Page 254 - Eberron -Rising from the Last War_Neat

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

CHAPTER 4 I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES
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