Houses, Marks and Marriage- Ideas? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Houses, Marks and Marriage- Ideas? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
opicana
12-02-05, 10:34 AM Three of the characters in the group I DM have very interesting backgrounds that should create complications for them and the rest of the party, I would think. I am just wondering to what lengths these complications would be...I am at the point in our campaign where I would like to make the adventures more character-focused. I would appreciate any ideas on what should be the consequences of their backgrounds....

Characters 1 & 2: These characters are a couple. One character is from House Medani (the female) and one from House Deneith (the male). Both characters are marked (with Least Marks for now) but they come from families that are well-marked (very good blood). Both characters are the offspring of important figures in their houses. I know that to the houses, blood is very important, and so is keeping marks in the family. Do houses ever have arranged marriages? I ruled in my game that it is likely they do, for political reasons. The female was facing an arranged marriage while having an fairly public relationship with the male from the other house. When it came to the point where a wedding date was to be set, they took flight. They went into hiding, and dsguised themselves as bandits- stealing the cargo of middle-class merchants and selling it, while maintaining a good relationship with the nearby farmers and local townspeople. That's where they met the current party. What challenges should they face? How will the houses react? To what extent will the house protect their bloodline?

Character 3: Character three also comes from a well-marked bloodline, belonging to House Thuranni. However, many years ago, for reasons unknow to her, her father and mother were extricated from the house. She was made to believe her parents were innocent and the house was pinning something on them. A few years after their extricaition, while she was away, her house was bruned and her entire family murdered. She suspects it was the House's doing to prevent marked offspring existing outside the house. She left the area and walked away from her past, arriving in Sharn where she found the party. Recently, she developed a dragonmark. Is she in any danger from the house? What kinds of difficulties should she face? How would the house react?

Thanks!
Kara
Siran Dunmorgan
12-02-05, 10:48 AM Three of the characters in the group I DM have very interesting backgrounds that should create complications for them and the rest of the party, I would think. I am just wondering to what lengths these complications would be...I am at the point in our campaign where I would like to make the adventures more character-focused. I would appreciate any ideas on what should be the consequences of their backgrounds....

Characters 1 & 2: These characters are a couple. One character is from House Medani (the female) and one from House Deneith (the male). Both characters are marked (with Least Marks for now) but they come from families that are well-marked (very good blood). Both characters are the offspring of important figures in their houses. I know that to the houses, blood is very important, and so is keeping marks in the family. Do houses ever have arranged marriages? I ruled in my game that it is likely they do, for political reasons. The female was facing an arranged marriage while having an fairly public relationship with the male from the other house. When it came to the point where a wedding date was to be set, they took flight. They went into hiding, and dsguised themselves as bandits- stealing the cargo of middle-class merchants and selling it, while maintaining a good relationship with the nearby farmers and local townspeople. That's where they met the current party. What challenges should they face? How will the houses react? To what extent will the house protect their bloodline?

Character 3: Character three also comes from a well-marked bloodline, belonging to House Thuranni. However, many years ago, for reasons unknow to her, her father and mother were extricated from the house. She was made to believe her parents were innocent and the house was pinning something on them. A few years after their extricaition, while she was away, her house was bruned and her entire family murdered. She suspects it was the House's doing to prevent marked offspring existing outside the house. She left the area and walked away from her past, arriving in Sharn where she found the party. Recently, she developed a dragonmark. Is she in any danger from the house? What kinds of difficulties should she face? How would the house react?

Thanks!
Kara

Characters 1 & 2:

The Houses fought a really ugly war fifteen hundred years ago against the aberrant-marked, with the result that miscegenation, i.e., mating between Houses, was absolutely forbidden.

"A fairly public relationship with the male from the other house" would be met not merely with disapproval, but with force of arms, and probably result in the sterilization of the parties involved, if not their execution.

Character 3:

She might be okay with the House; such "foundlings" do turn up occasionally for various reasons, and if the political climate that excoriated her parents has changed, she might even be welcomed.

—Siran Dunmorgan
ieattrollsforbreakfast
12-02-05, 10:56 AM Nice hooks :)

For characters 1 & 2, remember that any relationship between different houses is severly discourages, especially if both members are marked and especially if both members come from strong bloodlines. It's the perfect recipe for an aberrant dragonmark, and that's not something either house will want to happen.
Arranged marriages will be common within the houses as a way to ensure that strong blood remains strong, to increase the chances of offpring with dragonmarks.
As for the House's reaction to runaways, it will depend on the individual. Since your characters have the benefit of dragonmarks and strong blood, it is in the house's best interest to keep them close, so there will be consequences. Medani in particular will want the character to return to her house, but perhaps won't be as violent as Deneith might be. Medani inquisitives will try and track down the couple, and perhaps try and convince the character to return to her house. Deneith might send thugs if diplomacy doesn't work. If the characters are particularly important, their houses might have the other character assassinated.
Either way, if they continue the relationship they will be excoriated and perhaps jailed or assassinated.
a_psh
12-02-05, 10:57 AM While most heirs have the right to self-determination on the matter of who they marry, I'd figure, the blood of two Houses explicitly can't mix. This goes back to the War of the Mark. Basically, two different Dragonmarked bloodlines mixed together are an abomination. At best, the lovers would have to keep it a secret or run off somewhere.

(Five Nations may make it seem otherwise, but it's just plain wrong about this.)
opicana
12-02-05, 11:22 AM Good...my thoughts were along the same lines as these...I just wanted to confirm that the reaction would be that strong. I dont think my player was completely aware of just what an uproar this would be.
I allowed for some time to go past...perhaps the houses were thinking they will come to their right minds and return soon. Now that they haven't returned, its time to take some actions. I was going to start out with spies/inquistives following the party and diplomacy....then intimidation, then thugs for Denieth and a kidnap attempt (sound reasonable?) for Medani...eventually it will come to extrication and sterilization if not assination. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being to harsh on this.
Psionycx
12-02-05, 04:52 PM In the novel The City of Towers a marked Cannith artificer was lined up for an arranged marriage.

Most aristocracies practice arranged marriages and the dragonmarked houses are no exception. They sometimes even arrange marriages with unmarked outsiders to strengthen the bloodline (keep out the problems of inbreeding) and secure the loyalty of especially talented individuals. Breeding between Houses is strictly forbidden however, as already noted.

Now, the Houses are not infinitely powerful, so a "Romeo & Juliet" pair could probably flee to someplace like the Lhazaar Principalities, the Shadow Marches or the Eldeen Reaches where the power of most Houses is less prominent. If they were clever they would "disappear" while adventuring (lots of people do) and make sure that they acquired some kind of magical protection against scrying and detection. Depending on how important they are to their House it might be difficult. If they're families are really concerned and/or possessive, they might pay a powerful spellcaster or someone with the Siberys Mark of Finding to cast Discern Location.

If it was suspected that they were engaged in "miscegenation" then they would face being hunted, especially by Deneith, for whom bounty hunting is core part of their enterprise.
Thwyvylyn
12-02-05, 09:25 PM Tharashk does bounty hunting not Deneith. Deneith Sentinel Marshals are more like Interpol.
Kaleanae en'i Mori
12-04-05, 10:23 PM extricated character 1 & 2, that shoudl make for a lot of good game play, especially if they don't know its occurred.
Errant
12-05-05, 02:37 AM If it was my campaign...

PCs 1 & 2 would find themselves the targets of House Banishment and severe sanctions and denial of services from any House or Guild associated with any Dragonmarked House. I figure after the War of the Mark the Houses would have signed some sort of treaty forcefully condemning all liaisons between bearers of dragonmarks from different houses. Imagine: no healing from House Jorasco; no supplies or accomodation from House Ghalandra; no rides on the Lightning Rail/Lyrander Skyships/Orien Caravans; no mounts available from House Vadalis; no employment or employees from House Deneith; and no services from anyone that relies on a Dragonmark House for part of their business (which is most businesses and noble families in Khorvaire I imagine).

I'd stop short of sending assassins for a number of reasons:

- We're talking about the children of (at least sometimes) influential house members, I don't get the impression that the Houses are so tyrannical they would murder wayward strays as a matter of policy.

- It also doesn't make financial sense to murder potentially important assets to the family business. The Dragonmark Houses have made empires capitalizing on the usefulness of their heirs' magical abilities, as long as there's a chance they'll come crawling back...

- If the sanctions are severe enough I imagine many if not most wayward dragonmark heirs, would eventually come crawling back to their Houses begging forgiveness.

- Most heirs would be raised from birth to believe that mixing their bloodlines is an abomination, so rebels against that rule would presumably be rare enough that spreading word of their violation to areas they are likely to visit wouldn't be too hard.

- There's more roleplaying opportunities in trying to wangle services out of reluctant but possibly sympathetic NPCs than in fighting off wave after wave of assassins.

For PC 3, since I don't think Houses would normally resort to murder, there's presumably a very important reason (to someone) for that PCs family to be wiped out. If she doesn't try to keep a very anonymous profile sooner or later the person who ordered her family murdered is going to send someone after her.

Maybe her parents were exiled as a frame up for knowing more than they should have, maybe they fell afoul of a blood-feud with someone. Whatever, to murder her family they must have REALLY wanted her family exterminated. The HOUSE might be happy to welcome back a survivor of her bloodline, whoever the responsible party is, they likely still want her as dead as the rest of her family.

Plus, using denial of services for PCs 1 & 2 plus hunters for PC 3 allows you to use the full range of possibilities against the PCs as a whole.
MarkB
12-05-05, 05:51 AM One thing the players of characters 1 & 2 ought to incorporate into their roleplay is how they themselves feel about aberrant marks. If they were brought up in prominent dragonmarked Houses, then they are well aware of the aversion to aberrant marks, and unless they were massively reactionary they will share it themselves. So even though their love for each other has overcome their Houses' normal traditions, they should still be extremely wary of consummating that love, because they know that any child they bear has a better-than-even chance of manifesting a terrible curse. Indeed, finding some mystical means of ensuring their offspring will not manifest an aberrant mark may be a very strong motivating factor for one or both of them.

I don't think their Houses as a whole are likely to resort to violence in retrieving them - more likely they will be excoriated, and their families will lose much prestige within their respective Houses. It's possible that one or both families, with that much to lose, might resort to violence to retrieve their wayward offspring before excoriation procedures were complete.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
opicana 12-02-05, 10:34 AM	Three of the characters in the group I DM have very interesting backgrounds that should create complications for them and the rest of the party, I would think. I am just wondering to what lengths these complications would be...I am at the point in our campaign where I would like to make the adventures more character-focused. I would appreciate any ideas on what should be the consequences of their backgrounds.... Characters 1 & 2: These characters are a couple. One character is from House Medani (the female) and one from House Deneith (the male). Both characters are marked (with Least Marks for now) but they come from families that are well-marked (very good blood). Both characters are the offspring of important figures in their houses. I know that to the houses, blood is very important, and so is keeping marks in the family. Do houses ever have arranged marriages? I ruled in my game that it is likely they do, for political reasons. The female was facing an arranged marriage while having an fairly public relationship with the male from the other house. When it came to the point where a wedding date was to be set, they took flight. They went into hiding, and dsguised themselves as bandits- stealing the cargo of middle-class merchants and selling it, while maintaining a good relationship with the nearby farmers and local townspeople. That's where they met the current party. What challenges should they face? How will the houses react? To what extent will the house protect their bloodline? Character 3: Character three also comes from a well-marked bloodline, belonging to House Thuranni. However, many years ago, for reasons unknow to her, her father and mother were extricated from the house. She was made to believe her parents were innocent and the house was pinning something on them. A few years after their extricaition, while she was away, her house was bruned and her entire family murdered. She suspects it was the House's doing to prevent marked offspring existing outside the house. She left the area and walked away from her past, arriving in Sharn where she found the party. Recently, she developed a dragonmark. Is she in any danger from the house? What kinds of difficulties should she face? How would the house react? Thanks! Kara
Siran Dunmorgan 12-02-05, 10:48 AM	Three of the characters in the group I DM have very interesting backgrounds that should create complications for them and the rest of the party, I would think. I am just wondering to what lengths these complications would be...I am at the point in our campaign where I would like to make the adventures more character-focused. I would appreciate any ideas on what should be the consequences of their backgrounds.... Characters 1 & 2: These characters are a couple. One character is from House Medani (the female) and one from House Deneith (the male). Both characters are marked (with Least Marks for now) but they come from families that are well-marked (very good blood). Both characters are the offspring of important figures in their houses. I know that to the houses, blood is very important, and so is keeping marks in the family. Do houses ever have arranged marriages? I ruled in my game that it is likely they do, for political reasons. The female was facing an arranged marriage while having an fairly public relationship with the male from the other house. When it came to the point where a wedding date was to be set, they took flight. They went into hiding, and dsguised themselves as bandits- stealing the cargo of middle-class merchants and selling it, while maintaining a good relationship with the nearby farmers and local townspeople. That's where they met the current party. What challenges should they face? How will the houses react? To what extent will the house protect their bloodline? Character 3: Character three also comes from a well-marked bloodline, belonging to House Thuranni. However, many years ago, for reasons unknow to her, her father and mother were extricated from the house. She was made to believe her parents were innocent and the house was pinning something on them. A few years after their extricaition, while she was away, her house was bruned and her entire family murdered. She suspects it was the House's doing to prevent marked offspring existing outside the house. She left the area and walked away from her past, arriving in Sharn where she found the party. Recently, she developed a dragonmark. Is she in any danger from the house? What kinds of difficulties should she face? How would the house react? Thanks! Kara Characters 1 & 2: The Houses fought a really ugly war fifteen hundred years ago against the aberrant-marked, with the result that miscegenation, i.e., mating between Houses, was absolutely forbidden. "A fairly public relationship with the male from the other house" would be met not merely with disapproval, but with force of arms, and probably result in the sterilization of the parties involved, if not their execution. Character 3: She might be okay with the House; such "foundlings" do turn up occasionally for various reasons, and if the political climate that excoriated her parents has changed, she might even be welcomed. —Siran Dunmorgan
ieattrollsforbreakfast 12-02-05, 10:56 AM	Nice hooks :) For characters 1 & 2, remember that any relationship between different houses is severly discourages, especially if both members are marked and especially if both members come from strong bloodlines. It's the perfect recipe for an aberrant dragonmark, and that's not something either house will want to happen. Arranged marriages will be common within the houses as a way to ensure that strong blood remains strong, to increase the chances of offpring with dragonmarks. As for the House's reaction to runaways, it will depend on the individual. Since your characters have the benefit of dragonmarks and strong blood, it is in the house's best interest to keep them close, so there will be consequences. Medani in particular will want the character to return to her house, but perhaps won't be as violent as Deneith might be. Medani inquisitives will try and track down the couple, and perhaps try and convince the character to return to her house. Deneith might send thugs if diplomacy doesn't work. If the characters are particularly important, their houses might have the other character assassinated. Either way, if they continue the relationship they will be excoriated and perhaps jailed or assassinated.
a_psh 12-02-05, 10:57 AM	While most heirs have the right to self-determination on the matter of who they marry, I'd figure, the blood of two Houses explicitly can't mix. This goes back to the War of the Mark. Basically, two different Dragonmarked bloodlines mixed together are an abomination. At best, the lovers would have to keep it a secret or run off somewhere. (Five Nations may make it seem otherwise, but it's just plain wrong about this.)
opicana 12-02-05, 11:22 AM	Good...my thoughts were along the same lines as these...I just wanted to confirm that the reaction would be that strong. I dont think my player was completely aware of just what an uproar this would be. I allowed for some time to go past...perhaps the houses were thinking they will come to their right minds and return soon. Now that they haven't returned, its time to take some actions. I was going to start out with spies/inquistives following the party and diplomacy....then intimidation, then thugs for Denieth and a kidnap attempt (sound reasonable?) for Medani...eventually it will come to extrication and sterilization if not assination. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being to harsh on this.
Psionycx 12-02-05, 04:52 PM	In the novel The City of Towers a marked Cannith artificer was lined up for an arranged marriage. Most aristocracies practice arranged marriages and the dragonmarked houses are no exception. They sometimes even arrange marriages with unmarked outsiders to strengthen the bloodline (keep out the problems of inbreeding) and secure the loyalty of especially talented individuals. Breeding between Houses is strictly forbidden however, as already noted. Now, the Houses are not infinitely powerful, so a "Romeo & Juliet" pair could probably flee to someplace like the Lhazaar Principalities, the Shadow Marches or the Eldeen Reaches where the power of most Houses is less prominent. If they were clever they would "disappear" while adventuring (lots of people do) and make sure that they acquired some kind of magical protection against scrying and detection. Depending on how important they are to their House it might be difficult. If they're families are really concerned and/or possessive, they might pay a powerful spellcaster or someone with the Siberys Mark of Finding to cast Discern Location. If it was suspected that they were engaged in "miscegenation" then they would face being hunted, especially by Deneith, for whom bounty hunting is core part of their enterprise.
Thwyvylyn 12-02-05, 09:25 PM	Tharashk does bounty hunting not Deneith. Deneith Sentinel Marshals are more like Interpol.
Kaleanae en'i Mori 12-04-05, 10:23 PM	extricated character 1 & 2, that shoudl make for a lot of good game play, especially if they don't know its occurred.
Errant 12-05-05, 02:37 AM	If it was my campaign... PCs 1 & 2 would find themselves the targets of House Banishment and severe sanctions and denial of services from any House or Guild associated with any Dragonmarked House. I figure after the War of the Mark the Houses would have signed some sort of treaty forcefully condemning all liaisons between bearers of dragonmarks from different houses. Imagine: no healing from House Jorasco; no supplies or accomodation from House Ghalandra; no rides on the Lightning Rail/Lyrander Skyships/Orien Caravans; no mounts available from House Vadalis; no employment or employees from House Deneith; and no services from anyone that relies on a Dragonmark House for part of their business (which is most businesses and noble families in Khorvaire I imagine). I'd stop short of sending assassins for a number of reasons: - We're talking about the children of (at least sometimes) influential house members, I don't get the impression that the Houses are so tyrannical they would murder wayward strays as a matter of policy. - It also doesn't make financial sense to murder potentially important assets to the family business. The Dragonmark Houses have made empires capitalizing on the usefulness of their heirs' magical abilities, as long as there's a chance they'll come crawling back... - If the sanctions are severe enough I imagine many if not most wayward dragonmark heirs, would eventually come crawling back to their Houses begging forgiveness. - Most heirs would be raised from birth to believe that mixing their bloodlines is an abomination, so rebels against that rule would presumably be rare enough that spreading word of their violation to areas they are likely to visit wouldn't be too hard. - There's more roleplaying opportunities in trying to wangle services out of reluctant but possibly sympathetic NPCs than in fighting off wave after wave of assassins. For PC 3, since I don't think Houses would normally resort to murder, there's presumably a very important reason (to someone) for that PCs family to be wiped out. If she doesn't try to keep a very anonymous profile sooner or later the person who ordered her family murdered is going to send someone after her. Maybe her parents were exiled as a frame up for knowing more than they should have, maybe they fell afoul of a blood-feud with someone. Whatever, to murder her family they must have REALLY wanted her family exterminated. The HOUSE might be happy to welcome back a survivor of her bloodline, whoever the responsible party is, they likely still want her as dead as the rest of her family. Plus, using denial of services for PCs 1 & 2 plus hunters for PC 3 allows you to use the full range of possibilities against the PCs as a whole.
MarkB 12-05-05, 05:51 AM	One thing the players of characters 1 & 2 ought to incorporate into their roleplay is how they themselves feel about aberrant marks. If they were brought up in prominent dragonmarked Houses, then they are well aware of the aversion to aberrant marks, and unless they were massively reactionary they will share it themselves. So even though their love for each other has overcome their Houses' normal traditions, they should still be extremely wary of consummating that love, because they know that any child they bear has a better-than-even chance of manifesting a terrible curse. Indeed, finding some mystical means of ensuring their offspring will not manifest an aberrant mark may be a very strong motivating factor for one or both of them. I don't think their Houses as a whole are likely to resort to violence in retrieving them - more likely they will be excoriated, and their families will lose much prestige within their respective Houses. It's possible that one or both families, with that much to lose, might resort to violence to retrieve their wayward offspring before excoriation procedures were complete.