Magic is power. Across Eberron, all levels of society recognize this simple truth. Magic exists, and the peoples of Eberron have uncovered many ways to harness it, such as through the arcane studies of wizards, the pure faith of clerics, or the brilliant insight of artificers. Whether a person devotes his life to tomes of magic and or religions rituals, all of these mystical traditions require study and devotion, and they are paths that a student can rarely master without the aid of skilled teachers.
Other forms of power exist, and they cannot be learned. Passed down through blood, the most common and visible of these gifts are the dragonmarks. The bearer of a dragonmark can produce one or more magical effects without training. Many sages believe these marks tie in to the legendary prophecy studied by the dragons of Argonnessen — that in some way, those who bear these marks are agents of the prophecy, pawns on a playing board too vast for mortal eyes to see.
Then there are sorcerers.
Like the dragonmarked, the sorcerer gains his power inherently. It takes time for a sorcerer to unlock his full potential, but he is beholden to no outside force and he need not rely on ancient texts or arcane lore. Over the course of centuries, sages have developed dozens of theories as to the source of the sorcerer’s ability to cast spells. Some attribute this magical affinity to inhuman heritage — the blood of dragons, fey or fiends — carrying the aptitude of his non-human ancestor. While a traditional sorcerer can claim any heritage he wishes, two paths have specific game effects: the dragonmarked sorcerers and the legacy of the progenitors.
In a sense, a dragonrmark itself represents a limited manifestation of sorcerous potential — an inborn ability to wield magical energy. As a rule, slightly more than half of the heirs of a dragomarked house develop the dragonmark of their line. A greater power can rise among the scions of a dragonmarked line, thanks to the gifts of the dragonmarked sorcerer. While an heir to the Mark of Shadow can weave an illusion or scry an enemy, a sorcerer of the same line can do that and more, wrapping himself in a cloak of invisibility and craft illusions terrifying enough to kill his victims.
A dragonmarked sorcerer possesses the dragonmark of his house but none of the usual spell-like abilities associated with the mark. Instead, he can produce those effects as sorcerer spells, along with any other spells he selects as he advances through the class. Most dragonmarked sorcerers possess spells related to their mark. This is ultimately up to the DM or the player creating the sorcerer, and while a dragonmarked sorcerer can have spells not related to his family’s mark, such choices tend to stand out.
In addition to the physical dragonmark, many dragonmarked sorcerers develop further markings on their skin: complex patterns of lines that resemble the dragonmark but spread out across the sorcerer’s body. These typically widen and grow as the sorcerer gains power, and a high-level sorcerer might have patterns covering nearly every inch of skin. This cosmetic effect does not occur in all heirs, and it has no actual bearing on a sorcerer’s abilities other than to indicate in the broadest of terms how powerful he is.
As dragonmarked sorcerers have access to a greater and more versatile spell list than their kin, they often rise to positions of influence within their houses. Many such sorcerers, then, find the Favoured in House feat quite appropriate. If a dragonmarked sorcerer develops his powers outside of the structure of the house — usually the case with foundlings whose parents were exiled for some crime — the barons of the line go to considerable lengths to convince the character to rejoin the house. The houses always seek to control the talents of a dragonmarked sorcerer, and an heir who chooses to operate outside of his house might receive violent incentives to return to the fold.
Not all sorcerers within dragonmarked houses possess the Dragonmarked Sorcerer feat. This feat is particularly rare in House Jorasco, although traditional sorcerers without the feat do belong to the house.
Many have heard the tale that sorcerers possess the blood of dragons. Few realize that the oldest versions of this myth do not refer to mortal dragons, the scaled lords of Argonnessen, but they instead refer to the Progenitor dragons that shaped the world itself: Siberys, the Dragon Above, the shattered ring that surrounds the world; Eberron, the Dragon Between, the earth itself; and Khyber, the Dragon Below, the corrupting darkness that lurks in the depths. According to these most venerable of legends, ancient powers blessed the first sorcerers to continue the ancient battles. Sorcerers of Siberys are charged to avenge the death of the sky dragon and to spread light across the world. The children of Khyber, vessels of darkness, destroy and corrupt all they touch. Those blessed by Eberron must maintain the balance and protect the natural world. These ancient myths also describe the war of the progenitors as a struggle for control of an unknown force --— a power understandable only through the Draconic Prophecy. If true, these blessed sorcerers might have a far more significant role to play than that of the dragonmarked houses --— a position that might bring them into conflict with the agents of the Charmber and the Lords of Dust.
The gift of the Progenitors is not bound to one race. Any race capable of producing sorcerers can carry the blood of the Three, and according to legend all sorcerous power flows from this source. Kobolds serve as the strongest proponents of these legends, and the dominant kobold cultures of Khorvaire each trace their lineage to one of the progenitors. As the sorcerer’s blood reportedly carries his abilities, a number of families and clans have an affinity for birthing sorcerers. Even among those families, though, sorcerous power manifests less frequently than dragonmarks. As a result, many of these sorcerer bloodlines have lost any sense of history or identity, their legacies scattered to such an extent that their links have become unrecognizable. A few remain, however, spread across the many races and nations.
The following examples of sorcerer bloodlines still cling to the legacy of the Progenitors. Player characters and their foes alike might come from one of these clans.
Clan Alarak: In the first age of the dwarven kingdom, the Alarak dwarves were renowned as spellsmiths and war magi. Despite their magical might, they did not seek political power --— Alarak’s elders said Siberys had charged the clan to protect the dwarves, not rule them. When Mror exiled the fallen heroes, many of the clan’s sorcerers travelled with Kolesh Londurak, seeking greater challenges in the world above.
As centuries passed, the line of Ailrak dwindled. While powerful sorcerers still emerged from time to time, the family proved unusually infertile. Some whispered of Siberys’ anger with the clan for leaving the deep kingdom. When the dwarves reopened the deep pathways and discovered the desolation that lay below, the Alarak elders saw this as proof of their failure: perhaps, if they had remained below, they could have saved the ancient kingdom from destruction.
Today, the Alarak dwarves are among the most dedicated explorers of the deep realms. An Alarak dwarf makes an excellent guide to the Mror regions of Khyber, while an Alarak patron might employ characters to battle the Cult of the Dragon Below or recover a relic of the deep kingdom that lias fallen into the hands of the daelkyr. The Alarak clan often charges its members to battle the forces of Khyber, ranging from aberrations and cultists to the Lords of Dust and the other fiends spawned by Khyber at the dawn of time.
The 'Uraash Tribe: Thousands of years ago, the dragon Vvaraak brought knowledge of the druidic mysteries to the orcs of Khorvaire. As he taught, he discovered a tribe of orcs that already possessed a strong bond to magic and nature. Vvaraak told the 'Uraash that they were blessed by Eberron himself and even as he trained the first Gatekeepers he helped the 'Uraash hone their gift of sorcery. The 'Uraash orcs played a major role in the war against Xoriat, and the daelkyr made a special effort to eradicate the line of sorcerers.
Today, most of the people of the Shadow Marches believe the lords of madness succeeded and the 'Uraash are no more than legend. A few of the 'Uraash orcs survived, however, and over the centuries the tribe has rebuilt itself in the shadows of the swamps. Today the 'Uraash orcs remain in hiding, but their sorcerer-barbarians still battle the Cults of the Dragon Below and other forces of darkness.
The Cold Wind: Khyber stretches beneath the planet, and the blood of Khyber stretches well beyond Khorvaire. Thousands of years ago, a clan of dark sorcerers ruled one of the provinces of Sarlona, using the mystical might of the Dragon Below to enforce their tyrannical rule. As the inspired rose to power in Sarlona, they systematically destroyed the dark sorcerers and all other groups that might oppose them. Some members of this sorcerer clan, however, fled to the sea only to be shipwrecked on the inhospitable shores of the Demon Wastes. The gifts of Khyber helped them survive in this dangerous land, although madness and savagcry claimed many of them.
Today, their descendents form one of the Carrion Tribes of the Demon Wastes, calling themselves the Cold Wind. The blood of Khyber runs strong in this tribe, and the Lords of Dust occasionally recruit powerful sorcerers of the Cold Wind. While sorcerers found in the wastes themselves are feral savages, the rakshasa educate and train those they recruit to function in the world beyond.
The following variant class features represent the pinnacle of the tie between Eberron’s sorcerers and its three progenitor drngons.
You possess a deep bond to Eberron, the Dragon Between, which shapes your sorcerous powers. Myths call Eberron the mother of all natural creatures, giving you a deep bond to the world of nature.
Level: 1st.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain the normal list of class skills, nor do you gain a familiar.
Benefit: The following are your sorcerer class skills:
In addition, you gain an animal companion, as a druid of half your sorcerer level. Your druid, ranger, and sorcerer levels stack to determine the abilities of your animal companion.
If you possess the Natural Spell feat, its benefits apply any time that you are in the form of an animal, whether due to wild shape, polymorph or other magical effects.
You possess a deep bond to Khyber, the Dragon Below, which shapes your sorcerous powers. Your bond with the darkness increases your ability to conjure fiendish creatures and work spells of transmutation.
Level: 1st.
Replace: If you select this class feature, you do not gain the normal list of class skills, nor do you gain a familiar.
Benefit: The following are your sorcerer class skills:
Your caster level increases by 1 whenever you cast spells from the schools of conjuration (summoning) or transmutation. You cannot summon any creature of good alignment. In addition, your caster level decreases by 1 (minimum CL 1st) whenever you cast spells from the schools of abjuration or divination.
You possess a deep bond to Siberys, the Dragon Above, which shapes your sorcerous powers. Many believe the Dragon Above is the source of all arcane magic, and the first dragons were born from the blood that fell when Khyber slew Siberys. Your bond to the Dragon Above enhances your ability to channel magic.
Level: 1st.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain the normal list of class skills, nor do you gain a familiar.
Benefit: The following are your sorcerer class skills:
In addition, you add +4 to your effective Charisma for purposes of determining bonus sorcerer spells and the maximum level of spell you can cast. For example, even if your natural Charisma is 14, you can still cast up to 8th-level sorcerer spells. This bonus does not affect saving throw DCs, skill rolls or provide any of the other benefits dependant on Charisma.
Source: Dragon Magazine #351 (Page 76)