House Ghallanda
Fine food, a comfortable chair, a mug of ale, and a roaring fire: These are the treasures of House Ghallanda. The blink dog seal of the house is a beacon for the weary traveler. When stamped on the trade sign of an inn or tavern, it promises reliable service and reasonable rates—but there might be more to this simple inn than meets the eye. House Ghallanda goes to great lengths to form bonds within local communities, and Ghallanda heirs take pride in being able to acquire special services for valued clients. The Ghallanda innkeeper is not a spy, nor does he solve crimes. He knows the word on the street, though, and if you’re looking for tickets to the Sharn Opera, a discreet bordello, or a trustworthy diviner, he can help you.
Though Ghallanda is known for its inns, the house has other holdings. Ghallanda landlords offer long-term housing, and the master chefs of the house prepare meals for kings and queens. The wealthy of Khorvaire vacation at Ghallanda resorts and gambling halls, while house decorators have helped to establish the aesthetic of the modern age. The heirs of House Ghallanda might not be as impressive as the arcanists of House Cannith or the warriors of Deneith, but it is dangerous to underestimate the power of this house. After all, many an adventurer feels more loyalty to his bartender than to his king.
Structure
The halflings of House Ghallanda have long dominated the hospitality industry by means of charm, skill, and dragonmark magic. A majority of the inns, taverns, and restaurants of the Five Nations are licensed by House Ghallanda’s Hostelers Guild.
When Ghallanda spread to civilized lands, it adopted the dragonmarked hierarchy established by House Sivis and House Cannith. Every region is governed by a council of viceroys, and Patriarch Yoren d’Ghallanda leads the house from Gatherhold in the Talenta Plains. One of the oddities of the house is that viceroys often maintain businesses of their own. Yoren himself is a master chef, and spends almost as much time in the kitchens of his great hall as he does in the council chambers.
The Wandering Inn is largely isolated from the main house. The halflings of the inn abhor the idea of settling in cities, while house heirs outside the plains often consider the life of the Inn to be rough and uncivilized. Young halflings are sometimes drawn to explore the path on the opposite side of the house, though, and these ambassadors keep the bonds between the Inn and the main house strong.
Culture
Your house has little tradition of adventure. You were raised to appreciate comfort, conversation, good drink, and hot food—not to wield a blade or smite enemies with force and fire. Do not make the easy mistake of assuming that all members of your house are good or altruistic, however. Social connections are valuable tools, and the man who is friends with the crime lord, the merchant, and the king has three powerful weapons for dealing with his enemies. You might be a charming and witty fellow who loves nothing more than a good chat—or you might be a calculating individual using your family’s reputation to help you win allies who will serve you one day.
Ghallanda halfl ings have never bothered with family names. Though the original Ghallanda tribe was formed from dozens of different families, the names of these original tribes were abandoned within a generation of the Mark of Hospitality’s first appearance.
On the Plains, an older hierarchy endures in the form of the Wandering Inn. The Ghallanda halflings who make up this traveling fair follow the ways of their tribal ancestors, providing a nomadic place of refuge for the Talenta halfl ings living outside Gatherhold’s walls. Though the Wandering Inn seldom leaves the plains, small splinter groups carrying on its traditions have been encountered in Q’barra and Valenar in recent years. Tales are even told of weary adventurers fleeing the Mournland who have stumbled upon a bright wagon of the Wandering Inn and the safety of the Mordenkainen’s magnificent mansion inside.
Public Agenda
House Ghallanda is one of the most widespread dragonmarked houses. It maintains enclaves, but not on the scale of a massive Cannith forgehold or one of the Phiarlan demesnes. Instead, its families are spread across hundreds of inns and hostels, any of which can serve as a temporary shelter for a wandering heir. More than any other house, Ghallanda is a ubiquitous presence in the world. Even if a village doesn’t have a tavern run by an actual Ghallanda heir, there’s a decent chance it has a Ghallanda-licensed inn or hostel, even in Darguun or Droaam. Adventurers who build a relationship with the house can find allies across Khorvaire, while those who offend an innkeeper do so at their peril. A Ghallanda bartender might not pose a physical threat, but the conversations he has heard and the friends he has made give him far more influence than an adventurer might expect.
Though House Ghallanda does not run every inn or restaurant, the cheerful halfl ing barkeep is a common fixture in central Khorvaire. In the wild regions in and around the plains, adventurers might find assistance from members of the Wandering Inn. The house’s interest in networking can make a Ghallanda heir a valuable contact. If the adventurers manage to earn the friendship of a Ghallanda innkeeper, they might discover a connection to the black market, a friend of the captain of the city guard, or an envoy capable of arranging a meeting with the mayor. However, an innkeeper who does favors for the party typically asks favors in return, often on behalf of his other friends.
Assets
House Ghallanda’s oldest and most important enclave is the great hall of Gatherhold, on the edge of the Talenta Plains. Located on the eastern shore of Lake Cyre, this area has long been a border between the Five Nations and the eastern wilds. In the aftermath of the Day of Mourning, the hall became a haven for the adventurers and scholars exploring the eastern Mournland.
Gatherhold is an ancient cliff dwelling, filled with tunnels and warrens carved into the rocky hills that run along the lake. Patriarch Yoren presides over a great hall at the center of the town, but House Ghallanda maintains the entire community for the nomadic tribes who come and go with the seasons.
History
The Mark of Hospitality manifested among the nomadic halflings of the Talenta Plains approximately thirty-two hundred years ago. For those accustomed to the hard life of the plains, the powers of the mark were a boon. The halflings knew nothing of the Draconic Prophecy, concluding instead that the marks were a divine blessing, and that those so blessed were obliged to use this gift to help others in need. The majority of marked halflings chose to follow this call, coming together to form a new tribe. A number of ancient Talenta legends involved blink dogs helping stranded travelers, and the tribe drew on this tradition when they adopted the name of Ghallanda, a Halfling word that roughly translates as “helpful hound who appears where needed the most.”
For centuries, halflings of the Ghallanda tribe roamed the Talenta Plains, offering food and shelter to the needy. They sponsored glorious feasts for the heroes of the plains, standing apart from feuds and tribal conflicts. The helpful hounds were welcome in every camp and
assisted people of all tribes.
The Rise of House Ghallanda
Karrn soldiers first explored the Talenta Plains when Karrn the Conqueror sought to spread his rule across all Khorvaire. The Talenta halflings were puzzled by these large and unwieldy creatures, but the Ghallanda tribe had vowed to help all who were in need. Soldiers returned with tales of little people using magical marks to conjure food and castles from the air. These tales intrigued the other dragonmarked families, and House Cannith and House Sivis organized a joint expedition that led them to discover both the Ghallanda and Jorasco dragonmarked. Despite their altruistic traditions, the elders of the Ghallanda were no fools. Even those who desired to leave the plains and explore foreign lands did not intend to do so as servants. They agreed to work with the other houses, provided those houses would help them find a foothold in their lands. After much negotiating, House Ghallanda was born.Ghallanda in the Modern Age
It took some time for House Ghallanda to spread its roots. Many humans considered the halflings to be cousins to the goblins, who were largely oppressed and enslaved at the time. The Ghallanda halfl ings had often served as mediators in their homelands, and they used their skill and charm at every level of society as they carved out a niche in the young Five Nations. During the conflict of the War of the Mark, the Ghallanda halflings proved their worth by supplying and supporting dragonmarked forces in the field. This effort gained them the support of the other houses and secured their place among the Twelve. Over the next thousand years, House Ghallanda spread across Khorvaire, and today it is one of the most trusted houses in the land. Though some claim that House Cannith caused the Day of Mourning, or blame House Deneith for the Darguun uprising, few people have harsh words for the halfl ings of Ghallanda—at least as long as the ale is flowing.Welcome, welcome! So good to see you again.
Type
Geopolitical, Great house
Alternative Names
Halfling House of Hospitality
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Controlled Territories
Related Species
