The Dragonmarked Houses

Cannith

The Mark of Making presents on humans descended from the Cannith bloodline and is tied to construction, creation and innovation. House Cannith is celebrated for its inventions of magical technologies such as warforged and the lightning rail. These unique skills in manufacturing, especially in weapons of war, quickly led Cannith to a dominant role among the other dragonmarked houses. However, at the end of the Last War, the Day of Mourning killed its leader—leaving behind fierce disputes about the rightful heir—and destroyed its main base of operations. After that, the Treaty of Thronehold ended the war and shut down Cannith’s creation forges, leaving the house fractured and a shadow of its former glory. House Cannith controls two major guilds: the Fabricator’s Guild, the principal manufacturing sector of the house, and the Tinker’s Guild, a loose group of traveling house members that repair and create mundane good of all kinds.

Lyrandar

The Mark of Storm presents on half-elves descended from the Lyrandar bloodline and is tied to weather patterns and effects. House Lyrandar controls the seas and skies of Nolis, with the majority of Nolis’s ships and all of its skyships belonging to this house. During the Last War, it played an important role in ensuring an adequate food supply through manipulating weather. House Lyrandar controls two major guilds: the Raincallers Guild, who specialize in weather control and irrigation, and the Windwrights Guild, which dominates the industries of shipping and transportation by sea and (more recently) by air.

Deneith

The Mark of Sentinel presents on humans descended from the Deneith bloodline and is tied to protection and martial ability. Both during the Last War and through the present day, House Deneith is the most reputable source of personal protection and mercenary services in Nolis. House Deneith controls two major guilds: the Blademarks Guild, the largest provider of mercenaries on the continent, and the Defenders Guild, specializing in personal protection. A third branch of House Deneith is the Sentinel Marshals. These elite law enforcers are drawn from the most trusted members of the two previous guilds. The Sentinel Marshals were empowered by Galifar, and now again by the Treaty of Thronehold, to cross national borders in pursuit of criminals.

Medani

The Mark of Detection presents on half-elves descended from the Medani bloodline and is tied to finding immediate threats and preventing those yet to come. House Medani serves as private investigators—known as inquisitives—and profited from counterintelligence operations during the Last War. House Medani controls the Warning Guild, which not only licenses non-house inquisitives and sentries, but also trains bodyguards to proactively anticipate and neutralize danger.

Ghallanda

The Mark of Hospitality presents on halflings descended from the Ghallanda bloodline and is tied to service of others, food and shelter. House Ghallanda provides the best inns and restaurants across Nolis. It remains popular largely due to the strict neutrality of its inns, with governments having no power in a Ghallanda house. The only guild that House Ghallanda controls is the Hostelers Guild, but its reach is large. It controls all aspects of the service industry, from food and lodging to legal gambling. An inn with the Ghallanda seal of certification is guaranteed to meet the minimum standards for health and safety in the Empire.

Orien

The Mark of Passage presents on humans descended from the Orien bloodline and is tied to movement. House Orien provides most courier services and land transport in Nolis, but lost its main interchange and thousands of miles of lightning rail during the Day of Mourning. House Orien maintains two guilds: the Couriers Guild, which delivers mail and packages across the face of Nolis, and the Transportation Guild, which is responsible for maintaining the trade roads, courier posts, and most importantly, operating the lightning rail.

Jorasco

The Mark of Healing appears on halflings and is tied to healing wounds, both physical and mental. House Jorasco offers medical services of both mundane and magical natures throughout Nolis, and some of its most powerful dragonmarked heirs can even raise the dead. House Jorasco controls the Healers Guild, providing and regulating medical services across Nolis, from hospitals to long term care facilities. Its healers were essential in the Last War, serving as medics to all nations without reservation.

Phiarlan

The Mark of Shadow presents on elves descended from the Phiarlan bloodline and is tied to illusion and stealth. House Phiarlan is renowned for its skilled artisans and entertainers, but secretly provides espionage services through its clandestine branch. Formerly based in Cyre, the house moved headquarters to Sharn after the Day of Mourning. House Phiarlan controls one major guild, along with a secretive one that few even know exists. The Entertainers and Artisans Guild runs theaters, music halls, circuses, and oversees the artisans of the continent. The secret Serpentine Table is the most reliable and exclusive information-gathering network in Nolis, though even its own employees usually know next to nothing about the organization that they work for.

Kundarak

The Mark of Warding presents on dwarves descended from the Kundarak bloodline and is tied to the storage and protection of material goods and places. House Kundarak controls the majority of Nolis’s banking industry and used that status to acquire significant wealth during the Last War. House Kundarak controls two major guilds: the Banking Guild, which protects and distributes the gold and valuables of Nolis, and the Warding Guild, which wards houses and properties against thieves and damage.

Sivis

The Mark of Scribing presents on gnomes descended from the Sivis bloodline and is tied to written and verbal communication. House Sivis heirs serve as scribes, notaries, and translators. Its message stations are ubiquitous, where an operator can use a speaking stone to send instantaneous messages to other message stations across the world. House Sivis controls two major guilds: the Notaries Guild, which produces and protects legal documents and letters of credit, as well as employing bookkeepers who are skilled with numbers and detecting forgeries. The Speakers Guild operates the speaking stone stations, as well as providing translators and barristers.

Tharashk

The Mark of Finding presents on half-orcs descended from the Tharashk bloodline, along with humans holding the same halforc ancestry. This mark is tied to locating and tracking valuables and people. House Tharashk, based in Nebilford, provides prospectors, bounty hunters, and inquisitives. It frequently contracts with Tundell to hire monstrous races (even with the distance present between Tundell and Nebilford). House Tharashk maintains the Finders Guild, which oversees prospectors in the wilds of Nolis, bounty hunters in tamed lands, and inquisitives in the cities.

Thuranni

The Mark of Shadow presents on elves descended from the Phiarlan bloodline and is tied to illusion and stealth. Several decades ago, the Thuranni family—accomplished assassins of the house—split off from House Phiarlan and took with them the house's clientele in eastern Nolis, forming their own dragonmarked house, House Thuranni. Today, these two rival houses generally service different regions of Nolis, with Phiarlan in the west and Thuranni in the east. Like Phiarlan, the new House Thuranni is known for the arts, but secretly it offers espionage, along with its specialty, discrete assassination services. House Thuranni operates the Shadow Network, with a public face of entertainment, but behind the scenes, its members serve as elite assassins or spies.

Vadalis

The Mark of Handling presents on humans descended from the Vadalis bloodline and is tied to raising, breeding and communicating with beasts and monsters. House Vadalis is known for its exceptional magebred mounts and other exotic animals, but also offers a wide range of practical services including ranching and animal training. It is constantly experimenting and refining new breeding methods. House Vadalis controls the Handlers Guild, which is in charge not only of breeding and maintaining the livestock of Nolis, but also managing the lands on which they roam.

Tarkanan

Dragonmarks have existed for thousands of years, always carried predictably through certain bloodlines and granting positive powers. However, another kind of mark exists—the aberrant dragonmark. Unlike true marks, aberrant marks can manifest on anyone, regardless of their ancestry. Their powers are destructive, unpredictable, and hard to control, and their bearers are universally feared and reviled. Long ago, during the War of the Mark, those with aberrant marks clashed with the dragonmarked houses, led by Halas Tarkanan and the Lady of the Plague. Most bearers of aberrant marks were exterminated during this inquisition, but the marks continue to randomly manifest through the present day. A few decades ago, an aberrantmarked wetworks team was secretly formed by the Sharni government. The members went rogue and formed “House Tarkanan,” named in honor of the infamous leader that raised an army against the dragonmarked houses. In reality, this “house” is little more than a gang of thieves and assassins, though it also offers shelter to aberrants fleeing persecution.