House Ghallanda

House Ghallanda bears the Mark of Hospitality and operates the Hosteler's Guild. Travelers throughout Khovaire know that the blink dog seal means delicious food, excellent ale, and a place to rest one's weary head. Exceptional service is a hallmark of these establishments, as the proprietors have the resources to provide a variety of different services that the competition doesn't. The relationships the House members form with the local gives them a wealth of information they might share if you're willing to trade favors. Whether you are looking for a bottle of the most exceptional wine in the region or a weaponsmith of the highest skill, these dragonmarked heirs can point you in the right direction.
House Ghallanda maintains three distinct guilds. The Hostelers Guild oversees the hospitality industry, including everything from food, lodging, entertainment, and gambling. The best innkeepers, chefs, and restaurateurs throughout Khovaire are members of the Hostelers Guild. In addition to a number of House Ghallanda-owned facilities across the continent, high-quality inns, taverns, and restaurants of the Five Nations bear the emblem of the blink dog, as they are licensed by the Hostelers Guild. The Dawn-Builders are a guild made up of hundreds of architects and masons who are responsible for building new enclaves throughout Khovaire. As the guild began to push farther and farther away from civilized lands, the house assigned a group of veteran soldiers to accompany and protect the guild members. This Dragontail Guild provided food and shelter to armies in the field, keeping supply lines open and defending the enclaves when needed. Since the Treaty of Thronehold, this guild has been shrinking dramatically, and some believe it will soon dissolve.
Due to shrewd bargaining during the signing of the Korth Accords, customers at House Ghallanda enclaves may not be unwillingly removed for any reason, even by officers of the law. Until they cease to pay or are refused further service by House Ghallanda, the law can no more arrest a paying customer than they can a foreign diplomat. This is somewhat less useful to fugitives than it initially seems: if the House doesn't like the fugitive or approve of their presence, they may simply refuse service. And, nothing prevents the Sharn Watch from having an officer rent the room next to them, ready to arrest the criminal as soon as they step out the door. More common is an accused suspect hiding from the law this way while they wait for a hired inquisitive (or lawyer) to find (or fabricate) proof of their innocence.

History

Eberron halflings are from Eastern Khorvaire, who formed nomadic tribes that wandered the region. Roaming the lands of Eastern Khovaiore, the first dragonmarks appeared amongst the race. Far away from where the other dragonmarks had begun to manifest, they knew nothing of the Draconic Prophecy and instead saw the marks as a divine blessing that obligated them to help those in need of assistance. As the nomadic tribes of dragonmarked halflings traveled throughout the Talenta Plains, they would feed the hungry, render aid, provide lodging to those that needed it. They held lavish parties and feasts for the region's mightiest heroes, serving only the most excellent wines and food. Above all, they always remained neutral, not taking sides in tribal wars or feuds between families.
It was during the time of Karrn the Conqueror that the other dragonmarked houses learned of the dragonmarked halflings of Ghallanda. As Karrn pushed eastward, seeking to expand his empire, he came across the Ghallandians. They offered him and his followers the same hospitality they had been providing the local tribes for centuries. The humans were a strange and foreign race to them, and the humans, in turn, spoke of a race of friendly little people whose warmth and generosity was matched only by the food and lodging they were able to provide, as if by magic. When word of this mysterious race reached the heirs of House Cannith and House Sivis, they put together a joint expedition to Eastern Khovaire, where they found the dragonmarked halflings.
Goodwill and decency do not equal stupidity, and the halflings spent years negotiating with the other houses for their autonomy, lest they become mere indentured servants to the other houses. Eventually, both parties came to an agreement that created House Ghallanda. They would provide their trademarked hospitality services to the other houses and, in return, would be allowed to migrate westward and establish themselves alongside the more established houses. Upon becoming House Ghallanda, they took the blink dog as their emblem. Ancient legends tell of blink dogs helping travelers stranded in the barren Talenta plains. Ghallanda translates from halfling as "a helpful hound who appears where needed most," and House Ghallanda embraced the mythos behind the legends. As they traveled west, they established inns and taverns along the way, later building them into full enclaves.
War did not change how House Ghallanda operated, but in times of battle, you do what you need to do to survive. Members of House Ghallanda occassionally found themselves on the front lines, and while it remained committed to neutrality, they also have several battle-tested soldiers within the house. But it was the role they undertook in maintaining the troop's ability to fight that cemented House Ghallanda's place among the Twelve Houses. Ghallanda's dragonmarks allowed them to create foodstuffs and lodging of a higher quality than their enemies, so the armies they serviced were better fed and well-rested. The other armies, seeing how House Ghallanda kept the troop's morale high, all began to hire them to keep the supply lines open and furnish their forces with the supplies they needed to continue in battle.

Agriculture & Industry

The Hostelers Guild is expansive, maintaining its hold on the hospitality industry in the Five Nations and beyond. Through the concept of "bound businesses", they give their mark of approval to otherwise independent inns, taverns, restaurants and hostels. If the business maintains the standards the house expects, and pays a portion of their profits to the guild, they are permitted to use the house seal, be recommended by other house agents, and enjoy their connections and suppliers. 
The marked members of the house are split between those running an enclave or business, having settled down to use their gifts in one place, and those travelling through the networks and beyond. A settled heir may be able to ensure a tavern or inn serves better food, can use a mark to guarantee purity of food and water, and a greater heir can even create hallowed ground for supernatural defences, when needed. A travelling heir, such as those in the Dawn Builders, can quickly turn a wilderness campsite into a place of comfort and safety. A lesser heir can create magical defences such as a tiny hut, and the most powerful marked can bring a portable demiplane of luxury with them for the ultimate safe haven.
While everyone knows of the legendary hospitality of House Ghallanda, outside of their magical abilities is the very mundane power that comes with networking. The heirs of Ghallanda enjoy the company of family and friends, and they love discussing the rumors and news they garner from the locals. Such information is not for sale, but one may promise to do a favor as payment for such knowledge. House members are sources of great renown when it comes to information, including such things as a noble's scandalous affairs, the whereabouts of local criminals, and which merchants are trustworthy…and which are not.
The Hosteler's Guild prides itself on maintaining a uniform standard of quality across all bonded businesses. A Golden Dragon Inn in Fairhaven is supposed to be indistinguishable from one in Greenheart or Atur. Everything from the taste of food to the size of the beds to the shape of the building is held to be as uniform as possible, so that waking up in a Golden Dragon Inn feels familiar, no matter where one actually is. This practice, combined with the fact that the some of the Greater Ghallanda have access to extradimensional residences, has led to persistent (but seemingly false) rumours that all Golden Dragon Inns are in fact the same Inn, magically connected through the Mark of Hospitality.

Leader: 
Baron Yoren d'Ghallanda
Headquarters: 
  Gatherhold, Talenta Plains