Chapter 05: Dragonmarked Intrigue - Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

Chapter 05: Dragonmarked Intrigue. Adventure Genre: Renaissance Schemes and Struggles Pop Culture: The Sopranos, Succession Members of different dragonmarked houses set aside their differences to investigate a murder in Sharn, the City of Towers. The prosperity of Khorvaire is built on magic, with the dragonmarked houses as the mortar that holds this magical economy together. The cornerstones of Khorvaire's economy-communications, transport, banking, animal husbandry, security, and more-fall under the ownership and control of the dragonmarked houses. For most of Khorvaire's history, the authority of a strong central monarchy in the kingdom of Galifar balanced the power of these houses. The Last War upset that balance, and the squabbling leaders of Khorvaire's many nations can hardly check these houses' grasping reach. Many whisper that if the nations of Khorvaire ever united again, they would be ruled not by a king, but by the heir of a dragonmarked house. Run a dragonmarked intrigue campaign if you want to emulate the schemes and power struggles of the Renaissance-merchant dynasties growing to rival royal families in influence-or stories of family power dynamics like The Sopranos or Succession. Dragonmarked Characters A dragonmarked intrigue campaign assumes that the characters all have some connection to a dragonmarked house. They might all connect to the same house, or they could associate with different houses but have a common purpose. (See the "Building a Party" section below for suggestions on bringing together a party from different houses.) If the characters work for a single house or an organization, like the Twelve, that unites them in a mutual purpose, use the group patron rules in Eberron: Rising from the Last War to provide benefits from their shared mission. The House Agent and various house heir backgrounds in chapter 2 suit characters in this campaign, giving them benefits and capabilities related to their house affiliation. Certain other backgro...