House Phiarlan is an elven dragonmarked house throughout Khorvaire, although they are now based in Sharn, Breland their former base of operation in Cyre having been destroyed in the Day of Mourning. To the public Phiarlan is a house of entertainment comprised of bards, actors, artists and acrobats though, in secret it is a house of spies.

House Phiarlan was one of the first Dragonmarked Houses to be formed and can trace its’ origins back to when the elves rebelled against their giant captors of Xen’drik during the Age of Giants. The first members of House Phiarlan were scouts and bards who raised morale and brought news and information to the scattered elven tribes. When the elves first discovered the island nation of Aerenal, the Phiarlans traveled between settlements as troubadours and mediators. Over time the Phiarlans mastered the art of trading information and made sure to use the information they had to their advantage. Around -25,000 The Undying Court made its first appearance in Aerenal and out of fear, the Phiarlans were given the task of serving the Sibling Kings as spies in an effort to help maintain order in the land.

At the dawn of the Current Age, around -3200 the first dragonmarks appeared, including the Mark of Shadow. During this time the dragons were already at war with the elves and the dragonmarked garnered the suspicion of the dragons. When it was revealed that House Vol was in an alliance with dragons, the War of the Mark began in an attempt to exterminate the House. The elves who carried the Mark of Shadow knew it to be unsafe for the dragonmarked in Aerenal so they fled to Khorvaire in an effort to avoid the same fate as House Vol and upon arriving in the continent they banded together to form House Phiarlan around -2600. The House’s artistic skills earned them a place within the five nations and in time the Serpentine Table offered its expertise to those in power there.

During the Last War which began in 894 YK, House Phiarlan offered its services of spying and intelligence to all nations, refusing to side with anyone. Due to House Phiarlan’s secrecy and to the fact that they were taking contracts from all sides, eventually House Phiarlan agents found themselves contracted against each other which led to conflicting loyalties. The result was a cataclysmic event for Phiarlan named the Shadow Schism which tore the House apart and led to the creation of Phiarlan’s rivals, House Thuranni who themselves, are former members of Phiarlan.

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