View source for Maerklos

{{Organization
| image          = Maerklos-coat-of-arms.png
| caption        = The coat-of-arms of the Maerklos family.
| name           = Maerklos
| aliases        = 
| type           = Noble family
| base           = [[Waterdeep]], [[Sword Coast North]]
| leader         = [[Aldara Maerklos]] in [[1372 DR]]
| symbol         = Party per bend sinister. Upper: feminine eyes and lips on a pink field. Lower: Five black bendlets sinister on a deep green field.
| favored deity  = [[Mystra]], [[Savras]]
| favored weapon = 
| domains        = 
| formed         = {{Yearlink|-1021}} (as Marrekh in [[Netheril]])<br />[[1248 DR]] (as Marrek in Waterdeep)<br />[[1332 DR]] (as Maerklos in Waterdeep)
| disbanded      = 
| basicrefs      = <ref name="WatN-47">{{Cite book/Waterdeep and the North|47}}</ref><ref name="WWiW-18">{{Cite book/City of Splendors (boxed set)/Who's Who in Waterdeep|18}}</ref><ref name="NHoW-5">{{Cite web enhancement/Noble Houses of Waterdeep|5}}</ref>
| members        = 36 in 1372 DR
| memberstable   = 
| memtableheader = 
| alignment      = {{Alignment grid|on|off|off|on|off|off|on|off|off}}
| races          = [[Human]] ([[Illuskan]])
| memrefs        = <ref name="NHoW-5" />
| allegiances    = 
| enemies        = 
| relrefs        = 
| showmembers    = yes
| orgname        = the Maerklos family
}}
The '''Maerklos''' ({{Pronounce|MAY|er|kloz|refs=<ref name="WWiW-18" /><ref group="note">The sources use the word "close" for the last syllable of this name, which has ambiguous pronunciation.</ref>}}) family were one of the newest members of the [[nobility of Waterdeep]] in the late 14{{th}} century [[DR]]. The family businesses included brewing [[beer]] and [[pig|swine]]-herding. Some members of this family were gifted [[:Category:Seers|seers]].<ref name="WatN-47" /><ref name="WWiW-18" /><ref name="NHoW-5" />

==Organization==
Lady [[Aldara Maerklos]] (formerly [[Marrek]]) was the matriarch of the family from at least the {{YearlinkName|1332}},<ref name="D213-97-98">{{Cite dragon/213/Series Magic|97-98}}</ref> to at least {{YearlinkName|1372}}.<ref name="NHoW-5" /> Her Lord-Consort was [[Bastiabas Maerklos]] (formerly [[Relekos]]<ref name="NHoW-5" /><ref name="D213-97-98" /><ref name="WWiW-7">{{Cite book/City of Splendors (boxed set)/Who's Who in Waterdeep|7}}</ref>) and the heir to the family title was her eldest daughter [[Tehss Maerklos|Tehss]].<ref name="WWiW-18" /><ref name="NHoW-5" /> As of 1372 DR, there were thirty-six living members of this noble family.<ref name="NHoW-5" />

==Activities==
The Maerklos blended clan made their fortunes as swine-herds and brewers of beer.<ref name="WatN-47" /><ref name="WWiW-18" /><ref name="NHoW-5" /> 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.<ref name="D213-97-98" />

==Base of Operations==
[[File:Lanngolyn-Messalan-Villas-1372.png|thumb|right|270px|''The Maerklos family villa (labeled <code>N22</code>) ''circa'' 1372 DR.'']]
The seat of the Maerklos clan family was a [[Maerklos Villa|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 [[Waterdeep/North Ward|North Ward]].<ref name="CS-12">{{Cite book/City System|12}}</ref><ref name="CS-map9">{{Cite book/City System/Map09}}</ref><ref name="WatN-24">{{Cite book/Waterdeep and the North|24}}</ref><ref name="VGtW-239">{{Cite book/Volo's Guide to Waterdeep|239}}</ref><ref name="VGtW-map">{{Cite book/Volo's Guide to Waterdeep/Map}}</ref><ref name="CoS-CG-44">{{Cite book/City of Splendors (boxed set)/Campaign Guide|44}}</ref><ref name="CoS-map">{{Cite book/City of Splendors (boxed set)/Map}}</ref><ref name="CoSW-94,97,101">{{Cite book/City of Splendors: Waterdeep|94,97,101}}</ref> Directly across Sulmor Street to the south was the [[Ruldegost]] villa, and kitty-corner southwest was the villa belonging to the [[Silmerhelve]]s.<ref name="CS-map9" /><ref name="VGtW-map" /><ref name="CoS-map" /><ref name="CoSW-94,97,101" />

==Possessions==
The family presumably had a brewery and farms in the environs of Waterdeep where they kept herds of swine.<ref name="WatN-47" /><ref name="WWiW-18" /><ref name="NHoW-5" /> As of 1372 DR, the family had approximately 32,000 [[gold piece]]s in liquid assets.<ref name="NHoW-5" />

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 elemental]]s. This powerful relic was given to a distant ancestor of Lady Aldara at the height of the [[Netheril|Empire of Magic]], and as of 1372 DR, only [[Khelben Arunsun|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.<ref name="D213-97-98" />

==History==
Lady Aldara was only able to trace her ancestry back to the 8{{th}} 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 {{Yearlink|-1021}}. 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.<ref name="D213-97-98" />

The Marrek family was ennobled in the {{YearlinkName|1248}}, joining the wave of mercantile families in establishing the nobility of modern Waterdeep. In the {{YearlinkName|1332}},<ref group="note">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)|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]].</ref> Lady Aldara Marrek married Bastiabas Relekos, joining his family's assets with hers and blending their names to become House Maerklos.<ref name="NHoW-5" /><ref name="WWiW-7" />

==Members==
* [[Aldara Maerklos]]: Matriarch in the mid–14{{th}} century.
* [[Bastiabas Maerklos]]: Lord-Consort of Aldara.
* [[Tehss Maerklos]]: Eldest daughter and heir of Aldara.

==Appendix==
===Notes===
{{Notes}}
===References===
{{Refs}}
===Connections===
{{Waterdhavian houses}}
[[Category:Families]]
[[Category:Waterdhavian houses]]
[[Category:Human houses]]
[[Category:Noble houses]]
[[Category:Organizations in Maerklos Villa]]
[[Category:Organizations on Sulmor Street]]
[[Category:Organizations on Vhezoar Street]]
[[Category:Organizations on Brondar's Way]]
[[Category:Organizations on Sulmor Street]]
[[Category:Organizations in the North Ward of Waterdeep]]
[[Category:Organizations in Waterdeep]]
[[Category:Organizations on the Sword Coast North]]
[[Category:Organizations in Northwest Faerûn]]
[[Category:Organizations in Faerûn]]
[[Category:Organizations on Toril]]