The Dragonmarked Houses

Overview

The dragonmarked houses are the chief economic power of Khorvaire, having have existed for thousands of years. Holding a near-monopoly over an aspect of everyday life and the continent's economy, the Houses are a ever-present part of daily life, separate and alongside the nations and kings.
Individual dragonmarks appeared within bloodlines, and family dynasties sprang up to take advantage of the dragonmark powers. Each family created an economic empire using the dragonmarks, and the dragonmarked houses developed into independent commerce states operating across multiple nations. The War of the Mark, which ended about fifteen hundred years ago, stabilized the houses and ended the threat of aberrant and mixed marks that might have destroyed the economy of Khorvaire. Today, twelve dragonmarks shared among thirteen houses form the basis for economic power across the continent.
Agreements reached at the end of the War of the Mark formalized tenets and traditions that all the houses adhere to. These include rules concerning neutrality (all houses make a show of remaining neutral so that they can operate in all nations), fair trade and practices, family naming conventions, and a ban on marriages between the house's lines so that the dragonmarks do not mix to form unpredictable, destructive aberrant marks.
Family members run each house, with either a matriarch or patriarch serving as the chief executive of both family and economic business. House family members form an economic aristocracy on par with the royal and noble families of the various nations, and family leaders are literally barons of industry and commerce. Each house also employs retainers and hirelings to aid in the family business. Those retainers and hirelings who show initiative and promise can rise through the ranks to hold important positions within the house. The most effective and promising of these might be invited into the family through marriage to the young scions of the blood, thus making sure the bloodline continues.
Even though the house blood flows through the veins of every family member, not every one of them has a dragonmark; only a small percentage of every generation manifests a mark. Among those who do, the least mark is the most common to appear, with fewer lesser marks, and fewer still greater marks appearing in each generation. Those who do develop a dragonmark are singled out for great things and have responsibilities to the family that scions without marks never have to worry about.

Life in the Houses

Enclaves
Most dragonmarked houses maintain enclaves in major cities. These serve as strongholds and hubs for house businesses. A city may also have any number of businesses tied to the house, but these are simply providing services and don't have any direct connection to house leadership.
Names and Ranks
Any heir of the house who develops a dragonmark is allowed to add the d' prefix to the house name: for example, Merrix d'Cannith. Despite the Korth Edicts' proscription against house members holding noble titles, regional leaders within the houses are called barons. Most houses are led by a matriarch or patriarch, though some are led by a council.
Emblems. Each dragonmarked house has an emblem, a distinctive symbol that features on their heraldry, official seals, crafted goods, and anything else that warrants the house's stamp of authenticity
The Twelve. The Twelve is an organization that facilitates cooperation among the dragonmarked houses.
Excoriates. Excoriates are dragonmarked heirs who have been cut off from their houses.
Foundlings. Foundlings are people who have a dragonmark yet have no tie to a dragonmarked house.
Test of Siberys. Dragonmarks manifest around adolescence. Each house puts its heirs through a trial called the Test of Siberys. The specific trials vary by house, but they place the heir in circumstances where they are likely to manifest the mark, if they have it. About half of the members of a bloodline manifest the mark.
Korth Edicts. The Korth Edicts prevent the houses from owning land, holding noble titles, or maintaining military forces (with an exception for Deneith's mercenary forces and marshals). The edicts were established when the Five Nations were united. Today, many in the houses feel the edicts have become obsolete in the wake of the Last War.

The Dragonmarks and their Houses

Dragonmark	House	Race	Guild Specialties	Abilities
Detection	Medani	Half-elves	Bodyguards, investigation, risk management	Observation and information gathering
Finding	Tharashk	Humans, half-orcs	Bounty hunters, investigation, prospecting	Tracking and location
Handling	Vadalis	Humans	Animal training and husbandry	Control and manipulation of animals
Healing	Jorasco	Halflings	Medicine	Healing and restoration
Hospilality	Ghallanda	Halflings	Food, lodging and urban information	Creating food, shelter and comfort
Making	Cannith	Humans	Manufacturing	Repair, creation and enchantment
Passage	Orien	Humans	Land transportation and couriers	Teleportation and movement
Scribing	Sivis	Gnomes	Communication, translation, verification	Control of language and messaging
Sentinel	Deneith	Humans	Bodyguards, mercenaries	Warning and protection from danger
Shadow	Phiarlan and Thuranni	Elves	Entertainment, espionage (Phiarlan), assassination (Thuranni)	Weaving of illusions and shadows
Storm	Lyrandar	Half-elves	Sea and air transportation, weather manipulation	Control over weather and air
Warding	Kundarak	Dwarves	Banking, storage, prisons	Creating abjurations, wards and seals

Notable Members

• Gideon d'Deneith