Page 73 - Eberron -Rising from the Last War_Neat

House Services. When you require the services pro­
VOICE OF vided by your patron house, you can secure them at
l � ' l A N lO a discounted rate (10 percent off the normal charge).
You might also be able to trade in a favor to get ex­
traordinary services or a larger discount.
B L O O D A D D I C TS' Independence. Each member of your group is issued
papers that identifies you as agents of your patron
house. Because the dragonmarked houses are bound
D R A O N D R U G to political neutrality by the terms of the ancient Korth
G
Edicts, these papers guarantee you the right to travel
freely across national borders on the business of your
patron house. (If you assert that you are on the busi­
Imagine it: a long-lasting state of euphoria, a feeling
of power and energy, a measurable impact on certain ness of the house, even if you aren't, border agents are
magical powers, and the risk of addiction and deadly unlikely to challenge you.)
overdose with every use. That's the thrill of the drug BUILD Y O UR GROUP
called dragon's blood, which currently enjoys skyrock­
eting popularity in Sham. Every day the death toll from Dragonmarked houses employ adventurers who suit
this mysterious substance rises among "blood addicts." their needs. The roles characters play in a group with a
And no wonder, as it's produced in Droaam and sold in dragonmarked house patron often have more to do with
drams or "veins" by the monstrous thugs of Daask, who their relationship to the house than with the specific
surely seek nothing less than to destroy the prosperity of roles in the party. Consider some or all of these roles for
Sham but targeting its most precious resource: its sober, your characters:
hardworking people. Remember friends, "Stay on the
wagon. Say NO to dragon " Adventurer. Some characters are associated with your
!
patron house because of their connection to its ruling
family or its businesses. The Adventurer, though, is
Running Y o ur Own. Rather than join n existing hired by the house for more traditional adventuring
a
syndicate, you can start your own. You need to establish skills-usually capabilities that the house's other
your own headquarters and direct the activities of the agents lack. The Adventurer might have a wide range
3d6 criminals who work for you. By claiming a 15 per­ of abilities, particular to whatever needs the House
cent share of their take, you can rely on an income that has at the time. Many with peculiar skills or highly
will sustain you at a modest lifestyle, plus an additional specific fields of expertise find themselves in the em­
ld6 gp in profit per week. You can access contraband ploy of dragonmarked houses or house members with
and fences as described earlier in this section, but you eccentric interests and deep pockets.
don't get a discount at syndicate-owned businesses un­ Guilder. Every dragonmarked house is more than a sin­
less you acquire some businesses of your own. You can gle family. Each house encompasses at least one guild
also use the Running a Business downtime activity to that operates just like a traditional craft or trade guild,
direct the activities of your syndicate. and hundreds of people associate with these guilds
while having no other relationship to the houses that
D R AGONMARKED HOUSE oversee them. The Guilder is among these, perhaps
Your group works for one of the most influential or­ being a skilled physician or cleric in Housejorasco's
ganizations in Khorvaire: the dragonmarked houses. Healers Guild, for example, or an inquisitive associ­
Whether or not any member of your group carries a ated with House Tharashk's Finders Guild. The Guil­
dragonmark or is even related to one of the houses by der might have the guild artisan background or some
blood, you act on behalf of a house to advance its inter­ other set of skills suited to the specialties of your pa­
ests. You might function openly as representatives of the tron house's guilds.
house, wearing its badge and exerting its authority, or Heir. The Heir is a member of your dragonmarked
you could be covert or unacknowledged agents. house patron, related by blood and carrying the house
The thirteen dragonmarked houses are described in name. This character most likely chooses the race that
detail earlier in this chapter. matches the bloodline of the house. The Heir can be
dragonmarked (with the appropriate marked subrace
PATRON BENEFITS or racial variant) or unmarked. The house agent back­
With a dragonmarked house as your group's patron, you ground (described in this chapter) proves particularly
gain the following benefits: appropriate for this character.
Compensation. Your patron house pays you for the HOUSE MISSIONS
work you do on its behalf. On average, the house pays Your group and your DM should decide together which
each member of your group an amount equal to 10 house employs you. The nature of the missions you un­
gp x the average level of your characters per day you dertake depends in part on the house or guild you work
spend on the mission. for, but there are general categories of work that every
house needs agents to perform on its behalf. The House

CHAPTER 1 I CHARACTER CREATION
72