House Sivis

House Sivis bears the Mark of Scribing and has been instrumental over its nearly three thousand year history in establishing the culture and customs of the Dragonmarked Houses today. All Heirs of Sivis are gnomes, and thus the majority live in Zilargo. Only a third of its marked heirs have permanent residence outside of the gnomish homeland, primarily working as Speaking Stone operators at Message Stations, or as diplomats and mediators for the Speaker's Guild. The largest Sivis enclave and current residence of the house matriarch is Korranberg, home of the internationally famous Library of Korranberg.
Historically, the primary work of House Sivis has not been communication, but innovation. While they lack House Cannith's raw ability to fabricate and prototype, they excel at the sharing of ideas and come from long traditions of artifice and magic. They have a long association with Zilargo's Binder's Guild, one of the few non-Dragonmarked businesses on the continent, who hold extensive, exclusive knowledge of how to bind elementals into Khyber dragonshards. With the two gnomish businesses working together, they have been responsible for the 811 invention of the Lightning Rail in cooperation with Houses Cannith and Orien, followed in 990 by the invention of the Elemental Airship alongside Cannith and Lyrandar. Although Sivis is viewed as something of a silent partner in both discoveries, having largely turned over the administration of these inventions to the other Houses involved, it is certain that without the diplomatic skill and visionary insights of the Gnomes of Sivis that neither project would have come to fruition.
One of the earliest Dragonmarked Items was the an enchanted stamp designed to provide an indelible and unfalsifiable signature for its user. Banking, quite literally, on the success of the Arcane Mark, Sivis established itself early in its history as a trusted resource in the fields of law and finance. Later, Sivis would study the nature of the Dragonmarks themselves and fund the expeditions which would discover Houses Kundarak and Tharashk, the former allowing Sivis to insert itself as a vital partner the modern banking system and the latter giving Sivis enough sway in Droaam and the Shadow Marches to extend their communication networks to the westernmost coast of Khorvaire.
Today, the public face of House Sivis is the Speaking Stone network, but in the gnomish view this is a rather recent development. Invented by Tasker Torralyn d'Sivis in 783 YK, the days of the first Speaking Stone networks are still in living memory for the longer lived races on Khorvaire. Fundamentally, a Speaking Stone functions not unlike a Sending Stone - Torralyn's primary innovation was to link each stone, not to a single other stone, but to every other of its kind. Although each Speaking Stone weighs 30 pounds and requires the attunement of the Mark of Scribing, the increased flexibility made connecting the entire continent feasible at last. At an even higher cost, a Sivis heir can contact anyone known to the client, sending a short message to them no matter where in the world they are.

History

The gnome’s homeland is Zilargo, the southernmost region of Khovaire bordering Berland and Darguun. Various clans have always held power in Zilargo, but none for very long. Clan Sivis established their house well before the appearance of the Mark of Scribing to consolidate their power as to not become irrelevant with Zilargo society. With the appearance of the Mark of Scribing some 2800 years ago, clan Sivis feared being ostracized because of their newfound powers. The gnomes made themselves invaluable via communication powers the mark granted and their unwavering commitment to neutrality. This use of their power fairly and evenly amongst other clans became the blueprint for the other dragonmarked house to ingratiate themselves into their own respective societies.
As time passed, House Sivis spread throughout Khovaire. Finding a need for a language that could be spoken amongst all the peoples of Khovaire, they were crucial in the development of the Common language. It was not an easy task, and the gnomes spent years refining the words that now make up the one language all the nations communicate with. They also were instrumental in negotiations and conflict resolution between the nations of Khovaire during their early development. It is not just the young nations that they were involved in helping, as House Sivis also reached out to the leaders of the younger Dragonmarked houses during this time. Their influence led to the establishment of many of the common traditions between the houses that exist today. Even though their influence reaches far and wide, the gnomes of House Sivis seemingly have no desire to rule over the houses. They maintain the same neutrality philosophy they held centuries ago, seeking to be a mediator and ally to all.

Agriculture & Industry

Sivis message stations are found in every major city in the Five Nations. For the right price, your words can be sent to almost anywhere in the continent in a matter of seconds. But House Sivis has its fingers in more than just the sending stones. They operate common post offices and a slower but reliable magical message service, for those who cannot afford to use the speaking stones. They control all notary and accounting businesses throughout Khovaire. 
House Sivis runs two guilds, the Notaries Guild and the Speakers Guild. The Notaries Guild controls all businesses and services related to the written word. Creating legal documents, authenticating writs of nobility, and verifying letters of credit are just a few of the notaries' services members provide. The guild also provides training and licenses for bookbinders, scribes, translators, accountants, and others in related professions. Experts within the guild provide services above and beyond such common tasks. These eilite members are the primary source of arcane ritual scrolls, while another group within the guild specializes in cryptography and code-breaking techniques.
The Speakers Guild is responsible for the maintenance of the operation of the speaking stones network. They are the sole individuals that can provide someone with the sending ritual services. Their reach also extends to other areas as well. If your profession relies on the use of language to be successful, it are probably certified by House Sivis. The guild trains and licenses barristers, mediators, heralds, interpreters, and other similar professions.

Leader: 
High Council, led by Lysse Lyrriman d'Sivis
Headquarters: 
Citadel Sivis, Korranberg, Zilargo