House Deneith
From its beginnings as an order of mercenaries and soldiers to its modern incarnation as the human face of lawand battle, House Deneith has maintained its position as the primary force for security and defense in the Five Nations. Though its fortunes rose during the Last War, the services Deneith renders are no less valuable in times of peace. Today, the house is as prosperous as ever, with its position of neutrality firmly established and a host of eager clients ready to use its services. This prosperity tells only half the story, however, and Deneith’s past fortunes might not be enough to guarantee the house’s future.
Structure
House Deneith is a dragonmarked house of humans who carry the Mark of Sentinel—the oldest of the human dragonmarks—in their bloodlines. House Deneith’s Blademarks and Defenders Guilds provide security and mercenaries for clients throughout Khorvaire, while the house’s Sentinel Marshals have special dispensation to mete out justice in all nations signatory to the Thronehold Accords.
House Deneith’s power is obvious to anyone who has ever seen its mercenaries on the march. Its operations are spread across Khorvaire, and the house has major enclaves in each nation.
Security and ambition are uneasy companions at the best of times. One requires safety, while the other demands risk. Though Deneith’s position in Khorvaire is largely secure, some within the house are convinced that security is simply another word for stagnation. They see the house’s position and wealth as resources to be spent in a larger plan, not treasures to be hoarded. With its martial strength and established presence across Khorvaire, Deneith could be the equal of any of the Five Nations and the master of all the houses. It could be Galifar reborn.
Those agitating for change within the house believe that the time for a Deneith dynasty is at hand. The house provides security for the crowned heads of the Five Nations and a substantial portion of the nobility, as well as important members of the Twelve and the dragonmarked houses. Deneith forces guard Thronehold, with the house holding the throne in stewardship until a new king or queen is crowned. How better to ensure that happens than to seize the crown for themselves?
Culture
House Deneith’s headquarters is in Karrlakton, and its roots are set deep in Karrnathi soil. The features and temperament of the Karrns can be found at all levels of House Deneith, from Breven d’Deneith to the mercenary captains of the Blademarks. Deneith is proud of its heritage, but the day of reckoning for that birthright might soon be at hand.
When the Last War began, House Deneith had a good excuse to claim neutrality. It served Galifar, and would continue to do so even without a crowned king or queen. That neutral stance garnered an amount of respect among the Karrns, who were content that Deneith did not serve their king as long as it served no one else.
Galifar is little more than a memory now, formally dissolved by the Treaty of Thronehold. The king of Karrnath no longer fi ghts for a place upon the Throne of Galifar, but rather clamors for peace among his brethren. In the eyes of many of his people, Kaius III’s embrace of peace weakens his land.
This conflict of ideals is causing unrest in Karrnath, and could lead to Kaius’s undoing. At the same time, those Karrns who long for battle against the upstart nations of Khorvaire now wonder how Deneith can refuse to fight for its rightful king, especially when they imagine the glories of a shared Deneith–Karrnath army against the poor remnants of Khorvaire’s other nations. Should Kaius III be deposed and Karrnath led again to war, Deneith’s much-vaunted neutrality might be put to the test—and the sword.
Public Agenda
Throughout the Last War, Deneith maintained a position of neutrality, serving the whole of Galifar rather than any of its fractured parts. Although this position caused unrest in the house’s home of Karrnath, the Deneith patriarch, Baron Breven d’Deneith, saw the need for a balance of idealism and practicality. Although Deneith’s military forces were nearly the equal of any kingdom, joining with one side (likely Karrnath) would have overwhelmed the house’s resources as it was targeted by the other nations.
As it happened, its neutral position served Deneith well. At the Treaty of Thronehold, the right of House Deneith to maintain a standing military force was recognized once more. Further, it was agreed to allow members of the house to travel unimpeded by national boundaries for the sake of defending the Five Nations against external threats. Before the war, Deneith bodyguards made up a signifi cant portion of the royal retinues of Galifar, services that remained in demand both during the war and after.
The central philosophy of House Deneith is built upon fulfilling the letter of the law, with contracts and codes governing every action its members take. The Sentinel Marshals serve an ideal of justice, chasing down criminals no matter where they might hide. For the Defenders and Blademarks Guilds, the law of the land is not half as important as the law of their contract, wherein their services are pledged to a nation or individual under specific circumstances and for a specific length of time. No matter what side of the house one falls on, honor, ethics, and an adherence to oaths sworn form the bulk of a Deneith heir’s reputation. One who keeps his word and fulfi lls expectations is valued highly, whether his heart tends to good or evil. One who is unreliable or capricious, on the other hand, will find few friends within the house.
Assets
Although House Deneith has enclaves across Khorvaire, its seat of power is in Karrlakton, just across the river from the Mournland. Sentinel Tower is Deneith’s ancestral home, named in honor of the mark its members bear.
Deneith families often send young heirs to be fostered here as children, creating a connection that lasts the rest of their lives. The Tower is the headquarters for all Sentinel Marshals, who return whenever their assignments permit.
Sentinel Tower is an ancient keep, reputedly older than Karrnath itself. It has undergone extensive expansion over the years, both for defensive purposes and to accommodate growth within the house. Even at its current size, Sentinel Tower cannot contain Deneith’s entire complement of house members and hirelings. As a result, Karrlakton is fi lled with training areas, barracks, weaponsmiths, armorers, and taverns to serve the needs of the tower.
In addition to Sentinel Tower, House Deneith holds large enclaves in Sharn and Korth (where the impressive fortress sprawls over an entire hilltop), as well as estates in Flamekeep, Newthrone, Pylas Talaear, Stormreach, Taer Valaestas, Trolanport, and Varna. More outposts can be found in locations throughout Khorvaire, including Rhukaan Draal in Darguun and Graywall in Droaam (where Deneith keeps a low profi le in the shadow of the prominent Tharashk enclave). Members of House Deneith are also the protectors of Thronehold, and make up the elite unit of Throne Wardens charged with protecting the Galifaran throne.
History
House Deneith was founded centuries ago from a family of warlords in the area that would later become Karrnath. They were the first humans to manifest dragonmarks, and the Mark of Sentinel was only the fourth dragonmark to appear in mainland Khorvaire. The skill of Deneith warlords in battle was already well known, and when the mark appeared in their bloodline, it only added to their fearsome reputation. For over four hundred years, they ruled over the area near modern-day Karrlakton. Then war and a cycle of famine weakened the Deneith leadership and allowed rival factions to challenge it. For nearly two hundred years, war and strife ravaged the land until the rise of its greatest ruler: Karrn the Conqueror.
For centuries, House Deneith cornered the market on mercenary forces in Khorvaire. The Blademarks Guild has done business with every major militia and town watch in the Five Nations, as well as provided security forces for other dragonmarked houses, private citizens, and expeditions across Khorvaire and beyond.
The Last War changed all this, drastically reducing the available pool of experienced soldiers and mercenaries. It was an unpleasant surprise, then, when House Tharashk entered the mercenary market in the dying days of the war. Deneith had never before encountered competition for its services on any meaningful scale, and for another house to engineer such a challenge with the help of the monstrous races of Droaam was a bitter insult.
House Deneith heirs are human, and humans make up the majority of their forces. Though a smattering of warforged, shifters, and half-elves can be found in Deneith ranks, half-orcs usually prefer to work with House Tharashk, and other races are rare. For Deneith’s work within the Five Nations, human troops were once an advantage, but the outlook in Khorvaire has changed.
In urban areas such as Sharn, civilized monsters can walk the streets without fear as long as they obey the laws of the realm. House Tharashk helped to pioneer this change, and its actions have placed the house squarely in Deneith’s sights. Deneith is determined to conquer this new mercenary market, either by wresting control from Tharashk or building its own pool of monstrous talent to draw from.
Neither house admits to any open conflict with the other, but covert clashes occur on a regular basis. If the situation escalates, the rift between the houses might well become irreparable. The dragonmarked houses have traditionally abstained from interfering in intrahouse feuds, but no houses have ever before maintained their own standing armies. Open warfare between Deneith and Tharashk is a prospect few among the dragonmarked care to dwell on.
Protection is my purpose. I defend the innocent from those who would do them harm. For my siblings, this is a job; for me, it is a calling.
Type
Geopolitical, Great house
Alternative Names
Human House of the Sentinel
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Controlled Territories
Related Species
