Dragonmarked Houses - House Cannith
One of the more interesting parts of Eberron revolves around the Dragonmarked Houses and the powers that their dragonmarks provide. While the 5th edition does speak briefly about the houses, its focus is on the dragonmark the members of the houses bare, as players are now able to create variant characters with the mark of their chosen house. There is precious little else mentioned about the various houses, which is understandable as Eberron, Rising from the Last War (2019) tries to provide as much information as possible about the entire world of Eberron and the dragonmarked houses are just one piece. They are, however, is an extremely important part of the lore in Eberron and can open up a myriad of adventure possibilities for those that wish to play in this campaign setting.
What are these Houses you speak of?
A little background before we dive into the specific houses. The houses are a direct result of dragonmarks appearing within certain racial bloodlines. Families with the strongest dragonmarks created the houses to take advantage of the powers they possessed. These dynasties exist even today, with conflict over the control of a house arising when the ruling bloodline was broken, as we shall see in House Cannith. Most houses are structured in a formal hierarchy unless they are run by a council.
There is one individual that is the ruler of the house, who in the 3rd and 5th editions holds the title of Matriarch or Patriarch. In 4th edition this individual held the title of Baron, but their control over the house in both editions was the same; complete and absolute. I’ve heard of people being demoted and getting a new, lesser title, but never the actual title being demoted. Under them was the Lords Seneschal in 4th edition, who controlled the house in a country. The 5th edition provides no more information past that, but in 4th edition you have the following under a Baron; A set of viceroys that managed regions within a country, ministers who managed the house affairs and masters who ran the guilds. Of course all this violates the Korth Edicts, but when you are the master of all industries, you can pretty much do whatever you want. Any member in good standing was allowed to hold the honorary title of Lord or Lady in the 4th edition. That’s pretty cool, and you don’t have to worry about the Queen of England slicing through your shoulder with a giant sword when you’re being knighted. There is no mention of being able to do this in the current edition. Heirs to the house are still able to add the d’prefix to the house name, signifying their position within their house. It seems a little pompous, but admit it, you’d add it to the end of your name too if you could. If you are blessed enough to be born or married into the house’s ruling family, you became part of an economic aristocracy that was equal to the royal and noble families of the various nations.
Each house created its economic stronghold by using their specific dragonmarks to monopolize that industry. Various events throughout the centuries shaped the houses into what they are today. The War of the Mark, Korth Edicts and The Mourning are just a few of the examples of how the houses were able to come to power, and how each house’s influence rose and fell. The dragonmarked houses developed into independent commerce states operating across multiple nations. Consolidation of their power through history, most major trade schools are owned and operated by the dragonmarked houses. One can seek an apprenticeship in such a school, and in doing so pledges their service to the house guild, further strengthing the house’s control over that part of the industry. Any guild that bears the seal of a dragonmarked house usually means it is the gold standard, but that does not mean that an independent craftsman cannot be of equal or greater skill.
The influence of the houses has been shaped over the centuries by not only their skill via the power of the dragonmarks, but by innovation, strategic marketing, and a ruthless system of the elimination of rivals. The houses have been a major influence on how Eberron now looks in the modern world. They are neither omnipotent nor omnipresent, but both nations and citizens will normally consider whether a business is a house guild, licensed by the house, or an independent. Many independents, no matter if they meet or exceed the quality of a house guild carry a certain stigma to them, and working with them can negatively alter their relationship with a house and the local guild. In summary, the twelve dragonmarks form the basis for the Twelve (the name of the twelve houses) who control most of the economic power across the Khorvaire. If you are looking to read more about some of these events and/or the structure within the houses themselves, check out the previous article on Dragonmarks found here.
Let’s take a look at the first of the house we’ll discuss, House Cannith.
House Cannith
Dragonmark - The Mark of Making
Race - Human
Traits - Ability Score Increase, Artisan Intuition, Maker’s Gift, Spellsmith, Spells of the Mark
Headquarters - Karrnath (Cannith East), Fairhaven/Aundair (Cannith West), Sharon (Cannith South)
Patriarch/Matriarch - Zoltan d’Cannath (Cannith East), Jorlanna d’Cannath (Cannith West), Merrix d’Cannath (Cannith South)
Emblem - Gorgon
Guilds - Tinkers Guild, Fabricators Guild
History
House Cannith rose to prominence after the War of the Mark. During this period, the house’s focus was on the creation of armor, weapons, and other ordinances of war, which would serve them not only then, but in the later conflicts in Khovaire. Master innovators, House Cannith was constantly creating new and improved weapons, which were used during this time of conflict between the houses and the aberrant marked. After the war, House Cannith emerged as one, if not the most powerful house amongst the other dragonmarked houses. It was during this time that they led the drive for the formation of The Twelve. Realizing the power they could potentially amass, they sought to unify the houses under one umbrella to limit the amount of infighting between them and being able to have the five nations become reliant on their services. While one may think that the house did this for some altruistic reason, looking out for all of the dragonmarked houses, they would be naive. House Cannith saw an opportunity to hold great influence not only over the nations of Khovaire but the other dragonmarked houses. It was also during this time that House Cannith produced some of their greatest creations, including the Lightning Rail and the Towers of Sharn.
But it was during the Last War that House Cannith flexed its muscles and truly became the one dragonmarked house that the Five Nations could not do without. Operating with an amoral business sense, they supplied all the nations with a variety of weapons during this time, becoming incredibly wealthy in the process. Their power was said to be so great that House Cannith was able to influence the war itself, creating skirmishes and conflicts to fuel their arms dealings. Not satisfied with only dealing weapons, it was their forge in Whitehearth that the Warforged were born. No longer was House Cannith a provider of weapons, but of the armies that would use these weapons. This was the height of their power.
As will all things that go up, they eventually must come down, and House Cannith crashed at the end of the war. The Treaty of Thronehold was signed by the remaining nations, ending the Last War, and by doing so eliminated the need for the weapons that House Cannith had been supplying. The treaty also delivered another crushing blow to the house with the emancipation of all warforged and banning Cannith’s creation forges so that no additional warforged could ever be produced. The final crippling blow was delivered on the Day of Mourning. House Cannith lost their greatest forge, Whitehearth, along with all the those that lived in that area. Some of the house's greatest minds perished along with their families, innovations, and the natural resources they used in their work. As the only saying goes, when it rains, it pours. The Mourning also killed the ruling Patriarch Starring d’Cannith and a majority of his heirs, crippling the succession line and plunging House Cannith into a struggle to fill the power vacuum.
The Mark of Making
The Mark of Making in 3.5e was a series of three feats that focused on spells that revolved around creating and making magical items. The first feat was the Least Dragonmark feat, and the series culminated with the Greater Dragonmark feat. The prestige class in this edition was a Cyre Scout. Cannith South was the only house where Cyre Scout existed, as they had the unique environment that made the most out of it. This class was a combination of the traditional house traits along with the ability to survive hostile environments. This allowed a Cyre Scout to travel and explore the barren wastelands where The Mourning took place. Rangers were the most likely to take this prestige class as it built upon the set of skills they already possessed. Such abilities included:
Dragonmark Conduit - Allows the scout to channel the ability to overcome the negative effects of the Mournland effects through their dragonmarked.
Infusions - Like the artificer, Cyre Scouts could infusion items with magical powers, such as shield of faith and minor creation.
Blindsense Mark - Empower yourself with blindsense for up to 8 hours with a range of 80 feet.
In the 4th edition, the Mark of Making allowed the bearer of the mark to unlock the hidden powers of magic items and harness them. It was a feat that allowed the bearer to use the enhance magic item and create alchemical items rituals 2 levels higher. The Mark of Marking paragon path was the Cannith Mastermaker, sought after by artificers and wizards of the house. The Mastermaker had the following abilities:
Mastermaker Action - Able to recharge magic items.
Item Affinity - The ability to use magic items daily power 3 times per day.
Arcane Rechanneling - Expend a magic item daily power to regain the arcane encounter attack ability.
Today
House Cannith is currently is a state of disarray, as there is a power struggle between three individuals who all claim leadership of the house. Each has their ideas on how House Cannith should move forward in the future and regain its former glory. The three barons all control one region of the House Cannith territory and all heirs must decide which baron they wish to pledge their allegiance to.
Zorlan d’Cannith is the baron of Cannith East. A great weaponsmith, he is based out of Korth. The territories of Karrnath, Mror Holds, Talenta Plains, Lhazaar Principalities, and Q'barra are under his control. He is admired by many for his skill in finding new opportunities and his ruthless business acumen. A cousin to the former Patriarch, his skills in the financial realm make him an important figure within the house. His talent with numbers and eye for profit makes him a trusted advisor to the Gorgon.
Jorlanna d'Cannith is a baron of Cannith West, governing from Fairhaven. A powerful alchemist, she is the daughter of the former patriarch, Starring d’Cannath by his second wife. A proud and attractive woman in her fifties, she is older than the other two candidates, making her a more desirable Matriarch in the eyes of many. As the old saying goes, with age comes wisdom. She is well allied with the other houses and has a strong personality that can draw people to her beliefs, but has a checked past, making it hard for many to trust her judgment on important issues. (Interesting tidbit from 3.5e. Jorlanna is a rakshasa agent of the Lords of Dust. Pretty sure that would disqualify her)
Merrix d’Cannith is the baron for Cannith South, ruling from Sharn. An artificer of great renown, he is the youngest of all the potential Patriarchs, but quite possibly the most powerful of them all, as he is the creator of the warforged. (In previous editions he is the son of the actual creator, but continues the work on the warforged in secret). His claim may be the weakest, and in reality he would much rather be left to his experiments in his lab under the great Tower of Sharn. He is willing to lead House Cannith because he feels the other two candidates are weak, and a strong leader is needed to restore the house’s dominance with the Twelve. Of course, in his mind, he’s that strong leader.
In the 5th edition, the Mark of Making is a variant human race. The following traits replace the regular human ASI trait:
ASI - Intelligence increase by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Artisan Intuition - You may roll 1d4 whenever making an Arcana check or ability check using artisan tools and add it to your roll.
Maker’s Gift - Proficiency in one type of artisan tools.
Spellsmith - You know the Mending Cantrip. Can cast magic weapon spell, which lasts for 1 hour with no concentration required. Intelligence is the spellcasting ability for both. Once per long rest.
Spell of the Mark - A set of spells ranging from identity to creation. Must have spellcasting abilities to access these spells.
Artificers and wizards are the classes that can make the most out of the mark’s abilities, but any class is welcome to bear the mark. Players that create a character with the Mark of Making must decide which of the three barons they will follow.
Dragonmarked Houses open up a whole new world of possibilities for adventures and rolling playing opportunities. House Cannath is a powerful house, and whether you play a noble that has to pick sides amongst the barons, or your party takes them on as their patron and are sent off on a quest, House Cannth is one of the most interesting houses to use in your campaign. Just make sure that you pick the right baron, cause if the leadership vacuum is ever filled, you could be on the outside looking in.
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