House Vadalis

House Vadalis bears the Mark of Handling, allowing the domestication of wild beasts and the creation of fantastic creatures. Of the Dragonmarked Houses, Vadalis is the smallest and one of the few based outside of the Five Nations. While the House Seat is located in Varna, only a few hundred Vadalis reside there at any given time. The sprawling Foalswood Ranch covers a huge swath of the Eldeen's farmland, and features both over 1,000 Marked Vadalis and the most involved breeding and research programs. Most of their other heirs are in Aundair, but many can be found scattered in small family units in any rural area of the Five Nations.
While most Dragonmarked Houses at least pretend to obey the Korth Accords, House Vadalis flouts the agreement entirely, citing the Treaty of Thronehold as their justification. According to the Heirs of Handling, wild animals are not soldiers; magebreeding stables are not House Enclaves; and the Druidic Sects are not nobility. Accordingly, House Vadalis judges themselves free to raise as many magebred beasts as they see fit; to count only the human housing against their land limits and to intermarry freely with the Druids who rule the Eldeen Reaches. Although this is all, technically, within the letter of the law, the other Houses view this behavior as a brazen defiance of the spirit.
House Vadalis is quite satisfied with their current status within the Twelve. Like many other houses, they do not strive to become a dominant force amongst the other houses or nations. House Vadalis has no desire to increase their influence, remaining a closed house to most outsiders. Family bloodlines and lineages are of utmost importance, and every Vadalis heir over the age of 10 can recite his family lineage on both sides for several generations. This information has practical uses in the house members' daily life, as it fosters a strong bond between members of each bloodline and house members as a whole. Being able to help someone related to you, no matter if it is your brother or your great uncle’s second son, is something that the members of House Vadalis take great pride in.
The House also counts in its number many intelligent animals – giant eagles and owls, drakes, awakened animals and more exotic beasts. Creatures who can understand the concept of the House, have an understanding of the self, and can communicate in at least one spoken or signed language are treated as House members. These intelligent animals are not sold, but instead placed with clients, and the House tends to ensure their good treatment. Exactly where the line is, however, can be a point of contention for many heirs, as is the exact details of how they are treated and paid compared to humanoid House members.

History

Humans who were the future bearers of the Mark of Handling migrated west to the Eldeen Reaches. From where they traveled from is unknown, and why they would decide to settle in the Eldeen Reaches is beyond me. Most of the region is covered by a thick forest, inhospitable even today, let alone 2000 years ago when the humans arrived.  The dragonmark manifested approximately 200 years later on a generation of children who were seen as blessed by a gift from the Sovereign Host which would help them survive the rugged lands they lived upon. The mark allowed them to breed and train a better class of animals, increasing the productivity of the farmers, builders, and a variety of other businesses. The families and descendants of these humans quickly split into bloodlines focusing on different kinds of creatures, but all remained allied as they eventually formed the Vadalis Guild, which would become the House at the end of the War of the Mark.
During the War of the Mark, the Seryan bloodline were discovered by the other families to have spent their time on the disturbing practice of using the magic of their mark to warp and twist creatures into living weapons. They focused on the dire wolf and the displacer beast, but there was talk of them crossbreeding other, more dangerous creatures, then taking the offspring and creating creatures from one’s worst nightmares. With the fear of aberrant Marks at its height, the Twelve’s new council put down the remaining beasts and destroyed any records or instructions involving this practice.
Between the War of the Mark and the Last War, House Vadalis returned to breeding mounts and livestock of amazing quality. When the Last War started, House Vadalis remained above the fray, remaining neutral. As the war raged, House Vadalis, like the other houses, reaped the benefits of their mark. They produced a variety of creatures that were purchased by various nations through a process known as magebreeding. All sorts of Magebred mounts and war beasts were supplied to the nations willing to pay for them. From the fearsome war bears bred in Breland to the dragonhawks bred in Aundair, these creatures were an essential part of each of the Five Nation’s war efforts, and the primary source of aerial transport before the airship was invented.

Agriculture & Industry

House Vadalis runs the Handlers Guild, who handles the breeding, training, caring for, and selling prize animal stock. Membership in the Handlers Guild is not mandatory for all house members. Heirs who intend to work beyond the confines of their enclaves, however, need to have been trained by and be in good standing with the guild. The guild is well respected amongst other ranchers and other breeders, especially since they do not seek to dominate the business but be the best in this field. lt also operates as a collective, operating primarily in areas where Vadalis does not have official house enclaves. The guild serves to gather independent ranchers and breeders, share information and animal bloodlines, and sell Vadalis methods and training to assist them in ways to improve their livestock.
As House Vadalis is a family first organization, business takes a secondary role. Heirs will take a pass on deals that threaten the larger family unit. Profit isn’t the end goal, but maintaining and strengthen the relationships with the family is. The other houses have no comprehension of this world view and are amazed by the Vadalis views on dealing with business. They are seen as a lesser house because of their house’s limited wealth and influence, but the family comes first.
The animals that are bred and trained vary almost as much as their uses. Vadalis horses are some of the best in Khovaire, and their livestock is the healthiest and most fertile. But where House Vadalis separates themselves from the others is through their use of Mark of Handling to work with more exotic creatures. Such creatures include griffons and hippogriffs as mounts, bulettes as guards and general labor, and any number of other magebred creatures. Magebreeding involves the use of dragonshard focus items, and through the shards and the Mark of Handling, House Vadalis has developed a line of stronger and faster magical creatures.

Leader: Baron Dalin d'Vadalis
Headquarters: Foalswood, Varna, Eldeen Reaches