Half-Orc

We are hunters in a world of sheep. — Kalaash’arna, Tharashk inquisitive

Thousands of years before humans came to Khorvaire, the land was dominated by wild orcs and goblinoids of the Dhakaani Empire. The goblin empire scattered the orc tribes and forced them into harsh and unwanted lands: the swamps of the Shadow Marches, the Demon Wastes, and the depths of the Ironroot Mountains. But in the Shadow Marches, the orcs learned the secrets of druidic magic from the dragon Vvaraak, becoming the first of the Gatekeepers. With the invasion of the alien daelkyr from Xoriat, the Gatekeepers put the dragon’s teaching to the test, creating magical seals that bound the daelkyr in the depths of Khyber and protected Eberron against further incursion from the plane of madness.

Half-Orcs

With the rise of the dragonmarked House Tharashk, orcs and half-orcs have spread through the Five Nations and beyond. In general, the people of the Five Nations know little about half-orcs. When people imagine a half-orc, they usually think of a Tharashk bounty hunter or dogged inquisitive, but a few ignorant sorts might still hold the stereotype of a “simpleton from the swamps.”

Dragonmarks

The Mark of Finding appears among half-orcs and humans of House Tharashk. Strangely, orcs associated with the house cannot develop this mark. Dragonmarked half-orcs work extensively with humans, orcs, and unmarked half-orcs in pursuit of the house’s mission of bounty hunting, inquisitive work, and prospecting. Across Khorvaire, anyone who wants to find something or someone turns to House Tharashk.