House Vadalis

House Vadalis is arguably the most innocuous of the dragonmarked houses. Its gifts do not win battles or drive the commerce of nations; the house was not instrumental in the Last War or in establishing the traditions of the houses. Its mark allows it to better care for and control animals; while useful, this ability is hardly the stuff of legend. Yet somehow, this inconspicuous house carries more than its share of controversy. During the War of the Mark, it was rumored that House Vadalis bred arcane beasts so horrifying that they were later banned and destroyed. Valenar refuses to allow Vadalis heirs to even enter the country, and the house’s bonding of magic with nature alternately inspires wonder or hostility among the people of Khorvaire.

Family Business

The dragonmarked houses consist of extended families – separate bloodlines that all trace back to a common ancestry. However, the sheer size of most houses means that few house members can claim any sort of relationship outside their immediate family unit within the house. House Vadalis is the exception to this rule. While the other houses have done their best to increase their size and influence on Khorvaire, House Vadalis has taken almost the opposite stance. Every Vadalis heir over the age of 10 can recite his family lineage on both sides for several generations. This is not a matter of rote memorization for the purpose of pride, but information that sees daily use. Through this knowledge, any heirs of House Vadalis can determine their exact relationship to one another within an hour’s time. This in turn creates a strong bond between them. It is one thing to work alongside someone who shares your name, but another to aid your grandmother’s sister’s great-grandson – at least to a Vadalis heir. House Vadalis is a family first and a business second. Commercial deals that might threaten the larger family unit are ignored, while plans with less profit that accommodate the house’s structure are taken up instead. The other houses are routinely astounded by the Vadalis way, often ridiculing the house’s limited wealth and influence, but Vadalis simply takes a different view of the world. In their minds, no one of their blood is a stranger, and no amount of money can take the place of kin.

Structure

House Vadalis is a dragonmarked house of humans who carry the Mark of Handling in their bloodlines. They run the Handlers Guild, devoted to breeding, selling, caring for, and training animals throughout Khorvaire. Originating in the Eldeen Reaches, Vadalis is the only human dragonmarked house to keep its center of operations outside the Five Nations. Its members are content to serve the small cities, towns, and rural areas largely ignored by other houses.