City of Towers_ The Dreaming Dark - Keith Baker [140]
House Deneith carries the Mark of Sentinel, which grants powers related to personal protection. The Blademark of House Deneith is the most respected mercenary force in Khorvaire, while the Defender’s Guild provides bodyguards to anyone who can pay. The Sentinel Marshals are law enforcers with the authority to pursue criminals across the nations of Khorvaire. The house has a hard-earned reputation for neutrality, and a Deneith guard can be trusted to protect his charge or fight for his employee regardless of his personal feelings. The heirs of House Deneith are human.
House Ghallanda carries the Mark of Hospitality, which allows its bearers to provide shelter and sustenance. The mark first appeared among the nomadic halflings of the Talenta Plains, but the Ghallanda line has spread throughout Khorvaire and dominates the inn and tavern trade in the Five Nations.
House Jorasco carries the Mark of Healing. House Jorasco has established houses of healing in all of the major cities of Khorvaire, and during the war many nations hired Jorasco heirs to accompany their soldiers into battle. The heirs of House Jorasco are halflings.
House Kundarak carries the Mark of Warding. This mark allows its bearers to lay magical alarms and traps. By combining the powers of its mark with the vast mineral wealth of the Ironroot Mountains, House Kundarak has established itself as the greatest bank of Khorvaire. Only dwarves can hold the Mark of Warding.
House Lyrandar carries the Mark of Storm. This grants power over wind and weather, and in addition to selling their services as raincallers the Lyrandar have long dominated the shipping trade. A recent alliance with House Cannith allowed the Lyrandar to produce elemental airships. Only a storm heir can control the elemental that provides propulsion for one of these flying vessels. The ships themselves are rare and expensive, but already the airship is beginning to revolutionize transportation in Khorvaire. The heirs of the Mark of Storm are half-elves.
House Medani carries the Mark of Detection, whose bearers can sense hidden threats. Medani is a small house that sells its services to nobles and others in need of security. Where House Deneith specializes in physical protection, House Medani defends its charges from subtle attacks—poison, magic, and other hidden threats. The heirs of House Medani are half-elves.
House Orien carries the Mark of Passage, providing powers of motion—speed, flight, and even teleportation. Members of the house serve as couriers and scouts. Orien also dominates the trade of ground transportation, including mundane caravans and the elementally charged lightning rail, a form of swift transport that links the major cities of Khorvaire. The heirs of House Orien are human.
House Phiarlan carries the Mark of Shadow, which holds powers of illusion, deception, and scrying. The house has turned these powers to the art of entertainment, and the skills of actors, musicians, and acrobats of Phiarlan are legendary. However, there are rumors that the house is involved in espionage, using its powers of shadow to move unseen and spy upon the unwary. The heirs of House Phiarlan are elves.
House Sivis carries the Mark of Scribing, with power over the written and spoken word. The gnomes of House Sivis are renowned as translators, barristers, scribes, and mediators, but their greatest achievement is the network of message stones. Imbued with precious dragonshards, these stones can carry the words of an heir across great distances, and this system is the key to long-distance communication in Khorvaire.
House Tharashk carries the Mark of Finding. Heirs of the house serve