Introduction To a Dragonmarked House - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Introduction To a Dragonmarked House

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
bcby02
May 27, 2011 20:25:03 ***Possible Spoiler Alert***

If you are one of my players (you know who you are) don't read the rest of this post or the replies cause it may ruin some stuff for you in-game.

I tried this post in the character develpment forum but got almost no replies, so i figured this one would be a bit more appropriate considering my question is specifically eberron related.

Ok so one of the players in my Eberron game has a dragonmark, and has not presented himself before the relevant house yet (Medani). I was wondering what the introduction to the house would be like, and i haven't found much information in the materials i have access to. I assume there would be some kind of interview and maybe a test to see if the mark is real, but would there be anything more elaborate like a trial or oath ceremony or maybe a branding (lol). I understand that it would peobably vary for each house, but i'm looking for ideas on how to make it a memorable and insteresting roleplaying event. I'm sure some people on this forum have probably even done it before and i'd like to know what it was that you or your DM did. Also, on a related point, how do the houses react when a race other than normal one for that mark recieves a mark. Do they accept them and bring them into the fold quickly? Hunt them down and eliminate them? Imprison them until they can figure out what it means? And what would happen to a character that manifested one mark while working for another house, or manifested a mark and then went to join another house? Feel free to answer any or all of these questions or cite material where i can read about this stuff. A friend of mine always says i should check out the old 3.5 stuff just because they have a lot more information than the new books (lore-wise). So, thoughts, feelings?
#2
jhanzur
Jun 01, 2011 7:28:23
My main question is this: Is the character a half-ef? With Medani, it might now change the course of action that much though.

If he is, with Medani's penchant for divination, I think it would something like:
Player: Hi, my name is-
Medani Inquisitive: ((Name)), we know, and we know about that mark. Now, we should find some place quieter.

They'd proceed to speak with him, asking when he noticed it, how long he's had it, comparing his answers to the extensive notes they've already gathered from divinations and straight detective work.

#3
bofdm
Jun 01, 2011 10:40:31 If the character is of a race that is commonly associated with the Dragonmark in question (half-elf for medani, lyrandar, human for cannith, deneith, vadalis, orien, etc etc) then the House would most likely welcome the character with open arms.
From a business perspective, there is no downside to having another dragonmarked member added to their House. Dragonmarks are rare and thus useful to their respective houses for being able to activate their dragonshard specific tools (wheels of wind and water for lyrandar, speaking stones for sivis, etc).

Becoming a member of a Dragonmarked House is associated with fame and fortune. You'll be given a place to live, a job, a steady income, and very likely an arranged marriage to better keep the mark in the House.
The Dragonmarked book for Eberron 3.5 provides some good insight into the particular Houses and how they operate though some basic steps can be expected on all levels.

1. The family tree of the character would likely be researched, searching for any sign of a Dragonmark emergence previously in the family tree (for example there could be a great grandfather that was Excoriated from a House who had a Dragonmark, therefore allowing precedence).
2. The character would be interviewed and likely asked to allow their dragonmark be analyzed and asked to activate a specific item based on whatever House they are to prove it's real.
3. Potential worth. What background does this character come from? Does he have influential relatives with ties to politics or other businesses? While a Dragonmarked character has to leave all of his ties to land, personal title, and in some cases even their original last name behind - that does not mean the bonds of family are severed.

Now...if the character is not of a normal dragonmarked race...then very likely the character would be met with suspicion if not outright hostility possibly even branded as an Aberrant. Having one of the established Dragonmarks appear outside of their respective Houses could be seen as shameful, or a strike against their house (possibly even viewing the character as an economic threat).

Granted this is all speculation. If you would like to run the Houses as more excepting in your game please do so. Hope the information helps provide some insight though.
#4
bcby02
Jun 01, 2011 11:29:22 Thanks guys, this actually does help me a lot. Yes the character is Half-elf. His background is that he came from Lhazar(spelling?) Principalities where his father (and ex-adventurer) owns an inn. He decided that he could become a sailor or an adventurer like his dad, and so he wandered etc. gaining levels and generally being a rogue-ish fellow.

I never thought about the house already knowing who he is and where to find him. That is actually awesome and i am definitely going to steal that great idea. What a great roleplay. I also like the idea of an arranged marriage. I guess it makes sense now that it's on the table, but i never thought to take it that far. The player's character is kind of an independant soul so it will be fun to see how he reacts to the house controlling most aspects of his life. And unless he's on assignment how would he maintain his wandering adventurer lifestyle? I wasn't sure about having a dragonmarked player in the group, but now i'm seeing a lot more possibilities. Thank you for your replies. I'll check back here from time to time to see if anyone else has thoughts to add.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 bcby02 May 27, 2011 20:25:03	*Possible Spoiler Alert* If you are one of my players (you know who you are) don't read the rest of this post or the replies cause it may ruin some stuff for you in-game. I tried this post in the character develpment forum but got almost no replies, so i figured this one would be a bit more appropriate considering my question is specifically eberron related. Ok so one of the players in my Eberron game has a dragonmark, and has not presented himself before the relevant house yet (Medani). I was wondering what the introduction to the house would be like, and i haven't found much information in the materials i have access to. I assume there would be some kind of interview and maybe a test to see if the mark is real, but would there be anything more elaborate like a trial or oath ceremony or maybe a branding (lol). I understand that it would peobably vary for each house, but i'm looking for ideas on how to make it a memorable and insteresting roleplaying event. I'm sure some people on this forum have probably even done it before and i'd like to know what it was that you or your DM did. Also, on a related point, how do the houses react when a race other than normal one for that mark recieves a mark. Do they accept them and bring them into the fold quickly? Hunt them down and eliminate them? Imprison them until they can figure out what it means? And what would happen to a character that manifested one mark while working for another house, or manifested a mark and then went to join another house? Feel free to answer any or all of these questions or cite material where i can read about this stuff. A friend of mine always says i should check out the old 3.5 stuff just because they have a lot more information than the new books (lore-wise). So, thoughts, feelings?
#2 jhanzur Jun 01, 2011 7:28:23	My main question is this: Is the character a half-ef? With Medani, it might now change the course of action that much though. If he is, with Medani's penchant for divination, I think it would something like: Player: Hi, my name is- Medani Inquisitive: ((Name)), we know, and we know about that mark. Now, we should find some place quieter. They'd proceed to speak with him, asking when he noticed it, how long he's had it, comparing his answers to the extensive notes they've already gathered from divinations and straight detective work.
#3 bofdm Jun 01, 2011 10:40:31	If the character is of a race that is commonly associated with the Dragonmark in question (half-elf for medani, lyrandar, human for cannith, deneith, vadalis, orien, etc etc) then the House would most likely welcome the character with open arms. From a business perspective, there is no downside to having another dragonmarked member added to their House. Dragonmarks are rare and thus useful to their respective houses for being able to activate their dragonshard specific tools (wheels of wind and water for lyrandar, speaking stones for sivis, etc). Becoming a member of a Dragonmarked House is associated with fame and fortune. You'll be given a place to live, a job, a steady income, and very likely an arranged marriage to better keep the mark in the House. The Dragonmarked book for Eberron 3.5 provides some good insight into the particular Houses and how they operate though some basic steps can be expected on all levels. 1. The family tree of the character would likely be researched, searching for any sign of a Dragonmark emergence previously in the family tree (for example there could be a great grandfather that was Excoriated from a House who had a Dragonmark, therefore allowing precedence). 2. The character would be interviewed and likely asked to allow their dragonmark be analyzed and asked to activate a specific item based on whatever House they are to prove it's real. 3. Potential worth. What background does this character come from? Does he have influential relatives with ties to politics or other businesses? While a Dragonmarked character has to leave all of his ties to land, personal title, and in some cases even their original last name behind - that does not mean the bonds of family are severed. Now...if the character is not of a normal dragonmarked race...then very likely the character would be met with suspicion if not outright hostility possibly even branded as an Aberrant. Having one of the established Dragonmarks appear outside of their respective Houses could be seen as shameful, or a strike against their house (possibly even viewing the character as an economic threat). Granted this is all speculation. If you would like to run the Houses as more excepting in your game please do so. Hope the information helps provide some insight though.
#4 bcby02 Jun 01, 2011 11:29:22	Thanks guys, this actually does help me a lot. Yes the character is Half-elf. His background is that he came from Lhazar(spelling?) Principalities where his father (and ex-adventurer) owns an inn. He decided that he could become a sailor or an adventurer like his dad, and so he wandered etc. gaining levels and generally being a rogue-ish fellow. I never thought about the house already knowing who he is and where to find him. That is actually awesome and i am definitely going to steal that great idea. What a great roleplay. I also like the idea of an arranged marriage. I guess it makes sense now that it's on the table, but i never thought to take it that far. The player's character is kind of an independant soul so it will be fun to see how he reacts to the house controlling most aspects of his life. And unless he's on assignment how would he maintain his wandering adventurer lifestyle? I wasn't sure about having a dragonmarked player in the group, but now i'm seeing a lot more possibilities. Thank you for your replies. I'll check back here from time to time to see if anyone else has thoughts to add.