House Tarkanan is a criminal organization based in Sharn consisting mostly of bearers of Aberrant Dragonmarks. The House takes its name from Lord Halas Tarkanan who, along with the Lady of the Plague, raised up those with aberrant dragonmarks to challenge the Dragonmarked Houses during the War of the Mark. House Tarkanan has a reputation for assassination, thievery and other unlawful deeds.

House Tarkanan is not itself a dragonmarked house, but instead names itself in mockery of the Dragonmarked Houses that slaughtered their aberrant predecessors in the War of the Mark.

House Tarkanan offers services in assassination and thievery. It also recruits those who have aberrant dragonmarks and teaches them to use their marks as well as how to fight or steal.

Many members of House Tarkanan have adopted Tarkanan as a surname to indicate their allegiance to the house. Senior assassins are known as barons, while more junior members of the house are called lords and ladies.

Though House Tarkanan was only founded in the last decade, the War of the Mark played an important role in House Tarkanan's formation and ideology. The war began almost 1500 years ago, when the established dragonmarked houses launched an inquisition to exterminate those who carried an aberrant mark. Those who had aberrant marks were desperate for leaders who could unite them. Several rose to the challenge, including Halas Tarkanan, also known as the Earthshaker. Eventually Tarkanan took refuge in Dorasharn (modern day Sharn) with his army and consort, the Lady of the Plague.

Though Tarkanan and his army resisted, it was clear that the combined forces of the dragonmarked houses were far too great and the resistance would in the end be wiped out. Eventually Halas and the Lady of the Plague unleashed a curse that brought catastrophic earthquakes and summoned hordes of vermin from the depths. The curse destroyed Dorasharn along with Halas and his forces, ending the resistance.

During the Last War, the Dark Lanterns of Breland formed a squad of covert operatives with aberrant dragonmarks. These individuals were considered expendable by Breland and were sent on suicidal black ops missions. Eventually, the survivors of this team became fed up and went rogue. They fled to Sharn where they formed the criminal organization known as House Tarkanan in 990 YK.

When House Tarkanan first established itself in Sharn, the Boromar Clan attempted to assimilate them, but the offer was turned down. This resulted in the Boromars attempting to destroy the House. When this proved too difficult, a deal was struck. Since the Boromar clan doesn't traffic in assassinations, it was agreed that so long as House Tarkanan doesn't take contracts against the Boromars, they would be permitted to stay in Sharn without paying a fee.

House Tarkanan accepts anyone who has an aberrant dragonmark. Those who join will either be placed into the business side of the House or the assassination and theft side. The business side deals with general administration such as contracts and accounting.

Along with their primary base in Sharn, the gang maintains safe houses in Fairhaven, Korth, and other cities.

House Thuranni, along with the other dragonmarked houses, wish to wipe out the gang.