Eberron - Rising from the Last War

74

THE KORRANBERG

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FEUD WITHIN

THE TWELVE?

Reports emerged this week of bitter disputes within the

Tw elve, the arcane institution that supposedly embodies

the spirit of cooperation among the houses. According

to a source that wished to remain anonymous, a special

meeting of the Committee of Tw elve was called last

week to address accusations that researchers connected

to House Kundarak had been diverting funds from the

institute's budget to fund their own private projects,

then concealing the results of those projects from their

colleagues. Kundarak's representative, according to our

source, denied the accusations, saying that the research­

ers are operating within their allotted budget and keep­

ing their results secret only temporarily, as a matter of

house security.

This matter is far from resolved, as the council meet­

ing devolved into shouted arguments before disbanding.

Representatives of House Medani and House Tharashk

were particularly vocal in denouncing Kundarak, leaving

this reporter to wonder whether a schism within the

Council of Tw elve might be imminent-and what that

might mean for peaceful relations among the dragon­

marked houses themselves.

HOUSE CONTACTS

d8 Contact

A lesser guild functionary who is cowed by your group

(especially if it includes a dragon marked character)

and apologetic about giving you assignments

2 The stern and demanding parent of one (or more) of

the characters in your group

3 The lovingly indulgent parent of a character in your

group

4 The smugly superior dragon marked sibling of an un­

marked member of the fa mily in your group

5 The money-minded business manager of a guild within

your patron house

6 A retired adventurer within the family who would rather

join you on your adventures than assign them to you

7 The proud leader of a regional branch of the dragon­

marked family

8 The patriarch or matriarch of the patron house

THE TW ELVE

Rather than working for one single house, your group

could work for an organization that serves them all: the

Twelve. This is a good option if you want to be involved

in the intrigue among the dragonmarked houses while

playing characters who come from different houses.

CHAPTER 1 I CHARACTER CREATION

The Twelve facilitates communication and coopera­

tion among the dragonmarked houses. As part of the

agreements that ended the War of the Mark, the houses

agreed to create an institute for the application of mag­

ic-a foundation that would study dragonmarks, along

with more traditional forms of magic. Over the centu­

ries, the Twelve has been responsible for many magical

advances, including the airships operated by House Ly­

randar and the message stations of House Sivis

As an arm of the dragonmarked houses, the Twelve

attempted to remain neutral during the Last War, but

many of its wizards and artificers had national loyalties

that were stronger than their ties to the institute. Now

that the Twelve has resumed normal operations, it seeks

to replace its lost members and make sure that each

house is represented.

While the Twelve provides a way for your group to

work for multiple dragonmarked houses, its goals and

benefits are similar to those of an individual house. Con­

sider using the following details as a template if there's a

particular dragonmarked house you wish to serve.

Patronage. As a patron, the Twelve is functionally

similar to a dragonmarked house. Rather than advanc­

ing one house's interests, though, the Twelve seeks to

advance magical developments that have practical value

to society as well as potential for profit. All the houses

contribute to the operating budget of the institute, and in

theory they all benefit from the results of its research.

As agents of the Twelve, you might undertake mis­

sions intended to help one house at a time or all of them

at once, typically with a focus on magical research or

problem-solving. Members of your group might have dif­

ferent status within their houses, but within the Twelve

you're held as equals. The Twelve pay you (see "Patron

Benefits"), and as their agents, you receive a 5 percent

discount on services from all the dragonmarked houses

(rather than a 10 percent discount from one house).

Leadership. The Committee of Twelve oversees the

institute. It currently has fifteen members, though its

membership is a matter of significant disagreement

within the council. There are of course only twelve drag­

onmarks, but the Mark of Shadow is represented by two

different houses, and House Cannith is currently frag­

mented into three branches, each of which has claimed

a seat on the council.

The Twelve is headquartered in a many-spired keep

that floats in the air above the city of Korth in Karrnath.

Most researchers funded by the Twelve operate within

this structure, but the institute occasionally pays grants

to researchers whose promising work can't easily (or

safely) be relocated inside the keep.

Allies. With a long record of providing benefit to so­

ciety at large, the Twelve is widely respected. Some of

their closest allies include the following groups:

Dragonmarked Houses. Above all, the Twelve has

the almost universal support of the dragonmarked

houses, which provide the funding to support its con­

tinued operation. One of the few things that all the

houses agree on is that the Twelve should be allowed

to do its work in peace. Agents of the Twelve can count

on at least a minimal level of assistance from the

houses in case of dire need.