House Thuranni
Though the Mark of Shadow was the first of the dragonmarks to appear, the elves of Thuranni are the youngest of the dragonmarked houses. Like their cousins in House Phiarlan, the Thuranni lead double lives. Known among the general populace as fine artists and courtiers, they are equally well known among the knowledgeable elite as purveyors of secrets and dark deeds. In a short time (especially by elven reckoning), the Thuranni Shadow Network has grown to rival and even eclipse its parent sect, the Serpentine Table of House Phiarlan. In espionage and undercover work, agents of the new house have as good a reputation as their Phiarlan brethren. In assassination, House Thuranni has a distinct and dangerous edge—one that makes many within the dragonmarked houses uneasy.
The Korth Edicts demand that the dragonmarked houses maintain strict neutrality with regard to the political concerns of the land. However, the work of espionage is, by its nature, inextricably linked with the affairs of nations and their partisan concerns. For that
reason above all others, existing conflicts within House Phiarlan grew out of control, ultimately leading to House Thuranni’s break from the rest of the house in 972 YK—an event now known as the Shadow Schism.
Eyes of All Nations
Before the start of the Last War, House Phiarlan had a comfortable working relationship with the heirs of Galifar who sat on the thrones of the Five Nations. The house helped them to maintain order in the kingdom, uncover treasonous conspiracies, and guard against any threat from outside Khorvaire. Phiarlan assassins removed insurgent leaders and other internal threats. On more than one occasion, House Phiarlan helped to enforce the strange laws of inheritance, such as the ones which prevented the eldest child of Breland’s king from ever succeeding to Breland’s throne. There were occasions, even in a unified Galifar, when the rulers of the Five Nations plotted against each other and even against their sovereign, and House Phiarlan was often involved in those schemes. Nascent organizations that would eventually grow into Breland’s King’s Citadel, Aundair’s Royal Eyes, and the like relied heavily on intelligence purchased from House Phiarlan. With the death of King Jarot, the best efforts of House Phiarlan were no longer able to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, and Khorvaire was plunged into a century of warfare. Each of the Five Nations built up its own corps of covert agents and set them to work against the spies of enemy nations, while continuing to rely heavily on Phiarlan intelligence. A house that was more strongly unified to begin with might have been able to remain united even under such circumstances, but House Phiarlan had always been fractious. The Mark of Shadow appeared not in one family line but in several, and relations among the Phiarlan lines had been strained in the past. Five lines—the Tialaen, Shol, Elorrenthi, Thuranni, and Paelion—were the most prominent and influential families in House Phiarlan before the schism. Each line had its particular strengths within the broad field of the house’s activities, and preferred clients among the factions and organizations of the Five Nations. Rivalry among those six lines, not to mention the numerous smaller lines within the house hierarchy, often grew fierce. Ultimately, the strains of the Last War proved to be greater than the ties that bound the Phiarlan families together.History
During the early years of the Last War House Thuranni's members were still a part of House Phiarlan and carried out many assassination contracts. The Thuranni family were mainly based in north-western Khorvaire and much of its work was performed in Karrnath. It worked closely with the Emerald Claw during these years. House Phiarlan was contracted to assassinate the rivals of Galifar heirs and would-be usurpers, however it was the intelligence gathering which put the house under intense pressure as these requests came from all nations and factions.
Due to the sheer volume of these contracts many of the dragonmarked elves families found themselves working at cross-purposes and directly competing with each other. Many lost their neutrality and developed loyalty to particular clients and nations. In 972 YK Thuranni family assassins turned on another House Phiarlan family, the Paelion family. Few members of the Paelion family survived the attempted extermination and those who did went into hiding. The leader of the House Phiarlan, Baron Elvinor Elorrenthi d'Phiarlan condemned the actions of the Thuranni family and called for the excoriation of them, however Elar Thuranni refused the judgement and declared his family as a new house. The debate as to whether Thuranni would become a new house was fierce and lasted for years, however the Twelve eventually agreed in favor of Thuranni.
This is the officially documented story of the Shadow Schism, although many have pointed out missing information such as the cause for the Paelion family massacre. Baron Elar has claimed to have uncovered a plot hatched by the Paelions to assassinate dragonmarked heirs and kings, and thus attempted to exterminate them. There is a conspiracy that the Shadow Schism was planned and that Baron Elar and Baron Elvinor agreed to split the house and use the Paelions as a scape goat. If this is true, then what could be the reason?
Only from the shadows can one see clearly. Illumination waits for those who dare to step out of the light.
Founding Date
972 YK
Type
Information Network
Leader
Location
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
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