CHAPTER 4 | DRAGONMARKS 89

CHAPTER 4: DRAGONMARKS

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ACH OF THESE PEOPLE

possesses a dragonmark,

a symbol etched on the

skin in colors more vivid

than any tattoo. This

sigil is a source of mystical power. A

dragonmark enhances the user’s ability

to perform certain tasks. The Mark of

Making guides the hands of the smith,

while the Mark of Shadows helps its

bearer avoid enemies. The power of a

dragonmark can also manifest in more

dramatic ways. An heir with the Mark of

Storms can scatter enemies with a blast

of wind, while someone with the Mark

of Shadows can weave illusions. While

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way as spells, the power is drawn and focused

through the dragonmark.

You can’t buy a dragonmark, or simply

choose to develop one. Each mark is tied to

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around adolescence, but not every heir

manifests the mark. Long ago the families

that carry the marks joined together to form

the dragonmarked houses. Over the course of

centuries, the houses have used their gifts to

establish powerful economic monopolies. House

Jorasco holds the Mark of Healing, and Jorasco

maintains the vast majority of healing houses

and clinics. Only House Lyrandar heirs with

the Mark of Storms can pilot airships. Control

over vital services—medicine, transportation,

communication, manufacturing— gives the

houses tremendous power.

In the past, the dragonmarked houses were

held in check by the united kingdom of Galifar.

But in the wake of the Last War, people

wonder if any one nation has the power to

enforce its wishes on the houses. Some say the

dragonmarked barons wield more power than

kings and queens.