03-chapter-1-character-creation-dragonmarks

Chapter 1: Character Creation - Dragonmarks

Source: Eberron: Rising from the Last War, p. 37

Dragonmarks

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

Excoriates. Excoriates 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.

Creating a Dragonmarked Character

Dragonmarks manifest on certain members of a few species, represented in the rules by variant race options:

• For humans and half-orcs, a dragonmark is a variant race that replaces traits associated with those races.
• For half-elves, a dragonmark is a variant race that lets you keep some half-elf traits and replace others with the traits associated with your mark.
• For dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings, the dragonmark replaces your subrace.

So, if you’re making an elf character, you can choose to take the Mark of Shadow instead of being a wood elf or a high elf.

There is another option related to dragonmarks if your group uses feats: the Aberrant Dragonmark feat (see “below”) grants potentially dangerous magical abilities. Aberrant dragonmarks aren’t tied to the dragonmark houses and can be taken by a character of any race.

Dragonmarks and Backgrounds

Dragonmarks are bound to certain bloodlines, and by choosing a mark, you are establishing your character’s blood connection to one of the families in the dragonmarked houses. It’s up to you to define your relationship to the house. Were you brought up in the house? Or are you independent from it? This is best represented by your background. Consider the following options:

Agent. You have a close, ongoing relationship with your house. The house agent background is a good choice if you are actively working for the house. Alternately, you could take the noble background to reflect a blood tie to the leaders of the house.

Independent Scion. You were raised or trained by the house, but you’ve kept your independence. This means you don’t have many special privileges, but you also don’t have responsibilities. Guild artisan is a good choice to reflect basic house training, but you could choose entertainer for the Mark of Shadow, sailor for the Mark of Storms, soldier for the Mark of Sentinel, sage for the Mark of Scribing, and so on.

Excoriate. When a dragonmarked heir defies their house, they might be cut off from their family. In the past, your mark would be flayed from your body. Although this mutilation is no longer practiced, such exiles are still called excoriates. If you’re an excoriate, consider what you did to deserve this punishment. Were you a criminal? A charlatan? Or perhaps a sage who engaged in forbidden research?

Foundling. Your ancestors left the house long ago. You have no ties to the house and may not have known you were connected by blood before you manifested your dragonmark. As an outlander or an urchin, you might know nothing about the houses. As an acolyte or a hermit, you could have put your faith ahead of worldly things, choosing not to pursue a connection with the houses. Whatever you decide, this is an opportunity to talk with your DM about the role you’d like the house to play in a campaign. Do you want them to be your enemy? Would you prefer to avoid them completely? Or do you want to work your way into a position of power in the house, despite being an outsider?

The Powers of the Mark

Each dragonmark grants a set of abilities that reflect the inherent powers of the mark. Your dragonmarked race gives you a set of traits derived from the magic of your mark. If you are a spellcaster, your dragonmark also fuels or channels some of your spells. Each dragonmark’s description includes a list of dragonmark spells that flow from the magic of the mark. If you play a character with the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, your dragonmark spells are added to the spell list for each of your spellcasting classes, thereby expanding the spell options available to you.

You might also consider your dragonmark the source of any or all of your spells or class features. As a cleric with the Mark of Healing, for example, you could say your mark is the sole source of the healing and supportive spells you cast, or your magic might come from a combination of your mark’s power and your faith in the gods. As a warlock, your aberrant dragonmark might actually be your fiendish patron, the source of all your magic. These descriptions add flavor to your character but don’t change your character’s abilities, beyond the dragonmark spells added to your spell list.

Over the centuries, the houses have developed tools that enhance and channel the powers of a mark, and these items (some appear in “chapter 5”) give the houses much of their economic power.

Dragonmark Appearance

A dragonmark appears on the skin. There are twelve known dragonmarks, each unique in design and power. A dragonmark can appear on any part of the body. One half-elf could have the Mark of Detection across an eye, while another has it in the palm of the hand. Dragonmarks appear with vivid shades of blue and purple and shimmer or even move slightly. When used, they grow warm to the touch and sometimes glow (though this doesn’t produce useful illumination). A dragonmark can’t be removed—even if a limb bearing a dragonmark is cut away, the mark eventually manifests on another part of the bearer’s body. All dragonmarks share a similar initial appearance, but a dragonmark can grow in size and complexity as a character gains levels and uses it to cast more powerful magic.

While dragonmarks share the same general appearance, your dragonmark could have a unique quality. Roll on the Dragonmark Quirks table for inspiration.

Gallery

The Mark of Detection

A quote from Baron Trelib d'Medani

If you want a wall of muscle to get between you and a blade, go to House Deneith. If you want someone to anticipate the threat and make sure you aren’t even in the room with whoever’s holding that blade, that’s what we do.

The Mark of Detection is an inquisitive’s dream. It sharpens powers of observation and intuition, allowing the bearer to draw connections and interpret clues others might miss. By actively drawing on its powers, the bearer can detect poisons and study the energies of magic.

House Medani

Leader: Baron Trelib d’Medani

Headquarters: Tower of Inquisition (Wroat, Breland)

Represented by the basilisk’s eye, the Warning Guild of House Medani brokers the services of bodyguards and inquisitives. Medani advisors specialize in risk assessment and management, protecting clients from both physical and social threats. While Medani overlaps with the inquisitives of House Tharashk and the bodyguards of House Deneith, the Warning Guild specializes in subtle threats and complex mysteries. Baron Trelib manages the guild’s affairs from the Tower of Inquisition in Wroat, where the house also interrogates prisoners for King Boranel of Breland.

The members of House Medani are half-elves with deep roots in Breland. Medani has little interest in the power struggles that sometimes break out between the other dragonmarked houses. Many Medani heirs are more interested in helping their communities than in raw profit, and Medani heirs often work with local law enforcement or help those who can’t afford their services.

Variant Half-Elf: Mark of Detection

See the Half-Elf (Variant; Mark of Detection) entry.

The Mark of Finding

A quote from Hondar'Aashta, Tharashk bounty hunter

My ancestors used their gift to track beasts in the swamps. I use mine to find fugitives in the slums of Sharn. I’m still a hunter. I always find my mark.

The Mark of Finding sharpens the senses, guiding the hunter to prey. Alone among the dragonmarks, the Mark of Finding is carried by two races: humans and half-orcs. It first appeared in the Shadow Marches, where clan hunters used it to find their prey.

House Tharashk

Leader: The Triumvirate (Maagrim Torrn, Khandar’aashta, and Daric Velderan)

Headquarters: Zarash’ak, Shadow Marches

House Tharashk traditionally licenses inquisitives and bounty hunters. Recently the house’s Finder’s Guild has expanded into dragonshard prospecting. As dragonshards are the lifeblood of the magical economy, the house’s talent has given them new wealth and influence.

Tharashk is the youngest of the dragonmarked houses and hasn’t embraced all the customs of the others. The distinct clans that united to form the house remain important, and heirs of the family usually retain their family names rather than adopting “d’Tharashk” as tradition dictates. Each of the three major clans—the Aashta, the Torrn, and the Velderan—has a representative on the Triumvirate that governs the house, and the city of Zarash’ak in the Shadow Marches. Together, they stand as one under the emblem of the dragonne (a lion-dragon hybrid).

Variant Half-Orc or Human: Mark of Finding

See the Half-Orc (Variant; Mark of Finding) and Human (Variant; Mark of Finding) entries.

The Mark of Handling

A quote from Dalin d'Vadalis

Don’t get sentimental. A beast is a tool. Our role is to find the right tool for the task and to make sure they’re of the finest quality. Nature is our kingdom; never forget that we were born to rule it.

The Mark of Handling gives its bearer a primal connection to beasts and the natural world, granting the power to calm and coax. This extends beyond purely natural animals; the mark allows its bearer to guide a hippogriff as easily as a horse.

House Vadalis

Leader: Dalin d’Vadalis

Headquarters: Foalswood (near Varna, Eldeen Reaches)

Represented by the hippogriff, House Vadalis plays an important role in daily life, offering meat, mounts, and more. Vadalis isn’t one of the most powerful houses, but its barons are generally content; they’re more interested in discovering new monstrosities than engaging in politics. The current head of the house, Dalin d’Vadalis, disdains the use of a title and has no aspirations to nobility or greatness for himself or his house.

House Vadalis breeds and trains beasts for a wide range of purposes. While the house maintains vast cattle ranches and trains horses and hounds, the Mark of Handling allows Vadalis to work with more exotic creatures as well. Griffons, hippogriffs, and even bulettes can be bred and trained. Even with the Mark of Handling, this is dangerous work; there’s a lot of turnover at the bulette ranch. But these exotic creatures aren’t enough to satisfy the most innovative members of the house, leading to the practice of magebreeding. Using dragonshard focus items, Vadalis has found ways to create magical creatures. Typically, this results in a superior version of a creature—an animal that is stronger, faster, and smarter. But rumors claim that Vadalis has crafted monsters of its own. Some rumors even insist that Vadalis is trying to magebreed better humans.

Variant Human: Mark of Handling

See the Human (Mark of Handling) entry.

The Mark of Healing

A quote from Bessi d'Jorasco, Fairhaven healer

What’s the price of a life? Well, I’ve got a rate sheet right over here. I’d be happy to discuss it.

A halfling with the Mark of Healing can save a life with a touch, restoring vitality and the will to live. When dealing with mundane medicine, the mark helps its bearer sense the nature of maladies, aiding them in finding a cure. When equipped with dragonshard focus items, the mark can even draw the dead back from the depths of Dolurrh.

House Jorasco

Leader: Ulara d’Jorasco

Headquarters: Vedkyar Enclave (Vedykar, Karrnath)

The Healer’s Guild provides a vital service to Khorvaire, and the Last War ensured there was great need for healers. The leader of the guild, Baron Ulara d’Jorasco, is much beloved in northwestern Khorvaire for her instrumental role in combating an epidemic in that region a decade ago, and Jorasco medics served in every nation’s army during the war.

The guild runs schools that teach medicine, as well as houses of healing that provide both mundane and magical services. If it could save a life, it’s probably marked by the House Jorasco griffon emblem, and it will come with a cost. If you have the gold, Jorasco healers can remove a disease instantly with lesser restoration. If you can’t afford such a service, they will treat you with mundane techniques. House Jorasco is also the source of potions of healing. While many criticize Jorasco’s demands for payment, the house maintains that it’s not about greed; it’s about ensuring the prosperity of the house, so they can continue to help future generations.

While the public face of Jorasco is that of the healer, there are rumors that the house engaged in disturbing experiments during the Last War, working with House Vadalis to develop biological weapons and new creatures. A Jorasco heir has to decide if they want to investigate these rumors.

Halfling Subrace: Mark of Healing

See the Halfling (Mark of Healing) entry.

The Mark of Hospitality

A quote from Alara d'Ghallanda, halfling bartender

Welcome, welcome! So good to see you again. Let me get your drink—blackroot tal with honey, yes? And then you have to listen to this story I’ve heard about the strange things going on in the Cogs.

They may not always have gold, but a halfling with the Mark of Hospitality is sure to be rich in friends. The magic of the mark allows the bearer to keep a place clean, and to heat, chill, and season food. But it also helps the bearer connect with others.

House Ghallanda

Leader: Yoren d’Ghallanda

Headquarters: Gatherhold (Talenta Plains)

The majority of inns, taverns, and restaurants in the Five Nations are either directly owned by House Ghallanda or licensed by its Hosteler’s Guild. Most people give little thought to House Ghallanda; when compared to the soldiers of House Deneith and the factories of House Cannith, an alliance of innkeepers seems harmless and inconsequential. But Ghallanda’s strength lies in charm and connections. A Ghallanda innkeeper hears many things—if you want to know what’s really going on in a community, talk to the halfling bartender. The leaders of House Ghallanda don’t sell information; they prefer to build friendship and deal in favors. But should a Ghallanda baron ever truly need something, they likely have a favor they can call in.

Ghallanda has a number of “bound businesses”—franchises run directly by the house. The Gold Dragon Inn is such a business, with Gold Dragon Inns being found in every major city, each serving a familiar menu and providing similar services. But many Ghallanda heirs take pride in creating their own unique businesses. There are also many independent restaurants, inns, and taverns licensed by House Ghallanda. The blink dog emblem is an assurance that a locale meets Ghallanda standards of health and quality—but not every inn is run by a halfling.

House Ghallanda’s mandate extends beyond providing creature comforts to travelers. Every one of the house’s enclaves—which are more numerous than those of any other dragonmarked house—is a sanctuary beyond the legal reach of any government or dragonmarked house. Baron Yoren and his daughter Chervina have greatly expanded the house’s presence even in remote areas such as the edge of the Demon Wastes, guided by their study of the Draconic Prophecy.

Halfling Subrace: Mark of Hospitality

See the Halfling (Mark of Hospitality) entry.

The Mark of Making

A quote from Baron Merrix d'Cannith

My house built the modern world. Orien may drive the lightning rail, but it’s Cannith who builds the cars and lays the stones it travels on. Cannith makes the everbright lanterns hold the night at bay. Smith, carpenter, alchemist—the best all carry my seal.

The Mark of Making guides its bearer through any act of creation. The bearer of the mark can mend broken things with a touch, and always has a minor magic item they’ve been working on. An artificer or a wizard will get the most out of the mark, but anyone can find a use for an enchanted blade.

House Cannith

Leaders: Cannith East, Zorlan d’Cannith; Cannith West, Jorlanna d’Cannith; Cannith South, Merrix d’Cannith

Headquarters: Cannith East, Korth Enclave (Karrnath); Cannith West, Aundair Enclave (near Fairhaven, Aundair); Cannith South, Cannith Tower (Sharn, Breland)

House Cannith dominates all forms of manufacturing, both mystical and mundane. Gorgon-marked Cannith forgeholds use streamlined forms of production to quickly produce common goods. Even independent artisans often learn their trade at Cannith academies and adhere to Cannith standards. The House of Making builds the tools the other houses rely upon, and it has always been the unspoken leader of the Twelve.

The Last War was a time of great opportunity for Cannith. Every nation wanted weapons and warforged, along with mundane arms and armor. The war raised the house up, and then tore it down. House Cannith was based in Cyre, and the Mourning destroyed the house leadership and key facilities. Now three barons jockey to fill the leadership vacuum: the alchemist Jorlanna of Fairhaven, weaponsmith Zorlan of Korth, and Merrix of Sharn, innovator of warforged. It remains to be seen whether one of these leaders will unite the house, or if it will shatter under the strain. If you’re an heir of House Cannith, you should decide which of these barons you serve or if you have other ideas about the house’s future.

Variant Human: Mark of Making

See the Human (Mark of Making) entry.

The Mark of Passage

A quote from Bali d'Orien, veteran courier

We get things where they need to go. It doesn’t matter if it’s a letter, a person, or a hundred tons of steel. Whether we have to cross mountains, rivers, or the Mournland itself, Orien finds a way.

The Mark of Passage governs motion, allowing its bearer to move with uncanny speed. The bearer of the mark can even slip through space in the blink of an eye.

House Orien

Leader: Kwanti d’Orien

Headquarters: Journey’s Home (Passage, Aundair)

The House of Passage manages land transportation. The lightning rail is the house’s most dramatic tool, but Orien also runs caravans and coaches across the length of Khorvaire. Dragonshard focus items ensure that the fastest vehicles are those driven by heirs with the Mark of Passage, but the house also licenses unmarked teamsters. The Courier’s Guild of House Orien delivers mail and packages and has a branch that handles more covert and dangerous deliveries.

Orien has dominated transportation for centuries, but now the house is facing challenges. The Mournland is a dramatic obstacle for ground transportation, and Baron Kwanti d’Orien has had tremendous difficulty securing funds to rebuild the lightning rail line across the blasted landscape. Indeed, he spends most of his time away from his headquarters in Aundair, trying to raise funds for the project while keeping an eye on house operations. He travels across western Khorvaire in his personal lightning rail coach, the Silver Unicorn—a reference to the house’s unicorn emblem.

House Orien’s problems don’t end with the Mournland, though. The expanding role of Lyrandar airships threatens the house’s business. Baron Kwanti would like to be able to offer more instantaneous transportation, but long-distance teleportation is a service only the strongest Orien dragonmarks can provide. So the house is working with House Cannith in an effort to unlock and enhance this gift of the Mark of Passage. Orien heirs might be caught up in these experiments or in the rivalry with House Lyrandar.

Variant Human: Mark of Passage

See the Human (Mark of Passage) entry.

The Mark of Scribing

A quote from Baron Lysse Lyrriman d'Sivis

Communication is the foundation of civilization.

The Mark of Scribing deals with communication—both the written and spoken word. A gnome who bears the mark can feel words as though they are living creatures, struggling to make their meaning known. The mark provides a range of gifts. It translates languages, but it also allows its bearer to communicate with others at a distance.

House Sivis

Leader: Lysse Lyrriman d’Sivis

Headquarters: The Labyrinth (Korranberg, Zilargo)

Bearing the emblem of the cockatrice, the gnomes of House Sivis facilitate communication. This is seen most literally in speaking stones, magic items allowing a Sivis heir to send a short message to another speaking stone. House Sivis’s message stations employs these items as the backbone of their long-distance communication network. The house also trains and licenses scribes, notaries, interpreters, cartographers, barristers, heralds, bookbinders, and others who work with words. House Sivis has an especially close relationship with House Kundarak, as Kundarak letters of credit must be notarized with a Sivis arcane mark.

House Sivis takes great pains to maintain the trust of its clients and holds a position of absolute neutrality in all disputes, whether between houses or nations. Sivis gnomes are typically friendly, curious, and engaging, but that kindly exterior might conceal a scheming mind. Gnomes have a natural love of intrigue, and the different families within the house often engage in subtle schemes and feuds. Doyenne Lyssa Larriman, the leader of the house, takes pains to ensure that these intrigues never threaten the house or its reputation.

Gnome Subrace: Mark of Scribing

See the Gnome (Mark of Scribing) entry.

The Mark of Sentinel

A quote from Harric d'Deneith, Sentinel Marshal

Protection is my purpose. I defend the innocent from those who would do them harm. For my siblings, this is a job; for me, it’s a calling.

The Mark of Sentinel warns and protects. It heightens senses and reflexes, allowing an heir to respond to threats with uncanny speed. It can shield its bearer from harm. Whether on the battlefield or the ballroom, someone who carries the Mark of Sentinel is prepared for danger.

House Deneith

Leader: Breven d’Deneith

Headquarters: Sentinel Tower (Karrlakton, Karrnath)

House Deneith was born in Karrnath, and war flows in its veins. For centuries, the Blademarks Guild of House Deneith has governed the mercenary trade. While warriors with the Mark of Sentinel are among its most elite forces, House Deneith brokers the services of a wide range of soldiers, including Valenar war bands and the goblins of Droaam. Beyond the battlefield, the Defender’s Guild provides exceptional bodyguards for those who can afford their services. House Deneith is also renowned for its Sentinel Marshals, agents who hold the authority to pursue criminals and enforce the law across the length of Khorvaire. The Sentinel Marshals hold the honor of the house in their hands. Being a Marshal is a privilege, and it comes with high expectations.

Despite its might and the desire of some house members to flex their military muscles, House Deneith has always maintained absolute neutrality, selling its services to all sides of a conflict. Baron Breven d’Deneith shows no inclination of using the massive, chimera-marked military forces of his house for his own ends, but he’s surrounded by aggressive advisors who would like to see a Deneith ruling all Khorvaire. House Deneith is also caught in an escalating rivalry with House Tharashk, as it edges into the mercenary trade.

Variant Human: Mark of Sentinel

See the Human (Mark of Sentinel) entry.

The Mark of Shadow

A quote from Lady Elara d'Thuranni, shadow dancer

The illusions that I weave dazzle and deceive. Sometimes that deception eases your burdens, letting you forget your troubles for a moment. But I can also ease your burdens by ending your life.

The Mark of Shadow lets an elf weave illusions, crafting magic to distract or delight. It also allows its bearer to sculpt shadows, making it easy to avoid detection.

The Houses of Shadow

Leader: House Phiarlan, Elvinor Elorrenthi d’Phiarlan; House Thuranni, Elar d’Thuranni

Headquarters: House Phiarlan, the Demesnes (various); House Thuranni, Regalport (Lhazaar Principalities)

Elves have carried the Mark of Shadow for thousands of years. The mark’s bearers left Aerenal after the conflict that wiped out the Mark of Death and established House Phiarlan in Khorvaire. These elves are expert entertainers, giving them access to all manner of places and secrets. Known to few, there has always been an elite force of spies and assassins within House Phiarlan. Only special clients—nobles, merchant lords, and the like—have access to these spies.

Toward the end of the Last War, a bitter feud broke out between the major families of the house. Known as the Shadow Schism, it resulted in a split within Phiarlan—and the foundation of House Thuranni. House Phiarlan continues to offer entertainment and espionage in the lands west of the Mournland, while Thuranni operates in the eastern lands. As a rule, Phiarlan elves are the better spies and Thuranni agents are superior assassins. Thuranni and Phiarlan maintain a peaceful relationship, but rivalries run deep.

Baron Elar d’Thuranni is said to be responsible for the Shadow Schism. Ruling the house from an enclave in Regalport, he is always accompanied by a shadowy pair, rumored to be embodiments of shadow itself. The displacer beast serves as the young house’s emblem.

The lands of House Phiarlan, known as the Demesnes, are the foremost centers of the arts in the Five Nations, each focusing on a specific artistic tradition: the written word, movement arts, music, material arts, and the arts of illusion, puppetry, oratory, and acting. Baron Elvinor Elorrenthi leads the house from the last of those, the Demesne of Shadow, which is located in Sharn. The hydra serves as House Phiarlan’s emblem.

Elf Subrace: Mark of Shadow

See the Elf (Mark of Shadow) entry.

The Mark of Storm

A quote from From the Oath of Lyrandar

Sovereigns and Firstborn, grant me the four blessings promised to our people: dominion over the air, dominion over the water, fortune for my family, and fortune for my future.

Wind and water welcome the half-elves who carry the Mark of Storm, and some learn to call on the power of the storm itself.

House Lyrandar

Leader: Esravash d’Lyrandar

Headquarters: Stormhome (Aundair)

House Lyrandar has long ruled the seas. Their kraken-marked galleons harness air and water elementals and are faster than any mundane vessel. Control of sea and river trade gave Lyrandar considerable power. Now they reach out to the skies. Merely a decade old, Lyrandar airships have undermined the lightning rail’s domination of overland travel.

House Lyrandar also controls the air in a literal way. The Raincallers’ Guild can use the Mark of Storms to control the weather for its clients.

For many of the house’s members, the house is more than a family or business—its private island enclave, Stormhome, is the closest thing they have to a homeland. Baron Esravash is ambitious and often steers the house to act in what she sees as the interests of all half-elves. Lyrandar heirs help the Valenar elves run their young kingdom, and some believe that Valenar could become a true homeland for the Khoravar.

Variant Half-Elf: Mark of Storm

See the Half-Elf (Variant; Mark of Storm) entry.

The Mark of Warding

A quote from Cutter, burglar and Kundarak excoriate

My family has the finest vaults you can imagine. They forge the locks that secure royal jewels. And I learned to pick those locks when I was barely out of the crib.

The Mark of Warding helps its bearers protect things of value. Using the mark, a dwarf can weave wards with mystic force. It also provides its bearer with an intuitive understanding of locks used to protect and seal.

House Kundarak

Leader: Morrikan d’Kundarak

Headquarters: Korunda Gate (Mror Holds)

If you want to keep something safe—jewels, secrets, prisoners—Kundarak is there to help. The Defenders Guild of House Kundarak trains locksmiths, security specialists, and more. It maintains the prison of Dreadhold, along with a number of smaller prisons. As useful as these services are, it’s the Banking Guild that truly defines the house. Kundarak’s lands in the Mror Holds include deep veins of precious metals, which the dwarves used to establish the banking industry of Khorvaire. Anyone who makes a living from coin—from bankers to goldsmiths—likely learned their skills at House Kundarak. The security of banks bearing the Kundarak manticore emblem is legendary. The house also provides a special service to those who can afford it: a system of extradimensional vaults, allowing a client to store their goods in one location and retrieve them at any other Kundarak enclave.

House Kundarak has a close alliance with House Sivis. Like the House of Scribing, Kundarak has worked to earn the trust of its clients and to establish a reputation for unshakable integrity. The house has no love of renegade dwarves using their marks to turn a profit, and such rogues strive to avoid the eye of Kundarak.

As the dwarves of the Mror Holds have come into increasing conflict with the daelkyr, Lord Morrikan d’Kundarak has instructed house heirs to establish connections with the Gatekeeper druids. The druids have much in common with the house, being the creators of the wards that protect Eberron from the daelkyr.

Dwarf Subrace: Mark of Warding

See the Dwarf (Mark of Warding) entry.

Aberrant Dragonmarks

A quote from Rotting Bal, Tarkanan enforcer

Your sigil creates, child of Cannith. Mine holds the power to destroy.

The twelve dragonmarks are predictable, and their powers are generally constructive. But there is another kind of dragonmark, which is dangerous to both the bearer and the people around them. Aberrant marks often appear when people from different dragonmarked families produce a child, and for this reason such unions are forbidden by the Twelve. But aberrant dragonmarks can appear on members of any race, at any age, regardless of bloodline. No two aberrant dragonmarks are exactly alike—even if they grant the same power, they might manifest in different ways.

It usually takes time for a character to learn to control an aberrant mark, and in time, people might be hurt by it. This factor has led to the general superstition that people with aberrant dragonmarks are dangerous.

Aberrant marks are feared for another reason, too. Long ago, aberrant marks were more common and some held great powers. Aberrant leader Halas Tarkanan could devastate cities with powerful earthquakes. The Lady of the Plague wielded disease and commanded hordes of vermin. The dragonmarked houses united in an inquisition called the War of the Mark. Some say this was a persecution of innocents, but most feared the aberrants and stood by as the houses hunted them down. Following the War of the Mark, aberrant dragonmarks were few in number and relatively weak. But since the Mourning, aberrant marks have been appearing in greater numbers.

Feat: Aberrant Dragonmark

See the Aberrant Dragonmark entry.

Background

The house agent background is the perfect background option for a character tied to a dragonmarked house.