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[Eberron] The Khorvaire Code: a campaign idea
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<blockquote data-quote="Dave Turner" data-source="post: 3337951" data-attributes="member: 12329"><p>A month or two ago, a short-lived thread appeared challenging people to put a ]i]DaVinci Code[/i] spin on Eberron. It was a call for campaign ideas and stories. After thinking about it for a while, I hit upon what I thought was a great idea for a <em>Code</em>-style Eberron game. At the time, however, I thought that I might run the game as a PbP game, probably here at ENWorld. I’ve recently realized that I won’t have the time to do that, but I wanted to share the idea and maybe get some feedback on it. Hopefully some folks will like it and others will be inspired to expand on or flesh out the idea. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p>One final caveat: I’ve never read <em>The DaVinci Code</em>, but I’ve seen the movie. This isn’t an attempt to closely model the plot or characters of the book. The core of a <em>Code</em>-based D&D campaign is taking a setting assumption that is considered an inviolate truth and turning it on its head. It’s a subversion of a fundamental assumption about the world. </p><p></p><p>Without further ado, The Khorvaire Code.</p><p></p><p>The Dragonmarked Houses occupy a unique position in Khorvaire. They aren’t quite noble houses and they aren’t quite merchant houses. They’re a blend of the two, with emphasis arguably on the latter. The key to their status and power is what distinguishes them from the general population of Khorvaire: the dragonmarks. Dragonmarks appeared mysteriously centuries ago and are passed down through bloodlines. Every House is organized around a particular dragonmark and the emergence of a dragonmark in any particular House member is a mystery.</p><p></p><p>In truth, the history of the Dragonmark Houses has been anything but mysterious or random. A conspiracy at the heart of the Houses protects the true nature of the dragonmarks and those who bear them. The truth is that <strong>every humanoid in Khorvaire actually carries a dragonmark</strong>. Dragonmarks are <em>activated</em> by a ritual known to an inter-House secret society, known as The Keepers (it’s a terrible name for the society; it’s a placeholder that I would encourage others to replace).</p><p></p><p>The Dragonmarked Houses are the result of ancient negotiations between the original Keepers. They agreed to limit each Mark to a particular race and to a particular House, depite the fact that Marks are possessed by a wide variety of races (i.e. there are humans running around with unactivated Hospitality Marks and elves with unactivated Warding Marks). There is a complicated process of politicking and intrigue surrounding which people in a House will actually have their Marks activated. The ritual that activates a Mark is usually woven into some other common ritual that each House engages in, such as a naming ceremony or a rite of adulthood. Naturally, each House only activates Marks that are allowed it. This keeps the number of Marked members artificially low, since the Keepers must find a House member with House’s assigned Mark before they can activate it. Every other member of the House has a dragonmark, but since it doesn’t match the House’s Mark, it remains unactivated.</p><p></p><p>The Houses wish to keep this secret for a number of reasons. First, there would be irresistible public pressure to reveal the ritual if it became common knowledge that everyone has a Mark. Second, the Houses’ advantage in having the Marks would evaporate as Marks possessed by non-House members were activated. Third, it would destroy the racial identities of the Houses.</p><p></p><p>A few other implications would have to be considered. Aberrant dragonmarks would not be considered aberrant any longer. The Keepers have long been aware of other Marks in existence, but have not allowed any other Houses to form around them. Aberrant dragonmarks are not aberrations at all, but perfectly legitimate Marks that the Keepers ruthlessly suppress. The same goes for Siberys dragonmarks.</p><p></p><p>Since the dragonmarks are a manifestation of the Prophecy, what will the dragons think of having these Marks suppressed for so long? Were the dragons complicit in the actions of the Keepers? Do the Keepers <em>work</em> for the Dragons?</p><p></p><p>There’s plenty to build on, but that’s the core of the idea. As I mentioned at the start of the post, I don’t have the time to properly flesh-out the idea. Hopefully the idea garners the interest of a few and it can be developed in this thread. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dave Turner, post: 3337951, member: 12329"] A month or two ago, a short-lived thread appeared challenging people to put a ]i]DaVinci Code[/i] spin on Eberron. It was a call for campaign ideas and stories. After thinking about it for a while, I hit upon what I thought was a great idea for a [i]Code[/i]-style Eberron game. At the time, however, I thought that I might run the game as a PbP game, probably here at ENWorld. I’ve recently realized that I won’t have the time to do that, but I wanted to share the idea and maybe get some feedback on it. Hopefully some folks will like it and others will be inspired to expand on or flesh out the idea. ;) One final caveat: I’ve never read [i]The DaVinci Code[/i], but I’ve seen the movie. This isn’t an attempt to closely model the plot or characters of the book. The core of a [i]Code[/i]-based D&D campaign is taking a setting assumption that is considered an inviolate truth and turning it on its head. It’s a subversion of a fundamental assumption about the world. Without further ado, The Khorvaire Code. The Dragonmarked Houses occupy a unique position in Khorvaire. They aren’t quite noble houses and they aren’t quite merchant houses. They’re a blend of the two, with emphasis arguably on the latter. The key to their status and power is what distinguishes them from the general population of Khorvaire: the dragonmarks. Dragonmarks appeared mysteriously centuries ago and are passed down through bloodlines. Every House is organized around a particular dragonmark and the emergence of a dragonmark in any particular House member is a mystery. In truth, the history of the Dragonmark Houses has been anything but mysterious or random. A conspiracy at the heart of the Houses protects the true nature of the dragonmarks and those who bear them. The truth is that [b]every humanoid in Khorvaire actually carries a dragonmark[/b]. Dragonmarks are [i]activated[/i] by a ritual known to an inter-House secret society, known as The Keepers (it’s a terrible name for the society; it’s a placeholder that I would encourage others to replace). The Dragonmarked Houses are the result of ancient negotiations between the original Keepers. They agreed to limit each Mark to a particular race and to a particular House, depite the fact that Marks are possessed by a wide variety of races (i.e. there are humans running around with unactivated Hospitality Marks and elves with unactivated Warding Marks). There is a complicated process of politicking and intrigue surrounding which people in a House will actually have their Marks activated. The ritual that activates a Mark is usually woven into some other common ritual that each House engages in, such as a naming ceremony or a rite of adulthood. Naturally, each House only activates Marks that are allowed it. This keeps the number of Marked members artificially low, since the Keepers must find a House member with House’s assigned Mark before they can activate it. Every other member of the House has a dragonmark, but since it doesn’t match the House’s Mark, it remains unactivated. The Houses wish to keep this secret for a number of reasons. First, there would be irresistible public pressure to reveal the ritual if it became common knowledge that everyone has a Mark. Second, the Houses’ advantage in having the Marks would evaporate as Marks possessed by non-House members were activated. Third, it would destroy the racial identities of the Houses. A few other implications would have to be considered. Aberrant dragonmarks would not be considered aberrant any longer. The Keepers have long been aware of other Marks in existence, but have not allowed any other Houses to form around them. Aberrant dragonmarks are not aberrations at all, but perfectly legitimate Marks that the Keepers ruthlessly suppress. The same goes for Siberys dragonmarks. Since the dragonmarks are a manifestation of the Prophecy, what will the dragons think of having these Marks suppressed for so long? Were the dragons complicit in the actions of the Keepers? Do the Keepers [i]work[/i] for the Dragons? There’s plenty to build on, but that’s the core of the idea. As I mentioned at the start of the post, I don’t have the time to properly flesh-out the idea. Hopefully the idea garners the interest of a few and it can be developed in this thread. ;) [/QUOTE]
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