CHAPTER 4 | BACKGROUND 93½½Êçãã«,ÊçÝÝ͊
Every house has traditions, cabals, and
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of the houses.
- Most Dragonmarked houses maintain
HQFODYHV in major cities. These serve
as hubs for house businesses and
strongholds for the house families.
A city may also have any number
of businesses tied to the house—a
Ghallanda inn, a Cannith smith, a Sivis
message station—but these are simply
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direct connection to house leadership. - Any heir of the house who develops
a dragonmark is allowed to add the
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G·&DQQLWKRegional leaders within the
houses are called Barons. Most houses
are led by a matriarch or patriarch,
though some are led by councils. - The Twelve is an organization
that facilitates communication
and cooperation between the
Dragonmarked houses. Excoriates are
dragonmarked heirs who have been cut
off from their houses. Foundlings are
people who develop a mark outside of
a house and have no connection to it. - Dragonmarks manifest around
adolescence. Each house puts its
heirs through a trial called The Test
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by house, but they place the heir in
circumstances where they are likely to
manifest the mark, if they have it. About
half of the members of a bloodline
manifest the mark. - The Korth Edicts prevent the houses
from owning land, holding noble titles,
or maintaining military forces (with an
exception for Deneith). The Edicts were
established long ago when the Five
Nations were united. Today, many in
the houses feel the Korth Edicts have
become obsolete in the wake of the
Last War.