Eberron 5- Dragon Marks and Dragon Marked Houses

8/6/2019 Eberron 5- Dragon Marks and Dragon Marked Houses

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The Dragonmarked While youre going through all these PowerPoints Im sure there have been

several moments where you asked yourself what the hells a dragonmark? Well,heres where I explain them in detail.

Dragonmarks appear to be slightly-raised bluish tattoos, in reality they are occur

and typically manifest around puberty. Dragonmarks are magical in nature and those that possess them can utilize

unique magical effects tied to the type of mark they manifest. They are said to be

the blessing of Siberys, the Dragon Above.

As those who manifest dragonmarks (called dragonmarked heirs) gain power or

influence the marks often grow and spread, becoming stronger as well. These are

respectively referred to as the least, lesser, and greater dragonmarks.

Particularly rare are the Siberys dragonmarks which can manifest only on those

who have no dragonmark before; these marks are enormous and often coverlarge parts of the body but the magic they possess is particularly potent.

Dragonmarks can appear anywhere on the body and cannot be removed once

they have manifested. They cannot be tattooed over and trying to conceal them

with makeup is very difficult given their raised surface and magical qualities.

Cutting a dragonmark off a living body is excruciating and many do not survive

the process. If successfully removed this way, a dragonmark will manifest

somewhere else on the body within a few moments.


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History of Dragonmarks The cause of dragonmarks is rooted deeply in an ancient prophecy that encompasses

all of Eberron.

Legends about the Age of Demons say that dragons were the savants of demons untilthe day they discovered what is now known as the Draconic Prophecy.

The Draconic Prophecy is the ongoing narrative of existence. It is far from absolute and

shaping major events in the world can alter the Prophecy profoundly. In short, it is amalleable destiny of all existence.

Passages of the Prophecy appear throughout the world, manifesting in the shape ofmountain ranges or the passage of stars as often as in prophetic visions or unusualportents.

For countless millennia, dragons isolated themselves on Argonnessen to study theprophecy without the interference of lesser races, that is, until 3,000 years ago whenhumans and their ilk began manifesting the Prophecy marks now known asdragonmarks.

Each of the twelve moons of Eberron are said to be tied with one of the twelvedragonmarks.


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Dragonmarks Today Dragonmarks are usually hereditary and long lines of dragonmarked families have risen to

influential positions because of their unusual talents.

Dragonmarks are normally confined to certain races: humans, elves, half-elves, gnomes,halflings, dwarves, and half-orcs.

Manifesting a mark outside these races (or a particular kind not found in the race) isphenomenally rare, and the full impact this would have on dragonmarked society (and thedangers it would pose to the marked individual) must be discussed with a Dungeonmasterbefore being considered.

There are currently twelve family groups who possess the majority of dragonmarks, and theimpact these organizations have on Eberron is stupendous. They are referred to as theDragonmarked Houses.


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DragonmarkedH

ouses The DragonmarkedHouses are expansive mercantile families who have amassed enormous influence overhundreds of generations.

Among the twelve houses there are eleven recognized dragonmarks, each confined to one house except for the

Mark of Shadow manifested by elves. A schism within the families who possess the mark led to a breakaway

faction now recognized as a separate house.

Each house manages the affairs of dozens of guilds related to their craft as well as numerous business ventures

in their area of specialty. Dragonmarked heirs are typically identified by their house. This means that a half-elf name Johanna dLyrandar

comes from House Lyrandar and has manifested a Mark of Storm. This puts them on level with the nobility of

Khorvaire who identify by family line, i.e. Caitlyn irTain.

In an organization as prolific and public as a DragonmarkedHouse, losing face is a great disgrace. Members of a

house that have committed heinous crimes in the eyes of house elders are often cast out of the house. During

this process, called excoriation, if the disgraced member has a dragonmark, it is cut from the body.

Excoriates are not welcome in any house enclave and cannot partake in any guild service sponsored by their

house (and often other houses as well). Considering how much of Khorvaires economy is dominated by thehouses, this is a severe punishment reserved for only the worst crimes. Lesser crimes can still be met with house

justice and should not be taken lightly.

This excoriation does not apply to descendants of the excoriate. Their children or childrens children are welcome

back into the house if they manifest a mark or show potential in other ways.

Not all members of dragonmarked houses manifest a mark, in fact, there are entire family lines within house who

have never had one. Still, manifesting a mark is a surefire way of moving into the fast lane of house hierarchy.


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The Twelve Houses

House Medani is one of two half-elf houses.

Dragonmarked heirs of the house have the

Mark of Detection.

They sponsor the Warning Guild, who

specialize in personal protection in the form of

precognitive defense.

House Medani

Ancestral enclave ofHouse Medani.


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The Twelve Houses

House Tharashk is a unique house shared by humans, orcsand half-orcs that originates from the swamps of the ShadowMarches.

Only humans and half-orcs manifest the mark, but orcs areoften found.

Their mark is the Mark of Finding.

They sponsor the Finders Guild which is renowned for its

successful exploration and excavation skills. In addition, theguild certifies the best inquisitives in the business. If you needa private eye, look for the Tharashk seal of approval

House Tharashk


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The Twelve Houses

Vadalis is one of several human houses.

It carries the Mark of

Handling. The natural gift is aninnate talent for taking care of animals and magical

beasts. The house is know for its excellent qualitylivestock as well as its magically-enhanced animals(bred in recent times for war, but otherimprovements are common).

The house sponsors the Handlers Guild. There is noplace better to buy quality animals than a HandlersGuild auction. Often even rare creatures such aspegasi or hippogriffs are available there.

House Vadalis

House Vadalis Enclave inAundair.

The creatures bred byHouse Vadalis are as

strong as they areunusual.


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The Twelve Houses

House Jorasco is one of two halfling houses.

They possess the Mark ofHealing.

Their sponsored guild is the Healers Guild. Theneed for good healers, particularly in war time,means the guild long ago moved out of theTalenta Plains. Jorasco halflings are among themost cosmopolitan people in Khorvaire.

House Jorasco

House Jorasco

healing house inSharn.

Jorasco halflings saved manysoldiers from corpse collectors

during the Last War.


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The Twelve Houses

The second halfling House.

House Ghallandra possesses the Mark ofHospitality.

The House sponsors many great feasts andcelebrations. Their enclaves always havecomfortable lodging available for visitors

They sponsor the Hostelers Guild. An inncannot truly say its a quality establishment

without inspection and approval from HouseGhallanda.

In the Talenta Plains House Glallandamaintains the old tradition of a rovinghospitality caravan for anyone hungry or lostin the vast expanses of the land.

House Ghallanda


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House Cannith is the human house with the Mark of Making.

House leadership is currently is turmoil following the destruction of the

houses main enclave in Cyre. Many people suspect it was HouseCanniths constant tampering with magic that caused the Day of Mourning.

Three factions are currently vying for control of the house. First is Baronness Jorlanna dCannith, who oversees the houses efforts in

Aundair, Thrane, and the Eldeen Reaches. Second is Baron Merrix dCannith who leads the houses activities in

Breland, Zilargo, and Darguun from holdings in Sharn. Third is Baron Zorlan who controls house operations in Karrnath, the Mror

Holds, and the Lhazaar Principalities

The house sponsors two guilds: the Tinkerers Guild, who experiment with

mundane technology, and the Fabricators Guild, who construct magicaltechnology.

The Twelve Houses

House Cannith

TheHouse Cannith

Laboratories inSharn.


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House Orien is another human house.

They control the Mark of Passage.

The guilds they sponsor are the Couriers Guild and theTransportation Guild.

House Orien dominates land travel. Its house Orienwho monitor caravan routes and organized thetransportation infrastructure in most cities. HouseOrien also runs the Lightning Rail from coast to coast.

House Orien also offers teleportation circles to anyone

with enough money to pay for their services.

The Twelve HousesHouse Orien


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The Gnomes ofHouse Sivis have a chokehold on Eberrons paper-basedeconomy.

Sivis manifests the Mark of Scribing.

The sponsor the Notaries Guild and the Speakers Guild.

Through these guilds, house Sivis not only controls all legal notarization inKhorvaire, but also has a reputation for the best mediators and barristers.

House Sivis also shares floor space with House Oriens communicationbusiness.

The instantaneous communication provided by Sivis speaking stones andmagical messengers means that anyone with some money can sendinformation across Khorvaire.

The also provide traditional post offices for people who have little money to

spare.

The Twelve HousesHouse Sivis

If you have a

brush with thelaw, House Sivis

barristers arewho you call for

legal help.


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House Deneith is the fourth completely human dragonmarked house.

This house possesses the Mark of the Sentinel.

Deneith sponsors two guilds, the Blademarks Guild and Defenders Guild, andalso maintains an elite military organization called the Sentinel Marshalls.

The Blademarks Guild is a professional mercenary organization that providesemployment to all types of heroes for hire. The Blademarks operate in smallcontingents and typically deal with dungeon crawling or hunting hostile raiders.

The Defenders Guild has a large population ofHouse Deneiths dragonmarkedheirs and is widely respected for its skill and discipline. They operate as Deneithsprimary army and served in many battles (and on many sides) during the LastWar.

The Sentinel Marshalls were established by King Galifar I and given to HouseDeneith to maintain. They are the elite law enforcement of Khorvaire and theTreaty of Thronehold has maintained their status as a multinational force forjustice.

The Last War was kind to House Deneith, and they came out of it stronger than

ever.

The TwelveH

ousesHouse Deneith


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In ancient times it was said that the elves had two distinct dragonmarks, but one

was wiped out. The two elven dragonmarked houses today both possess the

Mark of Shadow. 26 years ago the Thuranni family split from House Phiarlan and formed their

own dragonmarked house.

House Phiarlan sponsors the Entertainers and Artisans Guild. The access these

entertainers have t o all walks of life make them excellent spies and informants.

Through the guild House Philaran operates a storehouse of infromation.

House Thuranni does not sponsor a guild, instead they control the Shadow

Network, a widespread contingent of spies and assasins for hire to anyone who

can afford them.

The Twelve HousesHouse Phiarlan and House Thuranni


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The second half-elfHouse Lyrandar are valued members of Khorvaires society.

They have the Mark of Storm

House Lyrandar sponsors the Windwrights Guild and Raincallers Guild.

Members of the Windwrights guild are found on every quality ship, where theycan summon winds to guide vessels into safe harbors. The Raincallers Guildare often commissioned to bring fair weather to farms and celebrations.

Because of the valued servicese Lyrandar contributed to Aundair during the LastWar, Queen Aurenel granted Lyrandar the island sanctuary of Stormhome. Thisis a startling precedent since the Five Nations had long outlawed dragonmarkedhouses from owning large estates to limit their influence.

House Lyrandar has recently moved in on House Oriens mass transit monopoly

with the creation of Elemental Airships. These airships are expensive but easily thefastest way to travel in the Five Nations

The Twelve Houses

House Lyrandar


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House Kundarak was once the dwarven clan Kundarak in the Mror

Holds, but today the dragonmarked house expanded far beyond

their homeland.

This house passes on the Mark of Warding.

House Kundarak sponsors the Baking Guild and Warding Guild.

House Kundarak uses their magical talent for securing things to

create the most well-protected banks in Eberron. Their talents

have also been turned to creating secure prisons and can be

commissioned to make impenetrable private vaults.

Because of Kundaraks widespread influence, its perfectly

possible to open a bank account in once city and withdraw moneyin another as long as you have proper identification (usually

provided by House Sivis).

The TwelveH

ousesHouse Kundarak


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Aberrant Dragonmarks

There is a widespread stigma against marrying between dragonmarked houses.

This has its roots in an ancient conflict known as the War of the Mark.

Before this war, it was common for dragonmarked families to intermarry. If both parents had

dragonmarks it was very likely that the child would produce one too, but the childs dragonmark

would most likely be what is known as an Aberrant Mark.

Aberrant marks can also crop up in anyone outside the dragonmarked circle, but those are rarer.

Aberrant dragonmarks are considered particularly dangerous and often produce magical effects

that cause insanity or illness in their targets. Its thought that this corruption slowly spreads to theowner of the mark as well.

During the war of the mark aberrant-marked fought for recognition alongside the Houses and

along the way many innocents died. Including was a majority of the people of Sharn who died

when two aberrant marks brought plague and death to the city.

Most aberrant marks were wiped out and laws were passed within the houses to prevent the

reappearance of aberrant marks. This was not totally successful, though, and aberrant marks still

crop up now and again, especially outside the controlled population of dragonmarked houses.

Documents

Eberron 5- Dragon Marks and Dragon Marked Houses