House Sivis
People often underestimate the value of a carefully chosen word, but not the gnomes of House Sivis. Language drives the wealth and power of this house, and Sivis has changed the shape of communication in the modern age. It is the arcane mark of a Sivis scribe that
proves the worth of a Kundarak letter of credit, and the speaking stones of House Sivis that allow an Aundairian sage to contact his brother in Q’barra. Whether serving as translators, mediators, or conduits for long-distance communication, the heirs of House
Sivis build bridges between people, nations, and cultures. House Sivis has long served as a stabilizing force among the dragonmarked houses, and has maintained its reputation for absolute neutrality for nearly three thousand years.
The Impartial Voice
The society of Zilargo has long revolved around houses: alliances of families wielding great social power. Sivis was an established house even before the Mark of Scribing appeared among its members. Though the mark originally manifested in only a few of the bloodlines within the house, it has since spread to all the Sivis families. The gnomes are a race touched by magic and driven by curiosity, and the bards and sages of Sivis worked quickly to unlock the mark’s full potential. Recognizing the risk of being ostracized for the power they held, the Sivis dragonmarked also sought to make themselves useful to Zil society, even as they distanced themselves from the politics of those they served. In this, they laid the foundation for what would become the standard for the dragonmarked houses: mercantile forces whose neutrality increased their commercial power. Within a few centuries, House Sivis spread to other lands, where its heirs’ skills as translators and linguists proved invaluable to the young nations of Khorvaire. Many Sivis gnomes claim that their house was responsible for the refinement and spread of the Common tongue from the Old Common of the earliest Sarlonan migrants. As House Sivis spread beyond Zilargo, it made contact with the leaders of the newly created Dragonmarked houses, helping to establish the common traditions shared by the houses to this day. As time passed, Sivis would play a critical role in discovering new dragonmarked bloodlines and helping the younger houses establish a foothold in the world. Of all the houses, Sivis has historically had the most interest in the draconic Prophecy and the role of the dragonmarked houses within it. Ever since Alder d’Cannith’s assertion that twelve contemporary dragonmarks would one day be found in Eberron, the sages of Sivis searched for the missing marks. Despite its influence, House Sivis has never sought to dominate the houses, instead working to be a friend and ally to all. Of course, the gnomes are a subtle people, and many dragonmarked wonder if the vaunted neutrality of House Sivis is not in fact a mask shrouding a far-reaching hidden agenda. Though the sending ability of the Sivis heirs has always been treasured, the house’s greatest turning point was the development of the speaking stone in 783 YK. Conceived by Tasker Torralyn d’Sivis and developed by the Twelve, the speaking stone allows Sivis heirs who carry the least mark of the house to transmit messages between stones. In 789 YK, the first Sivis message stations appeared in the capital cities of the Five Nations. Since that time, they have multiplied and spread across Khorvaire. Today, the house continues as it always has, doing its part to stabilize a world torn apart by war. Though some are quick to write off the importance of a house of scribes, Sivis is an invaluable, integral part of modern civilization.Structure
A council of 9 administrators oversees operations in each of the nations; each council sends one representative to the High Council of Korranberg, which manages the affairs of the house across Khorvaire.
House Sivis goes to great lengths to preserve its position as an impartial force in the world. Most encounters with the House are simply when they need its services. At the same time, the gnomes are driven by a thirst for knowledge, a desire for order, and their own maze of internal intrigues – any of which could draw House Sivis into the spotlight.
House Sivis was instrumental in standardizing the system of viceroys, ministers, and seneschals that forms the backbone of dragonmarked hierarchy. Beneath this, the house employs a dizzying array of titles and offices that are largely cosmetic in nature. When two viceroys meet, the Bearer of the Thirteenth Word has a slight social advantage over the Bearer of the Fourteenth Word but both are still viceroys. Some of these honors can be granted or transferred by a viceroy, some require the intervention of the matriarch, and some are based entirely on social custom. For example, any heir who invents a new idiom is entitled to the honorific “Wordsmith.”
House Sivis is composed of twelve families, including the Torralyns, Severins, Lyrrimans, Syrralans, Corralyns, and Santors. Political games can be found at all levels of the house, and even a house matriarch can be replaced if a sufficient number of viceroys stand against her. The stability of the house takes precedence over personal ambition, though, and the current matriarch Doyenne Lysse Lyrriman d’Sivis has held her post ably for some ninety years.
Public Agenda
To expand their services to every nation within Khorvaire.
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