192
Dragonmarked villains usually covet magical knowl
edge, wealth, or influence, and their methods are appro
priate to the marks they bear. Dragonmarked agents can
range from lowly spies bearing the Mark of Shadow hid
den within a circus troupe, to a dragonmarked warlord
of House Deneith who has decided to establish their
own fiefdom. Examples of NPCs from dragonmarked
houses appear in the Dragonmarked NPCs table.DRAGON MARKED NPCs
dl2 NPC2 3 4 5 6 7 8A renegade from House Cannith arms a group of ban
dits with fearsome elemental-bound weapons to prey
on caravans as well as facilities belonging to other
houses.
A gang from the League of the Bitter Blade in House
Deneith squeezes tribute from local towns in ex
change for "protection."
An heir of House Ghallanda poisons members of
other dragonmarked houses who stay in non-Ghal
landa inns, discrediting rival businesses while attack
ing the houses.
During a plague, a House Jorasco healer chooses
which victims to cure and which to let die-and
worse, which ones live to spread the plague to the
house's enemies.
A House Kundarak thief from the Warding Guild
breaks into non-Kundarak vaults and banks to dis
credit them.
A House Lyrandar airship captain uses the vessel to
terrorize the countryside.
A rogue heir of House Medani starts selling secrets,
effectively establishing a new espionage guild within
the house.
A disgraced caravan leader turns to banditry, hoping
to win back House Orien's favor by disrupting non
Orien trade along a busy route.
9 Two elf assassins, one from House Phiarlan and the
other from House Thuranni, are each working to dis
credit or slay the other while spying on local nobility.
10 An heir of House Sivis starts blackmailing people
based on the content of intercepted messages.
11 A bounty hunter of House Tharashk hunts one of the
characters or an associate of theirs.
12 A rogue heir of House Vadalis is breeding monstrous
animals and setting them loose in the countryside.DRAGONMARKED HOUSE
CAMPAIGN THEMES
The dragonmarked houses provide an opportunity for
your campaign to explore the role of magic in society
and the power of industry in the postwar world. If the
adventurers are allied with a dragonmarked house, you
can concentrate on the house's positive aspects and its
work in moving Khorvaire beyond the feudalism of Gali
far. At the same time, the houses also represent a way to
explore the consequences of corporate greed and unre-CHAPTER 4 I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURESstrained expansion. This self-interest can be a defining
feature of some or all of the houses, or you can focus on
factions within certain houses, with idealistic leaders
seeking to direct the house along a more responsible
path while barons are driven by greed alone.
As a prominent part of society, the dragonmarked
houses strive to maintain the appearance of respect
ability and propriety. Thus, even when a house is utterly
corrupted, any agents who are caught in their evil deeds
are quickly and convincingly disavowed, preserving the
house's image and reputation. If the plays a significant,
recurring role as a villain in your campaign, the charac
ters' eventual task will be to prove that these so-called
"rogue agents" have actually been taking orders from
the top of the house's leadership.DRAGONMARKED HOUSE
ADVENTURE HOOKS
The Dragonmarked House Adventure Hooks table pres
ents a few ways to pull characters into tales concerning
the houses.DRAGONMARKED HOUSE ADVENTURE HOOKS
dl 2 Adventure Hook2345A House Cannith artificer hires adventurers to steal
secrets from a forge associated with a rival branch of
the house.
House Deneith is recruiting adventurers to oppose a
sudden rise in bandit or monster activity in a nearby
forest.
A hostel run by House Ghallanda has gained a rep
utation for being haunted, and the disturbances are
growing more dangerous.
People healed at a local Jorasco enclave suddenly
manifest strange abilities they never could before
and soon thereafter, a strange curse as well.
The Kundarak Bank needs brave adventurers to test
their new wards by trying to break into their vault.
6 A Lyrandar sky captain lost much of their crew in a
recent attack by flying monsters, and hires hands to
defend the ship on its return voyage.
7 A Medani bodyguard is killed defending their charge
from assassins, but manages to force the attackers to
drop a clue to the identity of their employer.
8 The characters are hired to protect a crucial shipment
aboard an Orien lightning rail.
9 At a carnival run by House Phiarlan, customers begin
acting strangely. They all hum the same song, which
spreads like a virus as more people hear it.
10 A Sivis translator has gone missing after being hired
to decipher a trove of scrolls thought destroyed
during the Last War.
11 A House Tharaskh mine collapses, and time is run
ning out for the trapped miners.
12 House Vadalis needs help recovering a herd of mage
bred horses stolen from a local ranch.