House Orien

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. —Bali d’Orien, veteran courier

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. 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.