Nov 6

Nov 6 Dragonmarked Houses - House Tharashk

Half-Orcs are up next, as they and humans are the dragonmarked members of House Tharashhk. I've always felt that orcs get shown no love, and while House Tharashk comprises half-orcs and humans, we take what we can get. Bearing the Mark of Finding, these dragonmarked individuals are renowned for their ability to sniff out dragonshards but are also the ones you go to if you need a bounty hunter or tracker of superior talent.

House Tharashk

Dragonmark - Mark of Finding
Race - Half-Orc, Human
Traits - ASI, Hunter's Intuition, Finder's Magic, Spells of the mark
Headquarters - Zarash'ak, Shadow Marches
Patriarch - The Triumvirate (Maagrim Torm, Khandar'aashta, and Daric Velderan)
Emblem - Dragonne
Guilds - Finder's Guild

House Tharashk is the second youngest house amongst the Twelve, with the Mark of Finding manifesting among the humans and half-orcs of the Shadow Marches. These lands are the ancestral home of the orcs of Khovaire and are a ruined and lonely place after years of battle with the daeklyr. Human refugees found their way to the Shadow Marches, and the early settlers were not meet with open arms by a majority of the orc clans. A few of the clans were receptive to the humans, and as the years passed, the union between the two races resulted in the jhorgun'taal: "children of two types of blood," or half-orcs.

Around 1000 years ago, the Mark of Finding made its first appearance on the humans and half-orcs of three Shadow Marches clans. The largest clans where the mark appeared were the Torrns, the Velderans, and the Aashtas. It was seen as a blessing to assist the weaker half-orcs and humans. As these individuals learned how to use the mark's powers and honed their abilities, word of their hunting and tracking prowess spread throughout Khovaire. In the late 600's YK, the dragonmarked of these three clans were discovered by a group of Zil gnomes who were searching for dragonshards in the Shadow Marches (What is it with these Zil gnomes anyways? They are all over Khovaire and can sniff out a new dragonmark like nobody’s business). With the gnomes' assistance, the three clans were united under the banner of House Tharashk, which is the orcish word for "united." While the clans put aside many of their differences, clan loyalty runs deep, and feuds between them flared up occasionally.

To ensure that no one clan within the newly formed house was able to amass too much power and influence, House Tharashk decided not to have a single Patriarch or Matriarch. Instead, the house's ruling body became known as the Triumvirate, with one clan member a member of this council. One of their first acts was choosing the dragonne as the house's symbol, the dragon representing the fearsome nature of the orcish blood in their veins along with the hunting expertise of a lion.

House Tharashk knew that being master hunters would not be enough to garner respect and influence among the other dragonmarked houses. They turned their abilities to the dragonshard trade, quickly becoming the dominant force in this lucrative business. The dragonmarked heirs used the Mark of Finding to locate the dragonshards, and the unmarked members set about mining them.

Not satisfied with being known as the House of the Shadow Marches, House Tharashk aggressively expanded through Khovaire. Even the Last War could not slow down their expansion and aggressive mining of the dragonshards, which were in high demand by all the nations. By the end of the war, the lands of Droaam were recognized as a sovereign territory under the rule of three hags known as the Daughter of Sora Kell. House Tharashk entered into a working relationship with Droaam and acted as an intermediary between the monstrous races that inhabit the country and the Five Nations. They would contract work for the various races, the most popular of which was heavy labor and mercenary soldiers. Ogres, gnolls, and minotaurs were employed as mercenaries or laborers, with gargoyles and harpies used as couriers and scouts. Mercenaries garnered a higher price tag than general laborers. Not everyone was happy with this arrangement, as House Deneith had been the primary source of mercenary soldiers in Khovaire until this point. Neither house would say there are tensions between each other, but subterfuge, sabotage spying were commonplace between the two houses.

The Mark of Finding

In 3.5e, the Mark of Finding was three feats focusing on tracking and locating objects and creatures. The first feat was the Least Dragonmark feat, and the series culminated with the Greater Dragonmark feat. The prestige class in this edition was the Duraak'ash. Duraak'ash can form a bond or link with their prey, assisting them in the tracking and capturing their target. Their abilities and powers included the following.

Hunter's Insight - Bonuses! A +1 insight bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls, and a +1 insight bonus to Armor Class against the creature you are currently tracking. It even scales!
Swift Tracker - There is no movement penalty when tracking a creature
Dragon's Guidance - Starting at 2nd level, you can expend one use of any of your dragonmark powers to gain an insight bonus on a Survival check made in conjunction with the Track feat or on a Gather Information check made in conjunction with the Urban Tracking feat.
Trackless Step: At 5th level and higher, you cannot be tracked in natural surroundings.
Perfect Awareness: From 6th level on, no flanking your ass by that shifty tracked target, and they cannot hide from you, including via invisibility and darkness.
Track the Trackless - At the 7th level, Pass without trace, and trackless step won't stop you from hunting down your target, although you do have a massive penalty (-20).

In the 4th edition, the paragon path was the Tharashk Wayfinder. These heirs, which are usually rangers, are part scout, part bounty hunter, and part inquisitive. Determined in the pursuit of their target, they will not give up the hunt until it has been located. If combat ensues, the Mark of Finding can focus their ranged and melee attacks. Their abilities included the following:

Path of Least Resistance - Bonus to your attacks against your target, and -2 penalty on attacks against you until the end of the next round.
Distant Quarry - You designate one enemy that you can see as your quarry.
Path of Destruction - You can make two attacks. The first attack is against your target. Then you may move two squares and attack a secondary target.

Today

In the current world of Eberron, House Tharashk has a reputable and respected position amongst the Twelve. Their dealings with the inhabitants of Droaam have led to improved relationships being the humanoid and monstrous races in Khovaire. There are still racial prejudices towards the half-orc members of the house, but as the house continues to grow in power and influence, the number of ignorant voices dwindles.

Tharashk's clans are incredibly important even today, and as a result, House Tharashk is not as united as the others in the Twelve. House members often refer to themselves by their clan surnames - Aashta, Torrn, or Velderan, and rarely invoke the Tharashk title in their name. There are also several smaller clans with the house, and most of them align themselves with one of the big three listed above. Run by representatives of the three major houses, House Tharashk leaders are Daric d'Velderan, Khundar d'Aashta, and Maagrim d’Torrn All three put forth a united front when talking about external issues, but their loyalty to their respective clans is tantamount when it comes to internal House matters.

The primary House guild is the Finders Guild. The guild's primary business is controlling the prospecting of exotic and precious resources, most importantly, dragonshards. They are also hired to find many more common resources such as water, historical artifacts, and non-precious metal and ore. The Finders Guild runs the urban inquisitive trade, holding a firm grip over the realm of investigative services for those in need of them. As this is also the stock and trade of House Medani, House Tharashk's point of difference is providing their services to common folk, whereas Medani only serves the rich and powerful. Bounty hunters are both trained and licensed by the house. This puts them in direct competition with House Deneith, as both the Sentinel Marshalls and Tharashk Wayfinders are skilled in tracking down and capturing or eliminating fugitives.