The Maerklos (pronounced: /ˈmeɪɛrkloʊz/ MAY-er-kloz[2][note 1]) family were one of the newest members of the nobility of Waterdeep in the late 14th century DR. The family businesses included brewing beer and swine-herding. Some members of this family were gifted seers.[1][2][3]
Organization[]
Lady Aldara Maerklos (formerly Marrek) was the matriarch of the family from at least the Year of the Sword and Stars, 1332 DR,[4] to at least Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR.[3] Her Lord-Consort was Bastiabas Maerklos (formerly Relekos[3][4][5]) and the heir to the family title was her eldest daughter Tehss.[2][3] As of 1372 DR, there were thirty-six living members of this noble family.[3]
Activities[]
The Maerklos blended clan made their fortunes as swine-herds and brewers of beer.[1][2][3] Tehss Maerklos was an accomplished wizard and prominent member of Halaster's Heirs, an academy where she studied the Art and for which she crafted magic items as part of her dues.[4]
Base of Operations[]
The Maerklos family villa (labeled N22) circa 1372 DR.
The seat of the Maerklos clan family was a walled compound of one-, two-, and four-story buildings surrounding a small green space located on the northeast corner of Sulmor Street and Vhezoar Street in the North Ward.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Directly across Sulmor Street to the south was the Ruldegost villa, and kitty-corner southwest was the villa belonging to the Silmerhelves.[7][10][12][13]
Possessions[]
The family presumably had a brewery and farms in the environs of Waterdeep where they kept herds of swine.[1][2][3] As of 1372 DR, the family had approximately 32,000 gold pieces in liquid assets.[3]
The most rare and priceless possession of the Maerklos family was one of the ruling rings of Yrix Alquinnar, specifically the one for commanding air elementals. This powerful relic was given to a distant ancestor of Lady Aldara at the height of the Empire of Magic, and as of 1372 DR, only Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun and Laeral Silverhand knew who possessed it. Lady Aldara was exceptionally discreet and did not use the ring, but was preparing her daughter Tehss to take over the family title and ownership of the magical legacy.[4]
History[]
Lady Aldara was only able to trace her ancestry back to the 8th century DR. Clan Marrek had a proud history as merchants and a family trait of producing at least one mage every generation. Khelben however, knew that her clan name was originally Maarekh, a family that achieved nobility in Netheril in −1021 DR. Four Maarekh sisters were all apprentices of the great elementalist Yrix Alquinnar. Before he died, he bequeathed each of them one of the four ruling rings of his creation, and the one attuned to Air was successfully kept in the family for over two millennia.[4]
The Marrek family was ennobled in the Year of the Cockatrice, 1248 DR, joining the wave of mercantile families in establishing the nobility of modern Waterdeep. In the Year of the Sword and Stars, 1332 DR,[note 2] Lady Aldara Marrek married Bastiabas Relekos, joining his family's assets with hers and blending their names to become House Maerklos.[3][5]
Members[]
- Aldara Maerklos: Matriarch in the mid–14th century.
- Bastiabas Maerklos: Lord-Consort of Aldara.
- Tehss Maerklos: Eldest daughter and heir of Aldara.
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ The sources use the word "close" for the last syllable of this name, which has ambiguous pronunciation.
- ↑ There is a discrepancy between the year of the marriage of the two families and the year of entitlement. The City of Splendors boxed set publication Who's Who in Waterdeep states that the families merged "32 years ago", and the "current date" for that publication is 1367 DR, which puts the marriage in approximately 1335 DR.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Ed Greenwood (1987). Waterdeep and the North. (TSR, Inc), p. 47. ISBN 0-88038-490-5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Ed Greenwood and Steven E. Schend (July 1994). “Who's Who in Waterdeep”. City of Splendors (TSR, Inc), p. 18. ISBN 0-5607-6868-1.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Eric L. Boyd (2005-09-28). Noble Houses of Waterdeep (Zipped PDF). Web Enhancement for City of Splendors: Waterdeep. Wizards of the Coast. p. 5. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2009-10-07.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Steven E. Schend (January 1995). “Series Magic”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #213 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 97–98.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ed Greenwood and Steven E. Schend (July 1994). “Who's Who in Waterdeep”. City of Splendors (TSR, Inc), p. 7. ISBN 0-5607-6868-1.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb (September 1988). City System. Edited by Karen Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 12. ISBN 0-8803-8600-2.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Map 9/10 included in Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb, cartographers Dennis Kauth and Frey Graphics (September 1988). City System. Edited by Karen Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 0-8803-8600-2.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (1987). Waterdeep and the North. (TSR, Inc), p. 24. ISBN 0-88038-490-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.), p. 239. ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Map included in Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood and Steven E. Schend (July 1994). “Campaign Guide”. City of Splendors (TSR, Inc), p. 44. ISBN 0-5607-6868-1.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Map included in Ed Greenwood and Steven E. Schend (July 1994). City of Splendors. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 978-1560768685.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 94, 97, 101. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.
Connections[]
Former Houses
Deepwinter • Gildeggh • Maernos • Shadowdusk • Zoar