House Phiarlan

The world at large knows the elves of House Phiarlan as entertainers of the highest order. This role is not simply a cover for the secret work of the house, but a tradition that dates back tens of thousands of years. For many members of the house, it is the only trade they follow.

Though stories abound that attest the elves of Phiarlan are spies and assassins, the people of Khorvaire treat these as children’s tales. Phiarlan’s virtuous performers are known across the continent for their talents—who would believe that they sneak offstage and kill people during intermission? In a world that includes changelings, doppelgangers, and rakshasas, people have enough real spies to worry about.

In truth, House Phiarlan controls one of the finest intelligence networks in Khorvaire, but these services are available only to guildmasters, nobles, and others the house recognizes as players in the great game of politics and power. How do the twin paths of entertainment and espionage converge? To understand the present, one must look to the past.

Structure

The elves of House Phiarlan carry the Mark of Shadow, and they use the powers of this mark for entertainment and espionage. House Phiarlan dominates the entertainment trade in Aundair, Breland, and Thrane. In addition to this peaceful work, it maintains a massive intelligence network that stretches across Khorvaire. The house sells information and intelligence-gathering services to the most powerful people in the Five Nations

Public Agenda

Taken as a whole, House Phiarlan is a neutral organization. Though its spies frequently engage in illegal activities in the course of their duties, Phiarlan operatives respect the overall structure of society. Like their ancestors, the leaders of the house see themselves as agents of balance, evening the odds between opponents and exposing conflicts that would otherwise fester and grow. The elves of House Phiarlan practice hundreds of different styles of song, dance, and other arts, covering both the ancient traditions of Xen’drik and the modern styles of Khorvaire. Long before the house was formed, the early phiarlans divided the arts into five disciplines, with the greatest masters and teachers of each settling in the five major enclaves of the house, known as demesnes.

Assets

The five artistic demesnes, along with the hidden citadel of the Serpentine Table, are the most important centers of house activity. House Phiarlan has outposts across Breland, Aundair, and Thrane. Where it does not have an enclave, it often maintains a presence at the local Gold Dragon Inn, sharing costs and resources with House Ghallanda. The Serpentine Table also maintains hidden safe houses in cities across Khorvaire. Since the Shadow Schism, House Phiarlan has been forced to leave Karrnath and the northeast in the hands of House Thuranni. To make up for this loss of territory, it has been working to explore potential markets in the Eldeen Reaches, Valenar, and Darguun, with somewhat limited success

Disbandment

Toward the end of the Last War, a bitter feud broke out between the major families of the house. Known as the Shadow Schism, it resulted in a split withinin Phiarlan--and the foundation of House Thuranni.

DISBANDED/DISSOLVED

We are the shadow—the border between light and darkness. We are not simply spies or assassins. We are agents of balance, and through our dance, we shape the future.

The Mark of Shadow lets an elf weave illusions, crafting magic to distract or delight. It also allows its bearer to sculpt shadows, making it easy to avoid detection.

Type

Political, Family

Leader

Elvinor Elorrenthi d'Phiarlan