races cannot inherit the marks of their parents, so that a human cannot pass the Mark of Making to a half-elf child. A member of a dragonmarked house reincarnated as another race keeps his dragonmark, but children born to such transformed creatures never possess the dragonmark of the parent’s original race. Though legend states that Erandis d’Vol, the last known heir of the Mark of Death, was a half-dragon, only the Mark of Finding is known to cross racial barriers, manifesting on both humans and half-orcs.

The Test of Siberys

Children are not born with dragonmarks. Rather, a dragonmark most often appears in response to a stressful situation in which the powers of the mark could prove useful. A Jorasco heir feels her dragonmark flare to life as her best friend lies dying. A Medani scion instinctively realizes the meal he is about to eat is poisoned, and in an instant of burning pain, his mark appears.

The Test of Siberys—a rite of passage undertaken by the adolescent children of the dragonmarked houses—is rumored to induce the kind of extreme stress needed for dragonmarks to manifest. The test varies from house to house, and is based both on the powers of the mark and the traditions of the family. Outsiders, even those of dragonmarked houses, know little of what goes on in a particular house’s test. Though a person can fail the test and still manifest a mark at a later age (as shown by the fact that a player character can manifest a mark at -any time), this is rare. As a rule, it is assumed that those who fail will never develop a dragonmark.

The Test of Siberys shapes the future of a character. A successful child emerges as a dragonmarked lord with a vital role to play in his family’s future; one who fails still maintains the privileges of her bloodline, but must fight to prove her worth in the mundane offices of her house.

Eberron Campaign Guide

When most in Khorvaire think of magic, they think of the dragon marked houses. For example, everyone knows that House Orien runs the lightning rail and conducts courier services, that House Cannith produces most magic goods, and that House Jorasco’s healers are second to none.

These reputations are partly due to the dragonmarks themselves, but each house has economic as well as magical dominance in its area of influence. House Cannith’s Mark of Making makes its dragonmarked heirs the best artificers and artisans in Khorvaire. But House Cannith also operates crafting guilds whose unmarked magewrights and crafters benefit from the best training possible. Of course, many artisans and magewrights do not answer to the houses or belong to the guilds and mercantile organizations that the dragon marked houses oversee. For many generations, this state of affairs was accepted—so great were the houses that no individual or small independent guild was any economic threat.

This attitude has begun to shift in recent years. Since the end of the Last War, most of the houses have seen their fortunes falter. The Five Nations still require weapons and military goods as they rebuild their armies, but not in wartime quantities. The countries still hire mercenaries, but for largely defensive—and thus lower-paying—positions. Travel is perhaps safer, but fewer people find the need to go places, as they focus on rebuilding their homes. There’s still plenty of business, more than enough to keep each of the houses profitable—but when one has become accustomed to a mighty torrent of wealth for a hundred years, anything less seems insufficient.

In addition, the houses are no less certain than the nations of Khorvaire that another great war looms near. If that happens, the dragon marked houses intend to be positioned so that the warring nations must depend on their goods and services. They have no intention of allowing outside competitors to undercut them. Between these two concerns, the dragon marked houses have begun taking steps against magewrights, ritual performers, and others who make their living through the creation of goods and the provision of services normally associated with the houses themselves. Messenger services are targeted by House Sivis, for instance, while Cannith cracks down on magewrights providing magic goods.

So far, these efforts are entirely economic. The houses might attempt to buy out individuals who threaten their monopoly in a given community. They might undercut prices, or even refuse to do business with anyone who employs those crafters. In most instances these efforts are successful, but in a few cases they have driven a number of independent magewrights and casters to form guilds of their own. These organizations are neither large nor influential enough to oppose the houses directly, but they can stand up to economic bullying. How the houses deal with organized competitors remains to be seen.

The recent trend toward economic consolidation does not mean that the dragon marked houses have identified, much less approached, every magic-using laborer in every town or city across Khorvaire. Far from it, in fact. The vast majority of such individuals remains utterly ignorant that the houses have turned their attention to individual competitors, or have heard only whispered rumors to that effect. This behavior on the part of the houses represents a recent change in attitude, and has to date affected only competitors in Khorvaire’s largest communities. It will be some time, if ever, before the houses reach the point of cajoling or threatening the average village magewright.

Enclaves

In a small community, a dragonmarked house might be represented by a single business. A village might have a Jorasco healing house, a tiny Sivis message station, or a Gold Dragon Inn of House Ghallanda, all run by individuals. Large cities and metropolises have dozens of such house businesses, but they also have enclaves—the citadels of the dragonmarked houses.

A house enclave is a self-contained community where a member of a house can spend months without ever needing to leave. The center of the enclave includes production, training, and administration facilities, living quarters, and shops catering to the everyday needs of its inhabitants. This region of an enclave is reserved for the private business of the house, and strangers are allowed in only under special circumstances. As a result, wealthy heirs of the house often maintain secondary residences beyond an enclave for the purpose of entertaining. The center of an enclave is a private fortress. Depending on the house, security could be an internal affair. Alternatively, it might be undertaken by arrangement with House Deneith, House Medani, or House Kundarak.

The secondary ring of the enclave is where business occurs, and is the site of guild offices, shops, and other facilities. Customers, dragonmarked heirs, and guild members with no family connections all cross paths here. Though the everyday services of house and guild can be found across Khorvaire, a house’s most expensive services are exclusive to its enclaves. Courier stations are common throughout Sharn, for example, but teleportation is available only at the Orien enclave in Dragon Towers. Part shopping center, part production facility, and part suburb, a house enclave is often the economic center of the community in which it is found.

The Guilds

Source: Dragonmarked

The vast majority of the people who are employed by a dragonmarked house have no blood tie to the houses. Instead, they belong to one of the house guilds. These guilds are vast, sprawling entities that cover a wide range of occupations.

Why join a house guild? To begin with, each guild maintains a network of trade schools. The price of education includes a period of service to the house, along with a long-term tithe. Both vary based on the amount of gold the apprentice can bring to the table, but a house always looks for a long-term investment from its students.

Students of a guild school must sign contracts forbidding them from future competition with the business of the house. A would-be magewright can learn his craft at House Cannith’s academy easily enough, but he must swear to serve the Fabricators Guild thereafter. Should he start an independent business that challenges the guild, House Cannith will bring the full weight of the law to bear.

Resources are a tangible benefit of joining a guild. An alchemist associated with the Fabricators Guild purchases exotic components and reagents directly from House Cannith, providing him with supplies that independent competitors might have a hard time acquiring. As such, guild merchants sell goods or services that independents simply cannot provide. The reputation of a guild is also a powerful tool. When people are paying 50 gp for a potion of cure light wounds, few of them will take a chance on any vendor not displaying a House Jorasco banner.

A guild merchant gets more business, but he must pay dues to the house along with a share of his profits. In addition, he must meet the standards of quality and behavior set forth by the house. Observers can appear at any time to audit a guild business, and members who fail to uphold the standards of the house can be penalized or stripped of guild status.

Guild Membership

Each of the three types of guild membership reflects a different connection to a dragonmarked house.

The most common type of guild businesses are those licensed by the guild but not bound to its structure. Licensees are trained by the guild and pledge to uphold its standards, but receive no regular direction from guild administrators. A licensed inn is named by the owner and has its own menu, but the Ghallanda seal on the door promises courteous behavior and fair prices. Likewise, a sea captain licensed by the Windwrights Guild is not bound by the routes or schedules of the guild. However, his ship must pass inspections, and he must uphold the honor code of House Lyrandar, in addition to paying the house a percentage of his profits. A licensed business can display the guild seal using black paint or ink.

Bound businesses are those funded by a guild in exchange for a greater share of profits and a controlling hand. Though a licensed Lyrandar captain owns his ship, a bound captain’s ship belongs to the guild, and guild administrators dictate his routes. The Gold Dragon Inn is a popular bound business of Ghallanda’s Hostelers Guild, and an innkeeper who runs one is expected to prepare the same menu as every other Gold Dragon Inn. Licensed businesses often have their own flavor, but a customer who goes to a bound business knows exactly what to expect. Bound businesses display the guild seal in silver, and the names of many bound businesses are as well known as the houses themselves.

Rarest among the guilds are the house arms: businesses directly managed by blood heirs of the house. House arms are not a separate type of business, but are themselves either licensed or bound. A Sivis scribe might choose to head up a bound house arm (for example, a notary’s office operated according to terms set by the house) while a Tharashk inquisitive establishes his own licensed house arm (a private investigation service that can be run according to the character’s whim). House arms are simply representative of a direct connection to a house’s hierarchy that most licensed or bound businesses do not have. These businesses display the guild seal in gold, and often display the seal of the house as well.

Guild Wars

House administrators seek to squelch competition between guild businesses. House Cannith has fixed the price of longswords at 15 gp across Khorvaire, and every licensed or bound smith is expected to hold to that price.

Though adventurers might encounter licensed artisans fi ghting economic duels in the shadows, a more common scenario is independents being pressured to join a guild. The houses seek to maintain a monopoly on their trades, and if a master artisan begins to draw significant business away from a guild, its house will take action. A guild representative might appear, extolling the benefits of membership. The merchant might become the victim of a campaign slandering his skills. The local guild viceroy might use his political infl uence to tangle the independent in red tape or strangle his access to supplies. If all else fails, an independent might fi nd himself dealing with burglars, vandals, or even threats to his life.

Guild Standards

The Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guidegive fl at rates for goods and services. A longsword always costs 15 gp, always deals the same amount of damage, and always has the same hardness. Why? Because each blade is crafted to standards set down by the guilds. When a Thrane fi ghter loses his sword in Sharn, he can go to a smith of the Fabricators Guild and purchase an identical blade with an identical balance. If he goes to an independent smith, he might find different sorts of weapons available, almost always higher-priced than guild standards—but not always better in quality.

The DM should feel free to raise prices by up to 20% for characters dealing with nonguild merchants. Guild merchants can undersell others because of volume of sales, access to a greater quantity of raw materials, and streamlined methods of production. Furthermore, goods

purchased from independents might fail to meet guild standards—which is to say, be worth the values set forth in the Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide. A longsword purchased from an independent smith might have a reduced hardness. A potion advertised as cure light wounds might cure only 1d4 points of damage (if it is even magic at all). Many independents are skilled, honest folk, but without the guild assurance of quality, the buyer had best beware.

While this approach encourages PCs to patronize guild businesses, characters requiring exotic items will often need to seek out an independent. The point of exotic weapons is that they are rare and unusual. As such, they make a poor investment for a house business. A fighter looking for a spiked chain or a two-bladed sword won’t fi nd one on the wall of a guild smithy.