Half-Orcs can be found anywhere orcs and humans meet. The Ghaash'kala orcs of the Demon Wastes are devout servants of the Silver Flame who devote their lives to containing the evils of the Wastes. Orphan children of an unusual pairing can be found in the cities, forced to find their own way in the world. The greatest concentration is is found in the Shadow Marches, where humans and orcs have coexisted for centuries. With the rise of the Dragonmarked House Tharashk, orcs and half-orcs have spread out through the Five Nations and beyond.
Overall, the people of the Five Nations know little about half-orcs. The archetype of the House marked half-orc is that of a bounty hunter or a private detective, though there's also a touch of “simpleton from the swamps." People may be uneasy around half-orcs, or assume that they know little about the ways of civilization. With that said, while orcs themselves are typically seen as primitives who dwell on the fringes, in the world of Eberron, neither Orcs nor their offspring are seen as inherently evil by the population at large. People might be afraid because they think they're dangerous bounty hunters, but there is no immediate assumption that they are cruel or blood thirsty.
In the Shadow Marches, Half-Orcs are celebrated. Human refugees settled in the Marches centuries ago, the first half-orcs helped to cement the bond between the newcomers and the native orcs. Many Marchers feel that the half-orc carries the best traits of both races, with the strength of the orc and the cunning of the human in one package. This view has only been further elevated as the rise of House Tharashk has brought prosperity to the Marches. Many of the Marcher clans work for the house in some capacity, even if the don't carry the Mark of Finding.
My ancestors used their gift to track beasts in the swamps. I use mine to find fugitives in the slums of Sharn. I’m still a hunter. I always find my mark.
— Hondar’Aashta, Tharashk bounty hunter
The Mark of Finding sharpens the senses, guiding the hunter to prey. Alone among the dragonmarks, the Mark of Finding is carried by two races: humans and half-orcs. It first appeared in the Shadow Marches, where clan hunters used it to find their prey.
House Tharashk
Leader: The Triumvirate (Maagrim Torrn, Khandar’aashta, and Daric Velderan)
Headquarters: Zarash’ak, Shadow Marches
House Tharashk traditionally licenses inquisitives and bounty hunters. Recently the house’s Finder’s Guild has expanded into dragonshard prospecting. As dragonshards are the lifeblood of the magical economy, the house’s talent has given them new wealth and influence.
Tharashk is the youngest of the dragonmarked houses and hasn’t embraced all the customs of the others. The distinct clans that united to form the house remain important, and heirs of the family usually retain their family names rather than adopting “d’Tharashk” as tradition dictates. Each of the three major clans—the Aashta, the Torrn, and the Velderan—has a representative on the Triumvirate that governs the house, and the city of Zarash’ak in the Shadow Marches. Together, they stand as one under the emblem of the dragonne (a lion-dragon hybrid).
If your Half-Orc has the Mark of Finding, replace all Racial Traits found in the Player's Handbook with these, except for Age, Alignment, Size, and Speed.
| Spell Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 1st | Faerie Fire, Longstrider |
| 2nd | Locate Animals or Plants, Locate Object |
| 3rd | Clairvoyance, Speak With Plants |
| 4th | Divination, Locate Creature |
| 5th | Commune with Nature |