HOUSE TARKANAN
Long ago, the dragonmarked houses sought to extermi
nate the bearers of aberrant dragonmarks (described
in chapter 1). Today, those who carry aberrant dragon
marks are still treated with fear and suspicion. During
the Last War, the King's Dark Lanterns of Breland
trained a team of covert operatives who all bore aber
rant marks. Considered expendable, this group was
sent on one suicide mission after another. After half its
members died in the field, the survivors turned on their
masters. Six years ago, they fled to Sham and founded
House Tarkanan. The group takes its name from Lord
Halas Tarkanan, who fought the dragonmarked houses
long ago and used his aberrant dragonmark to destroy
Old Sham.
The smallest of the four criminal organizations de
scribed here, House Tarkanan has no interest in claim
ing territory or dominating the criminal underworld.
The house takes neither side in the war between the
Boromar Clan and Daask, and it will not assassinate
high-ranking members of either organization. In other
matters, it sells its services to all who have the gold to
pay for them. House Tarkanan's top priority is using its
wealth to protect, train, and care for people who have
aberrant marks. The leaders of the house are pragma
tists and soldiers, and they train their recruits to be war
riors and thieves.
Despite its name, House Tarkanan is not a drag
onmarked house; it has taken the name to mock its
enemies, and it doesn't have the recognition, power, or
resources of a dragonmarked house. In fact, many mem
bers of House Tarkanan hate the dragonmarked houses
for being prejudiced against their kind and fear that they
will instigate a second purge of aberrant marks. Others
are more idealistic, and see the growing power of the
houses as a threat to all of the nations of Khorvaire.HOUSE TARKANAN OPERATIONS
House Tarkanan provides two basic services to clients:
theft and murder. Fees for jobs are based on the task's
complexity and riskiness; a simple cutpurse contract
costs far less than the assassination of a Sham Watch
captain in Skyway.
What differentiates the assassins of House Tarkanan
from those of House Phiarlan and Thuranni is their ac
cessibility. The dragonmarked houses sell their services
only to a select list of wealthy and powerful clients, and
they can pursue contracts anywhere in Khorvaire. Con
versely, anyone with enough gold can hire House Tar
kanan's assassins, but they take jobs only within Sham.
HOUSE TARKANAN NPC s
Because House Tarkanan helps all those who have ab
errant dragonmarks, the organization has allies across
a wide range of society, from beggars to nobles. Some of
the organization's most important people are these:
- Thora, a female human, has the ability to sense mysti
cal energies-a gift that enables her to identify others
with aberrant marks. She founded the organization
and serves as its leader. While she uses the name
Thora Tarkanan among her compatriots, she has es
tablished herself as Thora Tavin among the wealthy
elite of Sham and has cultivated relationships with
many influential people.- Rotting Bal is one of Thora's most trusted lieutenants.
A male elf, Bal was part of the original squad of aber
rant commandos. He's an exceptional martial artist
whose skills are enhanced by his mark. - Zae is a female halfiing who has the power to speak to
and control vermin. Though she's no warrior, her gift
helps the house gather information.
HOUSE TARKANAN VILLAINS
Some House Tarkanan villains are obsessed with bring
ing down the dragonmarked houses. Others are willing
to take innocent lives if doing so means saving one per
son with an aberrant mark. Sample villains appear on
the House Tarkanan Villains table.HOUSE TARKANAN VILLAINS
d4 Villain
A member of House Tarka nan murders members of
dragon marked houses, reducing her victims to smol
dering piles of ash.
2 Driven mad by his aberrant dragon mark, a dwarf be
comes obsessed with destroying Sharn in the same
manner that Halas Tarkanan collapsed Old Sharn.(^3) A House Tarka nan half-elf kidnaps children with
aberrant marks, believing the organization is better
suited to bring up the children than their parents.
4 A House Tarkanan mage starts drinking the blood of
dragonmarked nobles, believing it will increase the
strength of his aberrant mark.
HOUSE TARKANAN
CAMPAIGN THEMES
As assassins for hire, the members of House Tarkanan
can appear in a campaign as agents of other enemies of
the adventurers. But they can also play a central role in
a campaign.
To use House Tarkanan as a recurring villain, you can
stress its ruthlessness and emphasize its hatred of the
dragonmarked houses. If any of the adventurers have
ties to one of the houses, this confrontation could begin
with a number of small attacks against the adventurer
or their friends. Over time, these actions could escalate.
In addition, you could build a story around Thora Tar
kanan's quest to discover the secrets of aberrant drag
onmarks. Long ago, Halas Tarkanan and the Lady of the
Plague possessed marks so powerful that they could
destroy cities. Can Thora find a way to amplify her own
power in the ruins of Old Sham?
If one or more of the adventurers has an aberrant
dragonmark, House Tarkanan can also serve as a group
patron for a party of adventurers, as described in chap
ter l. The House Tarkanan Assignments table provides
hooks for adventurers who are working with the organi
zation, and the discussion of crime syndicates in chapter
1 includes additional ideas.
CHAPTER 4 I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES 2
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