House Deneith

House Deneith bears the Mark of Sentinel, and is known as the house of battle-scarred warriors and mercenaries. Contracted to fight, protect, and uphold the peace, the modern leadership of this house views themselves as keepers of the law above all else.
For much of the House's history, Deneith has been involved with wars of conquest, including the campaigns of Karrn the Conqueror and ultimately culminating in the unification of Khorvaire under Galifar I. After the unification, House Deneith was transformed from a conquering army to a peacekeeping force, a transformation which continues into the present day.
The House Deneith mercenaries hail from the Blademarks Guild and their reputation as an elite fighting force was cemented during the Last War. Since the rule of Galifar I, the Defenders Guild has protected the wealthy and powerful, which included nobles and kings. Finally, there are the Sentinel Marshals, who uphold the law of the land throughout Khorvaire. The Marshals also took it upon themselves to enforce the Galifar code of justice, insisting that each of the warring armies observe these universal rules of conduct even during the war.

History

The Mark of the Sentinel was the first dragonmark to appear, and was used by the noble family on who they manifested to compliment their natural fighting prowess. The Deneith clan was able to conquer most of the region in and around what would become Karrnath. If it weren’t for a famine that struck the area, there is a good chance that they would have been able to establish a kingdom of their very own. Karrnath could have been known as the Kingdom of Deneith if it wasn’t for them not being to feed their troops.
Though not a member of the house, Karrn the Conqueror was born in clan Deneith's homeland. He created the nation of Karrnath, which was one of the first human established nations on the soil of Khorvaire. It was then that House Deneith pledged their fealty of Karrn, and helped him wage war in an unsuccessful attempted to unite all of the five settlements of Khorvaire beneath him. Even with Hosue Deneith’s assistance, he was unable to achieve this goal, but it solidified Hosue Deneith as a military force to be reckoned with. Years later Galifar rose to power and became ruler of Karrnath. Galifar was able to succeed where Karrn could not, unifying the Five Nations of Khorvaire, and he charged House Deneith to be the protectorate of the Five Nations.
The Last War was the next rung on the climb to greatness for House Deneith. Having pledged to serve the entire kingdom that Galifar I had created, they would do so even without a king or queen to rule it. This allowed them to be completely neutral during the conflict, but it did not stop them from supplying mercenaries to each of the five nations when such a request was made. The warring nations took this in stride, knowing that while they may have the forces of House Deneith fighting for them, their enemies were doing the same thing.
House Deneith went to great lengths to make sure that the mercenaries from their house did not come into direct conflict with each other, refusing particular contracts if the enemy had already hired them. This only escalated the bidding for their services, but war is a rapidly developing situation and there is one recorded instance of this happening. A Cyran general ordered a group Blademarks to attack a Deneith guarded garrison in Thrane. When they refused, the general order his Cyran troops to attack the Blademarks who refused to fight, which was a very bad idea indeed. These Blademarks joined forces with the forces from within the garrison and routed the Cyran troops.
When the war finally came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold, House Deneith was granted several concessions not available to the other houses. They were granted an exemption from the Korth Edicts and were only the house among the Twelve allowed to maintain a standing army. Furthermore, members of House Deneith and their forces could travel freely amongst the Five Nations. While nations may have fiercely guarded there borders from their neighbors, House Deneith members were granted free passage in the name of defending the Five Nations from external (and sometimes internal) threats.

Military

House Deneith's military and paramilitary obligations are strictly laid out under the Treaty of Thronehold. They are the only House allowed to maintain any ongoing military force, and are to engage in no activity which threatens international peace or violates international law, even when ordered to do so by their employers. House Deneith's military operations are divided up into brigades, each with several dozen marked heirs commanding hundreds of recruited mercenaries.
Legally, these brigades are organized into three guilds: the Blademark, Defenders and Sentinel Marshals. In practice, only the Blademark actually recruits new members and, unlike the other dragonmarked guilds, only in two year terms of service. During this time new recruits are trained and indoctrinated in proper military procedure and the professional neutrality on which House Deneith prides itself. The Blademark serves as a general mercenary group, fighting as ordered to the best of their ability and as permitted by law.
After their two year term is completed, a Blademark veteran is eligible to leave, continue with the Blademarks, join the Sentinel Marshals, or, should they be of the Deneith bloodline they may join the Defenders Guild. Defender and Marshal brigades are more loosely organized and are specialized respectively in the protection of important dignitaries and in the apprehension of criminals.
Aundair, Thrane, Karrnath and Breland are each entitled an indefinite contract for two Blademark Brigades, one Defender Brigade and one Sentinel Marshal Brigade under the command of their respective rulers. The Mournlands and the Isle of Thronehold each have one Defender Brigade assigned to keep intruders out and, in the case of the Mournlands, to keep any dangerous creatures in. The Sentinel Marshal Expeditionary Brigade is tasked with mercenary bounty collection, while the Blademark Reserve Brigades serve both as a reserve to replace losses in Thronehold-mandated units and as the major mercenary arm of House Deneith.

Agriculture & Industry

The Blademark hires out soldiers on a monthly per-company basis, with the standard non-transferable one month contract for a 250 man blademark company costing around 15,000 gold. Assuming a valid warrant is presented, the Sentinel Marshals (including the Expeditionary) hires out individual marshals for a flat fee of 500 gold per week. The Deneith Defenders are all on a particular contract, and thus require either royal consent or special dispensation from the Baron d'Deneith to hire. This costs upwards of 1,000 gold per month for an heir with the Least mark, and only escalates from there.

Leader: 
Breven d'Deneith
Headquarters: 
Sentinel Tower, Karrlakton, Karrnath