House Phiarlan and the Mark of Shadow (Patreon)

When the elves of old settled the land they’d named Aeren’s Rest, they were scarred by all that they had lost. Setting aside those slain by the giants and those left behind, many elves died over the course of the journey—including Aeren, the visionary who guided them to their new home. The refugees wanted to make sure they never suffered such losses again, but disagreed on how to pursue this goal. Eventually, three major factions emerged. The Tairnadal sought to become avatars, living anchors for the spirits of their lost champions. The Vol believed that traditional necromancy was the answer, and they settled near the most powerful Mabaran manifest zone on the island. The Mendyrian thought the energies of Irian could be harnessed to preserve someone beyond death without subjecting them to the hunger of Mabar. In time, this would produce the Undying Court. Each of these factions rallied others to their side. 

So where were my ancestors? They were everywhere. Before the fall of Xen’drik, my kin served as a bridge between the scattered and disparate elves, carrying news between different communities and cultures. We continued that work on Aeren’s Rest. We were equally at home in Shae Deseir and Shae Cairdal, and we sang songs of the patron ancestors to the warriors assembled in Var-Shalas. We sought to remind them of their common history and the bonds that united them. In this, we failed. When the line of Vol was destroyed, we chose to leave Aeren’s Rest behind. Still, people ask: Vampires, Deathless, Revenant Blades; how do the Phiarlan preserve their heroes? My people had no need to pursue such methods, for our champions were already immortal: we preserved them in song and story, and kept them alive with paint and stone. We don’t need to keep our ancestors trapped in idols or bound to rotting flesh; they are with us still, guiding us with their words and songs. 

When dealing with House Phiarlan, keep one thing in mind: out of all of the Dragonmarked Houses, Phiarlan is the most beloved by the general populace. It is the greatest source of entertainment, a ray of sunshine in a gloomy world. The finest authors, the most popular musicians, the celebrated actors—they’re all part of House Phiarlan. The Mark of Shadow lets its bearer weave wonders with their imagination, using illusions to create music and bring stories to life. In the eyes of the public, the elves of House Phiarlan are artists, imagineers, and entertainers, all working to make the world a little more magical. 

Of course, there is another side to House Phiarlan. The spies and assassins of the Serpentine Table linger in the shadows. But the services of the Table aren’t available or obvious to the general public. As far as a commoner is concerned, Phiarlan’s only business is the Entertainers and Artisans Guild (also known as the Eagle, inspired by the EAG acronym). And the simple fact is that the majority of Phiarlan heirs solely work as artisans or entertainers. For most Phiarlans, their devotion to their craft isn’t just a cover; it’s their joy and their life’s work. It’s not that the typical Phiarlan diva is also a spy. It’s that a Serpentine spy can gain access to a location by serving as part of the diva’s entourage, or if necessary by impersonating the diva; Disguise Self Is one of the simplest powers of the Mark of Shadow. There are a handful of Serpentine agents who are legitimately superstars as well as spies; but most of Phiarlan’s artists and entertainers are exactly what they claim to be. The catch is that the heirs of the House know about the Serpentine Table and are obligated to assist the Table if called upon—providing information, access to supplies or locations, or even assisting an agent who needs to temporarily impersonate them. 

So when creating a Phiarlan character, the first question to consider is their relationship to the Serpentine Table. Are they an active agent of the Table? Are they a civilian whose skills or position make them a frequent asset for the Table? Are they an artist who has little relevance for the Table—or potentially, an objector who refuses to assist it? An heir who refuses to cooperate with the Serpentine Table is likely to be cut off from the Eagle—which might explain why they’re living the life of an adventurer—unless they’re so good that the guild is willing to put up with their insubordination. With that said, a tenuous connection with the Serpentine Table can be an excellent hook for a Phiarlan adventurer. They aren’t part of the Table, so they don’t have regular duties or access to resources that would be unbalancing for a player character. But at any time, a Table connection can step out of the shadows with enigmatic instructions. Deliver this package at midnight. Go to this party with your friends and see who the Count talks to. You’re going to be the entertainment at Saidan Boromar’s birthday party. They don’t have clearance to know why they’re doing the things they’re doing… but an heir of the House must always be ready to serve the Table when it calls.  

As a Phiarlan heir, beauty is your birthright. You’ve been trained in the arts of motion and music since childhood, and whatever you do, you do it with grace. If you’re proficient with Performance or an artistic tool, your talents may be obvious; but you don’t have to have Performance to perform. Performance is a catch-all proficiency, covering acting, storytelling, music and dance. But other proficiencies can be used to reflect narrow disciplines: Acrobatics for dance and artistic gymnastics; Deception for acting; Persuasion for storytelling. Beyond this, consider how your class and its abilities reflect your artistic talents. Bard and Monk are clear enough. But as a Fighter you may be demonstrating an ancient martial art preserved since Xen’drik; every strike you make is beautiful. A Phiarlan Barbarian could flavor their “rage” as a war dance, reducing damage not through sheer endurance but by evading the full blow. As a Wizard, you might have planned on a career providing special effects for theatrical performances; what led you to learn battle magic? Whatever path you choose, think about how you bring beauty into the world and what you love about your art. At the same time, you’ve been trained to always observe—both to appreciate beauty but also to gather information, never letting a secret slip by you. You’re an artist, but you never know when you’ll be called upon to be a spy.

THE MARK OF SHADOW

Humans often equate the word shadow with darkness. For the Phiarlan, shadow refers to shadows of reality—the insubstantial images of illusion. The simplest power of the Mark of Shadow is the ability to cast Minor Illusion at will, weaving images or sounds. This basic gift is reflected in the heir’s bonuses to Dexterity (Stealth) and Charisma (Performance) check; an heir can instinctively draw on shadows when hiding or use subtle illusion to improve a performance. Beyond these intuitive bonuses, the power of illusion is something Phiarlan heirs use constantly and casually. An heir seeking to draw attention will conjure a star into their raised hand. One telling a joke might add laughter or a sting to the punchline. When giving directions, an heir can manifest a floating map; when telling a story, they can add sound effects, music, or distinctive voices. The second ability all Dragonmarked heirs possess is Invisibility. Every heir with the Mark of Shadow can become invisible for up to an hour each day. This is a powerful defensive tool; a Phiarlan who’s threatened can turn invisible and retreat. It’s a fantastic gift for a stagehand, who can move around on stage to add elements to a performance without being seen. Phiarlans also use Invisibility when they desire privacy. A Phiarlan at a boring party might use their skills to liven things up—or they might turn invisible and read a book in the corner. When someone disappears at a social occasion without bidding farewell, it’s known as a “Phiarlan Goodbye.” 

Disguise Self is a Spell of the Mark almost all Shadow heirs gain access to. While this can be used for impersonation—it’s a workhorse spell for Serpentine agents—heirs use it in many ways. Phiarlan actors can use the spell to assume the shapes of the characters they play, reducing the need for costuming and allowing multiple actors to easily share a role. Other Phiarlans use Disguise Self not to deceive others, but rather to enhance their own appearance—transforming clothing, adding makeup, styling hair in impossible ways. A Phiarlan might be disheveled and still in their pajamas, but with Disguise Self they can greet guests perfectly coiffed and elegantly dressed. For Phiarlan musicians, this can allow dramatic costume changes in the middle of a performance. Phiarlan heirs learn a host of simple applications of Disguise Self that function much like social media filters—minor cosmetic enhancements for particular situations. 

Beyond Disguise Self, there are two paths of Spells of the Mark. Player characters gain access to all of the spells, but most Phiarlan heirs can only use one of two sets of the spells. Those who are most extroverted generally have access to Silent Image, Darkness, Major Image, Hallucinatory Terrain, and Seeming. These gifts are incredibly useful for theatrical work; when enhanced by focus items, Hallucinatory Terrain and Seeming allow a stage master to weave a set and costumes from shadow. Conversely, introverted heirs usually develop the ability to cast Pass Without Trace, Clairvoyance, Greater Invisibility and Mislead. Such heirs may be drawn into the work of the Serpentine Table, but this path is also common for artists who prefer painting, sculpting, or writing to the company of others; the Mark gives them the power to avoid unwanted distractions. 

At first glance, Clairvoyance is an outlier. Most Spells of the Mark allow the heir to project visions from their imagination into the world. Clairvoyance does the reverse; it allows them to draw images or sounds from the world into their minds. While Clairvoyance has obvious value to a spy, it’s a gift often manifested by Phiarlan artisans. Painters replicating scenes will often use Clairvoyance to refer to the inspiration from the comfort of their studios. Other artists often have a particular place that serves as a source of comfort or relaxation. A Phiarlan writer may “go to their quiet place” when dealing with writer’s block. 

One thing to keep in mind when dealing with House Phiarlan is that its heirs wove shadows long before they possessed the Mark of Shadow. The ancient Phiarlans who traveled across Xen’drik were often accomplished Bards who relied on Invisibility to evade their enemies and who used illusions to enhance their tales. The Mark of Shadows granted innate abilities to Dragonmarked heirs, but the Phiarlans had been working with illusions for tens of thousands of years before it appeared. Phiarlan heirs who don’t manifest the Dragonmark can train at the Demesne of Shadow to learn traditional techniques for summoning illusions; because of this, there’s less of an inherent gap between marked and unmarked heirs than you see in some Houses. 

Phiarlan Verbal and Somatic Components. Whether they are casting Spells of the Mark or bardic magic, heirs of House Phiarlan usually make spellcasting a performance. Verbal components require the caster to speak in at least a normal speaking voice, and somatic components require the caster to have a free hand. But these components don’t have to be limited to chanting or gestures. A Phiarlan heir can sing their spells, weaving words of power into their songs. Their gestures can be part of a full dance, or they can just be graceful motions performed with hypnotic rhythm. When the legendary Elorrenthi blinded the King of Fire with her dancing, this was the working of a spell woven into a perfect performance. With that said, a key aspect of components is that they are always clearly recognizable as being tied to spellcasting. A Phiarlan doesn’t hide the fact that they’re casting Enthrall with their song or weaving a Major Image as they dance; they just make the casting a beautiful thing.   

Kanon vs Canon. The only change I’ve suggested to the canon Mark of Shadow is the addition of Seeming as a possible Spell of the Mark. Mislead is a fantastic spell for an adventurer or assassin, but Seeming is exceptionally useful for a company of actors. A player character with the Mark of Shadow must choose whether they have access to Seeming or Mislead; the feat only grants one of these spells. 

FOCUS ITEMS

House Phiarlan has developed a host of tools that channel the powers of the Mark of Shadow. Some of these are designed to enhance an heir’s ability to entertain, while others are tools crafted for the Serpentine Table and its agents. Many of these duplicate the effects of existing magic items, though they require the user to possess the Mark of Shadow. The Cloak of Shadows is Phiarlan’s version of the Cloak of Elvenkind, while Tialaen Trumps are a form of Deck of Illusions. Two of the House’s most important magic items are both variations of the Crystal Ball. The Serpentine Mirror is a massive mirror—typically 3 to 4 feet across—which displays images on the surface of the mirror. The Serpentine Table has over a dozen of these Mirrors, including two with the Mind Reading feature. The Mirror of the Mind—a Serpentine Mirror with the Telepathy feature—is one of the greatest treasures of the house. It’s possible that the Mirror of the Mind was kept in a secret facility in Cyre, in which case it may have been lost in the Mourning; if this is the case, the House is surely desperate to recover it. While the Serpentine Mirrors are tools of espionage, House Phiarlan and House Cannith worked together to develop another variation of Crystal Ball: the Crystal Theater. A Crystal Theater is a small orb that can scry on a specific location or anchoring focus item; when attached to a Projector Stand, it can cast that image onto a larger surface. This allows audiences to watch theatrical events that are occurring on distant stages. This is a relatively new development, and a Crystal’s images are often a little jerky or fuzzy; crystal shows aren’t yet threatening the popularity of live performances, but offer an alternative for people who can’t afford to attend live shows. Crystal Theaters and Serpentine Mirrors can only be operated by an heir who has the ability to cast Clairvoyance using the Mark of Shadow. 

Here’s a few other examples of Phiarlan focus items. 

Instruments of the Bards: Elorrenthi Rod

Wondrous Item, Uncommon (Requires attunement by a Bard with the Mark of Shadow) 

This item is a Thurimbar Rod designed to channel the power of the Mark of Shadow. A creature that attempts to play the Rod without being attuned to it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take 2d4 Psychic damage.

You can play the instrument to cast one of the following spells: Color Spray, Faerie Fire, Fly, Invisibility, Levitate, Mirror Image, Protection from Evil and Good. Once the instrument has been used to cast a spell, it can’t be used to cast that spell again until the next dawn. The spells use your spellcasting ability and spell save DC.

Scrystone

Wondrous Item, Rare (Requires attunement by a creature with the Mark of Shadow)

When a creature holding this crystal uses the Mark of Shadow to cast Clairvoyance, the spell is enhanced in the following ways. 

The duration is increased to one hour (Concentration). 

The maximum range of the sensor is increased to 10 miles. 

The spell allows the caster to both see and hear through the sensor. 

The caster may communicate telepathically with a willing creature perceived through the Scrystone, provided that they either know the creature personally or that the creature is carrying a Shadow Eye. 

A Scrystone is a disk of glass inlaid with silver, with a small siberys dragonshard embedded in the center. Scrystones are sometimes concealed within false books or otherwise disguised so that the bearer can use the stone in a public space without drawing attention. 

Shadow Eye

Nonmagical Item 

Shadow Eyes are designed to assist Phiarlan scrying operations. A Shadow Eye is a shadow of glass with a single hair embedded within it; Eyes are created in pairs, which are bound together by a sympathetic link. This isn’t an active magical effect and a Shadow Eye doesn’t register as magical to Detect Magic or similar effects. However, someone who possesses a Shadow Eye can use Clairvoyance or Scrying (including casting these spells through an item, such as a Serpentine Mirror) to target the Eye that’s linked to the one in their possession, provided it’s within range of the spell. Thus, if a Shadow Eye is planted in King Boranel’s bedroom, an heir with the linked Eye can spy on the king even if they aren’t personally familiar with the location. 

Shadow Shaper

Ring, Uncommon 

When a creature wearing this ring uses the Mark of Shadow to cast Minor Illusion, they may choose to increase the duration of the effect to 1 hour. However, when cast in this way, the cantrip requires Concentration. 

Stagemaster’s Crown

Wondrous Item, Uncommon (requires attunement by a creature with the Mark of Shadow) 

A Stagemaster’s Crown is a plain leather band embroidered with silver thread and holding a single small siberys shard; it’s worn as a headband. A creature wearing a Stagemaster’s Crown gains the following benefits. 

When they cast Hallucinatory Terrain, they can use it on unnatural environments (such as walls and furniture). This can change the outward appearance of an object but it can’t make things invisible. So in a room with a chair and a Karrnathi banner, the chair could appear to be a throne and the banner could be changed to be a Brelish banner—but the spell can’t make the chair vanish. 

When they cast Seeming, the duration is extended to 24 hours. 

Thunderous Amulet

Wondrous Item, Common 

While wearing this amulet, a creature that possesses the Mark of Shadow can amplify their voice to up to three times its normal volume.

Trance Academy

Wondrous Item, Uncommon (requires attunement by a creature with the Mark of Shadow) 

A Trance Academy is associated with three skills or tools, set when the item is created. These can include any combination of instruments, Artisan’s Tools, or any of the following skills: Acrobatics, Deception, Performance, Persuasion, or Stealth. When a Shadowmarked elf completes a long rest while wearing the Academy, they choose one of the skills or tools associated with it; they get advantage on checks made with that skill or tool until their next long rest. While wearing a Trance Academy, an elf is unaware of their surroundings while trancing during a long rest. 

Trance Academies are instructional tools. When an elf wearing the Academy necklace enters trance, their mind is drawn into the illusion of a small academy, containing an art studio, stage, and classroom. This holds an echo of one of Phiarlan’s great artisans or performers. In some ways this is similar to an Aereni Spirit Idol, but the echo isn’t actually sentient; it’s not the spirit of the Phiarlan, simply an illusion of them. Nonetheless, the echo can guide the student (the wearer of the necklace) in the practice of their specialty skills. The stage can be set to replicate one of the echo’s greatest performances, or it can be set at the direction of the student, allowing them to practice for an upcoming event. 

Trance Academies are created using the Mark of Shadow, and as a result the oldest Academy is three thousand years old; there are no Trance Academies tied to the original phiarlans of Xen’drik. A Trance Academy is classified as an Uncommon item because of its relative level of power, but there are only a few dozen in existence. A Shadowmarked artisan has to work with the chosen artist for years to create their echo, and Trance Academies can’t be created by an Artificer’s Replicate Magic Item ability or similar effects. It’s a great honor for an heir of the House to be entrusted with a Trance Academy; typically this occurs when they are chosen to inherit an heirloom performance associated with the Phiarlan that cast the echo.