World of Eberron

The World of Eberron consists of a number of features for the Eberron campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

Creation

In the mythic past, the world was one great mass. The progenitor wyrms, the first and the greatest of dragon-kind, ruled all. The three most powerful - Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber - discovered the Prophecy. A world shattering struggle ensued. The battle split the world into three parts. Siberys became the glowing ring that surrounds the world and gave birth to the next generation of dragons. Khyber was bound to the darkest depths and spat out various fiends and demons. However, Ebberon laid amid them, to heal the world and from this sacrifice sprang all manner of living things. The Prophecy was scattered across the width and breadth of existence and lost.

The number 13, also known as a "baker's dozen", has been part of a theme of Keith Baker regarding aspects of the world.

Setting

The 4th edition cosmology of the Eberron campaign setting is divided into Siberys (The Astral Sea), Eberron (The Mortal World), and Khyber (The Elemental Chaos). Siberys consists of 7 planes: Daanvi (Perfect Order), Irian (Eternal Day), Syrania (Azure Sky), Lamannia (Twilight Forest), Mabar (Endless Night), Baator (Nine Hells), and Shavarath (Battleground). The physical world has three planes called Coils which consists of: Dolurrh (The Shadowfell), Thelanis (The Feywild) and Dal Quor (Region of Dreams). Khyber includes: Fernia (Sea of Fire), Risia (Plain of Ice), Kythri (Churning Chaos) and the Abyss. Xoriat (The Realm of Madness) is a fourth anomalous plane existing beyond the known cosmology.

Geography

The Mortal World of Eberron is made up of seven continents surrounded by oceans and a vast underworld. The continents are named: Aerenal, Argonnessen, Everice, Frostfell, Khorvaire, Sarlona, and Xen'drik.

Adventure primarily takes place in the central region of Khorvaire known as the Five Nations consisting of Aundair (Scholarly), Breland (Cosmopolitan), Karrnath (Militaristic), Thrane (Theocratic), Mournland (Formerly Cyre, but now an uninhabited haunted zone).

Southeast is the small continent of Aerenal, ruled by elves. Due south is the jungle continent of Xen'drik, once ruled by an empire of giants that collapsed, now largely wilderness, with some areas under tribal dominion of the drow (with a polar continent to the south called Everice). Frostfell is an unexplored land of ice in the north. The other two main continents are Sarlona (a continent ruled by quori, creatures from the Region of Dreams) and Argonnessen (a continent inhabited by dragons).

The world of Eberron has twelve moons; some sages believe there is a thirteenth moon that has vanished or is invisible to the naked eye.

"Eberron" is also referred to as the Dragon Between. Siberys, the Dragon Above, is the name given to the planetary rings which surround the planet. Khyber, the Dragon Below, is the name given to the underworld, and is similar to the Underdark in many other settings. According to the creation story, the world was formed when the progenitor wyrms changed their form into what they are now. Siberys created the dragons, Eberron created humanoids and other "lower races", and Khyber created the "demons" of the world (The term "demons" is meant to use the common definition, not the D&D outsider).

Aerenal

Aerenal is an island continent inhabited by elves that lies to the southeast of Khorvaire. After the fall of the giant civilization in Xen'drik much of the elven race fled to Aerenal. There they established their own nation where a court of Undying rules over the living.

Argonnessen

A continent to the far east of Khorvaire and south of Sarlona. The continent of Argonnessen is almost totally unexplored by any race of Khorvaire because it is inhabited primarily by dragons. The continent went to war with Aerenal and destroyed the giant civilization. Argonnessen occupy the southeastern part of the world. Off of Argonnessen lies the island of Seren. Argonnessen (and Seren) are for the most part off limits to the "lesser races" (which includes almost everyone except a dragon). The continent and island are also inhabited by dragon-worshipping human barbarians. Many of the continent's dragons are members of a group known as the Chamber, which interprets the Draconic Prophecy and uses it to shape the world to the dragons' liking. Some of the dragons rule cities and kingdoms. One race that seems common on the continent is the dragonborn.

Everice

The Everice is a shifting sheet of ice located south of Xen'drik in the Icemaw Sea. It is believed that several large island land masses exist beneath the sheet of ice, though it is unknown.

Frostfell

The frozen wasteland to the north known only as the Frostfell is as enigmatic as it is cold. There is only one recorded expedition to the Frostfell from Khorvaire and it was little more than a notch in a belt than a true exploratory mission. That expedition was headed by Lord Boroman ir'Dayne, a halfling and the founder of the Wayfinder Foundation.

Khorvaire

Main article: Khorvaire

Khorvaire is the main continent of Eberron consisting of most of the world's people. Khorvaire is home to the five nations of Aundair, Breland, Cyre, Karrnath and Thrane, as well as other smaller cities. Most of the published material for the Eberron campaign setting concerns Khorvaire and its residents.

Sarlona

Sarlona is a continent to the east of Khorvaire; it is the cradle of human civilization as it was once the only continent featuring the presence of the human race. Sarlona is home to both humans and kalashtar.

Xen'drik

Main article: Xen'drik

Xen'drik is a fictional continent in Eberron, consisting of a jungle continent of vast size and varying climate that lies to the south of Khorvaire. Xen'drik's coastline has been mapped, but its interior remains largely unexplored, and the continent has a reputation as a land of secrets, danger, and mystery. Xen'drik and Khorvaire are separated by Shargon's Teeth and the Thunder Sea.

The trade city of Stormreach is located at the northernmost point of Xen'drik, and is the only modern city on the continent. Originally a pirate hideout built among the ruins of a giant city, it now serves as the first stop for travelers to the continent. At the northeastern edge of Shargon's Teeth are located Korthos Island and Korthos Village. This is the starting point of Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach.

Khyber

Said to be the body of one of the three Progenitor Dragons that created the world of Eberron, Khyber is a massive subterranean realm beneath every continent that is filled with danger, dark secrets, and untold treasure.

The Dragonmarked Houses

Main article: Dragonmarked house

The Dragonmarked Houses are thirteen extended families which control most business throughout Khorvaire. Within the houses, only a small percentage of every generation manifest dragonmarks, which are marks on the body that grant spell-like abilities to those born with them. These dragonmarks are designated by taking the Least, Lesser or Greater Dragonmark feat or taking levels in the Dragonmark Heir prestige class. There used to be thirteen dragonmarks but only twelve remain. Each family possesses only one type of mark, and only one or two races can manifest a particular type of mark. Additionally, only races listed in the Player's Handbook can manifest a dragonmark at all - however, this was revised in the 4th Edition Eberron Player's Guide. With the exception of House Phiarlan and House Thuranni (which both possess the Mark of Shadow), each house exclusively has one type of dragonmark.

Dragonmarks come in five forms: aberrant, least, lesser, greater, and Siberys. Aberrant dragonmarks are deviations from normal marks and are not recognized by the dragonmarked houses. People who have aberrant dragonmarks are commonly believed to have been warped by Khyber, the Dragon Below. Least, lesser, and greater dragonmarks can be gained by taking the appropriate feats or taking levels in the Dragonmark Heir prestige class. These types of marks must be taken in order. The Siberys mark is the greatest mark, but someone cannot have both a least, lesser, or greater mark along with a Siberys mark. A Siberys mark is gained by taking the Heir of Siberys prestige class. In 4th edition, dragonmarks are gained by taking the feat associated with the mark, and its power can be increased by choosing the corresponding dragonmark paragon path.

Another family line known as Vol possessed an additional dragonmark known as the Mark of Death, but that line was mostly destroyed in a conflict between dragons and other elves. Only one heir remains today (named Erandis Vol), but because she is a lich she cannot use her dragonmark. However, she tries to gather information to restore the mark through the Order of the Emerald Claw and the religion known as the Blood of Vol.

The worst punishment for a member of a dragonmarked house is called excoriation. It is similar to excommunication in that the other members of the house are not allowed to have any contact with the excoriate under threat of severe punishment themselves. Excoriates may not even avail themselves of the publicly available services their house provides. Excoriation is the punishment for only the worst offenses that dishonor the house. In prior times, the house would actually flay the dragonmark from the person's body. If the person survived excoriation, the missing dragonmark would regrow on a different part of the body and continue to function, but its use caused severe pain to the person.

Dragonshards

Dragonshards are rock or crystal fragments originating from the three legendary dragons of Eberron's creation myth. The three sections of Eberron's world, Siberys, Eberron and Khyber, each produce a distinct form of dragonshard, with a unique appearance and distinct magic affinity. Dragonshards are among Eberron's most important resources. Their scarcity makes them valuable and a frequent goal of quests.

Dragonshards are hard, translucent rock or crystal fragments with swirling, pulsating veins of color suspended within them. The veins have the appearance of dragonmarks. Although dragonshards are translucent, their glowing veins give them a distinctive color and make them look almost alive.

Siberys shards fall from the Ring of Siberys that encircles Eberron. They are usually found in equatorial regions such as Xen'drik. They contain a pulsating swirl of golden veins. Siberys shards are the rarest type of dragonshard, and the type most closely associated with the dragonmarked houses. Because of their scarcity and importance to powerful groups, a new find of Siberys shards is often the focus of intrigue or theft. They are sometimes called sunstones or starmotes, or simply dragonshards, because of their association with the dragonmarked houses. Siberys shard items focus or enhance the power of dragonmarked characters, and can enhance psionic powers. Dragonmarked houses are of central importance to the economy and society of Khorvaire, so their artificers have both the means and the need to develop methods to enhance the power of dragonshards. The resulting proliferation of Siberys shard items range from devices focused on enhancing the power of a specific mark to generalized tools that work for anyone who bears a dragonmark. Kalashtar psions and the Inspired lords of Riedra have found a way to harness the power of Siberys shards by undergoing a painful process that embeds a shard in their body, providing enhanced mental or physical abilities.

Khyber shards are found beneath the earth near layers of magma or sulfur vents, typically growing on volcanic cavern walls. They are found throughout Eberron but are particularly common in areas known for fiendish activity, such as the Demon Wastes. Khyber shards have a smoky appearance, with writhing midnight blue to oily black veins running through them. They are sometimes known as nightshards or demonstones. Khyber shard items have an affinity for binding magic. They are common components of binding diagrams, soul trapping spells and similar magic associated with binding creatures.

Eberron shards are found buried in shallow soil in clusters encased in geodes. They are found only in Khorvaire and Aerenal. Eberron shards have a pinkish appearance and churn with crimson blood-red swirls. They are commonly known as bloodstones. Eberron shard items store magical energy or psionic power as spellbooks, spell-storing items or psionic power stones. Intelligent magical items often incorporate Eberron shards. Their magical affinity is very broad compared to the specific powers of Siberys and Khyber shards. Spellcasters can attune Eberron shards to a specific spell, enhancing the power of that spell when it is cast on the shard, and they can encode their spells in shards instead of scribing them.

Dragonshards can be crafted to power magic items, artifacts and constructs, or to augment dragonmark abilities. Dragonshard items vary in power depending on the purity of the dragonshard used. They are rarely large enough to craft into items of significant size; most often, small dragonshards are formed into jewelry. Larger dragonshards, up to the size of a fist, can be crafted into larger focus items.

History

Dhakaan

Dhakaan was an ancient goblinoid empire that dominated the continent of Khorvaire, until the coming of the extraplanar Daelkyr 16,000 years ago. The Dhakaani goblinoids could not stand against the might and madness of the alien invasion. By the time the Gatekeeper druids bound the Daelkyr and their servants in the depths of Khyber, the empire was a shadow of its former glory. Over the course of millennia it collapsed into savagery, and by the time humanity arrived on Khorvaire, all that was left of the empire was ruins and several clans trying to preserve the remains of the ancient lore and dreaming about the reestablishment of the Empire.

Recently some of the Dhakaani clans have begun to vie for control of Darguun with another goblinoid clan that currently holds control of that territory, the Ghaal'dar clan, which have wrestled the territory of Darguun from Cyre during the Last War.

Most of the Dhakaani clans reside near the Seawall Mountains. They are divided into Kech Volaar and Kech Shaarat clans.

The Last War

The most recent significant event in the Eberron Campaign Setting is an event called the Last War, so-called because the people of Khorvaire believed that after the war was over everybody would grow tired of war (much as World War I was known as "the war to end all wars"). Coincidentally, the Last War ended on the 11th Day of Aryth (the equivalent to November 11, the day Germany signed the Armistice officially ending World War I). It refers to a series of conflicts in Khorvaire over 102 years that began with a dispute over the throne of the Kingdom of Galifar and the ruling of the Five Nations.

Two years prior to the end of the Last War, the nation of Cyre was destroyed in an incident known as the Day of Mourning. (The Eberron Campaign Setting does not give an official cause for this disaster, but it had a similar effect to the atomic bombings that ended World War II. Even a magical "radiation" mutates flora and fauna alike, similar to stereotypical but inaccurate depictions of the results of the nuclear radiation.) This event helped expedite the end of the Last War. Now, the region that was once Cyre is referred to as the Mournland and is the home of living spells, preserved dead bodies, and a militant sect of warforged (see Races) led by one called the Lord of Blades whose avowed goal is the total domination of the continent by the warforged at the expense of all "flesh and blood" humanoids. Those in the Mournland do not heal naturally, and magical healing has no effect. For all these reasons, few people enter the region.

The Last War officially ended two years prior to the start of the campaign, with the Treaty of Thronehold, as each of the Five Nations and most of the nations that broke off during the war officially became independent.

Creatures

Daelkyr

Daelkyr
Characteristics
Alignment	Neutral Evil
Type	Outsider
Image	Wizards.com image
Publication history
Source books	Eberron Campaign Setting

Lords of the plane of Xoriat, the Realm of Madness, daelkyr are immortal and immensely powerful, and have legions of monsters created by them (like beholders, mind flayers and other kinds of aberrations) at their command. They resemble handsome humans bearing armor and weapons made from chitin and raw muscle.

Like the quori before them, the daelkyr tried to invade Eberron, but ultimately the Gatekeepers, a druidic sect dedicated to protecting the world from aberrations and outsiders, were able to sever the connection between Xoriat and Eberron. A few daelkyr were trapped in Khyber after the invasion was repelled, and they have been trying to get Xoriat coterminous with the material plane ever since. The daelkyr invasion was the main cause of the fall of the Dhakaan empire.

There are believed to be at least six daelkyr trapped beneath Eberron in the depths of Khyber (Eberron's equivalent to the Underdark). Through the Cults of the Dragon Below, sages know the names of a few of these individual daelkyr.

According to Gatekeeper legend, Dyrrn the Corruptor is the mightiest daelkyr. Dyrrn is responsible for the creation of dolgaunts and dolgrims. Dyrrn is believed to be trapped beneath the Eldeen Reaches.

Also known as the Lord of Eyes, Belashyrra is said to have created beholders. It is said to have a chamber within its citadel covered in eyes, through which it can look through the eyes of any living creature.

Orlassk, the master of stone, is said to have made medusas, basilisks and other petrifying creatures. Orlassk's citadel is said to be a giant gargoyle formed from living rock that prowls the depths of Khyber.

Kyrzin is a prince of slime and ooze who lives beneath the Shadow Marches. Kyrzin has created numerous types of oozes, including parasitic oozes that may control their host or burst from their host's flesh.

Dolgaunt

Dolgaunt
Characteristics
Alignment	Lawful Evil
Type	Aberration
Image	Wizards.com image
Publication history
Source books	Eberron Campaign Setting

Dolgaunts are blind aberrations created by the daelkyr from captured hobgoblins. They sometimes work with the Cults of the Dragon Below and often command lesser aberrations, such as chokers and dolgrims. Dolgaunts train to become monks and rarely use weapons or armor.

Dolgrim

Dolgrim
Characteristics
Alignment	Chaotic Evil
Type	Aberration
Image	Wizards.com image
Publication history
Source books	Eberron Campaign Setting

Dolgrims are aberrations originally created by merging two goblins into one creature. A dolgrim resembles a grey-colored goblin with two mouths, one above the other, and four arms, and generally carry a large assortment of different weapons in these arms. Stupid and bred for obedience to superiors such as dolgaunts, they are the basic footsoldiers of the daelkyr forces. Occasionally they have been known to serve the Cults of the Dragon Below.

Eneko

The eneko are the offspring of half-giants and ogres, who now breed true.

Inspired

The Inspired are the psionically gifted rulers of Sarlona and willing hosts of their quori overlords. They are human-like in appearance, possessed of great physical beauty and were created over the course of hundreds of years through the mixing of human stock with blood of demons and elves by the quori. As the ruling caste of the nations of Sarlona, the Inspired are loved and respected by the overwhelming majority of their subjects. To be selected as a host is a tremendous honor and the sole goal of virtually all Inspired.

Though they have recently acquired the ability to possess willing hosts of any type, quori find the Inspired to be their preferred hosts; likewise an Inspired can never resist possession by the quori it was bred to host (in game terms Inspired are never allowed to make saving throws against possession attempts by their master). Over the decades that an Inspired is possessed, it develops a portion of the quori’s considerable psionic power (represented by gaining levels in psychic classes), even as its personality shifts to completely match that of its master.

While the recent trend in Dungeons & Dragons has been towards allowing players to play any race the Inspired are strongly discouraged as player characters, due to their utter domination by the near universally evil Quori. Players who wish to play a psionic race or focus on the quori/kalashtar conflict are encouraged to play kalashtar.

Kalashtar

Main article: Kalashtar

The Kalashtar are a race of psionic people and are descendants of a group of human monks from Adar who allowed themselves to be possessed by good-aligned Quori fleeing Dal Quor. Over time, the connection between the two has become inseparable. As the kalashtar greatly outnumber the good-aligned Quori, the spiritual essence of each Quori is divided out amongst many Kalashtar, known collectively as a lineage. Thus, the only way to completely destroy one of the good-aligned Quori is to exterminate its entire lineage. Many kalashtar follow the Path of Light.

The Kalashtar were created -1800 YK, almost 2800 years before the start of the Eberron campaign, when the rebel Quori Tarantai and her followers fled from the region of dreams, Dal Quor into the material plane. In their desperation to escape the Dreaming Dark Taratai found a passage out of Dal Quor and into the body of a meditating monk in the Sarlonan nation of Adar. The monk and sixty-six other volunteers from the monastery agreed to bond with and house the renegade Quori spirits within themselves, at the cost of earning the eternal enmity of the Dreaming Dark.

The Quori spirits were initially concerned about what would happen when their hosts died, but instead were surprised when they learned that when a child of the same gender was born of the host (mother or father) they shared the same bond with the child as they did with the host parent. As the families of the original hosts grew and expanded, the Quori found themselves spread thinner and thinner. The memories and basic personality of the benevolent quori spirit were imprinted upon the child and the Quori lived on through the eyes of a thousand descendants.

Physiology

Kalashtar appear similar to humans in many regards, but are graceful and elegant in a way that is almost alien. They are slightly taller and their faces more angular than humans, but in a way that only further accents their natural beauty. Kalashtar tend to wear their hair long. Female kalashtar prefer loose clothing over more restricting garb; while male kalashtar may tend to abstain from shirts and the like.

All Kalashtar due to their dualistic human/Quori heritage possess basic innate psionic talents. From a young age Kalashtar learn how to create temporary telepathic connections with others and psionically focus their minds. Many within the Kalashtar community go further in their psionic training as psions, wilders, psychic warriors or soulknives. Wielding such potent psionic might comes naturally to the Kalashtar and they must be eternally vigilant for the spies and assassins of the Dreaming Dark.

Society and Culture

The Kalashtar believe that at the center of Dal Quor lies the Quor Tarai, the vast image of an unseen and unbelievably powerful dreamer that permeates all things. The Quori are an aspect of the Quor Tarai and they change as the Quori Tarai does. The Kalashtar believe that they live in the third incarnation of the Quor Tarai and that the age is one of Darkness. Called il-Lashtavar by the Quori, the Darkness That Dreams is the third age that came into existence soon after the cataclysm that destroyed the Giants of Xen'Drik. According to the teachings of Tarantai the Quor Tarai slowly shifts and changes, eventually passing away. This death heralds the implosion and then explosion of Dal Quor as a new Quor Tarai is created. The Dreaming Dark will stop at nothing to prevent the turning of the age while the Kalashtar following the Path of Light attempt to push the cycle forward.

The Kalashtar follow il-Yannah or The Path of Light and it reflects every aspect of their lives. Deeply spiritual and meditative, the Kalashtar work within the communities they live within, helping spread good and the light to every corner of the world. They intensely believe that by actively promoting and acting on the behalf of good, they will slowly move the cycle of Quor Tarai towards its conclusion and herald a new age of Light and Joy.

Sheshan talarash dasyannah or as it is more commonly known, the Path of Shadows, is a martial art form in every sense of the term. Part exercise, meditation, combat training, and artistic expression, the Path of Shadows is a smooth, soft, graceful, and fluid art of hypnotic moves and sweeping motions. A Kalashtar focusing purely on the movement is said to be staying in the light while one who instead uses it to train for battle is facing the shadows.

Quori

Quori
Characteristics
Alignment	Lawful Evil
Type	Outsider
Image	Wizards.com image
Publication history
Source books	Eberron campaign setting

The quori are nightmarish beings from the plane of Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams. The quori lifecycle is somehow connected to Eberron; specifically, each new Age on Eberron changes the nature of Dal Quor, causing the otherwise immortal Quori to die and be reborn into a form more fitting to the new age.

History

40,000 years prior to the end of the Last War, the quori of that age invaded Eberron in an attempt to prevent the dawning of a new age but were repelled by the giants of Xen'drik, who managed to sever all connections between Eberron and Dal Quor using immensely powerful magic.

The current Quori are servants of a potent evil, called Il'Lashtavar or “the Dreaming Dark”, which dwells within the heart of Dal Quor. Though their power is unchallenged on their home plane, for thousands of years the Quori were incapable of reaching beyond the plane of dreams and could only observe the wider world via the dreams of mortals. Possibly motivated by the escape of a rogue group of Quori who opposed the Dreaming Dark to Eberron (which led to the creation of the Kalashtar); the Quori were able to find a way to exert direct influence on Eberron and engineer the breeding of special human vessels, capable of being possessed by a Quori spirit, that would become the Inspired.

During a period of great upheaval several hundred years ago (presumably engineered by the Quori) the Inspired appeared among the nations of Sarlona, and presented themselves as ambassadors of powerful and beneficent gods. They quickly established order and dominated all of the continent under the nation of Riedra save Adar where the Kalashtar and their human associates resisted their advances from fortified monasteries high in the mountains.

Over the centuries, the Quori, in the guise of the Inspired, have supervised the building of great monoliths all over Sarlona, that somehow tap into the background psionic energy of the human population and use it to slowly draw Dal'Quor closer to Eberron. It is the influence of these monoliths that has recently allowed Quori to possess any willing human, as opposed to being restricted to Inspired hosts.

Present Day Eberron

The ultimate goal of the Quori is to prevent the dawning of another new age and the death of Il'Lastavar by "establishing a static world, in which nothing ever changes and there is no light to threaten the darkness." (extract taken from "The Shattered Land" by Keith Baker). In other words, to take over the world of Eberron and take control of the dreams of its people, in order to manipulate the dream-world of Dal'Quor.

In order to accomplish this the Quori are served by two primary organisations on Eberron, namely the government of Riedra and the secret organization known as the Dreaming Dark.

As the divine rulers of Riedra, the Quori act openly, sending their supernaturally charming Inspired Ambassadors to the courts of Khorvaire and posing as benevolent allies. The Inspired offer a portion of their vast resources at generous prices to aid the war-torn continent. They act as impartial observers and mediators in negotiations between the nations, integrating themselves with Khorvaire's political elite. The precise purpose of the Inspired's political machinations is left deliberately vague, but as tools of the Quori their ultimate purpose is to subjugate Khorvaire much as they do Riedra either covertly or through open alliance with one of the warring nations should the Last War resume. The Inspired also show an open interest in the continent of Xen'Drik, and have established numerous bases there, though likewise the precise goals of the Inspired there are left to the discretion of the DM.

Meanwhile, the Dreaming Dark serve as the more direct arm of Dal'Quor, whose agents serve the Darkness directly rather than through the Inspired. A highly secretive organization, kept entirely separate from Riedra (so as not to damage Riedra politically should the Dreaming Dark's numerous crimes be discovered) few people in Eberron other than the Kalashtar and the Inspired are aware of their existence.

While the Dreaming Dark is assigned to carry out any task advantageous to Il'Lashtavar that would be too impractical or politically damaging for Riedra, the Dreaming Dark's primary tasks are the hunting down of the Kalashtar all over the world (in order to harvest their Quori spirits and reincarnate them as servants of the darkness) and the domination of Khorvaire through covert means. The Dreaming Dark makes frequent use of 'Mind Seeds' people who have been subjected to powerful psionic techniques and had their minds wiped and replaced with personalities loyal to the Dreaming Dark. Using this technique they brainwash highly placed nobles, politicians, generals, merchants and other valuable pawns and use their influence to subvert the organizations under their command, in order to prepare for the domination of Khorvaire by either the Inspired or a new breed of Quori hosts.

Physical Description and Subspecies of Quori

All Quori have bizarre forms that are a nightmarish cross between a worm, insect, crustacean and humanoid. Pincers or blades, and a red and black coloration seem to be among the common features. Of the Quori, 6 subspecies are known. The Tsucora is the most common, and is the only one presented in the basic Eberron Campaign Setting sourcebook. The Dream Master and Tsoreva feature in Magic of Eberron, whilst the Du'Lora, Hashalaq and Kalaraq appear in Dragon Magazine.

Dream Master

Snakelike creatures with four-armed humanoid torsos. Each arm ends in a pincer. A void of darkness sits where its head should be. The dream masters dedicate themselves to preparing for the return of Quori to the material world. To that end they visit many mortal dreams, planting the necessary dream seeds that will usher in a new age of Quori rule.

Du'ulora

Du'ulora are a whirlwind of eyes, wings, and shadow wreathed in smoky shadows. They are spirits of rage, capable of driving mortals mad by their very presence. They act as guardians and sentinels of the Quori.

Hashalaq

Hashalaq serve as loremasters of the Quori. They spend a great deal of time studying mortal worlds, magic, and psionic powers. They also serve as inquisitors. In its natural form they are composed of hundreds of translucent tendrils that surround a point of blue light.

Kalaraq

Kalaraq are the brilliant and ruthless princes of nightmare who guide the quori race. They are masters of manipulation, capable of twisting the thoughts of mortals and spirits. They can consume and trap souls, preserving their knowledge in their essence.

Tsoreva

Having a segmented, many-legged body which ends in a powerful scaled, headless torso that has two handless arms from which blades of energy erupt, these enforcers of Dal Quor are bred for battle. Like most quori, a tsoreva typically acts through its human host rather than by a physical presence of its own, though the tsoreva are very capable warriors in their own right.

Tsucora

Tsucoras are among the weakest and most numerous of the Quori. In their own world they appear as great red and black worms with two massive pincered arms and lots of smaller, useless arms beneath them, and chitinous armor plates.

Shifters

Shifter
Characteristics
Alignment	True Neutral
Type	Humanoid
Image	Wizards.com image
Publication history
Source books	Eberron Campaign Setting, Races of Eberron, Monster Manual III

Shifters, also known as the weretouched, are a fictional race in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game's Eberron campaign setting. They are an optional playable race. This race is featured for their ability to act in a bestial or feral manner, doing such things as running on all fours, climbing trees, and fighting with bare claws or teeth. Their sense of smell is also heightened, when compared to humans, but they are suggested to have worse social manners, as a race, because they are used to living "wild", outside of the villages most people settle in. In terms of genetic derivation, they are commonly thought to be the result of crossbreeding between humans and lycanthropes but have become a true-breeding race.

3rd Edition

The trademark ability of the race is their ability to shift; that is, to bring their more animalistic talents to the fore, gaining some useful ability and a bonus to a single, usually physical, statistic for a short time. Most shifters can only use this ability once a day and for less than 30 seconds, but feats introduced in the Eberron Campaign Setting and Races of Eberron allow a player character to shift multiple times per day, and to maintain each shift for a minute or longer.

Beasthide shifters can increase their natural Armor Class, making them harder to damage, while gaining a bonus to Constitution and therefore extra Hit Points, making them harder to bring down.

Longtooth shifters can grow fangs and gain a natural bite attack, as well as an increase in Strength.

Cliffwalk shifters gain a bonus to Dexterity and much improved climbing ability.

Razorclaw shifters gain a claw attack and an increase in their Strength score.

Longstride shifters become fleeter of foot and gain an increase to their Dexterity score.

Wildhunt shifters gain the extraordinary ability to smell as well as a predatory animal, allowing them to track by scent, as well as a bonus to Constitution. Wildhunt shifters also gain a permanent bonus to their tracking ability even when not shifted, due to their residual ability to smell well at all times.

Dreamsight shifters are the rarest of all. While shifting, they gain a bonus to their Wisdom as well as the ability to speak with animals in a supernatural manner. Dreamsight shifters, like Wildhunt shifters, also have a permanent bonus to their skills, but in the case of Dreamsight shifters it is an increase in their ability to communicate with animals (reflected in the skill Handle Animal).

Gorebrute shifters gain a pair of horns which can thereafter be used in a natural charge attack, as well as a bonus to Strength.

Swiftwing shifters gain a bonus to their Dexterity scores while at the same time growing leathery flaps of skin similar to a bat's wings which allow him to fly at slightly less than walking pace.

Truedive shifters receive a bonus to their Constitution score, a bonus to their Swim skill, and an increase in their swimming speed while shifting. Even when not shifting, a Truedive shifter can hold their breath for amazing amounts of time.

4th Edition

The trademark ability of the race is their ability to shift; that is, to bring their more animalistic talents to the fore, gaining some useful abilities and a bonus to a single, usually physical, statistic for a short time. This ability is an encounter power under 4th Edition Rules. Currently, only two traits are given for Shifters, which were introduced in the Monster Manual I for 4th edition.

Longtooth shifters can gain slight regeneration and a bonus to damage.

Razorclaw shifters can gain a bonus to movement rate and armor class.

5th Edition

The first "Unearthed Arcana" article on the Wizards of the Coast web site presented a playtest version of the Shifter for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. The article also included the Beasthide, Cliffwalk, Longstride, Longtooth, Razorclaw, and Wildhunt subraces.

Warforged

Warforged
Characteristics
Alignment	Any
Type	Construct (Living Construct)
Image	Wizards.com image
Publication history
Source books	Eberron Campaign Setting
First appearance	Eberron Campaign Setting
Mythological origins	Golems
Based on	Golems, robots, androids

The warforged are a race of living, sentient constructs, superficially similar to golems. Warforged are composed of a blend of materials: predominantly stone, wood, and some type of metal. In Eberron, they were created by House Cannith in magical 'creation forges' to fight in the Last War, based on technology recovered from Xen'drik. When the Last War ended, they were given their freedom at the Treaty of Thronehold. Though they have free will, whether they have a soul is not known with certainty; they can be resurrected by spells designed to restore human souls to life, but, unlike humans, never remember anything of their experience in the afterlife after such an event.

While they have no biological sex, warforged may adopt a gender role as part of their individual personality. They do not age as the other races do, and it is not known what effects time will have on them. It is generally assumed that, like all living creatures, their bodies must experience degradation over time. Like other races, warforged may take levels in any character class.

Racial qualities and adjustments of the warforged were published in the Eberron Campaign Setting and later reprinted in Monster Manual III. Warforged are produced with their own armor and have various immunities, including to poison and disease. Healing spells have reduced effect on warforged, but a series of repair spells work fully on them. Other published forms of warforged include:

• warforged charger (MM3) - warforged that are larger than standard designed for brute strength, but have little intelligence.
• warforged scout (MM3) - Smaller versions of the traditional warforged.
• warforged titan (ECS) - warforged that are larger and stronger than chargers, but are even less intelligent.

History of the warforged

Warforged in Xen'drik

The origins of the warforged on Eberron are not clear. According to a "docent" (ancient and sentient memory-containing magic item) found in Secrets of Xen'drik, the very first warforged were created as "host bodies" for a group of Quori (which were very different from Quori of 998 YK). The giants of Xen'drik created their own versions for their wars against the Quori, because the warforged are immune to many Quori tactics. However, according to Tales of the Last War, the giants invented the warforged, after which the Quori stole the secrets of their creation from the dreams of giants and created their own.

Either way, the secrets of warforged creation seem to have originated on the continent of Xen'drik. The ability of ancient Xen'drik docents to meld with modern-day warforged supports this theory. The existence of Xulo, a huge and powerful warforged found in Xen'drik, also supports this theory.

Warforged in Khorvaire

Near the halfway point of the Last War, Merrix d'Cannith, of the Dragonmarked House Cannith, was commissioned to build a great army of golems, to serve as untiring warriors. Not satisfied with the lifeless, unintelligent hulks his forges produced, nor with the prohibitively expensive process of creating golems one-by-one, Merrix began experimenting with magic to instill some spark of life in them that would enable them, like living things, to direct their own actions and to be grown by a self-sustaining process. After many unsuccessful attempts, Merrix's son, Aarren d'Cannith, finally invented the process used in the creation forges. The warforged that Aarren's creation forges created were fully sentient, with the ability to have emotions, relationships, even to experience death; each new generation increased in sophistication and intelligence, ranging from the barely sentient titans to the youngest versions of warforged who were fully capable of achieving advanced education and ability in magic. However, Aarren and Merrix had a disagreement over their use. Aarren felt that House Cannith had created life, and refused to see his creations used as tools. Merrix ignored him, and Aarren, feeling powerless, left. Powerful divination magics used to this day have only been able to confirm that he is still alive, not where he is. At the end of the War, two important rulings regarding the warforged came down:

1. All warforged were declared 'people', and not possessions.
2. The House Cannith creation forges were to be shut down, never to produce any more of the living constructs.

Despite the rulings, many warforged are still regarded as outsiders, and many are still employed as indentured servants.

There are also rumours that Merrix d'Cannith, (the grandson of the original Merrix) still produces illegal warforged in a lost creation forge. Even more disturbing are the rumors that the Lord of Blades, a rogue warforged, has stumbled onto an undestroyed creation forge in the Mournland and has begun creating an army.

The Lord of Blades, a figure of near-messianic significance to the warforged, took advantage of the Day of Mourning to establish an independent warforged outpost within the Mournland; operating from a philosophy that the existence of organic life will always pose a threat that his people will be returned to servitude, he wages a guerrilla war with the eventual goal the elimination of human dominance in Khorvaire; his agents thus serve as reliable antagonists for many Eberron campaigns. One of the biggest mysteries in the setting is the nature of the Lord of Blades' identity and to what extent he actually exists or has been mythologized.

Races of Eberron, an extended reference guide for the campaign setting, has much more in-depth material on warforged variations and additional feats and abilities. As well, it mentions the beginnings of the construction of the Godforged, which could in fact be a warforged god.

Recently a new group of warforged calling themselves the "Psiforged" have begun appearing across Eberron. Able to use very powerful psionic abilities, their origins are as much a mystery as their motives. Some are said to originate from Mournland, while others appear from deep beneath the depth of Sharn. House Cannith denies any connection to the new design and has stated that they never pursued a psionically enhanced warforged model.

Warforged in 4th Edition

Warforged appear in the 4th Edition Monster Manual, released in June 2008.

The 4th Edition player's guide for Eberron also features a paragon path called the Self-Forged, which is for creatures that strive to make themselves like Warforged by replacing parts of their bodies with magical metal prosthetics, becoming fantasy-themed cyborgs.

Warforged in 5th Edition

The first "Unearthed Arcana" article on the Wizards of the Coast web site presented a playtest version of the Warforged for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition.

Other creatures and races

The Eberron Campaign Setting introduced four new player races: the warforged, the shifters, the changelings and the kalashtar. Two other playable races were later added in the Magic of Eberron supplement: The Psiforged, and the Daelkyr Half-Blood.

Psiforged are a new breed of Warforged that can focus and channel psionic energy. Psionic crystals are imbedded within their bodies and can be seen beneath their exoskeletons. These crystals help focus the psionic energy that can be found in all living things. Although they are the same race as the Warforged, they have come to be set apart by being referred to as the "Psiforged."

Changelings developed through the breeding of humans and doppelgangers. While they do not have the full shapechanging and telepathic abilities of doppelgangers, they still have a minor change shape ability that allows them to take on other appearances at will. Changelings lack a distinct culture and history of their own, instead using their abilities to blend into the societies they live in, in many cases keeping their true race a secret to all.

Daelkyr Half-Bloods, introduced in the supplement Magic of Eberron, are formed when the venomous spirit of a Daelkyr, sealed beneath the earth, leaks into the surrounding environment. Unborn children within this sphere of influence are born Daelkyr Half-Bloods.

Eneko, introduced in the supplement Secrets of Sarlona, are the descendants of half-giants and ogres, and are most common in the Sarlonan nation of Syrkarn. Half-giants themselves can be played as characters from Xen'drik or Sarlona

Finally, Eberron introduced the kalashtar — humans bound with a spiritual psychic connection to a quori, a creature originally from Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams. This bonding first happened thousands of years ago and resulted in a new and distinct race with minor physical differences from humans and significant mental ones; kalashtar have psionic abilities and some degree of shared memory due to the common spirit they share with their ancestors.

As for traditional races, elves are relative newcomers to the continent of Khorvaire. Originally the elves were slaves to a race of giants on the continent of Xen'drik. They escaped to and founded a nation on the smaller continent of Aerenal. Aerenal elves in Eberron practice a form of ancestor worship. On Aerenal, those elves deemed to be particularly beneficial to the race are magically revived as Undying. The lich-like beings are enchanted with positive energy instead of the negative energy that animates undead. The Undying act as counselors to the Aerenal elves. Elves have occupied parts of Khorvaire sporadically, only recently forming their own nation there known as Valenar. Valenar elves hold different traditions from Aerenal elves, and stress bringing glory to their Xen'drik ancestors through combat.

Dwarves, by legend, originated from the Arctic subcontinent of Frostfell and now live in a region called the Mror Holds. In addition to their traditional role as elite warriors, they also put much importance on wealth, and their dragonmarked house -- House Kundarak—is used throughout Khorvaire for banking.

Halflings usually live in nomadic tribes in the Talenta Plains where they train dinosaurs as mounts.

In the Eberron campaign setting, unlike other campaign settings, orcs are given to spirituality and nature-worship. They established successful societies, learning druidic secrets from the black dragon Vvaraak while the goblinoid races built a mighty empire, some 16,000 years ago. The orc societies took a massive blow during the daelkyr invasion 9,000 years ago, though it was the orcs now known as the Gatekeepers who were able to stop the invasion by sealing the daelkyr beneath Eberron and severing the link between Eberron and the daelkyr home plane of Xoriat. The Gatekeeper druidic sect remains a presence in Eberron, albeit one largely concerned with defending the world from outsiders, aberrations and other unnatural foes rather than politics.

Gnomes commonly live in their own country of Zilargo and are considered excellent shipwrights, the masters of elemental binding, information seekers, and social manipulators. Because of widespread immigration though, any race can be found anywhere on Khorvaire.

Other significant races and monsters to Eberron include goblinoids (goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears) who had an empire which once dominated Khorvaire, but powerful magics unleashed during the daelkyr invasion led to a period of decline. The remnants of their empire were largely wiped by the humans when they immigrated from Sarlona; however the Last War weakened the Five Nations to a degree that the goblinoids were able to form a new nation in part of what was once Cyre. Drow, unlike the elves, remained in Xen'drik. They use scorpion imagery but they do not venerate scorpions as drow in Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms do for spiders. Rather than being a subrace of elves, Keith Baker considers drow their own distinctive race. A special warped race of drow called the Umbragen or the shadow elves also exists, with information on them revealed in Dragon magazine and the computer game Dragonshard.

Couatl are good creatures of positive energy responsible (with the aid of the dragons) for bringing an end to the Age of Demons 100,000 years before the campaign begins. Some believe that most couatl have bound themselves to the force known as the Silver Flame, which now has a church devoted to it.

Rakshasas are part of an evil organization called the Lords of Dust who scheme in Khorvaire to release their godlike masters from Khyber. These evil spirits are the undisputed masters of illusion, treachery, and subversion, and they have a hand in the politics of practically every nation of Khorvaire.

Daelkyr are extremely powerful, evil creatures from the plane of Xoriat, the Realm of Madness. Only a handful in number, several Daelkyr were trapped in Khyber by potent seals of magic that were established by the Gatekeepers thousands of years ago. Though each likely seeks to free itself from Khyber, return to Xoriat, or destroy Eberron, as a whole they seem content to remain in their subterranean prisons for now; their motives and intents inscrutable to even their most trusted lieutenants.

Religions

Main article: Religions of Eberron

Religions in Eberron are not in general specific to a race, although both the elven Undying Court and the kalashtar Path of Light are not commonly worshipped by other races. Furthermore, unlike other settings, the gods neither walk the earth, nor can be visited by means of planar travel. If they even exist at all is a question open for debate. Divine magic, however, clearly exists and most people believe it originates from the gods.

Alignment and the gods

The idea that good people can do evil is a central concept in Eberron. As a result, clerics have no alignment restrictions whatsoever. A cleric may be punished by the church for violating the tenets of the faith, but alignment doesn't affect any class abilities. Thus, a cleric of the Silver Flame might be greedy or corrupt, or perhaps loyal to the church but willing to torture and kill in the interest of the "greater good". One well-known example of such a cleric is the de facto ruler of Thrane, High Cardinal Krozen, who is lawful evil.

Paladins, on the other hand, are held to a higher standard in D&D 3rd edition. A paladin embodies good, and must therefore be pure of heart and never stray from the path of righteousness. In other words, as in other settings, a paladin in Eberron must be lawful good. In D&D 4th edition, paladins are only required to have the same alignment as their deity, and thus evil or unaligned paladins are permitted.

Churches

Name	Alignment	Domains	Favored weapon
The Silver Flame	LG	Exorcism, Good, Law, Protection, Inquisition, Purification, Truth	Longbow
The Sovereign Host	NG	Any of the domains in The Sovereign Host	Longsword
Arawai Aureon Balinor Boldrei Dol Arrah Dol Dorn Kol Korran Olladra Onatar	NG LN N LG LG CG N NG NG	Creation, Good, Life, Plant, Weather Knowledge, Law, Magic, Force, Mind, Oracle, Spell Air, Animal, Earth, Celerity, Retribution Community, Family, Good, Law, Protection Good, Law, Sun, War, Glory Chaos, Good, Strength, War, Competition, Liberation Charm, Commerce, Travel, Pact, Trade, Wealth Feast, Good, Healing, Luck, Pride Artifice, Fire, Good, Creation, Metal, Warforged	Morningstar Quarterstaff Battleaxe Spear Halberd Longsword Mace Sickle Warhammer
The Dark Six	NE	Any of the domains in The Dark Six	Kama
The Devourer The Fury The Keeper The Mockery The Shadow The Traveler	NE NE NE NE CE CN	Cold, Destruction, Evil, Pestilence, Ocean, Water, Weather Evil, Liberation, Hatred, Madness, Passion, Wrath Death, Decay, Evil, Greed, Hunger, Pact Destruction, Domination, Evil, Illusion, Trickery, War Chaos, Evil, Magic, Shadow, Darkness, Mind Artifice, Celerity, Chaos, Charm, Creation, Liberation, Travel, Trickery	Trident Rapier Scythe Kama Quarterstaff Scimitar
The Blood of Vol	LE	Death, Deathbound, Evil, Law, Necromancer	Dagger
Cults of the Dragon Below (Khyber Cult)	NE	Corruption, Cavern, Darkness, Dragon Below, Earth, Evil, Greed, Madness, Pact, Pain, Pestilence, Summoner	Heavy pick
The Path of Light (il-Yannah)	LN	Balance, Law, Meditation, Protection, Mentalism	Unarmed strike
Path of Inspiration	LN	Law, Meditation, Community	Flail
The Undying Court	NG	Deathless, Fate, Good, Protection, Planning	Scimitar
The Keepers of the Past	N	Destruction, Protection, War, Elf, Revered Ancestor	Double scimitar

Silver Flame

The Silver Flame is a disembodied lawful good force associated with a former mortal woman and paladin of Dol Arrah named Tira Miron, who merged with a silvery pillar of fire and a Couatl approximately 700 years ago. Miron, now an immortal known as the Voice of the Silver Flame, serves as the intermediary between the Silver Flame and mortals.

The Church of the Silver Flame is dedicated to protecting people against the supernatural forces of evil. The Silver Flame itself resides within the impressive Cathedral of the Silver Flame, around which the city of Flamekeep is built and from which both the church and the nation of Thrane is governed. The head of the church is the Keeper of the Flame, a position currently held by eleven-year-old Jaela Daran. Below her is, in theory, the Council of Cardinals. In practice, the Keeper of the Flame concerns herself mostly with spiritual matters, while the cardinals handle the workings of the church and government, sometimes in conflict with the wishes of the Keeper. Below the cardinals, archbishops rule the provinces and cities of Thrane.

The church is divided into three orders: the ministers, the templars and the friars. The ministers provide spiritual guidance to the faithful in every part of the world where the church has a presence. The templars are the warriors and exorcists, in charge of protecting the church by means of arms and spells. The friars, finally, are zealous missionaries trying to spread the faith to areas where the church does not yet exist. Many paladins belong to the faith and archery is a traditionally important discipline. The domains of the deity are Exorcism, Good, Law and Protection, and its favored weapon is the longbow.

Sovereign Host

The Sovereign Host is the most commonly worshipped pantheon of deities in Khorvaire. Most followers worship the Host as a whole, offering prayers to different deities in different situations. Clerics are often devoted to the entire pantheon instead of a specific patron deity. The pantheon as a whole is neutral good. The Host's favored weapon is the longsword.

• Arawai is the neutral good deity of fertility, plant life and abundance. She is the sister of Balinor and the Devourer, and the mother of the Fury. Her domains are Good, Life, Plant and Weather, and her favored weapon is the morningstar.
• Aureon is the lawful neutral deity of lore and magic. He is the brother of Onatar, the husband of Boldrei and the origin of the Shadow. His domains are Knowledge, Law and Magic, and his favored weapon is the quarterstaff.
• Balinor is the neutral deity of hunting and animal life. He is the brother of Arawai and the Devourer. His domains are Air, Animal and Earth, and his favored weapon is the battleaxe.
• Boldrei is the lawful good deity of community. She is the wife of Aureon. Her domains are Community, Good, Law and Protection, and her favored weapon is the spear.
• Dol Arrah is the lawful good deity of honorable combat, self-sacrifice and sunlight. She is the sister of Dol Dorn and the Mockery. Her domains are Good, Law, Sun and War, and her favored weapon is the halberd.
• Dol Dorn is the chaotic good deity of bodily strength and martial training. He is the brother of Dol Arrah and the Mockery. His domains are Chaos, Good, Strength and War, and his favored weapon is the longsword.
• Kol Korran is the neutral deity of trade and money. He is the son of Olladra and Onatar, and the twin brother of the Keeper. His domains are Charm, Commerce and Travel, and his favored weapon is the mace.
• Olladra is the neutral good deity of luck and plenty. She is the wife of Onatar and the mother of Kol Korran and the Keeper. Her domains are Feast, Good, Healing and Luck, and her favored weapon is the sickle.
• Onatar is the neutral good deity of crafts, industry and fire. He is the brother of Aureon, the husband of Olladra and the father of Kol Korran and the Keeper. His domains are Artifice, Fire and Good, and his favored weapon is the warhammer.

Dark Six

The Dark Six are deities cast out of the Sovereign Host because of their evil ways. Like most gods of Eberron, the Dark Six do not have any direct influence in the world, and there is no conclusive evidence that they even exist. The Dark Six are worshipped by criminals, outcasts, and various monsters. However, many good-aligned characters pay tribute to them—a sailor might make an offering to appease the Devourer, to ensure his next voyage will not be hindered by the sea god. The Dark Six scheme against the Sovereign Host, each for differing reasons, and their followers likewise scheme against followers of the Sovereign Host.

• The Devourer is the neutral evil deity of the destructive power of nature. He is the brother of Arawai and the father of the Fury. His domains are Destruction, Evil, Water and Weather, and his favored weapon is the trident.
• The Fury is the neutral evil deity of passion driven to madness. She is the daughter of Arawai and the Devourer. Her domains are Evil, Madness and Passion, and her favored weapon is the rapier.
• The Keeper is the neutral evil deity of death and decay. He is the son of Olladra and Onatar, and the twin brother of Kol Korran. His domains are Death, Decay and Evil, and his favored weapon is the scythe.
• The Mockery is the neutral evil deity of treachery over honor. He is the brother of Dol Arrah and Dol Dorn. His domains are Destruction, Evil, Trickery and War, and his favored weapon is the kama.
• The Shadow is the chaotic evil deity of dark magic and the corruption of nature. He is the literal shadow of Aureon. His domains are Chaos, Evil, Magic and Shadow, and his favored weapon is the quarterstaff.
• The Traveler is the chaotic neutral deity of cunning and deception. He seems to have no connection to other deities. His domains are Artifice, Chaos, Travel and Trickery, and his favored weapon is the scimitar.

Blood of Vol

The Blood of Vol is a lawful evil cult that reveres the ancient traditions of the elven line of Vol. A subsect of the group, the Order of the Emerald Claw, is devoted to serving Erandis Vol, the Queen of the Dead and last scion of House Vol. Cultists exist on Khorvaire, Aerenal, and Xen'drik. They see blood as a path to divinity, and are fascinated by the literal and figurative meanings of blood. They invoke negative energy and manipulate bloodlines to achieve their goals. Despite the cult's overall evil alignment, there are many good-aligned members, who revere the undead as self-sacrificing champions in the war against death. The cult's domains are Death, Evil, Law and Necromancy, and the favored weapon is the dagger.

Lady Vol

Lady Vol, or Erandis Vol, is the last member of House Vol, and carries the thirteenth dragonmark: the Mark of Death. She is the daughter of an elf mother—the matriarch of House Vol—and a green dragon father. When her existence became known, both elves and dragons came together to destroy the half-dragon abomination and the House of Vol. To save her daughter—and the family bloodline—The matriarch turned Erandis into a lich just before she was killed herself. However, becoming a Lich caused Vol to lose access to the power of her dragonmark, which she seeks to restore. It is often considered improper to refer to her as d'Vol, since the convention of using the honorific d' was not established until after House Vol was destroyed.

Cults of the Dragon Below

The Cults of the Dragon Below are a diverse group of generally neutral evil sects that revere the power of Khyber, the underground world. Some seek to raise the dragon Khyber or release the daelkyr, while others commune with fiends summoned from the underworld. A few seek a promised land below the surface. The cults' favored weapon is the heavy pick.

Path of Light

The Path of Light is a lawful neutral religion followed by the kalashtar of Adar. Followers revere a positive energy they call il-Yannah ("the Great Light"). They seek to, through spiritual meditation and other subtle means, bring about the Turn of the Wheel of Dal Quor, which would result in the destruction of the current Dal Quor and its evil Quori denizens. Most followers are psions and psychic warriors, seeking to perfect themselves through meditation and communing with the light. They are in particular conflict with the Inspired of Riedra. Their favored weapon is the unarmed strike.

The Path of Light was first developed by the de facto "mother" of the kalashtar, known as Taratai. Like all modern Quori, Taratai sprang from the Dream of the Age, known as il-Lashtavar (roughly translated as "the darkness that dreams"). However, Taratai was inherently good, unlike her brethren, and felt at odds with the age into which she was created. After a period of research, Taratai discovered that the current Dream of the Age would eventually expire, and the one that will replace it will be one of joy and light. The Path of Light was developed as a series of actions that, she believed, would accelerate this process.

After the good Quori were driven from Dal Quor into the bodies of the monks of Adar, Taratai and her followers continued to practice the Path of Light. However, all of Taratai's descendants sacrificed themselves to create the Shroud, a great magical creation that protects Adar from the Inspired and agents of the Dreaming Dark; it is unknown if she still exists, and if so, in what form.

Path of Inspiration

As the kalashtar follow the Path of Light, the people of Riedra follow the Path of Inspiration. Invented by the il-Lashtavar as a way to control their population, the Path of Inspiration is propagated by the Inspired and is integrated into every element of Riedran society. The Path posits that there are good spirits in the world, steering Riedra in the right direction, and there are bad spirits trying to corrupt them as well. With enough good acts and obedience, a person can ascend to join these spirits.

The Path of Inspiration is lawful neutral, as its practitioners and goals are not inherently evil. Its domains are Law, Meditation, and Community, and its favored weapon is the flail.

Undying Court

The Undying Court is a neutral good pantheon of ancient deathless elves animated by positive energy. The elves of Aerenal seek their counsel and petition their favor. The court's favored weapon is the scimitar.

Keepers of the Past

The Keepers of the Past are bards and clerics who determine which ancestor will guide a newborn Tairnadal elf through life. In Tairnadal religion, each elf is duty-bound to honor and emulate his or her patron ancestor. The Tairnadal believe that these warrior ancestors, known as Spirits of the Past, can live again in the present if their deeds are recreated. Elves who share a common ancestor will compete with each other to become the perfect embodiment of their patron. The Spirits of the Past are neutral. The favored weapon of the Keepers is the double scimitar.

Vulkoor

Though not a formalized church, almost all Vulkoori drow in Xen'drik worship Vulkoor, the scorpion god. He is usually portrayed as a drow/scorpion hybrid; a scorpion body, with its head replaced with the upper body of an adult male drow. Vulkoor shares some traits with Lolth, encouraging trickery and destruction among his devotees and having a special affinity for arachnids. In the Eberron setting, he is also said to be the drow version of the Mockery.

Characters

The Lord of Blades

Lord of the Blades
Characteristics
Alignment	Evil
Type	Construct (Living Construct)
Image	Wizards.com image
Publication history
Source books	Eberron Campaign Setting
First appearance	Eberron Campaign Setting
Mythological origins	Golems
Based on	Golems, robots, androids

The Warforged visionary known as The Lord of Blades has begun establishing a Warforged nation somewhere in the Mournland, it is rumoured. No one is sure where he came from, or where the Warforged-Mecca is. Some tales tell that he was a powerful warrior leading his construct companions into battle for Cyre, before the day of Mourning. Others maintain that he was the last Warforged to come out of the Creation Forges before they were destroyed, as per the orders of the Thronehold Accord. Yet another fearsome spin is that perhaps he was the one who caused the day of mourning, in order to have a clean slate to start his own nation; and maybe he plans to repeat the experience with all of Eberron.

The Lord of Blades has become a messiah for a noticeable number of his fellow Warforged, but the remainder consider him an abomination and a threat to their race.

Dragonmarked houses

Dragonmarked houses are organizations in the fictional Eberron campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game that are based on bloodlines descended from families that first manifested dragonmarks. Not all members of the Houses have dragonmarks; nor is it an assurance of power. Talent is considered a better choice. Most common people have at least a small amount of House blood in their ancestry, usually unnoticed.

In the fictional world, the Dragonmarked Houses are the cornerstone of the economy of Khorvaire. Most banking, security, communications, transportation and fabrication are run by the Dragonmarked Houses. The Houses use their exclusive access to the powers of dragonmarks to sustain their economic empires that extend far beyond arcane powers of the dragonmarks themselves. The houses can attribute most of their success to their meticulously crafted reputations for standardization and quality that have elevated bearers of dragonmarks with a status that mundane wizards and artificers cannot possibly match.

Geography

Aerenal

Aerenal is the ancient island kingdom of the Aereni elves, who take their name from Aeren, a mythical hero said to have freed the elves from the giants of Xen'drik. It is also home to the deathless Undying Court. Aerenal is ruled by both the Sibling Kings, a brother and sister pair that serves as the temporal authority of Aerenal who rule from Shae Cairdal, and the Undying Court, the religious leader of the elves, which resides in Shae Mordai, the City of the Dead. In addition to the Aereni elves, a small group of Tairnadal elves inhabits the northern steppes of Aerenal, though many have since migrated to Valenar. Due to fear of the "walking dead" and the isolationist nature of the Aereni elves, few non-elves ever visit the small continent. While the Aereni despise the creation of the undead, the deathless of Aerenal, unlike the undead, draw power from positive, rather than negative energy, and are generally good in alignment. A manifest zone of Irian is thought to make the existence of the Undying Court possible. Aerenal is heavily forested, and many exotic plants grow there, such as the soarwood tree, whose wood is used to build airship hulls, and the necromatically charged Covadish plant.

Argonnessen

Argonnessen is the continent of dragons, occupying the southeastern part of the world. Off of Argonnessen lies the island of Seren. Argonnessen (and Seren) are for the most part off limits to the "lesser races" (which includes almost everyone except a dragon). The continent and island are also inhabited by dragon-worshipping human barbarians. Many of the continent's dragons are members of a group known as the Chamber, which interprets the Draconic Prophecy and uses it to shape the world to the dragons' liking. Unlike most dragons in Dungeons & Dragons, there is no correspondence between a dragon of Argonnessen's breed and its alignment. Thus, a silver dragon could be chaotic evil while a red dragon could be neutral good.

Khorvaire

Main article: Khorvaire

Khorvaire features a number of countries including Aundai, Breland, Karrnath, and Zilargo. Khorvaire is home to 15,520,020 people. The bulk of the population, 43.2%, is human. The second largest population is of dwarves, which make up another 9.3%.

Sharn is the largest city in the kingdom of Breland. It is a melting pot of all races, with the human population being the largest but still only a third of Sharn's some 212,000 citizens. A vertical city, Sharn is linked with the plane of Syrania, granting enhanced power to flight and levitation magic, a feature that the city's residents have used to build towers that rise higher into the sky than any other place on Khorvaire and possibly the world of Eberron. Due to the myriad of cultures that live and have lived in Sharn, examples of architecture from all over Khorvaire can be found. Most of Sharn's wealthiest inhabitants live in the upper regions of the city, enjoying the freshest air and least claustrophobic views.

A layer-by-layer depiction of Sharn can be found on the Wizards of the Coast Dungeons and Dragons site.

Sarlona

Sarlona is the ancient cradle of human civilization. Once home to many kingdoms, it is now dominated by the empire of Riedra, home to the Inspired. Other nations of Sarlona include the heavily fortified and isolated land of Adar (a refuge for those who oppose the Inspired), the frozen Tashana Tundra and the land of Syrkarn.

Manifest Zones

Manifest zones are regions of Eberron that demonstrate influence from the planes. For example, the Elden Reaches has a close connection to the astral dominion of Mabar. Sharn, the City of Towers in Breland, is situated within a manifest zone linked to the astral dominion of Syrania (p52 of Eberron Campaign Guide 4E). Enhanced magic related to levitation in Sharn makes for magnificent architecture such as the Skyway.

Specific planes

Daanvi

Daanvi is a realm of absolute, ideal order - strongly permeated with the multiversal force of Law. Its primary inhabitants are the ant-like formians and the mechanical inevitables.

Daanvi's orbit brings it particularly close - coterminous - to the Material Plane in which the world of Eberron is located one century out of four, and takes it particularly remote from the Material Plane for an equal length of time starting one century after the end of a coterminous period.

Dal Quor

When the mortal creatures of Eberron dream, they project their minds to Dal Quor. The outer edge of the plane is ringed with the "dreamscapes" where these night-time fantasies play out. Within this ring, nightmarish psionic beings known as quori dwell. Dal Quor (and the quori) is subject to a cycle of implosions and renewals. The plane is periodically destroyed along with all its inhabitants to emerge in a different state of being/age. The current age is an age of darkness due to the fall of the giant civilization. The whole quori/kalashtar war is about halting or furthering the cycle, as this renewal would destroy all the current quori.

Forty thousand years before the "present" of the Eberron setting, the quori attempted to invade and conquer the Material Plane. The giant civilizations of Xen'drik managed to repel the invasion; in the process, their powerful magics displaced Dal Quor from its metaphysical orbit, causing it to become permanently remote from Eberron. Current game products suggest these past quori were in fact refugees from an unknown event in Dal Quor who were attacked by the giants, now all destroyed with the last shift of Dal Quor. Upon the discovery of the cycle by the quori, two factions emerged leading to the creation of the kalashtar and the Inspired. As the link between Dal Quor and the Material Plane was severed, the quori were forced to find another path to power in the Material Plane, one which culminated in the establishment of their rule as the Inspired - believed by their subjects to be incarnate gods - over the empire of Riedra on the continent of Sarlona and the efforts to bring Eberron and Dal Quor coterminous again.

Xoriat

Beyond words or comprehension, Xoriat is called the Realm of Madness. Not only do its alien geometry and unspeakable inhabitants seem like the product of a madman's nightmare, but any who visit Xoriat risk finding their minds shattered by the experience.

Xoriat has been likened to a stack of translucent parchment, an apparently infinite connection of layers and dimensions. Its inhabitants exist on multiple layers simultaneously. Massive, drifting entities too large to notice visitors to the plane; free-floating rivers of milk-white liquid; rains of blue globes falling from unseen heights, only to burst and release horse-sized ticks when they strike another object—such are the madness-inducing features of Xoriat. Gelatinous worms wriggle from layer to layer, wending through tentacled vegetation encrusted with orange moss, all suspended above an amoebic sea. Over this mad realm the daelkyr are absolute masters.

Xoriat's last period of being coterminous with the Material Plane was a disastrous period of warfare. Over seven thousand years ago, Xoriat became coterminous and the daelkyr sent their minions into Khorvaire to conquer it. Before the orc and hobgoblin druids known as the Gatekeepers managed to end the planes' alignment, the mind flayers and lesser minions of the daelkyr had decimated the hobgoblin empire of Dhakaan. The Gatekeepers' magic was less cataclysmic than the giants' attempt to close the connection to Dal Quor, however; Xoriat moved quickly out of alignment but is sure to return one day

References

• Baker, Keith; Slavicsek, Bill; Wyatt, James (2004). Eberron Campaign Setting. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4
• Baker, Keith. Secrets of Xen'drik. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast, 2006. ISBN 0-7869-3916-8
• Burlew, Rich, et al. Monster Manual III (Wizards of the Coast, 2004).
• Polojac, John. "Arcane Upgrade: warforged Magic Items." Dragon #341 (Paizo, 2006).
• Sehestedt, Mark, ed. Tales of the Last War. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast, 2006. ISBN 0-7869-3986-9
• Wizards of the Coast - Dragonshards: The warforged, Part One
• Wizards of the Coast - Dragonshards: The warforged, Part Two
• Jhonen Olain's Eberron Journal - The World of Eberron: warforged
• The Reach of Riedra, Part One at Wizards.com website
• The Reach of Riedra, Part Two at Wizards.com website
• The Elves of Aerenal, Part One at Wizards.com website
• The Elves of Aerenal, Part Two at Wizards.com website
• "Heirs of Dhakaan" by Keith Baker, Wizards.com. URL accessed 2006-06-02.
• "Eberron Campaign Setting " by Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek and James Wyatt. Wizards of the Coast, 2004 ISBN 0786932740, 9780786932740