CHAPTER 4 | ABERRANT DRAGONMARKS 111Aberrant Dragonmarks .............................................
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—Rotting Bal,
Tarkanan Enforcer<PM_MT^MLZIOWVUIZS[IZM\QML\W[XMKQÅK
bloodlines and passed down through families.
They are reliable and predictable, and their
powers are constructive. They create; they heal;
they protect.
But there is another kind of dragonmark:
marks that are unpredictable and dangerous to
both the bearer and the people around them.
Someone with such a mark can kill with a
touch or control minds with a glance. Aberrant
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dragonmarked families produce a child, and for
this reason such unions are absolutely forbidden
by the Twelve. But aberrant dragonmarks
can appear on members of any race, at any
age, regardless of bloodline. No two aberrant
dragonmarks are exactly alike—even if they
grant the same power, they may appear and
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might grant ÅZMJWT\, one mark may be formed
from scar tissue while another is traced on the
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While aberrant dragonmarks can be disturbing,
on the surface an aberrant mark seems no more
dangerous or threatening than the powers of a
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may not actively hurt a character, but they are
always a burden in some way—a burden that
could drive a weak-willed person to madness.
It takes time for a character to learn to control
their mark, and in time people may be hurt. If
an aberrant mark grants ÅZMJWT\, the person who
carries it might have severely burned or even
killed a loved one. Imagine having the power
to cast KPIZUXMZ[WVbut being unable to control
it and having people you care about suddenly
becoming slavishly devoted to you. All of these
factors have led to the general superstition
that people with aberrant dragonmarks are
dangerous, that their marks drive them crazy or
turn them into sociopaths. These are things that
can happen; people have a right to be afraid.
But it is possible for an aberrant to
learn to control their mark and
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Aberrant marks are
feared for another
reason, too. Long
ago aberrant marks
were more frequent
and some people
had aberrant
marks that held
greater powers.
Aberrant leader
Halas Tarkanan
could devastate
cities with powerful
earthquakes, while
the Dreambreaker
shattered minds.
The Lady of the
Plague wielded