House Sivis: History

During the golden age of the Empire of Dhakaan, the region south of the Howling Peaks and west of the Seawall Mountains was a seat of knowledge. The city that preceded Korranberg was the site of the Imperial archives and the greatest college of the Duur’kala. This area was hit especially hard during the final days of the Daelkyr incursion. While Dyrrn the Corruptor prepared the ritual that would destroy the Dar bond to the Uul Dhakaan, two other Daelkyr unleashed devastating linguistic assaults on this area. Belashyra released a curse that caused written words to evolve, every document twisting into its own unique cypher. And the Crawling Queen, Valaara, released wasp-like creatures the Dhakaani named volaaganti, “word eaters.” The venom of the Volaaganti infects the victim with a new language that replaces all previous languages known by the victim. Every Volaaganti queen possesses a unique language—unique to each queen, not just to her lineage—so as the word-wasps spread across the region they broke down the common language of the Empire and created countless lesser tongues. Even as the Kapaa’vola broke the bond that united the Dhakaani, the word eaters destroyed the shared language of the Seawall Dar and the shifting script severed them from their records. Amid this chaos, the forces of Xoriat butchered the bulk of the Dar population of the region. When the Gatekeeper seals bound the Daelkyr in Khyber, most of their creations retreated into the depths with them. But all that remained of the Dar were ruined cities and vaults full of twisted words. 

This is what the gnomes inherited—the foundation of what is now Zilargo. During the Age of Dhakaan the gnomes hid in the depths of the Shimmerwood Forest and dark corners of the Seawall Mountains. In the centuries following the downfall of Dhakaan, the gnomes emerged and laid claims to the Dar ruins. Three distinct city-states rose in the region, each one an alliance of powerful houses. In Korranberg, House Sivis held Raat Tohesh, the subterranean facility that had once been the college of the Duur’kala. The vaults of the Raat Tohesh held countless precious secrets, but all were warped by the shifting script of Belashyrra. The wordsmiths of House Sivis had three specialities. On one side, Sivis translators picked apart the endless ciphers of the shifting script so scribes of the House could duplicate anything of value. And on the other side, Sivis interpreters and mediators worked together to facilitate communication in a region scarred by the word eaters. While the gnomes managed to exterminate the Volaaganti, the struggle left every house and many families speaking languages with no common roots—languages shaped by Xoriat rather than natural evolution. Skilled translators and interpreters were in high demand, and the gnomes of House Sivis had a remarkable gift for linguistics. 

House Korran was the greatest power within Korranberg; they had claimed the ruins of the Imperial Archives, which Dorius Alyre used as the foundations of his legendary library. Sivis and Korran had long been involved in a linguistic arms race, each digging deeper into their Dhakaani vaults in search of valuable secrets. When Loran Lyrriman Sivis developed the Mark of Scribing, it was thought to be a singular wonder—the influence of Syrania or a blessing from one of the Thousand Gods. Then Sahra Syrralan Sivis manifested the Mark of Scribing, soon followed by Magys Magan. As soon as it was confirmed that the Mark could be passed on, House Korran desperately sought to make matches with House Sivis in order to inherit this blessing, but they were too late. House Sivis recognized the treasure that had fallen into its lap, and had no intention of sharing. Sivis was happy to sell the services of its scribes to the great houses of Korranberg, but they jealously guarded their remarkable gift. Sivis interpreters had long been considered to be the best in service; now they were invaluable. It was a dangerous road, to be certain. The other houses of Korranberg were jealous, and more than once an alliance of families contemplated the destruction of House Sivis. The leaders of House Sivis were able to deflect this by emphasizing their own absolute neutrality and lack of ambition—declaring that they wished to be useful to all, while holding dominion over none. With that said, many scholars believe that Sivis interpreters may have used their positions to carefully exacerbate conflicts among the other Houses, ensuring that they’d focus hostility on these perceived enemies rather than the neutral Sivis. It’s a hard thing to prove, however, as most historical documents from that time were recorded by Sivis scribes…

So House Sivis flourished, but there was always the lingering fear that the jealousy of their peers would boil over into deadly action. It was at this time that the news of other Dragonmarked families began to trickle in. Gnome merchants brought news from Aerenal of the rise and fall of the Line of Vol, and soon after that the Phiarlan elves came to Khorvaire. Tarlian sages were fascinated by the mystery of the Dragonmarks, while the Lyrrimans saw a value in allying with other Dragonmarked before they too suffered the fate of the Line of Vol. Sivis envoys traveled across Khorvaire, seeking out other Marks. They quickly formed an alliance with Cannith and Deneith. The Twelve wouldn’t be formally recognized until after the War of the Mark, but the Lyrrimans established the blueprint for the alliance—as well as convincing the leaders of Deneith and Cannith to follow their example and restructure themselves as Houses. Sivis continued its aggressive outreach program, drawing in Orien, Jorasco, Lyrandar, and Ghallanda. It was also in this period that Sivis enacted its most ambitious project yet: the development and dissemination of the Common tongue. Blending elements of the trade language of the Sarlonan immigrants with a handful of the House languages of the gnomes and some entirely artificial structures, House Sivis created a language that was remarkably easy to learn and spread. Sivis heirs taught Common across Khorvaire. With the aid of Deneith, Canith, and Ghallanda, Common spread quickly—first as a trade language, but steadily taking root and edging out countless regional languages which are now all but forgotten. Today, almost everyone in the Five Nations speaks Common; few have any idea that it was a Sivis invention.  

The next chapter in the history of House Sivis has been expunged from the annals of history. Accounts of the period 600 to 700 years before the rise of Galifar go into great detail about the leadership of Vown and Denieth, the families that rallied the Houses to fight the War of the Mark. But these chronicles—copied and spread by Sivis scribes—say remarkably little about the actions of House Sivis in this time. The details have been buried, but a scholar who carefully studies the record can see the shape formed by the absences and draw a simple conclusion: House Sivis was responsible for the War of the Mark. Sivis leaders believed the Houses needed a shared enemy to cement their alliance, and concluded that by vilifying the Aberrant Dragonmarks they could also cast the House Marks as the “True” Dragonmarks. It was Sivis that promoted the idea that the House Marks were blessings of Siberys while Aberrant Marks were the curse of Khyber. Aberrant Dragonmarks are dangerous, and many of those carrying such marks endured tragedy before mastering their powers. A handful of cases were truly horrific; the Lady of the Plague was responsible for thousands of deaths. Sivis seized on these stories, exaggerating them and spreading them, turning legitimate fear into deadly panic. During the War of the Mark, most commoners gladly helped Deneith forces track down Aberrant forces, because they truly believed the Sentinels were protecting them from a terrible threat… and that is the work of House Sivis. 

It’s possible the leaders of House Sivis didn’t realize what they were setting in motion. Perhaps they only meant to bolster the reputation of the “True” Marks. Certainly, it was Cannith and Deneith that outfitted the Sentinels and initiated hostilities. What is certain is that it was House Sivis that set events in motion, and that they felt a need to expunge the record of their actions. It’s up to the DM to decide if the leaders of House Sivis buried their deeds because they were ashamed of the outcome—or if they were proud of their work and simply wished to conceal the extent of their influence. There’s no obvious parallels to this whispering campaign in the subsequent history of House Sivis, so it’s possible that they truly were horrified by what they’d done and swore never to take such an action again. Certainly, the subsequent history of House Sivis has no obvious parallels to this terrible action. Throughout the history of Galifar, House Sivis was known for its absolute reliability and neutrality, showing no signs of ambition. House Sivis has been a helpful partner to many other Houses. It played a key role in bringing House Kundarak and House Tharashk into the Twelve. Sivis has been closely aligned with House Kundarak since its inception, but every House employs Sivis scribes and accountants. Likewise, Sivis is so trusted that commanders and kings used its services for secret communications during the Last War. Most people believe that House Sivis is absolutely dedicated to its work. And perhaps this is the case. Perhaps the War of the Mark is a single shameful moment in history, one that drove the House to a better place. Or perhaps they’ve simply gotten better at concealing their manipulations, and they simply haven’t left such obvious footprints with their subsequent actions. 

While House Cannith loves to take the spotlight, House Sivis has played a vital role in ensuring the prosperity of the Twelve. House Sivis has always sought ways to improve the fortunes of all Houses, and Sivis mediators are always working to resolve disputes between Houses and enclaves. House Sivis has also long sought to learn more about the Dragonmarks themselves. While it’s House Cannith that builds most focus items, Sivis sages play a crucial role in research and theoretical development. House Sivis is known for its constant internal intrigues, but it has been a solid, reliable partner to the other Houses in the Twelve… or so it seems. 

Looking to recent history, the most crucial date in the history of House Sivis is the 3rd of Olarune, 783 YK. This is the day that Tasker Torralyn d’Sivis tested the first pair of Speaking Stones, dramatically amplifying the range and speed of a Sivis heir’s Whispering Wind. Six years later, House Sivis opened its first message stations; some say that the world became a smaller place that year. In 998 YK Speaking Stones are an important part of everyday life, and the Sivis think tank known as Tasker’s Dream is working to find a way to do for Sending what Tasker did for Whispering Wind. 

House Sivis remained scrupulously neutral throughout the Last War. While Zilargo was a strong ally of Breland, there’s no evidence that House Sivis showed any special favor to the Bear. Most major fortifications of all nations maintained Sivis message stations, and Sivis Whisperers could accompany scouts, using Whispering Wind to send reports back to a command post. But Sivis leadership has no love of war and harbors no doubts that it will prosper in peacetime, and the House celebrated the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold. 

What Happens Next?  

House Sivis has always been a stable house that takes pride in the reliability and security of its services. Traditionally, it channels its love of intrigue into internal rivalries—but those rivalries are friendlier than those seen in House Cannith, and heirs are careful not to threaten the overall stability of the House with their schemes. But there’s always the possibility for adventure; here’s a few seeds to work with. 

• The Rival. The heirs of House Sivis are always competing for titles and honors within the House. If an adventurer is part of the House, they should work with the DM to develop their nemesis—a Sivis heir they’ve been competing with since childhood. This rival doesn’t want to hurt the adventurer, but they want to embarrass them or to outshine them. Any meeting should be a duel of words and wits; who said it best? In addition, the DM could drop secondary goals into an adventure that are irrelevant to anyone except the heir. If the adventurers are exploring a Dhakaani ruin, the Sivis heir might know that there’s a standing bounty on any records of unknown Duur’kala songs. If the heir can find any songs, they’ll earn recognition in the House. But their rival also wants this honor! Might the rival show up in the ruin themselves? Will they try to steal whatever the adventurer finds? Or might they have even planted a fake song in the ruins that will embarrass the adventuring heir if they turn it in without noticing? An important element here is that however bitter it might get, this is still a friendly rivalry. Neither rival wants to actually hurt the other; if the rival was to die, the game would be over! 

• Language is a Virus. Working with House Vadalis, a member of Tasker’s Dream manages to recreate the Volaaganti. Anyone stung by a Volaagant has all of their known languages replaced by a single new language. When the Volaaganti break free from containment, chaos ensues. Adventurers arrive in a small town to find that all of the inhabitants are speaking an alien language; if there’s multiple strains of Volaaganti, there could be competing languages within the populace. Can the adventurers find a way to contain the Volaaganti? Can the effects of their venom be reversed? What happens if the adventurers themselves are stung by different Volaaganti and divided by language? 

• The Bond. Tasker’s Dream pays one of the adventurers to field test a new form of Telepathic Bond—a version of the spell that should last for a week. The adventurer has a telepathic bond with a Sivis sage, who will provide commentary and advice over the course of an adventurer. Initially, this may be annoying or useful; the sage has expertise in History and Arcana and could provide helpful advice. The twist is that the sage is kidnapped by a Cult of the Dragon Below who intends to twist the Telepathic Bond, using it to spread Dyrrn’s corruption. The adventurers have to rescue the sage before it’s too late. But they have no idea where the cult is; to find it, they must decipher the clues the Sage can send through the bond. 

• The Fugitive. House Sivis takes the security of its clients very seriously, and never abuses the secrets entrusted to its messengers. But an heir of the House has gone rogue, and they know a host of dangerous secrets that could be used to blackmail important people across Khorvaire and embarrass House Sivis. The rogue heir is prepared to deal with Oversight and agents of Sivis—and so the House turns to a small band of capable adventurers to track down the fugitive. The key question: what does the fugitive want? Are they just seeking wealth and power? Or are they negotiating with Sivis, holding the secrets hostage until their demands are met? Could this entire thing be about who gets to be the Keeper of the Eighth Word? 

• The Mark of Demons. Throughout its history, House Sivis has always been driven by curiosity. It was Sivis explorers who discovered House Tharashk and House Ghallanda, and even today there are agents of the House searching for new revelations about Dragonmarks or language. Today, a Sivis explorer wants to investigate rumors of a new Dragonmark that’s manifested within a Carrion Tribe in the Demon Wastes. The House considers this ludicrous and dangerous and won’t support an expedition—so the explorer needs to work with a team of adventurers. Could there be a new Dragonmark in the Wastes, and if so, what does this mean? Is this new Mark replacing the Mark of Death? Or is the assumption that there can only be thirteen Dragonmarks entirely false? Or… could this “new Dragonmark” be a trick, a dangerous hoax created by Hektula the Scribe? What does the Mark do, and what will it take to work with those who carry it?  

• Dangerous Dreams. Occasionally, an heir of the Greater Mark of Scribing develops the ability to manipulate dreams. Tasker’s Dream has been trying to harness this gift—but something has gone terribly wrong. A dreaming heir is in a coma, and the sages are concerned that their dream is expanding—pulling other sleepers in and leaving them comatose as well. Is this the work of the Quori or a curious Night Hag, or is it the dreamer themselves who seeks to craft an empire in Dal Quor? Tasker’s Dream needs adventurers to utilize experimental magic that should allow them to enter the dreamer’s nightmare—but no one knows how death in the dream will affect them! 

• Keepers of the Word. The central enclave of House Sivis was once a college of Dirge Singers, and the vaults still hold Dhakaani lore hidden beneath Belashyrra’s shifting script. There’s something in those vaults that the Kech Volaar are desperate to recover—songs of Jhazaal Dhakaan that could grant great power to a Volaar Bard. How far will the Heirs of Dhakaan go to recover these ancient secrets? If the adventurers get involved, whose side will they be on? 

• The Long Con. House Sivis has always been helpful and reliable, maintaining a neutral stance on all conflicts. It seems to have no grand ambitions beyond improving communication and acquiring knowledge. But what if it’s all a very long con? There are rumors that House Sivis is the true power behind the Trust and as such, that they are the de facto rulers of Zilargo. What if they’ve been manipulating the Twelve as well—controling the leaders of other Houses with blackmail and Telepathic Bonds? Of course, the key question in a campaign where this secret is revealed is what does House Sivis actually want? Perhaps they are striving to ensure the prosperity of the Twelve and the Houses—but in pursuit of that goal they seek to weaken the nations, and they in fact helped to cause the Last War! Or perhaps there’s something more sinister. Perhaps the leaders of House Sivis have always been servants of Tul Oreshka, the Truth in the Darkness. For thousands of years House Sivis has been using its influence to promote a particular path of the Prophecy. When Tul Oreshka is freed from her bonds, House Sivis will use its network to spread her terrible truths throughout the Five Nations, causing a wave of deadly chaos and terror. 

HOUSE SIVIS AND LANGUAGES

By default, the Eberron Campaign Setting seeks to prevent languages from being an obstacle in a campaign. The widespread use of “common” languages such as Goblin and Common makes it easy for adventurers to interact with the people they encounter. Secondary languages can allow characters to have private conversations or to read inscriptions, but most adventures don’t make language an obstacle to progress. However, Comprehend Languages is a key gift of the Mark of Scribing, and in a campaign with a Sivis adventurer, it’s nice to feel like that gift is actually relevant. Consider the following options. 

• Canonically the Five Nations don’t have unique languages; Common has displaced any languages of the individual nations. However, nothing’s stopping you from reversing this and adding these secondary languages. Merchants and travelers may speak Common, but if you go to Thaliost, a lot of the locals only speak Aundairian—which is a thing, not that Dariznu is trying to force everyone to speak Thrane!

• A lighter form of this is to introduce regional dialects. Someone who is familiar with the dialect can understand it perfectly, but an outsider might have to make an Insight check to understand the exact details of a statement. 

• In general we focus on the accessibility of the Common languages, but there are certainly storylines where it makes sense to have no common tongue. An isolated tribe in the Demon Wastes, an unknown civilization in Xen’drik, a demiplane in Khyber—all of these places could have entirely unknown languages!

• Things like the Volaaganti or Belashyrra’s shifting script are ways to make language a unique obstacle to a particular adventure. Dealing with a Volaagant isn’t about having a particular proficiency; the language only exists in the Volaagant strain! Likewise, a crucial piece of Dhakaani lore could be hidden by the shifting script. In such cases, the DM may want to say that Comprehend Languages alone isn’t sufficient; perhaps the character also needs to make a Wisdom (Caligrapher’s Tools) check to unlock the full meaning!

• If you want to see a deeper exploration of this concept, check out Languages of Eberron by Nausicaä Enriquez on the DM’s Guild!