House Cannith
House Cannith is a human Dragonmarked House whose members are well known for their innovation and advancements in technology. They are responsible for technological wonders such as the Warforged and the Lightning Rail. House Cannith provides repair services and the house's gorgon mark is a known and trusted symbol that appears on magical and mundane items. Through past wars, Cannith have become the most politically powerful dragonmarked house.
Dragonmark
House Cannith possesses the Mark of Making. This mark grants various magical benefits that allow its bearers to infuse items with magic or even repair them, giving Cannith an advantage in the manufacturing arena.
History
Some 2,500 years ago, the Mark of Making made its first appearances on the artisans and craftsmen of ancient Cyre . This soon led to the formulation of Clan Cannith and, through their natural inventiveness and the power of their marks, they created their own jurisdictions within Cyre and central Khorvaire.
Around 1,500 years ago, the War of the Mark began and Cannith was an active and enthusiastic participant, though involved more heavily in trade and manufacturing than combat. It was during this war that Cannith discovered the Mark of Detection dragonmark and soon after the brelish half-elves who possessed it became House Medani. After the war, Cannith emerged as a super-power among the houses and used that influence to bring the other houses together to form The Twelve. They allied with the elemental binders of Zilargo and the scions of House Lyrandar to create the first elemental sea vessels. Charged by their overwhelmingly successful project, the magewrights of House Cannith collaborated with House Orien to create the lightning rail. The project was finished in 811 YK, connecting Flamekeep and Fairhaven. Seemingly on a roll with their past successes, House Sivis sought out the help of Cannith to create the message stations.
When the Last War broke out, Cannith was ready to reap the benefits and acted as an arms dealer to all nations. They amassed a great fortune in gold, rivaling that of House Kundarak. They also gained something more valuable than money: political power. The Five Nations became so reliant on Cannith weapons that the availability of their goods began to affect how each nation made policy decisions, giving the dragonmarked house unprecedented political advantage.
The first warforged soldiers marched out of Cannith's forgehold at Whitehearth in 965 YK. But simply supplying weapons and armor was not enough for the ambitious Cannith; they would also supply the soldiers to wield them. By the end of the war. House Cannith was believed to be the most powerful dragonmarked house.
That ended on the Day of Mourning in 994 YK. The disaster that destroyed Cyre also destroyed the Whitehearth forgehold and its wealth, knowledge, and resources and inhabitants. Among the casualties were the Cannith patriarch Baron Starrin d'Cannith and many of the House's heirs.
Starrin's death caused a succession crisis within House Cannith, as his appointed successor was his only son, Norran d'Cannith, who also perished in the Mourning. With the house in disarray and with so many high-ranking officials suddenly dead, no one still within the house could come to a fair or just vote. Three rivals within the house each rose to claim the title, each one seeking to rule the powerful house.
After the war, matters only got worse for Cannith. The Treaty of Thronehold not only liberated the warforged, but also banned Cannith from creating any more. With the end of the war came the end of Cannith's role as an international arms dealer and some of their political influence ended with it.
The leaders of House Cannith today have become incredibly determined to restore their power and wealth leading to bitter rivalry amongst the leaders. At any given moment, the inventors of House Cannith are hard at work in secret laboratories, relentlessly working to out-do their past creations and create Eberron's next technological revolution.
Hierarchy
The ruling leader of House Cannith is called a Patriarch or Matriarch. The last Patriarch was Starrin d'Cannith. His only heir died along with him on the Day of Mourning, complicating the line of succession. Three heirs stepped up to claim the title: Merrix, Zorlan, and Jorlanna. None could claim a majority of supporters, so the House has split into three factions, each supporting one of the heirs: Cannith South, Cannith East, and Cannith West, respectively.
Merrix d'Cannith controls Cannith South and though he is the youngest of the three and has the weakest familial connection to Starrin, his rivals are wary of his incredible talents as an artificer and his driving ambition.
Jorlanna d'Cannith rules Cannith West and has the strongest family tie to Starrin, being a direct descendant of Starrin and his second wife Elsabet. However, Jorlanna is plagued by a scandalous past, and despite her many allies, both Merrix and Zorlan do not believe she has enough will or influence over the people of the house to take leadership.
Zorlan d'Cannith presides over Cannith East and is well known for being a prudent businessman as well as a capable advisor to the late Starrin. Zorlan has powerful allies in Karrnath, but this may also be his biggest hindrance, as some within the house feel he has become jaded by Karrnathi influence.
Business
House Cannith produces mundane fine wares that, although crafted using magic, are not magical items. Items that are created by House Cannith are marked with the House's gorgon symbol, a symbol known to indicate quality and value. Cannith creates all sorts of items such as watertight barrels, horseshoes, and sword hilts. Cannith operates very few retail establishments; the Fabricator's Guild prefers to leave the selling to merchants so they can focus on production. Despite this, Cannith still dominates commerce and industry in Khorvaire. Cannith's Tinkers Guild enlists roaming tinkers to provide repair services for broken goods, and Cannith magewrights are needed for the production of various elemental machines.
Guilds
- Fabricator's Guild
- Tinkers Guild
- Magewrights Guild
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