Template:Organization name = Maison Tarkanan image =

founded = 990 AR disbanded = Currently in operation. alignment = Chaotic Neutral leader = The Son of Khyber

Maison Tarkanan is a pseudo-Marqué par le Dragon house based in Sharn consisting mostly of bearers of Marque Aberrante du Dragon. The House takes its name from Lord Halas Tarkanan who, along with the Lady of the Plague, raised up those with Marque Aberrante du Dragon to challenge the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon during La Guerre des Marques. Tarkanan nonetheless has a reputation for assassination, thievery and other unlawful deeds.

Maison Tarkanan's members bear special Marques du Dragon called Marque Aberrante du Dragon and thus their abilities vary greatly.

3.5 Edition: In the Eberron Campaign Setting page 47 the aberrant Marque Du Dragon can be taken as a feat by player characters. While the aberrant Marque Du Dragon is said to be imposible to improve in the ECS, Marqué par le Dragon overrides this and presents a lesser and greater abberant Marque Du Dragon feat. The aberrant Marque Du Dragon has no single power and instead has a list of 13 spells from which the player chooses one and can then cast it. The lesser and greater aberrant Marque Du Dragon feat each grant an additional spell from a list of 14 resp. 13.

4th Edition: In the Eberron Player's Guide pages 86-87 three Aberrant marks are available to player characters as feats. The aberrant marks are as follows.

*Aberrant Mark of Contagion *Aberrant Mark of Madness *Aberrant Mark of Terror

Though it is the newest Maison Marquée du Dragon, La Guerre des Marques played an important part in Maison Tarkanan's formation and ideology. The war began almost 2500 years ago, around the year -1500 when the established Maisons Marquées Du Dragon launched an inquisition to exterminate those who carried an aberrant mark. Unlike the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon, those who had aberrant marks were not united and so they were desperate for leaders. Leaders did rise to the challenge of commanding them, but none were as influential or great as Halas Tarkanan. Halas Tarkanan took refuge in the city of Dorasharn with his army and consort, the Lady of the Plague. Though Tarkanan and his army resisted, it was clear that the combined forces of the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon were far too overwhelming and the resistance would in the end be wiped out. Eventually Halas and his lady unleashed a curse which brought catastrophic earthquakes and summoned hordes of vermin from the depths. The curse destroyed the city along with Halas and his lady, ending the resistance.

Pushed to the point of extinction, aberrant marks were rare and relatively weak, but over the last decade aberrant marks have been returning in greater numbers and some marks wield remarkable power. In defiance of Les Douzes, Maison Tarkanan was formed by Thora Tavin, now Thora Tarkanan in 990 AR. Maison Tarkanan's objective is to search for those who have aberrant marks, recruit them and train them to use their powers.

In the 3.5 Eberron Campaign setting, Maison Tarkanan is never referred to as a House, though in multiple supplements, including Sharn: Cité des Tours (page 45 and page 154) and Marqué par le Dragon (115, 158), Maison Tarkanan is mentioned as a House rather than an organization. In the 4th edition Eberron Campaign Guide pages 236-237, more information is provided on Maison Tarkanan and it appears alongside the other Maisons Marquées Du Dragon. In both editions Maison Tarkanan is not an official house.

In 3.5 Thora Tavin runs Maison Tarkanan as a closely guarded secret, whereas in 4th edition Thora Tavin no longer runs the house, is open about her membership and is seen as the leader in the public's eye.

Maison Tarkanan had no emblem in 3.5, but in 4th edition it was given an emblem featuring a beholder.

In 3.5 there is no mention of the Son of Khyber.

*Thora Tarkanan *The Son of Khyber

*Halas Tarkanan *The Lady of the Plague

When Maison Tarkanan first established itself in Sharn, the Clan Saputo attempted to assimilate them, but the offer was turned down. This resulted in the Saputos attempting to destroy the House. When this proved too difficult a deal was struck. Since the Clan Saputo doesn't traffic in assassinations, it was agreed that so long as Maison Tarkanan doesn't take contracts against the Saputos, they would be permitted to stay in Sharn without paying a fee. Many of those who joined Maison Tarkanan are thieves or killers and those who are not are trained to become one. The House provides services for assassination along with burglary and pick pocketing. A client only needs to approach the House and provide enough information on what they want stolen or who they want killed and a fee is calculated there and then. Assassination falls into two categories: assassination and manslaughter. Assassination is more complex and the method, date, time and the condition of the corpse can be specified, whereas manslaughter is a cheaper option as the House will send a hitman to kill the target at whatever time, location and with whatever method they find easiest.

Maison Tarkanan does not accept contracts that target high-ranking members of any major criminal organizations in Sharn such as the Saputo clan, Daask or The Les Tyrans. If the assassin is killed attempting the contract, then the House will send a second assassin or will cancel the contract and refund half of the fee if they believe it to be unachievable.

Maison Tarkanan also offers a special service called assassination of the soul, in which they use their single +1 Keeper's Fang Dagger to kill the target. The dagger traps the target's soul in the domain of Le Geolier and thus they cannot be raised or resurrected. This service costs twice that of a normal assassination.

Maison Tarkanan accepts anyone who has an aberrant Marque Du Dragon. Those who join will either be placed into the business side of the House or the assassination and theft side. The business side deals with general administration such as contracts and accounting.

Senior assassins and thieves are given the title baron whilst junior members are known as lords or ladies.

*Thora's Manor Maison Tarkanan

Maison Tarkanan is a criminal guild with growing influence in many of the great cities of Khorvaire. Children of Khyber who join Maison Tarkanan are trained in the use of their aberrant marks and also encouraged to develop skills that can serve the guild directly. An heir with powers of charm person or suggestion usually becomes a con artist or extortionist, while one with a poison touch may be trained as an assassin. The lords of Maison Tarkanan believe that a second Guerre des Marques is inevitable, and this filters through the daily life of house members: Tarkanans learn to see their comrades as fellow soldiers in an army and to consider all non_aberrants as potential enemies.

From Sharn

Maison Tarkanan is known as a small order of
highly skilled assassins and thieves. When they fi rst
appeared in Sharn six years ago, the Clan Saputo
attempted to assimilate them, and when that didn’t
work, to eliminate them. The members of the socalled
house turned out to have impressive skills and
organization, and the Saputos ultimately backed
down from the confl ict. The Clan Saputo doesn’t
traffi c in assassination in any case, so an agreement
was made: As long as Maison Tarkanan would agree
to never accept a contract against a Saputo, the
Clan Saputo would allow the house to operate in
Sharn without paying tribute.
Today, Maison Tarkanan focuses on three services.
The fi rst is theft—both burglary and the work
of the cutpurse. The employer names the target and
provides all necessary information to locate him;
the house does the rest. The price of the job depends
on both the diffi culty of the job and the value of the
object being stolen.
The second service is assassination. The price
varies based on the level of the target and the complexity
of the scenario. Simply killing a man with a
quick death attack in a bar is considerably easier that
infecting him with a fatal disease and making sure
that he dies of “natural” causes.
The final service is manslaughter. Simpler
than assassination, this involves killing the target
quickly and by whatever means are most convenient.
The cost is the same as assassination, but
obviously there is no modifier for the complexity
of the scenario.
Maison Tarkanan does not target high_ranking
members of any of the major criminal organizations
in Sharn—the Les Tyrans, Daask, or the Clan Saputo.
The house does not guarantee success; if an assassin
is killed in the course of his mission, the house may
send a second assassin, or they may choose to abandon
the contract, in which case they do refund half of the fee. Maison Tarkanan also offers one
additional special service: assassination of the soul.
The house possesses a single +1 Keeper’s fang dagger.
For twice the usual fee, a Maison Tarkanan assassin
will kill her target using the dagger—trapping the
victim’s soul in the domain of Le Geolier and thus
preventing her from being raised or resurrected. Of
course, resurrection is rare enough on Eberron that
mutilating the body is often suffi cient to rule out
raise dead.
Maison Tarkanan’s business is straightfordistrict
enough, and most people who are familiar with the
underworld know of them. However, few people
know the history of the organization. toward
the end of the La Dernière Guerre, the Brelon King’s Dark
Lanterns assembled a team of spies who all bore
Marque Aberrante du Dragon, hoping to harness their
powers in the work of espionage. The experiment
was a failure, and half the group ended up killed.
The King’s Lanternes Sourdes tried to silence the
remnants of the group, but its surviving members
f led to Sharn, led by a Humain woman named
Thora Tavin.
Drawing from her extensive education, Thora
Tavin took up the name of Lord Halas Tarkanan, the
warrior who united the bearers of Marque Aberrante du Dragon
during La Guerre des Marques, and formed
Maison Tarkanan as a mockery of the Marqué par le Dragon
houses. Thora continues to seek out others who bear
Marque Aberrante du Dragon, as well as other skilled spies
and criminals, to expand the ranks of her organization.
She is driven to learn more about Lord
Tarkanan and the aberrant marks that were exterminated
during La Guerre des Marques, and spends much
of her organization’s resources funding expeditions
into the ruins of UnderSharn.
Prominent NPCs
Thora Tavin (LE female Humain rogue 6/assassin
6) is a deadly killer, utterly devoted to her cause,
and if she is evil, it is because she will do absolutely
anything to protect those who bear aberrant
dragon marks—even if it means killing innocents.
She truly sees all who bear aberrant marks as being
part of an extended family, and she will not allow
her family to be exterminated.
The active members of Maison Tarkanan generally
possess Marque Aberrante du Dragon and 2 or 3 levels
in a player character class. Rogues and sorcerers are
both Commun, as are barbarians.
Joining Maison Tarkanan
Maison Tarkanan generally accepts any character
who has an aberrant Marque Du Dragon. The goal of the
house is to train those who have such marks. However,
Thora is a shrewd judge of character, and if
she senses that a new member is working against the
house, she makes a ruthless example of him.
Membership Benefits: Maison Tarkanan
specializes in theft and assassination. A member
of the house can fence goods at no additional
cost, arrange for burglaries for 15% of the item’s
value, and set up assassinations for a base cost of
250 gp/level of the target—though like all crimes
the cost may be adjusted based on the challenges
involved. In addition, Maison Tarkanan is the
single greatest source for knowledge about aberrant
Marques du Dragon and La Guerre des Marques. A
member of Maison Tarkanan receives a +3 on any
Knowledge or bardic knowledge check concerning
these subjects, as long as he can consult the
resources of the house.

Nature: Criminal organization
Mark: Aberrant
Races: Any and all of the dragonmarked races
Totem: Beholder
.
House Tarkanan is a criminal organization structured in mockery of the dragonmarked houses. They specialize in theft and assassination
.

Known as a small order of highly skilled assassins and thieves. When they first appeared in Sharn six years ago, the Saputo Clan attempted to assimilate them, and when that didn’t work, to eliminate them. The members of the so-called “house” turned out to have impressive skills and organization, and the Saputos ultimately backed down from the conflict. The Saputo Clan doesn’t traffic in assassination in any case, so an agreement was made: As long as House Tarkanan would agree to never accept a contract against a Saputo, the Saputo Clan would allow the house to operate in Sharn without paying tribute.

The active members of House Tarkanan generally possess aberrant dragonmarks and 2 or 3 levels in a player character class. Rogues and sorcerers are both common, as are barbarians. They generally accept any character who has an aberrant mark, as the goal of the house is to train those who have such marks. However, Thora is a shrewd judge of character, and if she senses that a new member is working against the house, she makes a ruthless example of him.

.

Today, House Tarkanan focuses on 3 services:

The first is theft — both burglary and the work of the cutpurse. The employer names the target and provides all necessary information to locate him; the house does the rest. The price of the job depends on both the difficulty of the job and the value of the object being stolen.

The second service is assassination. The price varies based on the level of the target and the complexity of the scenario. Simply killing a man with a quick death attack in a bar is considerably easier that infecting him with a fatal disease and making sure that he dies of “natural” causes.

The final service is manslaughter. Simpler than assassination, this involves killing the target quickly and by whatever means are most convenient. The cost is the same as assassination, but obviously there is no modifier for the complexity of the scenario.

House Tarkanan does not target high-ranking members of any of the major criminal organizations in Sharn — the Tyrants, Daask, or the Saputo Clan. The house does not guarantee success; if an assassin is killed in the course of his mission, the house may send a second assassin, or they may choose to abandon the contract, in which case they do refund half of the fee.

House Tarkanan also offers one additional special service: assassination of the soul. The house possesses a single +1 “Keeper’s fang” dagger. For twice the usual fee, a House Tarkanan assassin will kill her target using the dagger — trapping the victim’s soul in the domain of the Keeper and thus preventing her from being raised or resurrected. Of course, resurrection is rare enough on Eberron that mutilating the body is often sufficient to rule out raise dead.

.

A member of the house can fence goods at no additional cost, arrange for burglaries for 15% of the item’s value, and set up assassinations for a base cost of 250 gp per level of the target — though like all crimes the cost may be adjusted based on the challenges involved.

In addition, House Tarkanan is the single greatest source for knowledge about aberrant dragonmarks and the War of the Mark: A member of House Tarkanan receives a +3 on any Knowledge or similar concerning these subjects, as long as he can consult the resources of the house.

.

House Tarkanan’s business is straightforward enough, and most people who are familiar with the underworld know of them. However, few people know the history of the organization. Toward the end of the Last War, the Brelon King’s Dark Lanterns assembled a team of spies who all bore aberrant dragonmarks, hoping to harness their powers in the work of espionage. The experiment was a failure, and half the group ended up killed. The King’s Dark Lanterns tried to silence the remnants of the group, but its surviving members fled to Sharn, led by a human woman named Thora Tavin.

Drawing from her extensive education, Thora took up the name of Lord Halas Tarkanan, the warrior who united the bearers of aberrant dragonmarks during the War of the Mark, and formed House Tarkanan as a mockery of the dragonmarked houses. She continues to seek out others who bear aberrant dragonmarks, as well as other skilled spies and criminals, to expand the ranks of her organization. She is driven to learn more about Lord Tarkanan and the aberrant marks that were exterminated during the War of the Mark, and spends much of her organization’s resources funding expeditions into the ruins of UnderSharn.

.

"Baron" Thora d'Tarkanan (LE female human, Rogue 6 / Assassin 3 / Aberrant Heir 4)
Thora’s residence, a spacious mansion nestled among the towers of the house enclaves, serves as the secret headquarters of her organization. From here, she personally directs a range of criminal and questionable activities throughout the city, with a particular focus on burglary, assassination, forgery, and loan sharking.

.

●Arienna
●Laren Saputo d'Tarkanan
●Stend Faldren d'Tarkanan
●Thora Tavin

HOUSE TARKANAN Long ago, the dragonmarked houses sought to exterminate the bearers of aberrant dragonmarks (described in chapter 1). Today, those who carry aberrant dragonmarks are still treated with fear and suspicion. During the Last War, the King's Dark Lanterns of Breland trained a team of covert operatives who all bore aberrant marks. Considered expendable, this group was sent on one suicide mission after another. After half its members died in the field, the survivors turned on their masters. Six years ago, they fled to Sham and founded House Tarkanan. The group takes its name from Lord Halas Tarkanan, who fought the dragonmarked houses long ago and used his aberrant dragonmark to destroy Old Sham. The smallest of the four criminal organizations described here, House Tarkanan has no interest in claiming territory or dominating the criminal underworld. The house takes neither side in the war between the Boromar Clan and Daask, and it will not assassinate high-ranking members of either organization. In other matters, it sells its services to all who have the gold to pay for them. House Tarkanan's top priority is using its wealth to protect, train, and care for people who have aberrant marks. The leaders of the house are pragmatists and soldiers, and they train their recruits to be warriors and thieves. Despite its name, House Tarkanan is not a dragonmarked house; it has taken the name to mock its enemies, and it doesn't have the recognition, power, or resources of a dragonmarked house. In fact, many members of House Tarkanan hate the dragonmarked houses for being prejudiced against their kind and fear that they will instigate a second purge of aberrant marks. Others are more idealistic, and see the growing power of the houses as a threat to all of the nations of Khorvaire. HOUSE TARKANAN OPERATIONS House Tarkanan provides two basic services t o clients: theft and murder. Fees for jobs are based on the task's complexity and riskiness; a simple cutpurse contract costs far less than the assassination of a Sham Watch captain in Skyway. What differentiates the assassins of House Tarkanan from those of House Phiarlan and Thuranni is their accessibility. The dragonmarked houses sell their services only to a select list of wealthy and powerful clients, and they can pursue contracts anywhere in Khorvaire. Conversely, anyone with enough gold can hire House Tarkanan's assassins, but they take jobs only within Sham. HOUSE TARKANAN NPC s Because House Tarkanan helps all those who have aberrant dragonmarks, the organization has allies across a wide range of society, from beggars to nobles. Some of the organization's most important people are these: • Thora, a female human, has the ability to sense mystical energies-a gift that enables her to identify others with aberrant marks. She founded the organization and serves as its leader. While she uses the name Thora Tarkanan among her compatriots, she has established herself as Thora Tavin among the wealthy elite of Sham and has cultivated relationships with many influential people. • Rotting Bal is one of Thora's most trusted lieutenants. A male elf, Bal was part of the original squad of aberrant commandos. He's an exceptional martial artist whose skills are enhanced by his mark. • Zae is a female halfiing who has the power to speak to and control vermin. Though she's no warrior, her gift helps the house gather information. HOUSE TARKANAN VILLAINS Some House Tarkanan villains are obsessed with bringing down the dragonmarked houses. Others are willing to take innocent lives if doing so means saving one person with an aberrant mark. Sample villains appear on the House Tarkanan Villains table. H O U S E TA R K A N A N VI L L A I N S d4 Villain A member of H ouse Tarka nan m u rders members of d ragon marked houses, reducing her victim s to smoldering piles of ash. 2 D riven mad by his aberrant d ragon m ark, a dwarf becomes obsessed with destroying Sharn i n the same manner that Halas Tarkanan col lapsed Old Sharn. 3 A House Tarka nan half-elf kidnaps c h i l d re n with aberrant marks, believi ng the organization i s better s u ited to bring up the c h i l d ren than their parents. 4 A House Tarkanan mage starts d ri n ki n g the blood of d rago n m a rked nobles, believing it will i ncrease the strength of his aberrant mark. HOUSE TARKANAN CAMPAIGN THE M E S As assassins for hire, the members of House Tarkanan can appear in a campaign as agents of other enemies of the adventurers. But they can also play a central role in a campaign. To use House Tarkanan as a recurring villain, you can stress its ruthlessness and emphasize its hatred of the dragonmarked houses. If any of the adventurers have ties to one of the houses, this confrontation could begin with a number of small attacks against the adventurer or their friends. Over time, these actions could escalate. In addition, you could build a story around Thora Tarkanan's quest to discover the secrets of aberrant dragonmarks. Long ago, Halas Tarkanan and the Lady of the Plague possessed marks so powerful that they could destroy cities. Can Thora find a way to amplify her own power in the ruins of Old Sham? If one or more of the adventurers has an aberrant dragonmark, House Tarkanan can also serve as a group patron for a party of adventurers, as described in chapter l. The House Tarkanan Assignments table provides hooks for adventurers who are working with the organization, and the discussion of crime syndicates in chapter 1 includes additional ideas.

H O U S E TA R K A N A N ASS I G N M E N TS d4 Assignment Steal a satchel fu l l of research on the War of the M ark, carried by a wizard who works at M o rgrave University. 2 Kill a Karrnat h i warlord who is visiting Sharn, and make it look l i ke an accident. 3 Kill a target before she signs her last will and testament to assign her property to a new heir. 4 Rescue a d reaml i ly dealer with an a berrant mark who has been captured by the Sharn Watch. HOUSE TARKANAN ADVENTURE HOOKS The House Tarkanan Adventure Hooks table presents ideas for adventures themed around House Tarkanan. H O U S E TA R K A N A N ADV E N T U R E H O O K S d 4 Adventure Hook H ouse Tarkanan d i sturbed the dead d u ring an exped ition to Old Sharn, causing u ndead to terrorize the city above. 2 House Tarkanan declares war on the dragon marked houses in Sharn and begins k i l l i ng nobles in the streets. M any of the houses' busi nesses in the city are shut down as fear spreads. 3 A victim who was kil led by a House Tarkanan assassin retu rns as an u ndead that tries to kill anyone who bears an aberrant mark. 4 House Tarkanan steals a key that can d isable a ticking time bomb created by an artificer.

HOUSE TARKANAN House Tarkanan is an elite force of mercenary thieves and assassins. The criminal talents of the Tarkanans are enhanced by another trait they share: every member of the house possesses an aberrant dragonmark. Thus, every Tarkanan has an unpredictable magical gift-and all of them are united by the fear and prejudice that most aberrant heirs elicit from other people. If you have a contact in House Tarkanan, you might know someone on the Tarkanan Contacts table. TARKANAN CO NTACTS d6 Contact Rotting Bal (human) is an assassin, an expert in un­ armed combat, and a founding member of the house. 2 Fileon (halfling) is a healer with a deadly touch, who evaluates and trains potential recruits. 3 Nightshade (gnome) is an assassin and alchemist spe­ cializing in exotic poisons, who's always interested in acquiring new toxins or unusual herbs. 4 Whisper (elf) is a thief whose aberrant dragonmark ab­ sorbs sound. Whisper appreciates fine things and has a vast collection of unusual trinkets. 5 Zae (halfling) can influence vermin and see through rats' eyes-an ability often used to spy on people. 6 Mala Shol (half-elf) is an expert pickpocket and a mas­ ter of disguise, with a talent for illusion.