Player's Guide to Eberron

GAME DESIGN COVER ILLUSTRATION

JAMES WYATT, KEITH BAKER, WAYNE REYNOLDS
LUKE JOHNSON, AND STAN!
INTERIOR ARTISTS
DEVELOPMENT
ANNE STOKES
ANDY COLLINS BRENT CHUMLEY
DAVID MICHAEL BECK
EDITORS DRAXALL JUMP ENTERTAINMENT
ERIC DESCHAMPS
MICHELE CARTER, SCOTT GRAY FRANCIS TSAI
HOWARD LYON
EDITING MANAGER LUCIO PARRILLO
STEVE ELLIS
KIM MOHAN STEVE PRESCOTT

DESIGN MANAGER GRAPHIC DESIGNER

CHRISTOPHER PERKINS LISA HANSON

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER CARTOGRAPHY
LEE MOYER
JESSE DECKER
GRAPHIC PRODUCTION SPECIALIST
DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D
ERIN DORRIES
BILL SLAVICSEK
IMAGE TECHNICIAN
PRODUCTION MANAGERS
ROBERT JORDAN
JOSH FISCHER, RANDALL CREWS

ART DIRECTOR

RYAN SANSAVER

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www.wizards.com/dnd 620-95368720-001-EN 9876 5 4 3 2 1 First P r i n t i n g : J a n u a r y 2006 1SBN-10: 0-7869-3912-5 ISBN-13: 978-0-7869-3912-1

CONTENTS The Korth Edicts 47 Lhazaar Principalities 98

T h e Twelve 47 Tides of Blood and Gold 98

Dragonmark Talents 48 The Heavenly Fleet 99

Chapter 1: Aberrant Dragonmarks 48 Isles of Mystery 99

Building an Eberron Character... 7 Dragonshards 50 Magical Traditions 100

Chronicler 7 Fragments of the Modes of Power 100

Devotee of the Host 8 First Dragons 50 The Passage Institute

House Renegade 8 Droaam 52 for the Arcane Arts 102

House Scion 9 Monsters of Civilization 52 Atur Academy 103

Innocent Victim 9 Graywall: High Elemental Binder 104

Inquisitive 10 Gateway to Droaam 53 Monastic Traditions 108

Outlander 10 Dwarves 54 Perfection of the Body 108

Restless Wanderer 11 Gold Fuels Old Feuds 54 Morgrave University 110

Scholar-Adventurer 12 Eldeen Reaches 56 S c h o l a r s a n d Adventurers..................110

Streetwise Scoundrel 12 T h e Woods of the West 56 The Campus 111

War-Torn Hero 13 The Druid Sects 57 Morgrave Outreach

Everyday Magic 62 Association 112

Chapter 2: A Land Steeped in Magic 62 The Mournland 116

A Guide to Eberron 15 The Many Faces Devastation Everywhere 116

What Do You Know? 15 of the Artificer 63 Orcs 118

Exotic Classes and Races 15 The Five Nations 64 The Land of the Shadows 118

PC Organizations 15 Heirs of Galifar 64 T h e O r c s of t h eMarches..............118

Adventuring 16 Frostfell and Everice 66 Life on the Frontier 118

Dungeons of Eberron 16 North and South 66 Planes of Existence 120

Epic-Level Adventures 17 Gnomes 68 Worlds beyond the World 120

Aerenal 18 The Home of the Wise 68 Manifest Zones 122

Land of the Dead 18 The Trust 68 Races of the Planes 123

The Deathguard 20 T h e Library of Manifest Spellshaper 124

Dead, Deathless, Korranberg 69 Q'barra 128

and Half-Living 21 Goblinoids 70 The Frontier 128

The Blood of Vol 22 Fallen from Dominance 70 Riedra 130

Heirs ofVol 22 Half-Elves & Urban Elves 72 The Land Across the Sea 130

The Bloodtouched Rite 23 Old Traditions Seen Q u o r i a n d t h e Inspired...................130

Changelings 24 T h r o u g h New Eyes 72 W o r s h i p i n g the I n s p i r e d ....... 131

Masters of Disguise 24 Urban Elves 72 Seas of Eberron 132

How to Spot a C h a n g e l i n g .............25 Halflings 74 The Ten Seas 132

Church of the Silver Flame 26 Life on the Plains 74 Races of the Seas 133

T h e Glory of Light 26 History 76 Shifters 134

T e m p l a r s of the Silver F l a m e .............26 T h e Sweep of World Events................76 Touched by the Beast 134

Creation Myths 30 H i s t o r y beyond K h o r v a i r e .............77 Society and Status 136

T h e First Ages of the World ....... 30 Humans 78 How the World Works 136

The Dark Six 32 A History of Exploration T h e Place of A d v e n t u r e r s ...... 137

Powers of Darkness 32 and Blood 78 The Sovereign Host 138

The Demon Wastes 34 Intrigue and Espionage 80 Powers of Light 138

Ancient Ruin 34 No Secrets 80 Valenar 140

The Rakshasa Rajahs 34 Kalashtar 82 Warriors of Glory 140

The Sakah 35 The Mountains of Refuge 82 Travel in Valenar 141

The Ghaash'kala 36 T h e Path of Light 82 Revenant Blade 142

Horrors of the Wastes 37 Psionics beyond Sarlona 83 Villainous Organizations 146

The Labyrinth 37 Khyber 84 Forces of Darkness 146

Documents 38 The Darkness Within 84 The A u r u m 146

Rules and Regulations 38 Gateways to Khyber 84 The Dreaming Dark 146

Dragons 42 The Daelkyr 85 T h e Lords of Dust 147

Scaled Masters of Aberrations 86 The Order of the

Argonnessen 42 The Cults of the Emerald Claw 148

The Prophecy 42 Dragon Below 87 Warforged 150

The Chamber 44 Gatekeeper Mystagogue 88 Living Constructs 150

Seren 44 The Last War 92 No New Warforged 151

Heirs of the Dragons 44 A Century of Conflict 92 Xen'drik 152

Dragonmarks 46 T h e Day of M o u r n i n g 93 Continent of Mysteries 152

Heirs to Power 46 Thronehold 93

Power and Prophecy 46 Red Gauntlet Regiment 94 Index 156



CHAPTER ONE

BUILDING AN
EBERRON CHARACTER

TheEBERRONCampaign Setting provides all the rules Nations. O f course, once you finally got a j o b writing for a
necessary for creating a character to play in small local chronicle, you spent more time talking to farm-
Eberron. Key rules elements introduced in ers about their crops than you did doing anything remotely
that book for new characters include four resembling adventuring. Now you've made it: You travel
new races—changelings, kalashtar, shifters, with a group of adventurers, write about your experiences,
and warforged—and one new class, the artificer, as well and sell the stories to any chronicle that buys them. At least,
as a n u m b e r of feats, prestige classes, and spells. It also sometimes you sell the stories.
offers guidance in choosing race, class, feats, and pres-
tige class based on a character's region of origin, so you T h e p r i m a r y criterion by which you judge whether
can make a Brelish character feel more Brelish than one to undertake an adventure is whether or not you think it
from Aundair. will make a good story. By "good story,'' you might mean
W h a t the EBERRON Campaign Setting d o e s n ' t tell you is one that's dramatic and exciting, or you might mean one
how to make your character feel like he or she belongs that will sell. Other factors are less important: Will your
in the world of E b e r r o n . That's what this section does. It participation make a difference in the world? Are innocent
outlines a dozen character archetypes—basic personality lives at stake? Does the adventure itself pay well? It doesn't
and background packages that can help you make a char- matter—as long as it makes a good story.
acter who feels like a coherent part of the setting. Some
of these archetypes are fairly g e n e r i c : Any setting could If nothing else, an adventure could at least get you close
feature outlanders, for example, or restless wanderers. to a big story that's otherwise unrelated to the adventure
Others are uite specific to Eberron, including chroniclers itself. If someone wants to hire a group of bodyguards for an
and inquisitives. airship journey, you might not show any interest at all—until
you learn that an important noble or famous diplomat will
Most archetypes work just fine for characters of any be on the same airship, on a mysterious mission. Now that's
class and race. An outlander, for example, could be a half- a good story!
ling barbarian from the Talenta Plains or a half-orc warlock
from the Shadow Marches. Not every combination of race, Personality: Young chroniclers approach their task
class, region of origin, and archetype will make sense to with exuberant enthusiasm, excited at the prospect of t u r n -
you, t h o u g h . Try to find a c o m b i n a t i o n that appeals to you ing their experiences into gripping tales that will thrill a
and work from there. new generation of readers. Is that you, or has your attitude
devolved into a bitter cynicism? It's easy to fall into the jaded
T h e r e is no g a m e - m e c h a n i c a l benefit to choosing a view that chronicling is a pretty word for lying, trying to
character archetype. Rather, each archetype consists solely make the horrors of war or the terrors of the world sound
of suggestions for developing the b a c k g r o u n d , personality, exciting. But hey, excitement sells stories, so you'll make the
and mannerisms of your character. story as lurid as possible to make the sale.

CHRONICLER Behavior: Take notes about everything your com-
panions do. You might even be tempted to hang back out
'What a story!" of combat for a m o m e n t or two while you finish scribbling
your notes about the events that led to the combat. (Don't
-Kalva Dannor, gnome bard take this to the point where your allies become angry at your
inaction. Finish jotting down notes instead of moving in
When you can sell a story to a publication such as the between spells or other helpful actions.) Most important,
Korranberg Chronicle or the Sharn Inquisitive, e v e r y t h i n g that act as though you were a character in an exciting story that
happens around you starts to look like a story that needs will be told around the world—be dramatic, be dynamic,
to be written. You seek out adventure wherever you can take risks, and live large.
find it—but you sometimes act more like an observer than
a participant. Language: Words are your livelihood, so talk a lot.
Describe your own actions as if you were writing them for a
Adventuring: You grew up reading about the Last popular audience. You might refer to yourself in the third
War in the pages of the Korranberg Chronicle, and t h o u g h t that person, either by name or as "your i n t r e p i d c h r o n i c l e r "
it sounded exciting. You i m a g i n e d yourself h u d d l e d in a or "your humble scribe." Describe the actions of your
tent near the front lines, scrawling a dispatch that you companions and your enemies in the same way. W h e n your
would send back to Korranberg to be read across the Five companions do something dramatic or memorable, narrate
what happened, even as you c o n t i n u e fighting.

Variants: You could be an aspiring storyteller hoping to happen any time soon, although certain apocalyptic
to gain experience so you can "write what you know." You groups believe in its inevitability. Thus, for most adventur-
might write for the chronicles, but with a focus on exposing ing devotees, quelling the rebellion by slaying monsters,
corruption or scandal rather than telling thrilling tales. imprisoning necromancers, and proselytizing changelings
Or you might simply enjoy being where things are h a p p e n - is little more than a good l o n g - t e r m justification for actions
ing, or being around famous and important people, and that also make sense in the short term, by making the world
writing for a c h r o n i c l e is an effective way of accomplishing safer for the civilized races of Khorvaire.
that goal.
Personality: Your devotion to the Host shines through
DEVOTEE OF THE HOST everything you do—at least, you hope it does. When you
e n t e r battle, you try to reflect the s t r e n g t h of Dol D o r n
"Sovereigns preserve us." and the honor of Dol Arrah. You offer prayers to Olladra,
—Kuduth, half-elf cleric Arawai, and Balinor before eating, to Onatar before
using your crafting skills, and to Aureon every time you
Even if you're not a cleric, the deities of the Sovereign Host cast a spell. You protect families and villages in imitation
are important to you. You were brought up to show them of Boldrei, and you guard caravans and m e r c h a n t s for Kol
proper reverence, and devotion to the ideals they represent Korran's sake.
guides your every step.
Behavior: Your devotion is your defining charac-
Adventuring: You have been profoundly influenced teristic, but it describes little about your personality. You
by a particular cycle of myths relating to the Sovereign Host are not necessarily a prude, a pacifist, or a philanthropist,
and the Dark Six—myths that are no longer widely told, but though you might be any of those things. You try to wrap
that have inspired countless generations of heroes to take everything you do in a shroud of religious devotion. You
up arms against the forces of evil in the world. These myths probably don't do it consciously to try to impress others;
are collectively called the Rebellion Saga, and they speak of rather, you do it because that's how you've learned to do
the original and ongoing rebellion of the Dark Six against things. You might feel that everything you make should
the rule of the Sovereigns. According to these ancient be dedicated to O n a t a r , but the prayers you recite out of
tales, it is the work of the devout to b r i n g the Dark Six back habit while crafting are only the outward expression of that
into the fold, which will be accomplished by q u e l l i n g their intrinsic belief.
rebellious followers.
Language: Prayers, oaths, and invocations pepper
Naturally, reuniting the your speech. Generic invocations of the Sovereigns serve
Dark Sixwith the rest of the many purposes, such as "Sovereigns preserve us! " or simply
p a n t h e o n is not likely "Sovereigns!" used as an expression of surprise or frustra-
tion. Curses often use the names of the Dark Six: "Aureon's
Gaven, Shadow!" or "Keeper take you!" are common ones. Feel
a house renegade free to improvise short prayers to Dol Dorn for wading into
battle, to Olladra before eating, and so on.

Variants: You might be devoted to a particular deity of
the Sovereign Host rather than the entire pantheon. If you
worship the Silver Flame, look at the Templar of the Silver
Flame prestige class instead. If you follow the Path of Light
or revere the Undying Court, your specific motivations and
oaths will vary, but your basic personality could resemble
either this archetype or the Silver Flame templar.

HOUSE RENEGADE

"Iprefer not to usemyfamily name, thank you."
-Gaven, half-elf ranger

Sometimes being a member of a dragonmarked house
means power, prestige, and influence. Sometimes it means
living firmly under the thumb of a controlling relative
until you can find a way to escape. Congratulations—you've
found a way.

Adventuring: You adventure because it's better than
the alternative, a tightly controlled life as part of a d r a g o n -
marked house. Your family thinks you should be home,
putting your talents to use in the service of your house.
Your mother wants you where she can keep an eye on you
and make sure you don't get into any trouble. Your father
wants to find you someone appropriate to marry and keep
your children close at hand.

Fundamentally, you adventure because you know your
family hates it. You might not know yet what you want to do
with your life—adventuring might just be something you're

doing to kill time u n t i l you figure it out—but you know it of your house sometimes do not coincide with the expecta-
won't involve the work of your house. tions of traditional morality. You are comfortable in rigid,
well-defined structures of authority, as long as you know
Personality: Clearly, you've got a rebellious streak. your place in them.
You don't necessarily reject all authority, but you certainly
don't like to be under anyone's thumb. You can be sardonic, Behavior: You are used to a life of comfort, and take
cynical, and harsh sometimes, especially when the people pains to keep up to that standard while adventuring, per-
around you start sounding like they think they own you. But haps even to the p o i n t of u s i n g Leomund's secure shelter while
you're not bad at heart. Is it so wrong to want to shape your traveling through the jungle so that you can rest comfortably
own destiny? at night. D e p e n d i n g on who your adventuring companions
are, you might see their company as a necessary evil for the
Behavior: Even though you've probably been dis- work you must do, preferring the company of others while
owned, you're used to a life of relative luxury, and your you are in cities between adventures. You might even spend
habits and mannerisms reflect that. You prefer to stay in the evenings, while your companions are sharing tales
upper-class hotels rather than common inns, and to feast around the campfire, writing letters to your true friends
in a private d i n i n g r o o m rather t h a n squeeze in to a spot at and dear family members back home.
the board to get your share of stew with the peasants. That
said, you have a lot more respect for the working classes than Language: You were brought up well, and your manner
most people of your station, and you're not inclined to boss of speaking reflects it. You have an educated vocabulary
people around or expect doting service. These people have and a solid grasp of correct grammar. Avoid slang, vulgar
aspirations and dreams of their own—you can't followyours language, and even contractions.
without encouraging them to follow theirs.
Variants: Rather than a member of a dragonmarked
Language: You were brought up well, and your manner house, you could be part of a noble family, such as one of the
of speaking reflects that. You have an educated vocabulary noble houses of Galifar or a prominent family of Aerenal.
and a solid grasp of correct g r a m m a r . You avoid slang and Alternatively, you could be part of the rising middle class
vulgar language, unless you intend to shock or provoke. in one of Khorvaire's splendid metropolises, born to wealth
Of course, house renegades live to shock and provoke, without any privilege of name or title.
especially when they know that others have preconceived
notions of how they ought to behave and want to shake up INNOCENT VICTIM
those opinions.
"Why is all this happening to me?"
Variants: You might be a younger child of a noble
family rather than a dragonmarked house, or even a former -Lira Raevan, human bard
rising star in a church hierarchy fleeing from the control-
ling influence of a religious mentor. In addition, your Bad things happen to you all the time, but through a com-
reasons for fleeing your family might vary: Perhaps you bination of amazing luck, phenomenal resourcefulness,
committed a crime, or a change in power in your house left and maybe a dash of a greater destiny, you always seem to
you out of favor. come through.

HOUSE SCION Adventuring: Most people adventure because they
choose to, for one reason or another. Not you. If you had
"Yes, father, I realize this reflects poorly on our house. I apologize." a choice in the matter, you'd be back home living a quiet
—Ural d'Orien, human sorcerer life where nothing extraordinary ever happens. But ever
since the day when the Emerald Claw agents burst into your
Forget the noble families of Galifar—the real power lies in home looking for you, or you woke up and found yourself
the hands of the dragonmarked houses. You are a member in a strange forest with a dragon saying you were part of the
of one of those houses, and though power comes with any Prophecy, or you manifested psionic or magical powers you
number of responsibilities, you welcome your familial never knew you had—ever since then, this lightning-rail
duties as a reasonable price to pay for the social, political, ride of a life has been moving so quickly that you don't know
economic, and magical power to which you are heir. how to j u m p off and get things back to normal.

Adventuring: Adventuring has to fit in with the duties Maybe there is s o m e t h i n g special about you. You
that come to you by virtue of your house m e m b e r s h i p . With could have unusual powers, or play a key role in a prophecy
luck, the two coincide perfectly: You undertake adventures (draconic or otherwise), or maybe a shard of an ancient
at the behest of the head of your house or some other p r o m i - artifact is embedded in your flesh. For whatever reason,
nent figure (perhaps a parent), p e r f o r m i n g missions that other people are far more interested in your life than you
advance the aims of the house or simply bring treasures into yourself used to be. You've managed to keep one step ahead
its coffers. When you're not so lucky, you still need to bear of them so far—or maybe you haven't, and "they" are your
your house's interests in mind—looking for opportunities adventuring companions.
to advance your own house or deal a setback to a competing
one. Any secrets you unearth or treasures you claim can Personality: You are somewhat bewildered about all
benefit your house, and anything that hurts another house the events that have brought you to this point in your life.
helps yours. You don't u n d e r s t a n d why people are so interested in you,
and you often wish they'd just leave you alone. You'd rather
Personality: You were born to power and have come to not go through all these harrowing adventures, but some
view it as your b i r t h r i g h t . You can be imperious, arrogant, greater force in the world seems to have decreed that adven-
and spoiled at times, and at the best of times you are smugly t u r i n g is your lot in life, so you've had to figure out how to
superior. You can also be calculating, dispassionate, and make the best of it.
even amoral, depending on your alignment—the demands
Take care not to degenerate into constant whining and
complaining, or your companions will quickly tire of both it

and you. You've been thrust into the spotlight against your wilderness, but you're most at home in dark alleys and

will; if you speak softly and try to deflect that attention, bustling roadways.

maybe things will quiet down soon. Also, don't assume that Personality: The city's underbelly can be a bleak place,

every adventure should be about you and the people who are and that fact has certainly had an effect on your disposi-

after you. Don't ever believe that you are as i m p o r t a n t as tion. You're so used to c o r r u p t i o n and crime that you don't

people seem to think you are. expect to meet honest people, and you're surprised at acts of

B e h a v i o r : C l i n g to the illusion of b e i n g an o r d i n a r y selflessness and sacrifice. "Jaded" doesn't begin to describe

p e r s o n yanked unwillingly i n t o a life of a d v e n t u r e for as how cynical and bitter you can be in your worst moments.

long as possible. Practice your crafting, profession, or You've been cheated so many times that you always ask for

p e r f o r m i n g skills as if you i n t e n d to make a living with money up front. You've seen so much hatred and death that

them someday. Rely on your adventuring companions for nothing shocks you at this point—or at least that's the image

some degree of protection, while looking for ways to con- you project.

tribute materially to any situation without intentionally Deep inside, there might be a part ofyou that still mourns

meaning to. over every corpseyou find sprawled in an alley, still grieVes for

L a n g u a g e : You are soft-spoken a n d u n a s s u m i n g . the lost soul of humanity and its kin, and still believers there

Downplay your own i m p o r t a n c e and any successes you might be some hope and goodness left in the world. But you

accomplish. If you kill a grick with your sword—well, that know full well that if anyone sees that tiny part of you, they'll

sure was lucky, wasn't it? A n d those agents of the Chamber, exploit it—or at least mock it mercilessly.

they couldn't possibly be looking for you. Behavior: Cultivate behavior that conveys just how

V a r i a n t s : You m i g h t suffer from a m n e s i a , and your tough you are. S h a r p e n your sword or fiddle with a dagger

adventuring career is an attempt to recover the knowledge d u r i n g down time. Never open a door when you can kick it

and abilities you have lost. If others are interested in you, in. You might be able to talk your way out of tricky situa-

it's because of who you were before losing your memory—in tions, but you should also be p r e p a r e d to fight your way out:

which case your enemies might hold the secret to uncovering T h e kinds of people you deal with usually prefer to fight.

your own past. Language: T h e wisecrack is like an off-hand weapon

for you. In every battle, you can attack with your primary

INQUISITIVE weapon and get in a verbal barb or two as well. Even when
you're not in combat, your speech reflects your cynicism.

"Ifyou'rethe ambassador, I'm the Lord ofBlades. Now, how about the truth? " Variants: You might be a freelance investigator or work
—Creilath Movanek, half-elf master inquisitive for a law-enforcement organization. For a slightly different
take on this archetype, you could work in espionage, focus-

As a resident of one of Khorvaire's great cities, you've spent ing on intrigue among nations or dragonmarked houses

far too much time immersed in its shadows. You've seen it rather than crime on a local scale.

all, and nothing fazes you anymore.

Adventuring: Adventuring, to you, is all about investi- OUTLANDER
gating crimes and making sure the criminals get what they're

due. You probe m u r d e r s , find missing people, stop black- "Your cities havemadeyousoft and weak!"

mailers, and break up smuggling rings. Your investigations —Corrash, halfling barbarian

are not necessarily limited to such mundane problems: You

might unmask a rakshasa posing as a city councilor, find the Like a wolf cut off from its pack, you are a m e m b e r of a

possessed ancient mask that forced the professor to commit barbarian culture (not necessarily an actual barbarian)

all those grisly m u r d e r s , or dispel the magic keeping the away from your t r i b e . You w a n d e r t h r o u g h the civilized

house scion's son in his comatose slumber. world bewildered and isolated, looking for companions

T h i s archetype is best suited for a campaign with a you can rely on.

limited geographical scope, whether it takes place in a Adventuring: Your goals and approach to adventur-

single m e t r o p o l i s (such as S h a r n ) or hops from city to ing are probably closely linked to the reason you left your

city. O c c a s i o n a l a d v e n t u r e s might take you out i n t o the h o m e l a n d and family. You might be on a quest to find some

PLAYING AN INQUISITIVE

There's a fine line between playing an archetype and magic simply duplicating all the technological wizardry of
parodying a stereotype, and the inquisitive might be the Earth's 1930s.
most prone to crossing that line—if only because the fine
prose of Raymond Chandler (The Big Sleep) has itself been You can be hard-bitten and tough as nails and still
subjected to so much parody and unflattering imitation. fit into the magical/medieval world of Eberron. Think
Playing an Eberron inquisitive as a bad Philip Marlowe about the essence of your character—a tough nut who
imitation can drive the whole world into parody. If you has seen the worst the world has to offer but refuses to
drink Zil brandy, wait for a call on the speaking stone, and be corrupted by it—and strip away the elements that have
talk like Humphrey Bogart on a bad day, then Eberron starts become stereotypical. You don't need to rely on old cliches
to look like a ridiculous parody of the modern world, with of behavior and language.

item or piece of knowledge of significance to your people—a Adventuring: Adventures are what happens to you
relic that can cure the plague ravagingyour clan, a tome that while you travel. If you seek out adventure, it's because a
will reveal the nature of the demon that hunts them, or an place sounds interesting, not because there's anything in
artifact that explains your people's history or some aspect of particular you want to accomplish there. You are eager to
it. Alternatively, you might be seeking to prove yourself—to visit new places, try new modes of transportation, see crea-
exonerate yourself of a crime, to win the hand of the chief- tures you've never seen before, and (at least to some extent)
tain, or simply to secure your position as an adult in your do things you've never done. If you can also learn new abili-
community. Or you might have been banished from your ties, acquire more treasure, and otherwise improve yourself
clan for a crime you actually did commit, and are forever along the way, that's even better.
unable to return.
Personality: You've always had trouble sitting still.
You might eventually grow so accustomed to life among Perhaps you grew up in a tiny village where there was
more civilized people that you don't want to return, or nothing to do, and yearned for a taste of the wider world.
become restless and uneasy among your own people when Some experience of the world beyond your village might
you see them again. have sparked your wanderlust: Perhaps a traveling troupe of
actors or musicians came through, or a party of adventur-
Personality: Your attitude toward civilization is your ers stayed in the village for a couple of weeks while explor-
defining characteristic. Decide how you view the civilized ing nearby ruins. That experience gave substance to your
society around you as well as your sophisticated allies, and dreams of a different life—you might even have followed
try to see everything around you through that lens. Do you the travelers out of town, launching your life of wandering
maintain a superior contempt for their soft and weak ways, in a dramatic way. You still retain some of that youthful,
or do you find those ways a l l u r i n g ? Do you wander wide- wide-eyed dreaminess and a sense that the world is full of
eyed through the magnificent towers of Sharn, marveling wonders just waiting to be explored. You are not necessar-
at the achievements of magic and technology, or do you feel ily naive about life's harsh realities, but you retain a sense
trapped any time you're forced to remain indoors?
Thunvarch,
When you return to lands that are more comfortable a restless wanderer
and familiar to you, change your behavior drastically—take
on more of a leadership role, or revert to a role like the one
you have in your h o m e l a n d , whatever that role might be.

Behavior: Most outlanders make some effort to prac-
tice the traditions and rituals of their homeland no matter
how far they travel. You might do this simply out of habit,
even if you repudiate the beliefs and mores of your people.
These minor rituals might include hanging charms around
a sleeping place, pouring out wine to the cardinal directions
before drinking, taking souvenir body parts from slain
foes, or invoking the names of patron spirits or totems at
frequent intervals.

Language: Even if you are not entirely comfortable
speaking C o m m o n , you are just as capable as anyone of
expressing complex thoughts and sophisticated ideas in
your own language. Scatter phrases of your native language
into your speech. Struggle for words sometimes, as if
t r y i n g to find the right way to express s o m e t h i n g complex
or idiomatic that comes naturally to you in your native
tongue. Avoid accents unless you can pull one off without
sounding goofy.

Variants: Warforged as a race are similar to outlanders
in that human society can seem strange and alien to them,
but they have nothing to compare it to, except perhaps a life
in the military during the Last War. As an alternative, your
background might be considerably more exotic: Perhaps
you were raised by wolves or a lammasu, or brought up on a
different plane of existence.

RESTLESS WANDERER

"It's time to stretch my legs, flex my sword arm, and give this quill something
worthwhile to record."

—Thunvarch, half-orc bard

T h e world is a big place, and you have no desire to settle
down until you've seen it all. You move from place to place
as freely as the wind—blowing t h r o u g h the b o r i n g spots,
lingering for a while in more interesting locations, and
sometimes kicking up a storm.

of wonder that no amount of bitter experience has yet been body parts from unusual monsters—or even entire mon-
able to quash. sters, if you can transport them. Treat shattered ceramics
and magical relics as equally interesting, even as you recog-
You might have a particular interest that gives a focus nize that magic items are more valuable and far more useful.
to your wandering. Perhaps you are particularly drawn to You might be hesitant to use anything or go anywhere until
spectacular n a t u r a l wonders such as the G o r a d r a Gap or the you have properly researched it, or you might rush in to do
Guardian Trees. Or maybe you're fascinated with ancient your research on-site.
ruins, great monuments, or exotic cultures.
Look for o p p o r t u n i t i e s to use your various areas of
Behavior: Stay on the move. Whenever you feel that a knowledge. They might not happen very often, but that
dungeon room, a site, a nation, or even a continent has shown just makes it all the more memorable when you do glean
you all it has to reveal, it's time to move on. You can spend all some useful information from your studies of architecture
the time you want searching the rooms of a dungeon—as long and engineering!
as there are interesting things to find. But you should be the
first m e m b e r of your party to call a halt to tedium whenever Language: Drop the names of scholars both renowned
it arises and get things moving again. and obscure into your conversations. Introduce theories
and observations by citing tangentially relevant research.
Language: Your mind wanders even faster than your When you encounter a monster, try to come up with a useful
body, making your speech seem disconnected at times. reminder about its capabilities to share with your compan-
Pepper your conversation with wide-eyed observations ions, gleaned from the knowledge you've accumulated.
about the sights, sounds, and smells of whatever place
you're exploring now and comparisons to places you've Variants: You need not be obsessed with ancient history
been before. and long-lost secrets—the world has its share of contempo-
rary secrets as well. What caused the M o u r n i n g ? What is the
Variants: Not all wanderers are motivated by wander- truth behind the Blood of Vol? What lies in the interior of
lust. Instead, you might be on the run—a fugitive hunted Argonnessen? Who are the mysterious rulers of Riedra?
by agents of a widespread organization, such as the D r e a m - These questions are out there, waiting for you to explore
ing Dark, the A u r u m , the Chamber, the Lords of Dust, them and plumb their depths.
or a dragonmarked house. If you stay in any one place too
long, they're certain to find you. So you keep moving, you STREETWISE SCOUNDREL
try to avoid attracting notice, and you don't talk much
about your past. "Don't ask how I know this guy, I just know this guy who can help us out,
all right?"
SCHOLAR-ADVENTURER
—R'kash, shifter rogue
"What I haven't figured out yet is whether there's any connection between the
Tablet of Shummarak and the Place of Imprisonment mentioned in the S e r - Not every hero is born to privilege in a noble family or a
p e n t e s F r a g m e n t s . If there is, that could explain a lot." dragonmarked house. You certainly weren't, though you
might hesitate to call yourself a hero. The streets are your
—Janik Martell, human extreme explorer home—the gutters, truth be told—and you know the back
alleys and the criminals of your home city as well as you
E b e r r o n is rich in history, and equally rich in people who know your own gear.
study history. Not content to sit in a library surrounded
by dusty tomes a n d c r u m b l i n g p o t s h e r d s , you do your A d v e n t u r i n g : If there's a better way t h a n a d v e n t u r -
research in the field—whether in the cyclopean r u i n s of ing to earn a quick fortune, you haven't found it yet. It's
Xen'drik or the ancient tunnels of Dorasharn beneath the a perfect deal: You can make use of the survival skills you
City of Towers. learned g r o w i n g u p on the streets, you gain some measure of
respectability, and you occasionally find bags of gold pieces,
Adventuring: For you, history is about discovering which hold more money than you can imagine anyone actu-
the mysteries of Eberron's ancient empires by exploring ally using. (Though you're more than willing to try.)
the ruins of Xen'drik's lost kingdoms and the remnants
of goblin civilization in Khorvaire. You yearn to discover T h e driving force in your a d v e n t u r i n g life is, whether
mighty artifacts and lost magical secrets. You hunger for you admit it or not, a b u r n i n g desire to escape the circum-
knowledge about the past, and you have never been content stances you grew up in. You want to make a life for yourself
to gain your knowledge from other people or the books that's better than the poverty and crime that defined your
they write. You want to drink from the source, and that youth. You want money, certainly, but more than that you
means adventure. want respect, dignity, a sense of m e a n i n g and p u r p o s e , and
a shred of hope. You definitely do not want to die, alone
Personality: You combine a solid grounding in aca- and friendless, and be left to rot in an abandoned sewer
demic research and established knowledge with a thirst for tunnel. In your adventuring career, that's one risk you
action and adventure. You have an inquisitive mind and are would j u s t as soon not take. You want to live to enjoy your
always wondering about the reasons why things happen and hard-earned wealth.
possible connections between apparently unrelated events.
Your collection of scholarly tomes is like a group of old Personality: You know the ways of the street. You're
friends—you don't necessarily see them every day, but you're acquainted with unsavory characters, you know how to get
happy to spend hours in their company whenever you can. certain things done even if they're not quite legal, and you
Your name is well known in academic circles: Some of your have more t h a n a passing familiarity with the slang, signals,
fellow scholars praise you to the skies, while others dismiss and methods used by c r i m i n a l s . You might not be an outlaw
you as a hack. yourself—at least, not now—but the criminal underworld is
your world, for better or worse. You have a sense of ethics
Behavior: Take notes on everything. Copy diagrams and honor, primarily focused on the idea that you don't turn
and inscriptions into your notebooks. Collect samples of

on your friends. But actions that might make a paladin of Personality: The war savaged your soul far worse
the Silver Flame c r i n g e are just the way t h i n g s get done to than it could ever hurt your body, and you remain bitterly
your mind—actions such as paying bribes, fencing valuable wounded. Your life is a contradiction. Violence sickens you.
goods, or stealing magic tomes from your enemies. You're You saw so much death and mutilation in the course of the
wary of officers of the law, even if you have committed no war that you had to steel yourself to it; still, you can never
crimes. You've had too many bad experiences with the town shake the waves of disgust that course through you when
watch arresting you or your friends for no good reason other violence is necessary. But you live by violence, and you're
than your poverty. not sure you know how to give it up.

Behavior: You're fidgety. You pick things up and put Behavior: You cling to the discipline of military life
them back down, fiddle with moving parts, or pace if you because it is comfortable and familiar. You rise early in the
have n o t h i n g interesting to hold in your hands. W h e n you're m o r n i n g and practice weapon or spell routines. You like to
in a small room, you stay on your feet near the door—you know the chain of command in your adventuring party and
don't want to be trapped. When your companions are talk- prefer clear orders about standard operating procedure.
ing to the city watch, you stay in the back of the group or Even if some chaotic p a r t of your belief system chafes at
out of sight completely. But when they need to find the lost these disciplines, a larger part of you relies on them to give
goblin shrine in the depths of Sharn, you step right up and meaning and structure to every day. Without them, your life
lead the way. That's your chance to shine. might just fall apart.

Language: You speak the language of the street. Slang Language: Yours is the language of combat. You have a
is your native language, and your g r a m m a r is probably poor rich vocabulary to describe the maneuvers of the battlefield
by the standards of a noble or otherwise well-educated i n d i - and various aspects of your daily life. You speak of base camps
vidual. You talk tough to back up your swagger and wisecrack and rations, of reconnaissance and sabotage. To some extent,
to deflect any p r o b i n g questions about your background. just like your practice of military discipline, using military
You probably know words and expressions that would make terminology helps to keep your life ordered in your mind.
a sailor blush, and you might forget not to use them in
respectable company—especially when you're very angry. Variants: T h e warforged as a race are almost by defini-
tion war-torn heroes. However, their emotional response
Variants: Perhaps you were not born poor, but fell to the transition from wartime to peace varies widely,
into poverty at a young age. Your parents might have been and warforged are less bitter and wounded than war-torn
disowned by their d r a g o n m a r k e d house, or they staked all humanoids. Awarforged has no memory of a life before the
their money on a business venture that failed. Perhaps they war to idealize and a t t e m p t to r e c r e a t e . Warforged find it
were natives of Cyre who lost everything they had on the extremely difficult to shake military practices and jargon
Day of M o u r n i n g . In this case, your d r i v i n g a m b i t i o n is that are part of their earliest formative experiences.
not so much a matter of wanting what you could never have
as a child, but of r e g a i n i n g the status that should have been
yours by birthright—the wealth and power you deserve.

WAR-TORN HERO

"After a hundred years of fighting, any idiot could see that the whole war
was pointless."

—Dania i r ' V r a n , - h u m a n fighter

Khorvaire is largely defined by the travails of the LastWar,
and that is just as true of its adventurers. You fought on the
front lines of the Last War. You killed a great many enemy
soldiers, and you carry plenty of scars—on your body and
on your soul.

Adventuring: You adventure because you can't think
of a n y t h i n g else to d o . You j o i n e d the army as soon as you
were old enough and never learned a peacetime trade.
Alter years spent in war, you can't just go back to your place
of b i r t h and l e a r n to be a blacksmith. Your home might
not even be there anymore. Adventuring seems like the
only option left to you, and it offers the o p p o r t u n i t y to
continue using the skills you learned on the battlefield.
In some cases, it might even be a literal continuation of
your wartime activities—such as chasing Valenar raiders
across the Talenta Plains or racing Emerald Claw agents
to X e n ' d r i k r u i n s .

As a member of an adventuring party, you have a sense
of belonging and c o m p a n i o n s h i p . You have a steady source
of wealth, more t h a n enough to live comfortably. You have
some sense of purpose and meaning in your life. You've
made a reasonable approximation of the one thingyou really
want and can never again have: a home where you belong.



CHAPTER TWO

A GUIDE
TO EBERRON

he remainder of this book, starting on the fol- PC ORGANIZATIONS
lowing page, is organized into entries similar
to those you might find in an encyclopedia. Several entries in this book describe some of the organiza-
You'll find extensive entries on topics ranging tions of Eberron, from the world-spanning Church of the
from Adventuring to Xen'drik. Each entry Silver Flame to the elite R e v e n a n t Blades. A few of these
contains the most important things you need to know in an organizations are so broad that they would make excellent
EBERRON campaign: where the d u n g e o n s are, who pulls the frameworks to build a campaign around. These work best
strings, what organizations you can join, and what new feats if every character in an adventuring party is a member of
you can learn. Tucked among these entries are a few new pres- the same organization, allowing the goals of the party to be
tige classes, rules for playing some nonstandard races, and shaped by the goals of the organization. These organizations
new information about some of Eberron's remoter regions. are the Templars of the Silver Flame, the Morgrave Out-
reach Association, and the Red Gauntlet Regiment. The
WHAT D O YOU KNOW? templars can b r i n g the P C s t o g e t h e r based on a c o m m o n
religious tie, the Red Gauntlets have a military theme, and
Each entry includes a section titled "What Do You Know?" the Morgrave Outreach Association focuses on exploration
This information gives you an opportunity to put your and adventure in keeping with the traditional emphasis of
Knowledge skills to use. It notes appropriate skills (with the D&D game: dungeon delving. Large-scale organiza-
check DCs) that allow your character to share the informa- tions such as these are discussed in more detail in Dungeon
tion you gain from reading these entries. Master'sGuideII,but in general, these organizations improve
the sense of cohesion in the player party, immerse the PCs
If you just want a general idea of how much your charac- in the game world, and make the DM's life easier by helping
ter knows about the material in an entry, assume your char- get adventures rolling.
acter takes 10 on all appropriate Knowledge checks. T h u s ,
any fact with a D C of 10 or lower is considered common
knowledge and is accessible to every character with average
or better Intelligence, regardless of whether the character
has any ranks in Knowledge skills. If you have a Knowledge
(religion) modifier of +5, you know every fact associated
with that skill that has a DC of 15 or lower.

EXOTIC CLASSES AND RACES

The EBERRON Campaign Setting discusses the role that each character
class presented in the Player's Handbook plays in Eberron, and also
addresses psionic classes. Complete Warrior, Complete Divine, Complete
Arcane, Complete Adventurer, and the Miniatures Handbook all present new
standard classes (as well as a wealth of prestige classes). Since
the rule of thumb is "If it exists in D&D, then it has a place in
Eberron," characters of all these new classes exist in Eberron.

Similarly, new races designed to be played as characters
have appeared in books such as Races of Stone, Races of Destiny,
Races of the Wild, Frostburn, Sandstorm, and Stormwrack.

Scattered t h r o u g h o u t these entries, you'll find sidebars
detailing the roles that specific new classes and races play in
Eberron. Sometimes, information on new races appears in
the r u n n i n g text—for example, in the discussion of the races
of X e n ' d r i k on page 154. Occasionally, sidebars discuss the
use of other new rules introduced in D&D supplements—
such as the Heroes of Battle i n f o r m a t i o n in the Red Gauntlet
Regiment entry on page 95.

ADVENTURING

DUNGEONS OF EBERRON WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

From million-year-old ruins in the Demon Wastes to the secret magical Knowledge (arcana)
chambers just completed beneath the Library of K o r r a n b e r g , E b e r r o n is DC 30: It is possible that magic more
a world strewn with dungeons. Countless ancient ruins dot the landscape,
and the Last War created a significant n u m b e r of r u i n s of much more powerful than any currently known
recent provenance. At the same time, the widespread use of magic makes flourished in the ancient giant empire
underground spaces—and extradimensional locations—both relatively of Xen'drik, learned from the dragons.
easy to construct and remarkably safe for storing precious goods. These T h e r u i n s of X e n ' d r i k might provide
sites represent prime locations for adventuring. clues to this truly epic magic, and the
elves of Aerenal may also hold keys to
Ruins from the Age of Demons are rarely found intact, but some do this lost knowledge.
r e m a i n , kept relatively u n d a m a g e d by the powerful ancient magic of the
fiends. In some cases, the preservation of the r u i n s can be traced to the Knowledge (dungeoneering)
influence of a rakshasa rajah imprisoned beneath the ruins, so adventur- DC 10: The Last War left dozens of towns
ers exploring such a site are well advised to be wary of releasing a terrible
foe. Ruins of such incredibly ancient date are most common in the Demon and cities across Khorvaire lying in
Wastes, though several exist in Q ' b a r r a and X e n ' d r i k as well, such as the r u i n s , to say n o t h i n g of the M o u r n -
lizardfolk city of Ka'rhashan in Q'barra. land. These ruins are now inhabited
by monstrous creatures.
The Age of Giants left numerous r u i n s strewn across the landscape of DC 15: Goblinoid ruins built during
Xen'drik, causing the word "cyclopean" to be inextricably associated with the Dhakaani Empire dot the land-
that continent in popular imagination. (Consult the entry on Xen'drik scape of Khorvaire, particularly in
b e g i n n i n g on page 152 for m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n about those r u i n s . ) T h e the southwest. Xen'drik, meanwhile, is
ancient giants of X e n ' d r i k built outposts in other lands as well, so r u i n s sometimes called the Ruined Land for
from this era can also be found in the Shadow Marches and in parts the number of giant-built structures
of Sarlona. that now lie in ruins there. Both the
Dhakaani and giant ruins are lucra-
The Age of Monsters might more properly be called the Age of tive prospects for adventurers and
Dhakaan, and this goblinoid empire left the most numerous ancient ruins archaeologists looking for knowledge,
across Khorvaire. These ruins are most common in the southwestern adventure, and treasure.
part of Khorvaire, in modern Droaam, Breland, Zilargo, and Darguun.
However, Valenar contains both elf and goblin ruins from this period, DC 20: A handful of ruins from the
and before the Day of Mourning, scholars performed extensive excavation Age of Demons are scattered around
of Dhakaani ruins within Cyre. Khorvaire, particularly in the Demon
Wastes. These areas are typically very
Much more recently, the Last War left ruins scattered across the dangerous.
c o n t i n e n t . T h e M o u r n l a n d is a vast, devastated n a t i o n ripe for explo-
ration, although the conditions are quite hostile to living adventurers. DC 25: The depths of Khyber are an
The war also left ruins in Breland (particularly in the northeast and alien, subterranean landscape, rang-
along the former Cyran border), between Aundair and Thrane, and ing from natural-seeming caverns to
in the Talenta Plains. Any n u m b e r of families would like to recover bizarre, smooth tunnels shaped by no
heirlooms lost in razed cities, but these areas have become home to known force of nature.
dangerous monsters.
Knowledge (history)
Not every r u i n and dungeon in E b e r r o n is connected to one of its DC 10: If you are interested in the history
great ancient civilizations or more recent catastrophic events. Abandoned
settlements such as Desolate (in the D e m o n Wastes) and N o l d r u n h o l d (in of Xen'drik, r u i n s lie scattered across
the Mror Holds) are the victims of isolated circumstances. Somewhere in the continent. The ruins on the north-
the Blade Desert, a small shrine lies mostly covered with blowing sand, ern peninsula are the best known,
the last remains of a civilization now otherwise completely forgotten. A but few have been fully explored.
castle in the Shadow Marches is a rare r e m i n d e r of the first wave of h u m a n Much remains to be learned about the
settlement in that region. In the heart of the Eldeen Reaches stands an ancient giant civilizations.
ancient tower, not crumbling to ruin despite its evidently very ancient Ruins from the goblinoid empire of
origin, its builders u n k n o w n and its secrets as yet u n p l u m b e d . Dhakaan can be found across Khor-
vaire, particularly in the south.
Finally, the vast expanses of Khyber, untouched by any mortal DC 15: Before the start of recorded his-
intrusion, provide a fertile ground for exploration and adventure. In tory, fiends ruled the world until they
places, the tunnels of Khyber resemble the m u n d a n e limestone caves were overthrown by dragons and their
and other caverns found near the surface. Elsewhere, long tunnels, couatl allies. Remnants of this incred-
strangely smooth and even, extend for miles without branching, perhaps ibly ancient era can still be found in
shaped by the daelkyr and t h e i r m i n i o n s in ancient eons. K h y b e r is an the Demon Wastes, Q'barra, Xen'drik,
alien environment, hostile to surface life but full of ancient secrets to and other remote locations.
unearth, magical and monetary treasures to acquire, and alien monsters
to overcome.

EPIC-LEVEL ADVENTURES to an epic campaign, especially if this war escalated beyond
Khorvaire to include Riedra, Aerenal, or Argonnessen.
The Dungeon Master's Guide provides basic rules for advancing
characters beyond 20th level, with more details appearing An epic campaign set in Eberron strays far afield from
in the Epic Level Handbook. (All the creatures and templates the way the campaign setting has been described previously,
mentioned in this section can be found in that book.) Eberron, but is certainly rife with interesting options. It presents an
exciting opportunity for PCs to break new ground in epic
however, is not an epic world—at least, not as it stands territory, and the campaign can take on a majestic scope,
now. If your characters advance to 21st level, the campaign with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
is going to need a few adjustments.
The Epic Artificer
First, it's probably best to assume that player characters
who reach epic levels are a m o n g the first people to accom- The epic artificer remains a master of item creation, gain-
plish such a feat, at least in recent memory. Certainly the ing an increasing craft reserve and plenty of bonus feats to
great heroes of ages past—the mightiest champions of the learn the craft of epic item creation.
Dhakaani Empire, not to mention the giant and dragon
heroes of even earlier eras—reached epic levels. In the Hit Die: d6.
current age, it is possible that no one has ever exceeded 20th Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int
level, which means no m e m b e r of the c o m m o n h u m a n o i d modifier.
races has ever done so before. Infusions: A n epic artificer's caster level is equal to
his class level. T h e artificer's number of infusions per day
That fact means, among other things, that the world does not increase after 20th level.
of the c u r r e n t age has little to challenge epic-level charac- An epic artificer doesn't automatically gain infusion
ters. T h e dragons of Argonnessen, the Inspired lords of slots above 6th level, though he can select the Improved
Riedra, and the few daelkyr that lurk in Khyber are possible Spell Capacity feat to gain infusion slots above 6th level
exceptions. If the PCs have advanced to epic levels without (which can be used to hold lower-level infusions or infu-
previously facing Vol the lich-queen or the Lord of Blades, sions whose level has been increased above 6th by the use of
these powerful NPCs might be of epic level themselves. metamagic feats).
Alternatively, Vol might have become a demilich. Craft Reserve: An epic artificer's craft reserve increases
by 1,000 points per level beyond 20th (6,000 points at 21st
It is probably best, however, to introduce a new threat level. 7,000 points at 22nd level, and so o n ) .
to E b e r r o n to match the epic heroes who have arisen to Artificer Knowledge: Add the artificer's class level +
defend it. Perhaps the work of the ancient Gatekeepers is Int modifier to artificer knowledge checks, as normal.
finally undone and Xoriat spills forth onto Eberron once Bonus Feats: An epic artificer does not automati-
more, as the daelkyr launch a new full-scale invasion. T h e cally gain epic item creation feats as bonus feats. He does.
daelkyr statistics presented in the EBERRON Campaign Setting however, gain a bonus feat for every three levels beyond
could be considered to depict a weak example of their kind, 20th (23rd, 26th, and so on), and he can choose epic item
with paragon daelkyr (using the paragon template from Epic creation feats for which he meets the prerequisites.

Level Handbook) a c t u a l l y i n h a b i t i n g X o r i a t . Epic Level Handbook

also presents several aberrations that could accompany the
daelkyr in a new invasion of E b e r r o n , as well as the uvuu¬
daum and creatures with the p s e u d o n a t u r a l template.

A similar threat could arise from a plane other than
Xoriat. T h e q u o r i might discover a way to r e o p e n c o n -
nections between Dal Quor and Eberron, or Thelanis
might unleash a wild h u n t led by the leShay. In E b e r r o n ,
abominations arise from the planes themselves rather than
from deities, and they could come from almost any other
plane—anaxims from Daanvi, atropals from Mabar, chi¬
chimecs from L a m a n n i a , hecatoncheires from Shavarath,
phaetons from Fernia, xixecals from Risia, and so on. Every
plane holds creatures hostile to life on the Material Plane,
so the o p e n i n g of a significant n u m b e r of p o r t a l s to any
plane could invite a new invasion like the ones that brought
the great civilizations of the past to an end.

Of course, a new threat to Eberron need not come from
the planes beyond. Perhaps the egg of a force dragon or a
prismatic dragon that was laid on Argonnessen during the
Age of Dragons has at last hatched, stirring a flurry of activity
among the dragons. O r a mighty dragon of a more ordinary
sort might seek divine ascension (adopting the dragon ascen-
dant prestige class from Draconomicon). Worldwide threats
could even arise from far more mundane sources. What if
the mighty wealth of the A u r u m , the resources of House
Cannith, or the madness of the Lord of Blades was put to use
in c o n s t r u c t i n g an epic golem or colossus? A new outbreak
of hostilities among the nations of K h o r v a i r e , l a u n c h i n g a
second great war, could also provide a fitting background

AERENAL

LAND OF THE DEAD WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

The cities of Aerenal are older than human civilization. O n this island, Knowledge (arcana)
the boundaries between life and death have worn thin, and the dead wield DC 15: T h e elves of Aerenal are masters of
more influence than the living. The Aereni elves preserve their greatest
heroes through magic and devotion, and these deathless elves have p r o - necromancy, but they despise undead.
vided protection and guidance for thousands of years.
Knowledge (geography)
The civilization of the elves began on Xen'drik. For tens of thousands D C 10: Aerenal is the home of the elves.
of years, the elves were slaves of the mighty giants of that continent. In time
the elves rose up against their masters, but this was a war that no one would Outlanders are rarely welcome on this
win. At the height of the conflict, a visionary named Aeren foresaw the island, and stories say that the dead
coming cataclysm. He gathered a host of elves and convinced them to flee walk among the living.
the coming storm. As dragonfire and terrible magic shattered Xen'drik, DC 15: Two major elf cultures live on
the elf fleet landed on the island that would become their home—but their Aerenal. The Tairnadal are nomadic
prophet did not survive the journey. Aeren was interred within the island, warriors, and many have migrated to
and the elves named their new home Aerenal, or "Aeren's Rest." the new nation of Valenar. The major-
ity Aereni are devoted to spiritual and
Though they had joined together beneath Aeren's banner, the elf arcane research. The Aereni are ruled
refugees came from many different tribes and had many different beliefs by a pair of monarchs who are advised
and traditions. However, they shared a common reverence for their ances- and protected by a council of deathless
tors and the heroes who had died in the cause of freedom. Some believed elves—the Undying Court.
that c o n t i n u i n g to perfect the arts of war was the only way to h o n o r these DC 20: The Aereni preserve their
heroes; these warriors eventually settled in the north, evolving into the greatest heroes as deathless. Some
culture now known as the T a i r n a d a l . But Aeren had said that arcane living elves disfigure themselves to
knowledge was the greatest weapon of all, and the majority of the elves p r e - appear undead.
ferred to set aside the sword for the book. Calling themselves the Aereni,
these elves dedicated themselves to the study of magic and mysticism. In Knowledge (history)
their reverence for t h e i r ancestors, the A e r e n i were d e t e r m i n e d to find DC 15: A terrible war drove the elves
a way to preserve their heroes t h r o u g h their interest in the art of n e c r o -
mancy. This research followed two paths: the negative necromancy of the from Xen'drik to Aerenal some forty
line of Vol, which many blame for the spread of vampirism into Khorvaire, thousand years ago.
and the positive energy of the Priests of Transition. Ultimately it was the DC 20: Dragons from Argonnessen have
positive path that took root in the land, and the lines united behind the attacked Aerenal many times, but the
cult of the deathless. T h e Undying C o u r t has ruled the land for more power of the Undying Court holds
than twenty thousand years, and today the deathless are inextricably linked the dragons at bay.
to Aereni society.
Knowledge (nature)
Aerenal wears its past like a shroud. Beyond the deathless guardians DC 15: The jungles of Aerenal are home
and guides that can be found in any major city, Aerenal is a land of m o n u -
ments and ancient buildings, and its people spend more time looking to to exotic plants and trees.
the past than the future. The Aereni elves place tradition above all else:
Artists and bards are expected to perfect the techniques of the past rather Knowledge (nobility and royalty)
than developing new styles. T h e elves apply themselves to their work with DC 10: The Mark of Shadow first appeared
uncanny devotion; an elf bowyer might spend centuries honing his skills,
and make bows the like of which a h u m a n bowyer could only dream of. But in Aerenal, but those carrying the mark
the elf still follows the traditions of the past, and the bow he makes today migrated to Khorvaire thousands of
is a replica of one that could be found in a five-thousand-year-old tomb. years ago.
Innovation is encouraged solely in the study of magic, since the Aereni DC 15: The Undying Court selects the
believe that there is no such t h i n g as perfection when it comes to magic. ruling Sibling Kings from the noble
Even here the elves are often blinded by their traditions, which explains families of Aerenal.
why the magical talents of the younger races are quickly becoming a match
for the Aereni. Knowledge (religion)
DC 10: The Aereni worship the Undying
Although people from all nations come to do business at the port
of Pylas Talaear, foreigners are rarely welcome elsewhere in Aerenal. Court, a council of "undead" elves.
Unlike in Riedra, no restrictions on travel are enforced across Aerenal, DC 15 : T h e Undying C o u r t are the h o n -
and adventurers can travel freely through the land. Still, the elves have
little patience for members of the younger races. Elf wizards and sages are ored ancestors of the Aereni, sustained
devoted to their studies, while Aereni artisans are devoted to their crafts. by positive energy and devotion. They
Even farmers and other laborers pursue their duties with extreme devo- despise undead.
tion, seeking perfection in all they do. Outlanders are a distraction—they DC 20: The deathless are resistant to
are loud, rude, or simply ignorant; their questions are irrelevant; and physical injury, but they are par-
they have no place in the order of Aerenal. Adventurers are allowed to ticularly vulnerable to damage from
weapons forged from targath, a soft
metal found in Argonnessen.

travel unhindered through the land—but they are rarely adventurer, you are likely to have chosen this path: Your

made welcome or catered to in any way. F u r t h e r m o r e , heroic deeds could be your ticket to immortality!

the laws of the land are swift and harsh. C r i m e is a rare THE UNDYING COURT
occurrence among the Aereni, and they have no patience

for those who disrupt the peace. A magistrate typically uses In a world where the gods remain among the greatest mys-

magic to confirm the facts of a crime, questioning accused teries, the elves alone have a pantheon they can touch: the

criminals with zone oftruth or using divination to explore the Undying C o u r t , the assembled council of the greatest minds

events s u r r o u n d i n g the issue. C r i m i n a l s in Aerenal have of Aerenal. Individually, an undying councilor is a force to

no rights. Exile is a frequent p u n i s h m e n t , but execution is be reckoned with, but he doesn't have the power of a deity.

not uncommon; the wise criminal plies his trade in a more However, when the court assembles—bringing together

lenient land. thousands of the greatest m i n d s in elven history—it is one

ELF LINES of the mightiest forces in E b e r r o n .
The Undying Court can lend power to its priests across

Non-elves who have heard of the line of J h a e l i a n assume the length of E b e r r o n , but its direct influence is closely tied

that an elf line is similar to a noble family. T h e truth to the island of Aerenal. Aerenal contains manifest zones

is m o r e c o m p l i c a t e d , a n d not d i s s i m i l a r to the way the l i n k e d to the plane of I r i a n , the E t e r n a l Day, and many

d r a g o n m a r k e d houses have developed. A line is more like believe that this energy is required to sustain the Undying

a city-state with blood ties that bind its members together. C o u r t . T h u s , the Undying C o u r t has been able to defend

Each line is descended from one of the tribes that followed the elves from dragon attack on n u m e r o u s occasions—but

Aeren from Xen'drik, and each line includes a dozen or the court does not have the ability to launch an attack against

more separate families. Thus, an elf can be part of the line Argonnessen itself. As a result, the elves are very cautious

of J h a e l i a n while having the family name D o l o r e n t h i . about their island and its resources. Therefore, only the

Each line is ruled by a noble house from which the greatest heroes of the land are chosen to become death-

line takes its n a m e : M e l i d e t h , J h a e l i a n , M e n d y r i a n , and less. T h e A e r e n i keep a close eye on the population of their

Tolaen, to name but a few. O n l y the m e m b e r s of this noble h o m e l a n d , because they know it can only support so many

house can ascend to the Undying Court. Membership in elves—living or deathless.

a noble house is not a hereditary gift—members of a noble All elves see life as a passage to death, and not every elf

house are chosen, not b o r n . T h e c u r r e n t members of the can achieve deathless immortality. T h e priests of the Undy-

house select their successors from a m o n g the most remarkableing Cmoeumr tbgeurisdeoftht heeeilrvelsi nteh.roTuhgeh mlifeemabnedr scaoref afonrotbhleemhoauftseer

do not even breed among their house; instead, they breed death. Not every elf becomes deathless, but any honored elf

with other members of the line, keeping noble blood spread is properly embalmed and carefully i n t e r r e d .

throughout the community. As a cleric of the Undying Court, you might travel beyond

Aerenal for a number of reasons. The priests are the ambas-

As a result, every m e m b e r of an elf c o m m u n i t y has sadors of the court itself, and a councilor might send you to

the p o t e n t i a l to rise to the nobility, and from t h e r e to the serve as his eyes in the land beyond, or to fulfill a prophecy

Undying Court. Normally, nobles are chosen based on the only the deathless understand. You might be sent in service

skills they display, and this is why the elves spend centuries to your line, to recover the remains of a long-lost hero or

honing their talents. In recent years, younger elves have relic. O r you could join the Deathguard (see the next page)

sought to prove their worth through exploits in foreign and go forth to battle the forces of evil and death!

lands, battling the Order of the Emerald

Claw or seeking the magical secrets

of X e n ' d r i k . As a n A e r e n i

The elves of Aerenal embrace
death as a necessary part
of the spiritual journey

THE DEATHGUARD Deathguard after his own demise. He has a gentle demeanor,
even in battle; he feels pity for undead, not hatred.
"Unending life is for heroes—not for the likes of you, vampire!"
—Marai Jhaelian, hunter of the dead Beneath the High Warden are four Wardens, each bear-
ing nominal responsibility for one of the other four inhabited
The priests of the Undying Court believe that all negative continents: Khorvaire, Sarlona, Xen'drik, and Argonnessen.
undead are anathema to life—even those that do not prey The Warden of Argonnessen resides in Aerenal, since elves
directly on the living to survive nevertheless corrupt the are not welcome in the dragon homeland.
world's own life force merely by existing. T h e Deathguard
is an elite order of priests and warriors sworn to destroy all The other members of the Deathguard find that they
undead having a bond to Mabar, along with any necroman- are most effective when they disperse themselves as widely
cer who defiles the bodies and souls of the dead. as possible a r o u n d the world. At the same time, they know
the value of staunch allies in their u n e n d i n g battles, so they
Members of the Deathguard are the most outgoing of associate with like-minded adventurers, even non-elves, to
Aerenal elves, with a great number of Aereni adventurers better pursue their order's goals. They send frequent reports
arising from the group. They despise followers of the Blood to the Warden who has authority over the continent where
of Vol and the O r d e r of the Emerald Claw. They believe that they operate, and they can appeal to the Warden for assistance
they are part of a great crusade against the darkness, and from other Deathguard members when needed.
they take their part in that crusade quite seriously.
Caskal Dulaen (NG male elf cleric 8 Undying Court)
THE DEATHGUARD IN THE WORLD is a C y r a n who fought K a r r n a t h i u n d e a d in the war. As an
urban elf, he constantly strives to prove his worth to the
"Your pathetic crusade will not stop us, idiot elf!" order over and above his usual duties. Marai Jhaelian (LG
—Krael Kavarat, vampire captain female elf paladin 5 / h u n t e r of the dead 3) is a g r i m warrior
of the Emerald Claw who underwent the ritual disfigurement common in the
Jhaelian line before she joined the Deathguard, making
The Deathguard is a small religious order claiming some her appear u n d e a d t h o u g h she is in the p r i m e of life. ( T h e
four h u n d r e d members, almost all of them elves of Aer- h u n t e r of the dead prestige class is in Complete Warrior.)
enal. A handful of urban elves from Khorvaire have been
accepted as members of the order, but they must work very NPC REACTIONS
hard to prove themselves. T h e Deathguard's outlook is
fiercely good and generally lawful. Members of the Deathguard, as the Aerenal elves perhaps
most commonly encountered outside Aerenal, strive to pres-
Organization: The Deathguard maintains its headquarters ent a positive image of their homeland despite their deliber-
in Shae Mordai in Aerenal. Its members police ately shocking appearance. Even so, they observe customs and
fashions peculiar to Aerenal and often meet with puzzlement
the wilds of Aerenal, paying particular attention to the or prejudice when they travel the world. Most non-elf NPCs
manifest zones tied to Mabar, which draw necromancers have an initial reaction of indifferent (puzzled and bemused,
and undead. Its members operate outside Aerenal, however, but indifferent nonetheless), while elves who have no objec-
where undead are more prevalent. tion to the Deathguard's mission have a friendly attitude.

Cial J h a e l i a n (NG male u n d y i n g councilor) is the Followers of the Blood of Vol rightly see the Deathguard
High Warden of the Deathguard. He fought against House as hostile to t h e i r deepest convictions. C o m m o n followers
Vol when that line was shattered and continues to lead the have an unfriendly initial reaction to Deathguard members,

AERENAL ELF FEATS

Aereni Focus checks. Every time you gain a wizard level after taking this
feat ( i n c l u d i n g 1st level), you can add one additional spell
While humans value versatility, the Aereni prefer to hone a to your spellbook.
single skill to absolute perfection. From childhood you have
studied one particular path, and these decades of devotion Aerenal Half-Life
result in remarkable skill.
T h e Priests of Transition have guided you through strange
Prerequisite: Elf, region of origin Aerenal, 1st level only. rituals that left you poised between the world of the living
Benefit: A single skill of your choice is now a class skill and the dead.
for you, and you gain a +3 bonus on checks using that skill.
Special: A e r e n i Focus counts as Skill Focus for the Prerequisite: Elf, region of origin Aerenal.
purpose of meeting any requirement or prerequisite. Benefit: Your skin becomes sallow and pinched,
giving you the appearance of a zombie or lich. Your bond
Aerenal Arcanist to the world of the dead provides you with two benefits.
When you cast a necromancy spell, your effective
Your family has studied wizardry for thousands of years. caster level is increased by one.
You spent your childhood in arcane libraries, and this early When you spend an action point on an attempt to t u r n
education gives you a great breadth of knowledge. or rebuke undead, it applies to both the t u r n i n g check and
the subsequent turning damage check.
Prerequisite: Elf, region of origin A e r e n a l .
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on Knowledge (arcana)

while true followers of Vol (including high-ranking members Create Spirit Idol
of the O r d e r of the Emerald Claw) have a hostile reaction.
Undead of any sort have a hostile reaction. Necromancy
Level: Cleric 4
DEAD, DEATHLESS, C o m p o n e n t s : V, S, M, XP
Casting Time: 1 hour
AND HALF-LIVING Range: Touch
Target: Corpse touched
The Aereni elves care for their dead. They have perfected Duration: Instantaneous
the art of embalming, and some of them practice this trade Saving Throw: None
in the great cities of Khorvaire. As an elf's body is prepared Spell Resistance: No
for burial, two chronicles of his life are made. O n e copy is
buried with his body, and one is kept in the great library of Light seems to coalesce around the corpse before you, gleaming in its eyes for a
Shae M o r d a i ; thus, he will never be forgotten, and anyone moment before it fades.
who finds his body in a future age will l e a r n of his deeds.
The bodies of the fallen are preserved in catacombs deep This ritual binds the subject's soul to his physical remains,
beneath the cities of Aerenal, filled with the assembled dead preventing its passage to Dolurrh. This is a voluntary effect; the
of tens of thousands of years. Grave r o b b i n g is considered a subject's spirit must be willing (see Bringing Back the Dead, page
heinous crime in Aerenal, and a repeat offender might be 171 of the Player's Handbook), or the spell automatically fails. Once
killed and cremated, with no record made of his death. bound to the body, the spirit remains in a state of torpor.

The elves reserve the gift of undying immortality for If a speak with dead spell is cast upon a spirit idol by a caster
their greatest heroes—sages and artisans as well as warriors whose alignment matches the alignment of the spirit in life,
and wizards. Most elves are consigned to the catacombs after the spirit is woken to consciousness for 1 minute per caster
death. An elf who shows great promise might be raised from level of the speak with dead effect. In this state, it can perceive its
the dead if he was cut down in his p r i m e . But traditionally, surroundings and communicate verbally (in any languages
an elf can only become deathless after he has lived three it knew in life) with the caster of speak with dead. (This effect
centuries. T h e Priests of T r a n s i t i o n view life as a j o u r n e y on occurs instead of the normal effect of speak with dead.) T h e spirit
the path to deathlessness; even the worthy must experience idol's communication is typically brief, cryptic, or repetitive,
a full life to appreciate what comes next. but it does not intentionally give false answers.

A deathless elf does not automatically gain membership A spirit idol can be r e s t o r e d to life by raise dead o r
in the Undying Court. Military heroes usually become undy- similar means. The spell preserves both the body and spirit
ing soldiers. They continue to defend the nation, and can be perfectly, allowing such magic to be cast after the usual time
found in the catacombs and all the major cities of Aerenal. limit has expired. If the body is destroyed or dismembered,
Newly raised undying councilors serve as sages and a d m i n i s - the spell effect is broken and the soul passes to D o l u r r h .
trators—although the living perform the most vital tasks, so
that they can complete the journey of life and avoid becoming Material Component: A clay pot filled with grave dirt and
dependent on the dead. After a thousand years, a councilor another filled with pure water.
is considered for admittance to the court, where he tends the
ascendant councilors and studies with the elders. What hap- XP Cost: 100 XP.
pens next is a mystery the uninitiated cannot understand;
the ascendant councilors are truly alien beings, thousands
of years old and charged with the energy of Irian.

The Aereni maintain the distinctive tradition of half-
life. Some followers of the Undying Court—especially those
of the line of Jhaelian—undergo alchemical and spiritual
treatments that result in flesh that seems to be decompos-
ing, as if the living elf was a zombie. Non-elves often see
this as a h o r r o r , and c a n n o t i m a g i n e a reason for it. For
the elves, it serves two purposes. It gives one a closer bond
to the world of the dead, s t r e n g t h e n i n g his n e c r o m a n t i c
gifts. Furthermore, the Aereni believe that life is the least
part of the path of existence. By giving up physical beauty
and acknowledging that appearance is transitory and insig-
nificant, an elf prepares for the path he hopes to follow and
serves as an example to those a r o u n d h i m .

One more stage lies between the living and the deathless:
the spirit idol. T h e Priests of Transition hold a great respon-
sibility. They believe that Aerenal can only support a certain
number of undying councilors. Sometimes the priests feel
that a fallen elf has not earned a place among the undying, but
that it would be a great loss to let his soul slip away to Dolurrh.
In these cases, they use the create spirit idol spell to bind his spirit
to his corpse. T h e spell keeps h i m away from D o l u r r h and
allows necromancers to call on his wisdom in the future.

THE BLOOD OF VOL

HEIRS OF VOL WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

"The Blood flows, the Blood gives life. The Blood is life, even after the grave." Knowledge (geography)
—Mudren Fain, priest of the Blood of Vol DC 15: Karrns practice a religion that

T h e Blood of Vol flows from the distant past, when the first stirrings of involves worship of the undead, the
faith in blood as the source of life, and u n d e a t h as a path to divinity, arose Blood of Vol.
within the elf tribes of ancient Xen'drik. The rudimentary faith developed DC 25 : The Crimson Monastery in Atur
along with the elves, following them to Aerenal and eventually spreading is the most i m p o r t a n t center of wor-
to other races. (Rumors persist that a version of the faith is still practiced ship for the Blood of Vol.
by certain drow societies in X e n ' d r i k . ) T h r e e thousand years ago, House DC 30: A great center of worship devoted
Vol took control of the ancient faith due to the powers granted by the Mark to Vol is r u m o r e d to exist somewhere
of Death. W h e n House Vol was destroyed four h u n d r e d years later, the in the Lhazaar Pricipalities.
faith was shattered and faded away with the passage of time.
Knowledge (religion)
The faith appeared again after the War of the Mark, reaching new DC 10: T h e Blood of Vol is a rela-
heights as a p o p u l a r cult among the people of Galifar and c u l m i n a t i n g
with its adoption as the national religion of K a r r n a t h in 895 Y K . tively common religion in Karrnath,
though the faith of the Sovereign Host
THE BLOOD OF VOL remains dominant.
DC 15: At various times in Karrnath's
IN THE WORLD history, the faith of the Blood of Vol
has waxed and waned in popularity
Followers of the Blood can be and acceptance. T h e present time is
found throughout the Five Nations a waning period.
and the Lhazaar Principalities, with a DC 20: The fundamental belief of the
small presence in Q'barra, Valenar, Blood of Vol is that death must be con-
and Droaam. Within the Five quered, not endured. The undead are
Nations, the cult has its strongest revered as champions in the struggle
ties in K a r r n a t h , despite the fact to conquer death and show mortals the
that the crown r e n o u n c e d it as the path to godhood.
national religion in 964 YK (during DC 25: A number of undead take active
King Jaron's reign). Followers and roles in the rites and leadership of the
shrines devoted to the Blood can be Blood of Vol. The greatest center of
found in Breland and Aundair, where worship is the Crimson Monastery, in
the religion is tolerated. (Persecution of the K a r r n a t h i city of Atur.
the faith occurred throughout the course DC 30: Vol the lich is the active though
hidden leader of the faith.
of the Last War, when Brelish and Aundairian
THE N1GHTCLAW
followers of the Blood were suspected of
Knowledge (religion)
collaboration with K a r r n a t h . ) T h r a n e has Symbol of the D C 25: T h e Nightclaw is a relic sacred to

the smallest n u m b e r of followers, and most Blood of Vol the Blood of Vol, said to be the sev-
ered hand of a lich.
of them keep a low profile to avoid attracting DC 30: T h e Nightclaw is kept in a s h r i n e
beneath the city of Atur, where it
the attention of the C h u r c h of the Silver Flame. is regularly visited by priests of the
Blood of Vol.
To those outside the faith, and even to most within it, the Blood of Vol
Knowledge (arcana)
doesn't appear to have an overarching organization as the Church of the Silver DC 30: Some legends claim that greater

Flame does. The faith has leaders and priests, and a hierarchy of sorts can be powers of the Nightclaw can only be
unlocked by one who is willing to
found among the clergy in Karrnath. Beyond the Karrnathi borders, how- replace his own right hand with it.

ever, each sect and cult cell operates independently—at least on the surface.

Behind the scenes, Vol and her chief lieutenants carefully orchestrate

the activities of specific cells throughout Khorvaire. Much of the work of

the various cells is b e n i g n , since it benefits Vol to have active cells in as

many places as possible. She leaves the more radical and aggressive opera-

tions to the O r d e r of the Emerald Claw, an organization that maintains

an identity unconnected to the followers of the Blood.

Followers conduct private worship ceremonies in their homes,

making small offerings of blood on small household altars, never to be

tasted by any actual u n d e a d . They do not report to any higher authority

and only rarely have contact with others of the faith. The traditions are

passed from parents to children, though many children are rejecting the

teachings in favor of the doctrines of the Sovereign Host.

The Blood remains powerful within Karrnath, lurking in the shadows.

T h e C r i m s o n Monastery in A t u r continues to operate in the open as the

largest center of worship for the Blood of Vol in the
world. Its high priest, the undead cleric Malevanor,
is the nominal leader of all temples and shrines, and
hundreds of priests ultimately report to him.

TENETS Of THE BLOOD A cleric puts the
Nightclaw to use
The teachings of the Blood of Vol squarely face the grim
reality of death: All that mortals have to look forward to is
death, followed by an eternity spent in the bleak oblivion
of Dolurrh, the Realm of the Dead. Death, therefore, must
be c o n q u e r e d by u n d e a t h — t h e path that leads to e t e r n a l
existence and, for some, to divinity.

The only champions that fight against death on behalf
of mortals are the undead. Vampire lords and powerful liches
seek to open the path of godhood to all mortals. Followers
offer their blood in praise of these i m m o r t a l champions who
battle death on their behalf. In doing so, they adhere to tra-
ditions that originated among the elves of Xen'drik, when
the giants ruled the world.

At the heart of the worship stands the supposedly
symbolic and mythic figure of Vol, Queen of the Undead.
Unlike the gods of the Sovereign Host, Vol plays a direct
role in the advancement of the faith. She walks the land,
hidden in shadows, pulling strings and setting events in
motion to advance her plans.

NPC REACTIONS

The people of Aundair and Breland look upon the Blood

of Vol as a strange and exotic cult and are indifferent to its

followers. Only during extreme periods of stress between

these nations and K a r r n a t h in the Last War were followers

of the Blood seen as suspicious or even dangerous, receiv-

ing a hostile reaction. Individuals from both nations might

harbor either hostile or friendly attitudes, depending on

their past experiences with Karrnath and the Blood. Aura/Caster Level: Strong necromancy; CL 20lh.

In T h r a n e , because of the strong presence of the Silver C o n s t r u c t i o n : Not a p p l i c a b l e . T h e Nightclaw is a

Flame and the long history of conflict with K a r r n a t h , the unique artifact.

followers of the Blood have long been seen as members of an Weight: 2 lb.

outlawed religion. T h e authorities don't go out of their way Price: n/a.
to arrest those who practice the faith, but they can exercise
the option if they choose to. People in T h r a n e demonstrate THE BLOODTOUCHED RITE

hostile reactions to the Blood of Vol and its followers. When an individual (usually an arcane spellcaster or a
In K a r r n a t h , despite the proclamations of the crown, cleric) proves herself to be of particular worth to the undead
leadership of the Blood of Vol, she is rewarded with p a r -
the common folk have an indifferent to friendly attitude ticipation in the Bloodtouched rite. Typically a character
toward the Blood of Vol and its followers.

The Nightclaw must be at least 3rd level to be so rewarded, though excep-
tions exist.

In a shrine deep beneath the city of Atur in Karrnath, priests The ceremony requires a chalice brimming with blood

of the Blood of Vol pay homage to a relic of their faith: the donated by willing followers of the Blood of Vol. T h i s chal-

hand of an ancient lich, called the Nightclaw. ice is the focus of extensive prayers, c u l m i n a t i n g when the

Description: This grisly item seems to be a m u m m i - officiating cleric channels negative energy into it. Once the

fied h a n d , severed a little above the wrist. T h e flesh is dry chalice is prepared, it is passed a r o u n d to the participants,
and smooth, dead gray in color. The hand has a warm smell who drink deeply from it.

of e m b a l m i n g spices about it, but is cold to the touch. When A character who drinks from this chalice permanently

its powers are activated, the fingers gesticulate slightly. loses 2 points of Constitution, but gains four benefits:

Activation: Using either of the spell abilities of the • Bonus hp equal to Charisma bonus (if any).

Nightclaw r e q u i r e s s p e a k i n g a c o m m a n d word, which is a • +2 p r o f a n e b o n u s on saves against p o i s o n , s t u n n i n g ,

standard action. disease, death effects, and energy drain.

Effect: Like a hand ofglory (see Dungeon Master's Guide page • +1 caster level on all necromancy spells.

258). the Nightclaw allows you to benefit from the effects of • If the character is capable of rebuking undead, her effec-

a ring worn on one of the Nightclaw's fingers, if you wear the tive cleric level for this ability is increased by 1.

Nightclaw as an amulet a r o u n d your neck. If you hold it in T h e C o n s t i t u t i o n loss can't be prevented or reversed by

one h a n d , you can use deeper darkness three times per day and any means. A creature without a C o n s t i t u t i o n score gains

enervation once per day. no benefit from the Bloodtouched rite.

CHANGELINGS

MASTERS OF DISGUISE WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

Changelings are gray-skinned creatures with fair hair, long limbs, and Knowledge (local)
indistinct facial features. They were originally born out of unions between DC 10: Changelings are a hybrid of
humanoids and doppelgangers, but over the years they have evolved into a
humanoid race distinct from their progenitors. humanoids and doppelgangers that
are not generally accepted in either
Like their humanoid ancestors, changelings have distinct, unique community. They have a limited abil-
countenances—recognizable faces—although their faces are much less ity to shapechange.
detailed than a humanoids. Some observers have described changelings A check against this DC is also sufficient
as looking like h u m a n s with an extra, gauzy gray layer of skin covering to learn if a local settlement hosts a
their bodies, while others say that they look like h u m a n s that haven't been changeling community and whether
fully formed. Both descriptions are apt. When in her natural shape, a any notable recent incidents have
changeling's nose is apparent but contains no nostrils, and her mouth occurred involving changelings.
is framed by thin, gray lips. A changeling's eyes are blank pools of milky DC 15: Changelings can alter their
white. A changeling has wispy, fair hair and a distinct gender, in contrast physical form to pass as members of
to full-blooded doppelgangers. another race or the opposite gender.
They can even masquerade as specific
From their doppelganger ancestors, changelings gained the ability individuals.
to alter their forms. They are natural shapechangers capable of taking on A check against this DC is also sufficient
the appearance of any h u m a n o i d race, c h a n g i n g their height by as much to learn roughly how many change-
a foot in height and their weight by upward of one h u n d r e d p o u n d s . lings live in a local community and
A changeling has precise control over this change, selecting whatever where they can be found.
physical features (eye and hair color, size of nose, birthmarks, and other DC 25: Changelings follow one of
distinguishing characteristics) she prefers. Often a changeling creates a three general philosophies. Passers
favorite appearance for each race she frequently mimics, and these guises adopt a single humanoid identity
might have a common trait—hair color, a mole, or a birthmark—so that and stick with it, just trying to get
small similarities persist between her various forms. by in normal society. Becomers live
multiple lives, sometimes simultane-
Although changelings have lived for centuries in virtually all parts of ously, in different disguises. Reality
Khorvaire, other humanoids remain wary of them. It is a generally held seekers prefer their natural form
belief that changelings are sneaky, duplicitous, and untrustworthy. The and the society of their own kind,
t r u t h is that, as with any other race, individual changelings can be good philosophically seeking the form of
or evil, honest or dishonest, virtuous or depraved. While it is true that a perfect reality.
changeling's abilities make her well suited for c r i m i n a l enterprises such as
fraud, espionage, and assassination, it is a mistake to think that a majority Knowledge (religion)
of individuals engage in these practices. DC 15: More than any other people of

All changelings adopt one of three philosophical outlooks regard- Khorvaire, changelings are drawn to
ing their mutable identity. Passers try to avoid the widespread mistrust the worship of the Traveler, one of the
of their race by living in a p e r m a n e n t state of disguise, a d o p t i n g a gods of the Dark Six. The Traveler
p a r t i c u l a r appearance and wearing it as their " n a t u r a l state." They is b o t h the least malevolent and the
keep their heads down and stay out of trouble. T h e changelings known most enigmatic of the Dark Six.
as b e c o m e r s i m m e r s e themselves in many d i f f e r e n t i d e n t i t i e s . T h e y DC 20: Changelings often revere the
believe that they are simultaneously who they are and who they appear Traveler, but to say they worship this
to be, enjoying the paradox and ambiguity of multiple personas. The mysterious deity is hardly accurate.
changelings called reality seekers believe in an abstract notion of per- They seem to view the Traveler as a
fection and prefer to seek it in their natural forms and in the company companion on the road of life—and
of other changelings. not always a trustworthy one. However,
they often use tales of the Traveler's
Changelings have a natural gift for learning languages and cul- actions in the world as justification
t u r a l m a n n e r i s m s . Like any o t h e r race, c h a n g e l i n g s in g e n e r a l simply for their peculiar philosophies.
want to live their lives in peace, and toward that end they are sensitive
to the particular mores and beliefs of the community in which they
live. Together with their shapechanging abilities, these qualities make
them extraordinarily effective diplomats, entertainers, raconteurs,
and negotiators.

Still, more than a few of the most infamous spies and thieves in the
history of the Five Nations have been changelings. Members of this race
hold key positions in most organized c r i m i n a l endeavors. Popular fiction
and bardic tales feature changelings as assassins who enter into a home in
the guise of a friend, then transform into a monstrous form before strik-
ing down their victims. However, criminal changelings are much more
likely to be confidence artists or dealers of stolen and fraudulent material
than outright murderers.

HOW TO SPOT A CHANGELING

Common folk believe that when a changeling adopts a
disguise, the facade is perfect and nearly impossible to
penetrate. In fact, because people are willing to believe
their eyes without question, clues to a changeling's
true nature often go overlooked.

Specific Clothing: A changeling's clothing
and other belongings remain unaltered no matter
what form she takes. If a person observes that an
elf in the room is wearing the same outfit and gear
as a dwarf who left the room a few minutes earlier,
it may be a clue that b o t h of the i n d i v i d u a l s are
the same changeling. Of course, it would be wise
to ascertain that the c l o t h i n g in question is not
some kind of uniform or traditional garb associ-
ated with a particular group or religious order
before making an accusation.

Tricks of the Trade: Although a change-
ling can outwardly mimic a member of just
about any trade or profession, she often will
not have the skills and abilities of even a novice
member of the group. Be wary of people who look
like typical practitioners of their profession but
show no ability for the job—such as a blacksmith
who has trouble hefting a h a m m e r or a cleric who
cannot heal the injured.

Unfamiliarity with "Own Culture":
Although a changeling can become tall and
willowy with long, tapering ears, she does not
thereby gain any great insight into the attitudes
and opinions of elves. Anyone who has spent
a significant amount of time among the m e m -
bers of a specific race might notice a changeling
in disguise acting strangely, breaking c o m m o n
taboos, being unfamiliar with racial languages,
and having unusual likes or dislikes.

Trust No One: Most changelings are too clever to
be t r i p p e d up by simple clues such as t h e s e . T h e fact is,
anyone you meet could be a changeling—even your clos-
est friend.

Perfect Reflection [Changeling] A changeling puts on a new face

You are particularly skilled at mimicking the forms and Benefit: When using your minor shapechange ability
mannerisms of others. The better you know a specific to disguise yourself, you get a competence bonus on your
individual, the more able you are to look and act just like Disguise check and on Bluff checks made to impersonate
that person. Some changelings attribute this ability to a that person. The bonus is based on how well you know the
trace of their doppelganger ancestors' ability to peer into person you are imitating. While these categories are simitar
the minds of others. to the categories that determine a character's bonus on Spot
checks to see through a disguise, the amount of the bonus is
Prerequisite: Changeling, Cha 15, Wis 13. not the same.

DOPPELGANGERS AND CHANGELINGS Familiarity Bluff/Disguise Bonus
Recognize on sight +2
Races ofDestiny presents a monster class progression that could Friend or associate +4
allow you (with your DM's permission) to play a doppelganger Individual is present +6
as a character. These shapechangers are common in urban Close friend +8
areas, as suggested by the very existence of the changeling Intimate +10
race. They are an important part of such organizations as the
Tyrants (described in Sharn: City of Towers) and the secretive
Cabinet of Faces.

CHURCH OF THE SILVER FLAME

THE GLORY OF LIGHT WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

T h e C h u r c h of the Silver Flame illuminates a way of life for millions of Knowledge (geography)
people across Khorvaire, represents the force that governs the nation of DC 10: T h r a n e is a theocracy ruled by
T h r a n e , and inspires bands of crusaders dedicated to exterminating evil
from the face of Eberron. If mere membership in the church grants a the Church of the Silver Flame.
comforting degree of faith and security, life as a crusader in its order of DC 15: The head of both church and
knights templar guarantees a career of excitement, virtue, and honor.
state is the Keeper of the Flame, cur-
TEMPLARS OF THE SILVER FLAME rently a young girl named Jaela Daran.
A Council of Cardinals does the work
"As a refiner burns away all impurity from the ore, so shall the Silver Flame purify the world of government in her name.
and its inhabitants."
Knowledge (religion)
—Davienne of Sigilstar, halfling exorcist of the Silver Flame DC 10: The Church of the Silver Flame

Evil is everywhere, but that only strengthens your resolve to fight against it. reveres a holy fire within the cathedral
Your faith in the Silver Flame drives you to wage u n e n d i n g war against the in Flamekeep, the capital of T h r a n e .
evil in the world, wherever it might be found—even if it lies The church teaches a life of purity and
within your adventuring party, your church, or yourself. struggle against evil in all its forms.
DC 12: The church includes a large
JOINING THE TEMPLARS number of paladins and exorcists
devoted to waging war on supernatu-
J o i n i n g the Church of the Silver Flame is a relatively ral evil.
DC 15: The head of both church and
simple matter. As a prospective member, you meet state is the Keeper of the Flame, cur-
rently a young girl named Jaela Daran.
with a member of the clergy—sometimes one on one, A Council of Cardinals does the work
of government in her name.
sometimes in a small group with other worshipers—to DC 18: The church has been responsible
for both great good and great evil
learn the basics of the faith. W h e n this teaching is throughout its relatively short history.
It l a u n c h e d a crusade against lycan¬
complete, you are initiated into membership with a thropes that, by a c e n t u r y ago, had
nearly eliminated all lycanthropes
simple ritual, sometimes but not always scheduled from Khorvaire. Unfortunately,
many innocents also died as a result
to coincide with a major holy day of the church, of that inquisition.

such as the Ascension (1 Sypheros). Knights Templar

J o i n i n g the knights templar is more difficult. Knowledge (religion)
DC 10: The Church of the Silver Flame
You must already be a member of the church,
sponsors champions who go into the
and you must secure a letter of recommenda- world to fight evil.
DC 15: The Church of the Silver Flame
tion from one member of each of the church's includes three orders of clergy: min-
isters who tend congregations, friars
three orders—ministers, templars, and friars. The who spread the faith, and templars who
fight evil in the flesh. T h e s e templars
Council of Cardinals votes on which applications to wear distinctive silver tabards.
DC 20: The silver-clad templars are
approve. T h e process can be t i m e - c o n s u m i n g , even Symbol of the dedicated to hunting undead and
fiends, as well as exposing c o r r u p t i o n
if it is not especially rigorous. Silver Flame wherever it is found—even within the
church itself.
Entry Requirements: Any good alignment, DC 30: Cardinal Baerdren ir'Davik is
the current head of the knights tem-
Knowledge (religion) 5 ranks. plar. His seneschal Ofejjaia of Korth
might have her eye on the cardinal's
Members of all classes can gain admittance to the order of knights tem- position.

plar, though fighters, paladins, and clerics are most c o m m o n . T h e order's

primary duty is to meet evil head-on in combat, which practically serves as a

definition for a good-aligned adventurer. Rogues, barbarians, monks, and

rangers also combat evil with a clash of arms. Wizards, sorcerers, bards,

and druids similarly use their magic to further the mission of the order.

Once accepted as a templar, you can expect to spend a week in a templar

monastery, usually in Thrane, receiving your initial training. This train-

ing assumes that you have at least a basic grounding in the doctrines of the

faith, and instead focuses on practical techniques for fighting evil creatures

and discerning the influence of such creatures on other people.

TEMPLAR BENEFITS

Knights templar share a common goal: the eradication of evil from the
world. Since most members of the order are not interested in self-aggran-
dizement, they willingly help their fellow members achieve their common
goals to the fullest extent possible. At the same time, they have few enough
resources for their own pursuits, and not much to share.

Goods: Upon acceptance into the order, you receive a small wooden
case containing essential supplies for your work. This case holds four flasks

of holy water, a silver holy symbol, a small prayer book con- Flame of Life.) You might also take ranks in Knowledge (reli-
taining rites and prayers relating to exorcism and protection gion) and Knowledge (the planes), even if those are cross-class
(no game effect), two sharpened wooden stakes, and fifteen skills for you, to reflect the ongoing training you receive in
arrows—five with silvered heads, five with cold iron heads, techniques to fight these creatures.
and five with flametouched i r o n heads. As you use these
supplies, you are responsible for restocking them. As you advance in levels, you might also want to consider a
prestige class related to the Church of the Silver Flame, such as
Information: The basic training you receive upon exorcist of the Silver Flame (from the EBERRON Campaign Setting) or
acceptance into the order of knights templar grants you a +2 silver pyromancer (from Five Nations). You might also consider
circumstance bonus on Knowledge (the planes) or Knowl- related classes that are not specific to the church, including
edge (religion) checks you make to identify monsters and h u n t e r of the dead or knight of the Chalice (from Complete
learn their capabilities and weaknesses. Other members of Warrior), divine crusader or pious templar (from Complete Divine),
the order are experts on creatures of supernatural evil, with shadowbane inquisitor or shadowbane stalker (from Complete
Knowledge skill modifiers r a n g i n g from +10 to +18. Adventurer), or sacred purifier (from Libris Mortis).

Status: As a member of the order, you have the privi- Missions: You don't undertake trivial adventures for
lege of identifying yourself as a knight templar of the Silver base purposes such as self-enrichment. A n adventure, for
Flame. You can properly be addressed with "Sir" or "Lady" you, is a mission: an opportunity to make a difference in
preceding your given name, and you can wear a silver tabard the world, to advance the cause of the church or hinder the
identifying you as a member of the order. T h i s status carries progress of evil, or preferably both. You have been iden-
the most weight in T h r a n e , where it guarantees the good will tified as an agent the church can use in the world, so you
of most citizens. Outside T h r a n e , it may provoke different might be sent on missions by the c h u r c h , either with an
responses. (See NPC Reactions, below.) explicitly spiritual goal or to advance the agenda of T h r a n e
among the other nations of Khorvaire. Even if no one sends
PLAYING A TEMPLAR you, however, you go regardless—like a knight-errant, you
seek out any opportunity to do battle with evil.
You are not necessarily single-minded, but your faith domi-
nates your personality. You strive for an ideal of personal Supernatural evil is your true foe. T h e undead, pos-
purity appropriate to the purity you would like to see in the sessing devils, rampaging demons—you can slay these foes
world. The sins you strive to avoid include greed, exploiting without hesitation or qualms. By their mere existence, they
other people for your own gain, the abuse of power in any corrupt the world; by eliminating them, you help to make
form, and the c o r r u p t i o n of absolute evil, as embodied in the world a better place.
fiends. By cultivating virtue in yourself, you help to tip the
balance between good and evil in the world, ever so slightly,
in good's favor. Thus, you strive to be honest, just, moder-
ate in all things but virtue, compassionate, patient, and
faithful. When you fail to live up to your own ideals, you
chastise yourself but do not necessarily punish yourself, for
punishment can sometimes become its own evil.

As a knight templar, you are ultimately responsible to
the head of your order. Cardinal Baerdren ir'Davik sits on
the Council of Cardinals and thus helps to steer the policy
of not just your order, but of the e n t i r e church and the
nation of T h r a n e . Of the three orders of the church, yours
allows its members the most freedom to pursue the causes
they find most pressing. Ministers must tend to the faithful,
and friars must concentrate on the expansion of the church,
but templars are free to wander as they please—or where the
Flame leads them—to battle evil wherever it rears its head.
You are part of an elaborate chain of c o m m a n d , but much
of the time that chain has little or no impact on your life.

Combat: G r a n t no q u a r t e r to fiends or u n d e a d , and
hope for none in return. In battle against more mundane
foes, you show mercy when it is asked of you, and you might
ask it as well, though it is foolish to request q u a r t e r when
you have no expectation of receiving it. You should always be
willing to sacrifice your own life to save the lives of others.
You have a greater d r e a m t h a n living to old age: You hope to
be joined with the Silver Flame in perfect purity after your
death. But the Flame does not wish you to forfeit your life if
your sacrifice will not win a greater victory or save others.

Advancement: Even if you are not a cleric or paladin,
you can choose feats and abilities that make you more effective
against undead, fiends, and similar creatures of monstrous,
supernatural evil. (Libris Mortis presents a n u m b e r of feats that
aid your ability to fight undead, such as Ghost Scarred, Endur-
ing Life, Necropotent, Vampire Hunter, and Unquenchable

TEMPLARS IN THE WORLD K i n g d o m of Galifar rather than the m o d e r n nations of
Khorvaire. T h e Commander of K a r r n a t h still has j u r i s -
"The templars are extraneous in this day and age. They are relics of a bygone diction over templars in the Mror Holds, for example. The
assistants to these commanders carry the title of marshal,
era, when good and evil were conceived of in simplistic terms.'' but no real rank exists beneath them other than knight
templar, held by the majority of the m e m b e r s h i p .
—Archierophant Ythana Morr of Sharn
Knights templar are free to wander the world in pursuit
T h e C h u r c h of the Silver Flame is one of the great powers of of the order's aims. W h e n leaving the jurisdiction of one com-
Khorvaire. Thanks to its control over one of the Five Nations mander and entering that of another, it is a knight's respon-
and its significant presence in three others, it has exerted con- sibility to promptly report to the commander of the new area,
siderable influence over the shape of the modern world in the in case that commander has a pressing need for a knight to
wake of the Last War. Characters who serve the church as knights perform a mission. The commanders try to keep each other
templar are part of a significant and vital world power. informed about where knights are operating and what they
are doing, but this system works better in some places—and
O r g a n i z a t i o n : T h e basic organization of the church is between some commanders—than others.
described in the EBERRON Campaign Setting. T h e K e e p e r of the
Flame is the head of both church and state, and immediately The Puritans sect is disproportionately well represented
beneath her sits the Council of Cardinals. T h i r t e e n High among the knights templar. These fervent followers of the
Cardinals form this council, consisting of two delegates Silver Flame cling to literal interpretations of every word
chosen from each of the four smaller groups of cardinals uttered by the Voice of the Flame and believe in the radical
that govern the four great cities of T h r a n e (Flamekeep, social and political transformation ofthe world, remaking
Thaliost, Sigilstar, and Aruldusk) and the surrounding it as a theocracy in the image of T h r a n e . T h o u g h they are a
regions. Three more High Cardinals represent the three small segment of the overall church, they make up somewhere
orders of the church (ministers, friars, and templars), and between a quarter and a third of the knights templar, including
the last two are representatives of the archbishops. One of three commanders.
the most influential High Cardinals is a representative from
Flamekeep, a grasping man named Krozen. NPC REACTIONS

T h e order of knights templar is currently represented All citizens of T h r a n e recognize the distinctive silver tab-
on the council by Cardinal Baerdren ir'Davik (LG male ards of the knights templar, and most have friendly attitudes
human paladin 5/exorcist of the Silver Flame 5), who also toward these highly visible champions of the faith. Outside
holds the rank of Grand Master of the order. Baerdren is an T h r a n e , recognizing the tabard as a symbol of the C h u r c h
exemplary templar, utterly dedicated to the mission of the of the Silver Flame requires a DC 10 Knowledge (reli-
order and often chafing at the political and bureaucratic gion) check, while a D C 15 check identifies the wearer as
responsibilities his position on the council demands of him. a m e m b e r of the knights templar. Generally g o o d - h e a r t e d
However, he considers the role a sacrifice worth making, people who are not prejudiced against the Church of the
for he fears that if he were to give up his seat on the council, Silver Flame are initially friendly to knights they recognize
it might go to his seneschal and rival, Ofejjaia of K o r t h . by means of these checks, while individuals who carry such
Ofejjaia (LN female human cleric 8 Silver Flame) has other prejudices (which include shifters and goblinoids) are more
issues on her personal agenda besides advancing the cause often unfriendly or at best indifferent.
of the knights templar, and Baerdren fears she would drive
the order into obsolescence or banishment if she were placed Since the order of knights templar is sworn to exterminate
in charge. He keeps her at his side as a deputy and advisor, supernatural evil, including undead and fiends, such creatures
primarily to keep an eye on her—though he admits she is wise are always hostile when they recognize a knight templar. Lycan-
and has made many good decisions on behalf of the order. thropes of all types and alignments have a particular hatred
for the Church of the Silver Flame, thanks to the crusade that
Beneath Cardinal Baerdren, seven commanders govern nearly exterminated their kind over a century ago. Shifters are
the knights of the order. These commanders carry the fol- uncomfortable with the templars of the church for the same
lowing titles: C o m m a n d e r of Aundair, C o m m a n d e r of reason. T h e O r d e r of the Emerald Claw, tied as it is to the
Breland, Commander of Cyre, Commander of Karrnath, Blood of Vol and the worship of the undead, is also hostile
C o m m a n d e r of T h r a n e , C o m m a n d e r of Foreign Lands, to the church and its agents in the world.
and Commander of the Seas. The positions were established
before the Last War, so they reflect the divisions within the

FIVE EDICTS OF THE CHURCH

1. Trust in the Silver Flame. The Voice of the We must also remain vigilant, for the one thing evil does
Silver F l a m e never lies. It will light y o u r way to glory well is hide in plain sight.
and salvation.
4. Lead a noble life, and encourage others to do
2. Heed the words of the Keeper. The Keeper of the the same. Temptations abound, but the wisest of us can
Flame is your emissary. T h r o u g h the K e e p e r , the Silver recognize and avoid them. If you die with a pure spirit, you
Flame speaks. will be forever bound with the Silver Flame.

3. Fight evil in all its forms. Not everyone can have 5. Share the faith. The Silver Flame can purify the
the strength or conviction of a paladin, but there are many darkest spirit. Share the power of the Flame with those who
ways to fight evil that don't r e q u i r e one to draw a sword. have not yet embraced it.

TEMPLARS IN THE GAME unwitting agents of devils, and dominated victims of vam-
pires. But the PCs and their chosen foes are like pinpoints of
Templars of the Silver Flame are quite narrow in their focus, bright light and utter darkness in a much larger sea of murky
but the organization is appropriate for good-aligned charac- gray, fighting an u n e n d i n g crusade that can easily become a
ters who can agree on worship of the Silver Flame. tool in someone's play for power within the church.

Keeping templar PCs happy in the organization is rela- Encounters: NPC templars look a lot like PCs, and they
tively easy: Simply ensure that they have no shortage of identi- are most likely to be encountered as allies. They are devoted
fiably evil creatures to fight. In no way does this diminish the to fighting against evil, and when the PCs are fighting evil, a
moral ambiguity that pervades the world of Eberron. Shades templar is always a potential ally. O n the other hand, if the
of gray exist in abundant opportunity in the form of corrupt PCs are colluding with evil, whether they are aware of it or
church officials (including Seneschal Ofejjaia of Korth), not, an NPC templar can be a powerful and implacable foe.

SECTS OF THE SILVER FLAME

Different sects within the church relate to the Silver Flame in Flame in this life, as opposed to a physical union with the
different ways. T h e Puritans are only the most prominent of Flame after death. T h e order includes monks among its ranks,
these sects, bringing a literal reading of sacred p r o n o u n c e - as well as paladins and clerics. It is not a distinct order like the
ments and a rigidly moralistic view of society to their wor- ministers, friars, and templars, but rather a movement that
ship of the Flame. includes members from all three orders. If you use the option
of alternate domains. Radiant Flame clerics can choose from
At the DM's option, different sects of the Silver Flame the domains of Glory*, Good, Mysticism*, and Protection.
can gain access to different domains. Some sects might grant
access to new domains presented in Complete Divine (marked with The Knights Militant are another sect that spans the
an asterisk below) or Book ofExalted Deeds (marked with a dagger). three orders. This group holds extreme standards of purity
If your campaign uses this option, Puritans can choose from and morality, and it exhorts its members to heroic acts of
the domains of Inquisition*, Law, and Purification*. valor and self-sacrifice in the battle against evil. Clerics
of this sect can choose from the domains of Endurance!,
The O r d e r of the Radiant Flame is a sect that emphasizes Exorcism, Good, Wrath!, and War.
contemplation as a path to spiritual u n i o n with the Silver

CREATION MYTHS

THE FIRST AGES OF THE WORLD WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

Siberys danced through the void, setting the stars in their places. Khyber Knowledge (the planes)
prowled b e h i n d , c o n s u m i n g stars nearly as fast as Siberys placed t h e m . DC 10: Long before the rise of the giant
Eberron sang, apart from the others, and life sprouted in the void.
civilization, fiends ruled the world,
Finally Siberys turned to confront Khyber, to stop the dragon from u n o p p o s e d by the dragons who cow-
devouring the stars. The two fought, tearing at each other in their hatred. ered in Argonnessen. These fiends
At last Khyber arose victorious as Siberys was shattered into a million included rakshasas and night hags,
fragments. Now thirsty for blood, Khyber wheeled upon Eberron. though these forebears of the modern
fiends were much more powerful t h a n
Where Khyber lunged, Eberron snaked aside and around. No more their descendants.
blood was spilled, but the battle continued on and on. Khyber grew DC 15: W h e n the dragons at last rose
tired, and finally Eberron enfolded and imprisoned Khyber, and the two up against the fiends that r u l e d the
dragons ceased their struggles. world, couatls fought beside them.
The resulting war lasted for a million
And so the world was born, Eberron forming its surface and Khyber years. Some say that the planes came
the world beneath. Both dragons slumbered after their long battle, and into being as debris thrown off d u r i n g
hardened into earth. T h e fragments of Siberys's broken body encircled this legendary conflict.
E b e r r o n . These three became known as the Dragon Above, the Dragon DC 20: The most powerful rakshasa
Below, and the Dragon Between. rulers, called rajahs, remain impris-
oned deep within Khyber, held in the
The drops of Siberys's blood scattered upon the earth below. There eternal spiritual coils of the greatest
they sprouted into life, becoming the dragons of the earth: red and gold, of the couatls. Their weaker minions
silver and white, blue and bronze, copper and green, brass and black. They still hope to see them freed.
found that Eberron had formed them a paradise in which to dwell, and
they lived in peace for long ages. Knowledge (religion)
DC 10: A variety of tales describe the
Within the imprisoning folds of Eberron, the blood of Khyber fes-
tered and fermented, taking on its own dark life. Shaped by the dreams creation of the world, but the most
of the slumbering dragon, Khyber's blood became the fiends: rakshasas, common myths involve the three
night hags, and other monstrosities. Slowly, the fiends made their way great dragons: Siberys the Dragon
through Eberron's encircling body, seeping through cracks and holes Above, Khyber the Dragon Below,
in the earth, rising with the molten rock in the eruption of volcanoes, and Eberron the Dragon Between.
bubbling up from the depths of the sea. Gradually, they began to threaten DC 15: An eons-long war between
the peace of the dragons. And so eventually began the first war between dragons and fiends ended when the
the dragons and the fiends. couatl allies of the dragons sacrificed
themselves to imprison the fiends
As Khyber first triumphed over Siberys, so did the fiends at first in the depths of Khyber. Some reli-
triumph over the dragons. The dragons retreated to the land of Argon- gions, including the Church of the
nessen, while the fiends divided Khorvaire, Sarlona, and Xen'drik among Silver Flame, revere the couatls for
themselves. So began the Age of Demons. this sacrifice.
DC 20: The tales of the three creating
The fiends ruled the world for millions of years. Whenever the dragons are not the only myths about
dragons dared venture from Argonnessen, the fiends struck hard, driving the birth of the world. Other tales
them back to their retreat. attribute creation to Aureon, Onatar,
and even the Traveler.
Things began to change when the dragons rediscovered the Proph- D C 2 5 : T h e Serpentes Fragments is a n
ecy and found allies. D u r i n g E b e r r o n ' s p r i m o r d i a l dance, as life sprang ancient collection of writings con-
from the dancing dragons, the couatls were born, adding their wingbeats taining the beliefs of a number of
to the dance. Like the dragons, they had retreated into hiding from the serpent cults from Xen'drik, all of
fiends that ruled the world. Together, however, the dragons and the which highly esteem the couatls that
couatls were able at last to l a u n c h an assault on the a n c i e n t e m p i r e s of sacrificed themselves to bind the
the fiends. fiends w i t h i n Khyber.
DC 30: Legends tell of three great arti-
For thousands upon thousands of years, war raged between the facts the dragons used in their war
dragons (and their couatl allies) and the fiends of Khyber. T h e battles against the fiends, and three similar
ended at last when the couatls discovered a means to imprison the mighti- items used by the fiends. Each set con-
est fiends in the deep earth from which they had emerged. T h e couatls sists of a crown, a scepter, and an orb,
paid a high price for this victory; only bonds of pure spirit could hold like the regalia of an earthly king.
the mighty fiends, and the greatest of the couatls sacrificed their physical
forms to trap the fiends within their spiritual coils. With the ruling fiends
imprisoned, the remaining couatls and the dragons were easily able to
drive the lesser fiends into hiding.

T h e dragons were so weakened by their long years of fighting that they
were unable to enjoy the fruits of their victory. Most dragons returned
to Argonnessen to study the Prophecy, leaving Sarlona, Khorvaire, and
Xen'drik wasted and empty.

OTHER TALES OF CREATION SERPENT CULTS Of XEN'DRIK

The tale of the three dragons and the Age of Demons is T h e ancient legend of the couatls sacrificing themselves to
widely retold and generally accepted as an explanation for imprison the fiends within the earth is depicted in the earli-
the birth of the world. It is not the only such explanation, est ruins and inscriptions discovered in Xen'drik. T h r o u g h
however. Several alternative myths exist, even within the the millennia, this tale has formed the foundation of many
major churches of Khorvaire, with none having a dogmatic religions among the native races of that continent. These
claim to absolute authority. These tales give the gods of the so-called serpent cults took root among the giants, their elf
Sovereign Host (and the Dark Six) a role in the creation of and drow servitors, other underground races, the goliaths
the cosmos. of the Titan's Teeth mountains, the raptorans, and the
catfolk. (Goliaths are described in Races of Stone, r a p t o r a n s
For example, devotees of the Traveler tell a great many and catfolk in Races of the Wild.)
tales about that mysterious deity creating things—sometimes
the earth itself, more often specific kinds of creatures or Most of these serpent cults espoused high ethical ideals,
geographical features. Lakes and canyons around the world often much loftier than those prevailing in the dominant
carry names such as " T h e Traveler's F o o t p r i n t " in local culture. The cults typically deny the divinity of contem-
languages, and at least two myths popular among d o p - porary gods, claiming that the primordial couatls are the
pelgangers speak of the Traveler creating the world out of only truly divine beings. These factors have combined to
pieces scavenged from another creation—either an earlier ensure that serpent cults remain small, countercultural
one that was r u i n e d or a parallel one that the Traveler sought movements with little lasting power or influence.
to imitate.
About three thousand years ago, an unknown researcher
A u r e o n is sometimes identified as a creator who compiled a number of writings related to the sacrifice of the
spoke the world into being, embedding all the secrets couatls and assembled them into a loose collection now
of c r e a t i o n in the l a n g u a g e of a r c a n e m a g i c . Followers known as the Serpentes Fragments. These fragments are thought
of O n a t a r c r e d i t h i m with the c r e a t i o n of the world, to represent the beliefs of a variety of serpent cults, widely
recounting how he shaped it in his forge and h a m m e r e d scattered geographically and historically. They are also an
it on his anvil. important source of information about the sites and civi-
lizations of a n c i e n t X e n ' d r i k , m a k i n g the Serpentes Fragments
Most tales of the gods have little or nothing to do extremely important to Xen'drik archeology. Copies and
with creation, however. Tales such as the Devourer's rape translations of the fragments are rare because the bulk of
of Arawai and A u r e o n ' s accidental creation of the Shadow their subject matter is so obscure.
explain the birth of various gods (theogony) rather than
the creation of the universe (cosmogony). T h e differing Some, however, would argue that the fragments are not
depictions of the gods can be traced to myths that describe obscure in the least. Perhaps he is just being intentionally
them in different ways, arising in various parts of the world. provocative, but Provost Dannad Mourain of Morgrave
These tales include descriptions of each deity as a dragon University recently published a paper arguing that the
that ascended to divinity d u r i n g the first ages of the world, Church of the Silver Flame is itself the contemporary form
but these myths are not widely believed. of a Xen'drik serpent cult.

REMNANTS OF CREATION

In the Age of Demons, the dragons rose up against the fiends Wyrmsperch Mountains on the western coast. Explorers
that ruled Eberron, waging a war that lasted for more than who survived a journey to the land of dragons reported
a million years. Some legends claim that both sides forged that the s h r i n e was b u r i e d centuries ago by a massive ava-
mighty weapons to be wielded by their greatest champions. At lanche or volcanic eruption. The draconic orb, called the
some point in the war, both a fiendish champion and a dragon Orb of Kevrik the Crusader, is the most recently seen of the three
champion wore a crown and carried a scepter and an orb that draconic items, but its last owner (who fancied herself a
embodied the powers of the cosmos. It is not clear which were spiritual descendant of Kevrik the Crusader) disappeared
forged first—the fiendish or the draconic regalia. in the Demon Wastes.

These mighty artifacts were first wielded by single T h e fiendish crown is called the Crown of the Black Fire or
champions, but soon were divided so that three heroes of the Crown of the Frozen Hammer, after a mighty frost giant king
each side could carry their power into battle. They have who wore it into battle against the daelkyr. It is believed to
not been reunited since that time, and it is entirely possible still lie in Icehammer Palace, a skyberg that floats above Ice-
that they no longer exist. Through countless ages of demons, white Island between the Frostfell and the Demon Wastes.
dragons, and mortals, tales have continually surfaced of great T h e Scepter of Fell Khadash is the poetic name for the fiendish
artifacts—crowns, orbs, and scepters. The most recent records scepter, which is believed to lie in a vault in Xen'drik—
of these items, still h u n d r e d s of years old, give them names though recent rumors suggest that both the Order of the
connected to the mortals who wielded and were ultimately Emerald Claw and agents of the ogre mage warlord Tzaryan
destroyed by the ancient power they tried to harness. Rrac (see page 52) have learned of the scepter's location and
are actively seeking it. T h e fiendish orb, called the Sphere of
T h e draconic Crown ofSondar Thaj is said to lie buried in a Iron Fire, is believed to lie in the depths of Khyber. Legend
shrine in the midst of the Marsh of Desolation in Xen'drik. says that it sank into the e a r t h when it fell to the g r o u n d on
The draconic scepter, called the Silver Rod or the Mithral Scepter, a Xen'drik battlefield.
is believed to be in A r g o n n e s s e n , h i d d e n in a s h r i n e in the

THE DARK SIX

POWERS OF DARKNESS WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

Six dark deities stand in opposition to the Sovereign Host: the severed Knowledge (geography)
shadow of the god of magic; the evil brother of the nature deities, who raped DC 20: Shargon's Teeth are named after
his sister; the mad child of that unholy union; the brother of the war deities,
who betrayed his siblings and was flayed as p u n i s h m e n t ; the lurking brother the sahuagin name for the Devourer.
of the god of wealth, h o a r d i n g the souls of the dead; and a mysterious shape- D C 2 5 : T h e Traveler is described as
shifter whose motivations and goals are beyond mortal comprehension.
the creator, sometimes of the whole
These are the Dark Six—the wretched underbelly of the Sovereign world, but more often of local geo-
Host, p u n i s h e d and made pariahs for their crimes. Worshiped by c r i m i - graphical features. Particularly in
nals, villains, outcasts, and monsters, the Dark Six are the enemies of the shifter-populated areas within the
Sovereign Host, and thus the enemies of everything that lives. Eldeen Reaches, small lakes and
basins carry names such as "Traveler's
With the exception of the Traveler (in speaking about the Dark Six, Footprint."
the Traveler is often an exception), the deities of the Dark Six are evil,
corrupt, monstrous, and hostile—even to their worshipers. In the legends Knowledge (religion)
told of them, they sometimes seem barely sentient, little more than divine DC 10: T h e Dark Six are malevolent
beasts preying on mortal souls. Of course, such stories are told in fearful
whispers by the devout followers of the Sovereign Host. Those who devote deities who were cast out from the
their lives to the Dark Six tell different stories, and paint very different pantheon of the Sovereign Host.
pictures of the deities they serve. They are the patrons of criminals,
outcasts, villains, and monsters.
In much the same way that clerics of the Sovereign Host convinced DC 15: Myths of the Sovereign Host
different humanoid groups that the war gods they served were simply uniformly portray the gods of the
aspects of Dol D o r n or Dol Arrah (see The Sovereign Host, page 138), Dark Six scheming against the Host
clerics of the Dark Six interpret the deities revered by the monsters of the at every t u r n , just as their minions in
world as aspects of their dark gods. T h i s r e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of monstrous the world continue to plot against the
mythology has had an impact on the beliefs of the monsters themselves, followers of the Host.
though sometimes with questionable results. In ages past, troglodytes and DC 18: Most people offer prayers to
kuo-toa might have warred against each other in the names of their dif- appease or ward off the Dark Six,
ferent gods. Now, some voices among those races argue that they are all but only monsters and people with
servants of the Devourer, and that they should unite against the followers crazed minds or murderous disposi-
of the Sovereign Host. tions actively worship these evil gods.
T h e one exception is the Traveler,
A few m o n s t r o u s clerics take that philosophy one step f a r t h e r . a sort of trickster deity who is not
P r o c l a i m i n g themselves clerics of the Dark Six as if it were one unified actively malevolent.
pantheon, they now attempt to unite the followers of all evil deities into DC 20: You know details about the
one massive horde to sweep across humanoid lands, leaving death and alignment, portfolio, symbol, rep-
devastation in their wake. Clerics of the Dark Six as a p a n t h e o n are quite resentation, and family relationships
rare, but they seem to be increasingly common in Droaam. of each deity.
DC 22: Various gods of the Dark Six
The following text expands the domains available to clerics of the are actively worshiped in Droaam
Dark Six by i n c l u d i n g d o m a i n s from Complete Divine. D o m a i n s from and Darguun. The drow of Xen'drik
that book are marked with an asterisk (*). worship the Mockery, though they call
him Vulkoor, the Scorpion.
DARGUUN AND THE DARK SIX DC 30: As humans expanded across
Khorvaire, they brought the faith of
Centuries after the fall of the Dhakaani Empire, a coalition of tribal the Sovereign Host with them. They
leaders formed a loose confederacy called the Ghaal'dar, bringing the absorbed local deities, as well as the
savage goblinoid tribes together in the worship of a unified pantheon of gods of the goblin empire, into their
sixteen goblinoid gods. When human missionaries appropriated nine of own beliefs. Gods of their enemies
these gods into their Sovereign Host, many of the Ghaal'dar rejected the became identified with the Dark Six.
gods who sided with the humans and embraced the Dark Six with fervent Scholars of the Sovereign Host still
devotion. T h e gods known as the Shadow and the Mockery are a m o n g the dismiss or assimilate the religious
most important of these goblinoid gods. In the last hundred years, more beliefs of foreign races and lands by
of the Ghaal'dar have returned to worship of the Sovereign Host, while identifying their gods with the Dark
some goblinoids have become obsessed with the lost sixteenth god of their Six or the Sovereign Host.
ancient pantheon, whose face and name were stricken from all writing DC 35: Monstrous clerics are trying to
and art (see "The All-inclusive Host" on page 139). They call this lost unite all the worshipers of the Dark
god the Overthrown. Six against the servants of the Host.

THE DEVOURER Domains: Death, Decay, Evil, Pact*.
Favored Weapon: Scythe.
Neutral Evil
The ravenous deity of storm and THE MOCKERY
sea, the Devourer represents the
destructive side of nature. Brother Neutral Evil
to Arawai and Balinor, he shares his The crows and jackals that lurk
siblings' influence over the natural around battlefields to feast on
world—but if Arawai represents nature carrion are said to be emissar-
tamed to h u m a n will, the Devourer is the ies of the Mockery. Cowardly,
opposite. When storms sink ships at sea, earth- treacherous, and murderous,
quakes swallow whole towns, or rivers overflow their banks, the brother of Dol Arrah and
mortals see the Devourer at work. Sailors appease him with Dol D o r n is everything his noble
sacrifices thrown overboard when storms approach and at the siblings are not. The faithful of the
start of long voyages. T h e sahuagin worship him as Shargon, Sovereign Host believe that the Mock-
whose teeth jut from the sea between Khorvaire and Xen'drik ery tempts people into acts of betrayal by promising them vic-
to snare passing ships. T h e clerics of the Sovereign Host asso- tory and power, and they do not offer him prayers. The drow
ciate other monstrous deities with the Devourer, including of Xen'drik worship the Mockery as Vulkoor the Scorpion.
the gods of the kuo-toa, troglodytes, and yuan-ti. Scholars of the Host identify monstrous deities of war with
the Mockery, including gods of the giants and troglodytes.
Domains: Gold*, Destruction, Evil, Pestilence*,
Water, Weather. Domains: Destruction, Domination*, Evil, Trickery,
War.
Favored Weapon: Trident.
Favored Weapon: Kama.
THE FURY
THE SHADOW
Neutral Evil
The divine embodiment of Chaotic Evil
madness and passion, the Often described as the literal shadow of Aureon,
Fury is said to be the offspring the Shadow is the figurative dark side of the god of
of Arawai a n d h e r b r o t h e r , magic as well. Whenever magic seems to take on a
the Devourer. Mortals see her life of its own to plague mortals, people point to the
hand in any instance of unusual influence of the Shadow. T h e Shadow is revered by
behavior—especially extreme violence in anyone who uses magic for evil ends. The tradi-
people or animals. She is revered only by tional deities of magic-using and psionic monsters
those who are insane, and by cultures that are often identified as aspects of the Shadow,
accept random violence as an ordinary part of life. Clerics of particularly if their portfolios include secrecy or
the Sovereign Host identify the god of the derro as an aspect darkness. In addition, monsters in Droaam and
of the Fury, as well as the patrons of several degenerate cults elsewhere revere the Shadow as their creator.
found among drow, mind flayers, and giants.
Domains: Chaos, Evil, Magic, Mind*,
Domains: Evil, Liberation*, Madness, Passion. Shadow.
Favored Weapon: Rapier.
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff.
THE KEEPER
THE TRAVELER
Neutral Evil
The people of K h o r v a i r e recognize death as a Chaotic Neutral
natural part of the cycle of life. T h e Keeper, If not actively benevolent, the
however, embodies the violation of that natural Traveler is c e r t a i n l y the least
order. Said to be the twin brother of Kol Korran, malevolent of the Dark Six.
he feeds on the souls of the dead and hoards them in With no apparent connection
his domain the way that his brother hoards material to the other members of the
wealth. He is said to inspire the depredations of the Six or the Sovereign Host, the
undead, unexplained occurrences in graveyards, Traveler seems willfully indepen-
and plagues and similar afflictions. dent or even blissfully ignorant of
other deities. A shapeshifter who is
HEXBLADES said to walk the earth in a thousand disguises, the Traveler
is at times a creator, a giver of knowledge, a divine prankster,
Hexblades (described in Complete Warrior) appear randomly and always an enigma. People ascribe anything they cannot
among the various peoples of Eberron, as if singled out by a dark readily understand to the work of the Traveler, but only dop-
power. Some say that hexblades are the chosen minions of the pelgangers and lycanthropes routinely revere the Traveler.
Shadow, though hexblades believe the Traveler to be the source Shifters, lycanthropes, wanderers, and rogues sometimes ask
of their power. As with the legend that sorcerers are descended the Traveler's blessing on their endeavors, but rarely expect
from dragons, the full truth will probably never be known, or receive anything in response. T h e Traveler is said to smile
on those who use their wits and resourcefulness, and to scorn
those who ask for coddling or gifts they have not earned.

Domains: Artifice, Celerity*, Chaos, Creation*, Lib-
eration*, Travel, Trickery.

Favored Weapon: Scimitar.

THE DEMON WASTES

ANCIENT RUIN WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

T h e blasted land of the Demon Wastes is the last bastion of the evil powers Knowledge (geography)
that ruled Khorvaire during the Age of Demons, and the most dangerous DC 10: T h e D e m o n Wastes is a blasted
place on the continent. Nevertheless, adventurers journey here for the
ruins scattered across the desolate landscape, some so old that only their land where barbarian tribes battle
foundations remain. Though the barren land contains hidden artifacts each other. Rakshasas and other
and forgotten magic, few adventurers r e t u r n with these treasures, for the fiends control the land.
dangers of the Wastes are legion. Fiends still hold sway here—rakshasas DC 15: To enter the Demon Wastes by
and lesser beings whose reach is long and subtle. Night hags control small land, you have to pass through the
patches of land and remnants of civilization. H u m a n o i d tribes serve the Labyrinth—a convoluted series of
whims of their demonic masters. canyons full of barbarians, lurking
monsters, and tunnels to Khyber.
When the dragons and their couatl allies defeated the fiends at the end DC 18: The strongest and most unified
of the Age of Demons, they imprisoned the godlike leaders of the rakshasas group of fiends is the Lords of Dust.
deep beneath the surface of the world. T h e fiendish followers of those rak- The Carrion Tribes are humanoid
shasa rajahs fled to the land that had been their empire's capital —Fah'lrrg barbarians who follow various fiends.
in the Infernal language, called the Demon Wastes on modern maps. Many T h e G h a a s h ' k a l a a r e f i e r c e orc
of the rajahs lie beneath the Wastes, while some remain trapped elsewhere warriors who keep the Carrion Tribes
in Khorvaire and the continents beyond. Here more than anywhere, in check by preventing anything from
however, they left their stamp on the surface world. T h e i r presence (as leaving the Wastes.
well as the heavy concentration of their followers) taints the land and the DC 20: Nine night hags wield power in
living things upon it. T h e g r o u n d is cracked and dry, the life leached away. the Wastes, ruling independently.
Beyond the twisted network of canyons called the Labyrinth, the Demon
Wastes present a blasted plain of blackened sand and volcanic glass. Knowledge (local)
D C 10: J u s t a few settlements exist
The imprisoned fiends are openly worshiped here. The Carrion Tribes,
a handful of barbarian h u m a n clans descended from a wave of Sarlonan within the Demon Wastes, and none
refugees trapped in this land more than fifteen centuries ago, pay homage are truly civilized.
to the rakshasa lords trapped b e n e a t h the D e m o n Wastes. Led by half- DC 20: The only worthwhile settlement
fiends and possessed warriors, each of these clans gives its allegiance to a is Festering Holt, a hamlet of h u m a n -
different rajah, and the nature of that patron influences everything from oids in the northeast.
customs and traditions to iconography and the clan's magical abilities. The
Plaguebearers clan reveres a fiend-lord of filth and pestilence, while the Knowledge (the planes)
Deathbringers worship a lord of death and the undead. The Enshrouded DC 10: Fiends rule the Demon Wastes.
worship a fiend of darkness, and the Carrion Hounds revere rot and eat DC 15: Rakshasa rajahs are trapped
carrion like the vultures they hold sacred. Perhaps most unusually, the
Moon Reavers clan worships the night hags of the Wastes rather than the beneath the Demon Wastes.
entombed lords of the rakshasas. DC 20: Some fiends work with each other,

The Carrion Tribes are diverse in their beliefs and practices, but they but most have their own agendas. Some
maintain a common reverence for the barbarian ideal and the state of rage. seek to free their imprisoned rajahs or
They believe that a raging b a r b a r i a n is briefly possessed by a fiendish spirit draw power from them.
that empowers his body and hardens his mind. For this reason, barbarians DC 25: In the n o r t h is a chasm called
hold almost all positions of authority in the Carrion Tribes, although the the Lair of the Keeper, a manifest
Moon Reavers also exalt the art of the rogue—stealthy guerrilla tactics, zone linked to Dolurrh.
assassination, and shadowy terror.
Knowledge (religion)
Though most barbarians in the Demon Wastes serve the fiends eagerly, DC 15: The primitive humans in the
a few escape, are abandoned, or rebel. These individuals might fall in with
the Ghaash'kala (the ghost-guardians who prevent the evil in the Wastes Demon Wastes worship the rakshasas,
from spreading), or they might join one of the few communities that manage night hags, and other fiends.
to survive in the Wastes. Some become adventurers, and if they are sakah DC 20: The Ghaash'kala revere Kalok
(see page 35), they use their gifts to further their own ends. Shash, also called the binding flame.
Kalok Shash might be identical to the
T h e Lords of Dust (see page 147) are perhaps the most i m p o r t a n t Silver Flame. Several Ghaash'kala
power group in the Demon Wastes. Devoted servants of the imprisoned clans exist, and they share a common
fiends, the L o r d s are d i s t i n g u i s h e d from the C a r r i o n T r i b e s by b e i n g priesthood.
fiends themselves. While some among the Lords of Dust seek to channel DC 25: The fiends and barbarian priests
the imprisoned rajahs' power to enhance their own, most strive to break draw power from entities trapped
the bonds of the fiend-lords and usher in a new Age of Demons. in Khyber, allowing them access to
spells and other abilities.
THE RAKSHASA RAJAHS DC 30: Some believe that the Keeper
dwells within a chasm in the north.
The fiends imprisoned in Khyber at the end of the Age of Demons were
evil outsiders with godlike power. Beyond that description, their true nature

remains u n c l e a r . T h e i r closest parallel in the D& D rules
are the archdevils and d e m o n p r i n c e s described in Book of
Vile Darkness. Few are known by n a m e , but one—now called
Levistus - is famous for having briefly slipped the bonds of
his i m p r i s o n m e n t (see Frostfell Gods and Fiends, page 67).
It is possible that the fiendish patron of the Plaguebearers is
a creature similar to Demogorgon or Juiblex, while the lord
of the Deathbringers might be similar to O r c u s . T h e dark-
ness fiend worshiped by the E n s h r o u d e d could be Graz'zt,
and the carrion lord of the Carrion Hounds (sometimes
called the Lord of Flies) could be Baalzebul - before or after
his transformation into a sluglike m o n s t e r . W h e t h e r the
rakshasa rajahs actually bear any physical similarity to
these archfiends, their abilities and characteristics are on
a par with them.

THE SAKAH A sakah hunts in the Demon Wastes

Strange births are common within the barbarian tribes; daze, prestidigitation. T h e save DC for these effects is equal to
newborns may exhibit the sign of one of the rajahs. Such a 10 + spell level + your Cha modifier.
sign might be subtle, but could include horns, sharp teeth
or claws, red eyes, rough gray skin, bulging knuckles, bony Touch of Deception
spikes, leathery wings, or some other sign of the rajahs'
dark influence. Some individuals display these fiendish You are sakah, and your fiendish gift allows you to alter your
features at birth, while others develop them as they mature appearance and trick others. When you are not disguised,
physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The Carrion Tribes you are marked by u n u s u a l hair—flaming red or blue black,
believe that these individuals are blessed and call them sakah sometimes streaked with a lighter color.
("touched ones"). They often rise to become influential
members of their tribes. Prerequisite: Region of origin Demon Wastes.
Benefit: Your tainted origin grants you the following
Sakah may also have subtle powers that manifest as they spell-like abilities as a 1st-level caster: 1/day—disguise self, ghost
age, such as a captivating gaze, a talent for sorcery, or a preter¬ sound, open/close. T h e save D C for these effects is equal to 10 +
naturally c h a r m i n g voice. These abilities and the reputation spell level + your Cha modifier.
of all sakah let them rise in rank within the C a r r i o n Tribes,
grant them the strength to survive on their own, or allow Touch of S u m m o n i n g
them to flee the Wastes. T h e following feats represent a few
of the fiendish powers a sakah might possess as a result of her You are sakah, and your fiendish gift allows you to s u m m o n
fiendish taint. A character with any of these feats bears some fell creatures to do your bidding. You have high and sharply
physical manifestation of it, described in the feat entry. angled cheekbones, sunken eyes, or a heavy brow ridge.

Since most denizens of the Demon Wastes are evil, most Prerequisite: Region of origin Demon Wastes.
sakah are evil—but they do not have to be. T h e fiends' sign Benefit: Your tainted origin grants you the follow-
steers sakah toward evil alignments, but some resist this temp- ing spell-like abilities as a 1st-level caster: 1/day—acid splash,
tation and flee or combat the fiends. Others simply ignore their mage hand, and summon monster [ (fiendish creatures only). T h e
powers' origin and use them to further their adventures. save D C for these effects is equal to 10 + spell level + your
Cha modifier.
Presented below are three feats designed to simulate
some of the special abilities that sakah exhibit.

Touch of Captivation

You are sakah, and your fiendish gift allows you to captivate
people around you. Your eyes have an u n n a t u r a l appear-
ance, such as slitted or strangely colored pupils.

Prerequisite: Region of origin Demon Wastes.
Benefit: Your tainted origin grants you the following
spell-like abilities as a 1st-level caster: 1/day—charm person,

WARLOCKS

Warlocks ( i n t r o d u c e d in Complete Arcane) derive their strange that they siphon power from the rakshasa rajahs imprisoned
arcane powers from unsavory and sometimes evil forces. in the d e p t h s of K h y b e r to manifest t h e i r eldritch blast a n d
In Eberron, warlocks seem to have close ties to the various other magical abilities. Such individuals are sought out by
fiends that inhabit the Material Plane, including night hags the Lords of Dust to serve as agents. Often these warlocks do
and particularly rakshasas. In fact, some warlocks believe not know the true nature of the masters they serve.

THE GHAASH'KALA The Vaanka ("Final") clan inhabits the northwestern
Labyrinth, where it connects to the rest of the Wastes. Its
Those who attempt to leave the Demon Wastes, whether kizshmit is Dalkal Mal'fonn (LG female h u m a n cleric 3
natives or visitors, inevitably confront the Ghaash'kala. Kalok Shash/paladin 7), and its sar'malaan is Silvik Raam
T h e s e fierce b a r b a r i a n s revere Kalok Shash, the b i n d i n g ( N G male orc cleric 11 Kalok Shash).
flame, the same entity w o r s h i p e d by the C h u r c h of the
Silver Flame. The Ghaash'kala believe that any creature KALOK SHASH
or object that has passed t h r o u g h the D e m o n Wastes is
unalterably tainted, and they prevent anything from All Ghaash'kala revere Kalok Shash, the binding flame,
leaving the Wastes for fear of that evil spreading to the and the clans share a common priesthood. Kalok Shash
rest of E b e r r o n . Most Ghaash'kala are satisfied with their is a d i v i n e b e a c o n that draws new h e r o e s to r e s t o r e the
roles, but some seek to expand their horizons, becoming Ghaash'kala's ranks and replace the fallen. The Ghaash'kala
a d v e n t u r e r s as a way to e x p e r i e n c e the rest of the world. welcome these souls.
However, they must contend with their tribe, which pre-
fers that they remain in the Wastes—for even the most Those who follow the binding flame live their lives
righteous individuals among the ghost-guardians carry by the sword. T h e i r existence is violent a n d m a r t i a l ;
the fiends' corruption. their sworn duty, to combat demonic terrors with muscle
and b l a d e . By c o n t r a s t , a d h e r e n t s of the Silver Flame are
The Ghaash'kala are militaristic and spiritual. Their always ready to take up arms in defense of their faith, but
lives revolve around worship and their martial duties. Four their overall existence is peaceable. T h e C h u r c h of the
Ghaash'kala clans exist, and customs vary slightly among Silver Flame focuses on building community, instruct-
them. Each clan has two leaders. The kizshmit, or chief- ing its lay m e m b e r s about the world's d a n g e r s , and p r o -
tain, leads the clan in its military duties. The sar'malaan, tecting life and goodness. The average follower of the
the high priest who guides the clan's spiritual well-being, Silver Flame is a simple farmer or crafter who respects
appoints and assists the kizshmit. Though the kizshmit what the Silver Flame represents, while the average fol-
focuses on martial aspects, she also rules the clan in most lower of the b i n d i n g flame is a l e a t h e r - a r m o r e d warrior
mundane matters. The sar'malaan steps in when medita- wielding spear and bow against fiendish monsters in a
tion or enlightenment demand it. T h e kizshmit defers to dismal landscape.
the sar'malaan.
Clerics who revere Kalok Shash can select from
The Ghaash'kala are a powerful and noble people, and the Exorcism, Good, Protection, and War domains.
of all the inhabitants of the Demon Wastes, they are the most T h e favored weapon of Kalok Shash's priesthood is the
likely to interact with Outlanders on a peaceful basis. They longsword.
are enemies of the fiends, and though they seek to prevent
travelers from entering or exiting the Wastes, some among BRAND Of THE BINDING FLAME
them might be persuaded to aid adventurers. Some clan
members leave the Demon Wastes, despite their elders' To help fend off demonic possession, Ghaash'kala
admonitions, to adventure in Khorvaire and beyond. In warriors mark their bodies with the brand of the bind-
extreme circumstances, a Ghaash'kala sar'malaan might ing flame. The brand's shape depends on the tribe and,
look outside the Wastes for assistance. sometimes, the individual malaan (priest) who burns the
symbol onto the guardian's skin. The Maruk clan (whose
Describing the Ghaash'kala groups as clans is perhaps members are the most numerous) uses a simple symbol
misleading, since they are not necessarily b o u n d by any of a small flame with three tendrils. T h e Kastar clan's
familial ties. At the core of each clan is a family of related symbol resembles a sunburst with wavy, r a d i a t i n g rays,
orcs, but the clans have only survived this long by welcoming while warriors of the Jaasakah clan undergo a lengthy
new members, even outcasts from the Carrion Tribes who ritual in which their entire backs are covered with com-
have heard the call of the binding flame. As a result, each plicated scars, burns, and varicolored tattoos. Vaanka
clan includes a small number of humans, half-orcs, and warriors use a wide variety of symbols, largely dependent
even members of other races as well as its d o m i n a n t orcs. on the m a l a a n . By d e d i c a t i n g his m i n d to the b r a n d that
Each of the four clans concentrates its efforts on a different the malaan has imbued with his faith, a warrior can gain
part of the Labyrinth and the surrounding lands. Strong temporary immunity to possession and other benefits in
diplomatic ties and a common priesthood help the clans his battle against the fiends. The Binding Brand feat,
accomplish their duties. below, represents this ability.

The Jaasakah ("Deadly") clan inhabits the eastern A player character can obtain this feat in a n u m b e r of
Labyrinth and the lands east of the Labyrinth. T h e clan is ways. He might have been a Ghaash'kala clan member who
led by kizshmit Svash Ramaal ( N G male half-ore b a r b a r i a n escaped the Wastes. He might have joined the Ghaash'kala
8) and sar'malaan Gan'dal H o m m (LG male h u m a n cleric and accepted their ways, if only briefly. Perhaps a malaan has
10 Kalok Shash). left the Wastes to battle the rakshasas elsewhere in Eberron,
and she is willing to inscribe the brand on those who swear
The Kastar ("Swift") clan inhabits the western Laby- the proper oaths.
rinth and the lands west of the Labyrinth. Its kizshmit
is Maalo Sahai ( C G female orc fighter 4 / r o g u e 5), and Binding Brand
its s a r ' m a l a a n is Naakah S h a h a r ( N G female orc cleric 8
Kalok Shash). You carry the brand of the b i n d i n g flame, marking you as a
warrior of the Ghaash'kala clans.
The Maruk ("Mighty") clan inhabits the central
Labyrinth. Its kizshmit is Torgaan Shashaarat (LG male orc Benefit: You can use the following spell-like abili-
fighter 3/paladin 6), and its sar'malaan is Lharc Suusha (LG ties as a 1st-level caster: 1/day—guidance, protection from evil,
female orc cleric 9 Kalok Shash). resistance.

HORRORS OF THE WASTES monstrosities, while the C a r r i o n Tribes treat t h e m as
figures of mystical power and authority. Unholy scions
The Ghaash'kala believe that all creatures and relics of are c o m m o n l y b o r n to the natives of the Wastes, orc a n d
the Demon Wastes are tainted by evil—and if you are using human alike.
the Heroes of Horror supplement, that might be literally t r u e .
The Demon Wastes is a tainted region, and a character who Characters native to the Demon Wastes or who adventure
enters the Wastes must immediately make a D C 20 Will save there extensively might find many of the options in Heroes of
or have his depravity score increased by 1. T h i s saving throw Horror useful. A m o n g the new classes described in that book,
must be repeated after every 24 hours spent in the Wastes. archivists and dread necromancers are not particularly
common in the Wastes, although archivists might be drawn
Certain regions of the Wastes are more intensely suf- to the Wastes in the course of their research. The Church
fused with the evil of the rakshasa lords imprisoned there. of the Silver Flame's P u r i t a n s sect serves as the p a t r o n orga-
Characters entering these regions must immediately make nization for characters with the purifier of the Hallowed
another Will save (DC 25 to 30) to avoid further increas- Doctrine prestige class. These characters seek to contain the
ing their depravity scores. In addition, certain sites in evil threat within the Wastes, striving to forge alliances with
the Wastes increase corruption rather than depravity. See the Ghaash'kala and even committing themselves to remain
Tainted Locales in C h a p t e r 4 of Heroes of Horror for more forever in the Labyrinth alongside the orcs. Corrupt avengers
information about these sites. are also common among the Ghaash'kala, though they are
loathed by the purity-obsessed tribes.
In addition to the dangers of taint, the Demon Wastes
are also dotted with other horrific terrain features. Abyssal THE LABYRINTH
blackgrass grows naturally in the Wastes, blood rock and
night stone jut from the earth in the Labyrinth, and charnel The many and varied dangers of the Labyrinth ensure that
bogs are common near the coasts. These terrain features are few who v e n t u r e far i n t o it m a n a g e to survive, and only a
described in C h a p t e r 4 of Heroes ofHorror. handful of those survivors ever return to civilization to
report their success. T h e fragment of map below was discov-
Many of the new monsters described in Heroes of Horror ered in an abandoned backpack in the library at Morgrave
are likewise native to the Demon Wastes. Corruption eaters University, along with a grotesque, headless statue—possibly
haunt the Labyrinth, unintentionally helping contain the the item m e n t i o n e d on the map. T h e statue is now on dis-
taint of evil within the Wastes (a few of the Ghaash'kala actu- play in the Dezina Museum of Antiquities on the Morgrave
ally believe that c o r r u p t i o n eaters are agents of the b i n d i n g University campus.
flame). Phantasmal slayers are particularly common in the
region s u r r o u n d i n g Ashtakala, and are said by some to be Several recent incidents at the Museum, dismissed as
psychic echoes of the imprisoned rakshasa lords. Tainted failed robbery attempts, are almost certainly unrelated to
minions and tainted ravers—the remnants of both Carrion the statue's arrival there.
Tribe barbarians and Ghaash'kala orcs who have been lost
to the evil of the Wastes—are all too c o m m o n t h r o u g h -
out the region. The Ghaash'kala
particularly loathe these

DOCUMENTS

RULES AND REGULATIONS WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

Written documents play a significant role in the Five Nations. Because Knowledge (arcana)
the Notaries Guild of House Sivis makes it possible to create certificates D C 15: T h e arcane mark spell is widely
whose authenticity is virtually unimpeachable, the people of Khorvaire
have come to rely upon contracts, licenses, and other official documents used, particularly by House Sivis, to
to help commerce and g o v e r n m e n t r u n as quickly and smoothly as pos- authenticate important documents.
sible. Of the many types of documents that facilitate society functions, A special form of arcane mark can be
the following are among those most likely to be encountered or needed embedded in a signet ring in such a
by adventurers. way that it is only visible when a spe-
cific person wears the ring.
A r c a n e Signet R i n g : The dragonmarked houses of Khorvaire use
these rings extensively for identification purposes. They resemble ordi- Knowledge (local)
nary signet rings, but are set with gemstones like decorative rings. Inside DC 10: Most people of the middle and
a large c e n t r a l g e m s t o n e , an i n t r i c a t e r u n i c pattern—actually an arcane
mark—becomes visible when worn by the p e r s o n for whom the r i n g was upper classes carry identification
constructed. These rings are only given to members of a dragonmarked papers with them at all times. In cer-
house or one of its most trusted retainers. tain areas, everyone must carry such
papers and be prepared to show them
If you are a member of a dragonmarked house (particularly if you to officers of the law when requested.
have the Favored in House feat), you can buy an arcane signet ring with Anyone crossing national borders
no difficulty from any house enclave at a cost of 150 gp. If you are not a must carry traveling papers.
member of a house, you might be able to acquire an arcane signet ring that DC 15: Letters and certificates are
identifies you at a cost of 200 gp or more, but it requires both working with sometimes required to operate a busi-
a jeweler to build the ring, then persuading House Sivis to impress its mark ness (a business license) or even to
into the stone. A c q u i r i n g an arcane signet r i n g that would identify you as p l u n d e r the r u i n s of X e n ' d r i k (a
someone else is extremely difficult, if not impossible. As a first step, you letter of marque). Properly notarized
would need false identification papers to "prove" your identity to a house documents are essential to establish
enclave or House Sivis. ownership of significant pieces of
p r o p e r t y (a title deed) and to estab-
Business License: Each country in Khorvaire takes a slightly dif- lish a person's right to act in someone
ferent attitude toward commerce and industry. Some governments, such else's place (a letter of proxy).
as B r e l a n d ' s , r e q u i r e all business owners to buy a business license of DC 20: The right document can get
some sort, with the cost and difficulty of obtaining the license increas- you money from the b a n k (a letter
ing depending on the value of the business and what danger it might of credit), a pardon for a crime you
pose to nearby people and property. O t h e r nations, such as Zilargo, c o m m i t t e d (a letter of p a r d o n ) ,
take a more hands-off attitude and allow most businesses to operate or even a pardon for a crime you
with minimal restrictions and interference. A business license consists haven't c o m m i t t e d yet (a letter of
of a simple p a r c h m e n t that must be displayed somewhere in the place dispensation).
of business. A check against this DC is also suffi-
cient to determine where to acquire
Typically, a town or city has a licensing office that issues business a document needed for a particular
licenses. Smaller settlements rarely have offices devoted to this activity, purpose.
but magistrates issue licenses in addition to their other duties. It can take
considerable time to process a business license, though the cost is usually Knowledge (nobility and royalty)
less than 1 gp (depending on location and the type of business). DC 10: House Sivis notarizes official

I d e n t i f i c a t i o n P a p e r s : Most people of the middle and upper d o c u m e n t s . T h e house uses the arcane
classes, at least in central K h o r v a i r e , carry identification papers with mark spell to establish the authenticity
them at all t i m e s . Issued by n a t i o n a l g o v e r n m e n t s and n o t a r i z e d by of particularly important documents.
House Sivis, these papers present a detailed physical description of a DC 15: House Kundarak issues letters
person (sometimes with an accompanying small portrait), the person's of credit (notarized by House Sivis)
name and residence, and some additional information about the person's to allow account holders to access
affiliations (particularly including any connection to a dragonmarked their funds from any Kundarak bank.
house, royal or noble family, or a large institution). The papers are usu- These letters can also be used as
ally kept in a durable container of some kind—a leather folder, metallic payment for services, specifying the
case, or other decorative holder. amount the bearer can withdraw.
DC 20: Members of the dragonmarked
In some areas, individuals must carry identification papers with houses use special signet rings that
them at all times and be prepared to show those papers to officials at a contain arcane marks to establish their
moment's notice. This is particularly true in border areas (especially when identity and membership in a house.
the borders are not quite clear or some dispute persists about the lines
established in the Treaty of Thronehold), and also in T h r o n e p o r t itself,
which is governed by an international council of representatives from the
Five Nations.

Identification papers are issued by the same facilities reflect the new available balance, notarizing the change to
that process business licenses: dedicated licensing offices the letter or issuing a new letter.
in larger settlements, or local magistrates in smaller ones
affiliated with or operated in conjunction with House Letters of credit are always notarized with arcane marks,
Sivis. It is only possible to obtain identification papers in making them difficult to forge. Even if a document can be
the nations recognized by the Treaty of T h r o n e h o l d , and successfully r e p r o d u c e d , however, it is nearly impossible to
it becomes increasingly difficult outside the Five N a t i o n s . acquire funds from House Kundarak using a forged letter
The Mror Holds and Zilargo readily issue papers, but appli- of credit, since the house keeps records of every such letter
cants elsewhere might have to travel some distance to find it issues and makes those records available to all its banks.
a magistrate or House Sivis enclave that is willing and able If a clerk at a bank has any reason to suspect that a letter of
to assemble such d o c u m e n t s . credit is forged, it can be checked against house records to
verify its authenticity.
Standard identification papers typically cost 2 gp,
while a portrait raises the price to 5 gp. Forged papers cost Letter of Dispensation: Each nation in Khorvaire
around 10 gp. has its own set of laws and regulations. In some cases,
however, the leader of the nation might want to grant spe-
Letter of Credit: House Kundarak, the house that cific individuals the right to act outside the law. In these
carries the Mark of Warding, operates banks throughout instances, the government issues a letter of dispensation.
central Khorvaire. A character who has funds on deposit Such letters always closely detail exactly what permissions
in a K u n d a r a k bank can request from the bank a letter of the bearer is given—for example, the right to seize and
credit, which allows her to withdraw funds from a different destroy property belonging to suspected seditionists, or
branch. For many characters, this system is a convenient the right to kill any monsters found within certain geo-
alternative to carrying wealth around in the form of pre- graphical boundaries. Letters of dispensation cannot be
cious gems, jewelry, or coins. House Kundarak does not bought. T h e y are issued by a h i g h - r a n k i n g g o v e r n m e n t
charge a fee for issuing letters of credit. official only to select and trusted parties. The letter
always b e a r s the seal of the n a t i o n a l o n g with an arcane
House K u n d a r a k is the only organization that issues mark, and it specifies to whom the d i s p e n s a t i o n is g r a n t e d .
letters of credit. Occasionally, an employer secures a letter (The document is not considered valid without matching
of credit for an employee—such as an adventurer—who is identification papers.)
expected to incur large debts in the course of his work
for the employer. T h e letter specifies a m a x i m u m a m o u n t Letter of Marque: T h e concept of letters of marque
available to the bearer, and any sum up to that total amount originated during the Last War, when the rulers of the
can be drawn from the issuer's bank account. W h e n funds warring nations granted adventurers permission to attack
are withdrawn, the clerks at the bank update the letter to ships and assets belonging to other nations. The Treaty

of Thronehold declared void all letters of marque that meritorious service on the battlefield.) Such forgiveness
existed at the time, but the idea survives, though in a comes in the form of a pardon—a parchment that describes
rather altered form. T h e K i n g of Breland now issues the acts committed, the original sentence imposed, and a
papers granting adventurers permission to explore and statement of clemency, which is affixed with the seal of the
plunder the ruins of Xen'drik. T h o u g h such permission g o v e r n m e n t and an arcane mark. A p a r d o n is usually carried
is not technically necessary, wise adventurers secure a with or attached to the individual's identification papers in
letter before using S h a r n as a l a u n c h i n g point for expe- case word of his misdeeds carried more widely than word of
ditions to Xen'drik. Those who try to sell treasures from his reprieve.
Xen'drik on the open market in Breland must produce a
letter of marque or face stiff fines—on top of forfeiting A written p a r d o n is issued by the government—usually
the treasure in question. by the law enforcement system that is releasing the pardoned
person, but sometimes by higher authorities (even the king
W h e n a d v e n t u r e r s are h i r e d to explore X e n ' d r i k as of a nation, or at least in the ruler's name). Forging a pardon
part of an expedition (such as one sponsored by Mor- is difficult, but many people would pay well for a clean
grave University or the Wayfinder F o u n d a t i o n ) , it is forgery that clears their names. T h e best kind of forged
common practice for the employer to secure a letter of pardon is one that p u r p o r t s to be issued in one of the Five
marque for the expedition, so that characters don't need Nations, but not where the character lives and operates.
to worry about the expense or the frequently consider- In cases where the crime and supposed pardon took place
able difficulty. Characters who must secure a letter for some years ago, a p a r d o n from the Q u e e n of Cyre is the
themselves most likely do so at the Bureau of Antiquities best bet because its authenticity cannot be verified. Any
in Sharn's Highest Towers district. Filing an application forged p a r d o n r u n s the risk of being investigated if an
can take the better part of a day and involves both answer- individual is taken into custody for a new crime. W h e n the
ing extensive questions from the staff at the bureau and p a r d o n is revealed as a forgery (presumably by checking
enduring their long, musing recollections of their own against the records of the issuing court), two more crimes
expeditions to X e n ' d r i k years before. A letter of marque are added to the charges against the captive—forgery or
costs 500 gp. possession of a forged document, as well as whatever crime
is supposed to have been p a r d o n e d . A forged p a r d o n costs
It is not particularly difficult to forge a letter of at least 100 gp.
marque, and it is certainly possible to sell goods from
Xen'drik on the black market or outside Breland to avoid the Royal Decree: When the head of a royal family or ruler
need for one. A forged letter of marque can be purchased of a nation makes an official proclamation, word is spread
for about 25 gp. by d i s s e m i n a t i n g a royal decree. T h i s is a large, ornately
decorated parchment detailing the announcement in clear,
Letter of Proxy: On occasion, illness, distance, or easy-to-read script. Royal decrees are read in town squares,
scheduling conflicts keep a political, military, or indus- reproduced in printed chronicles, and h u n g on the walls of
trial leader from attending an important event. In these government buildings and other places where people gather.
cases, he might want to send a representative to speak for During the Last War, royal decrees were issued whenever
his interests at one or more occasions or gatherings. This a decisive battle was fought, when allegiances shifted, and
person receives a letter of proxy to verify that she does, in when the Thronehold Accords were signed. These days,
fact, have official sanction to speak for the leader in ques- royal decrees are used to announce births and deaths in
tion. Traditionally, a letter of proxy is drafted by House the royal family, changes in tax policies, or other matters
Sivis on the issuer's personal letterhead, notarized with an of state. A l t h o u g h t h e r e is no m o n e t a r y value attached to
arcane mark, and c a r r i e d in a leather billfold b e a r i n g some the documents, some people save royal decrees of historic
sign associated with the issuer. The letter clearly identifies or personal importance.
the name and physical description of the intended bearer. If
there is any uncertainty, these details are compared to that Royal decrees cannot be purchased and are difficult to
person's identification papers for corroboration. A letter of forge for any useful purpose. The issuance of a royal decree
proxy costs 8 gp. is typically a matter of such public notice that it would be
hard to present a forged decree as authentic without the
Securing a letter of proxy is usually a simple matter accompanying gossip, rumors, anticipation, and officious
of contacting House Sivis and arranging the service. The goings-on.
sorts of people who have need of such a document have ready
access to the means of acquiring it. Should a person want Title Deed: Possession might be n i n e - t e n t h s of the law
to acquire a letter of proxy u n d e r false pretenses—having in the wilder parts of the world, but throughout the Five
assassinated or otherwise removed a designated proxy and Nations a deed is r e q u i r e d to prove ownership of build-
wanting to take her place, for example—the process is much ings, land, airships, and other property of significant size
more complicated. Professional forgers are loath to ven- and value. Title deeds are not carried by the owner, but
ture into the realms of high politics, so they make sure the are rather kept u n d e r lock and key in a safe location. They
reward is commensurate with the risk, charging a r o u n d 100 are large d o c u m e n t s prepared by House Sivis on oversized
gp for the service. sheets of parchment, bearing a detailed description of both
property (particularly identifying marks or measurements)
Pardon: Just as every nation has regulations and stric- and owner, a history of the property's previous owner-
tures d e f i n i n g c e r t a i n acts as c r i m i n a l , each nation also ship, plus a pair of arcane marks. Title deeds are considered
has prescribed penalties for breaking its laws. However, extremely difficult documents to forge.
a government might decide to forgive even a lifetime of
criminal activities when extenuating circumstances can be Title deeds are issued by national governments—
proven or when the criminal performs some other mitigat- sometimes t h r o u g h local or regional offices, sometimes by
ing act. (This happened more frequently during the Last c o u r i e r from the n a t i o n a l capital. T h e cost is 15 gp, plus
War, when a convicted criminal could earn his freedom with any appropriate courier fees.

Traveling Papers: Anyone who travels across BEN1TH AVA DEN1THK1
national b o r d e r s is usually r e q u i r e d to carry traveling
papers identifying them, their residence, their destina- Benith (N female gnome bard 3/rogue 1) was once an u p -
tion, and t h e i r reason for travel. T r a v e l i n g papers consist a n d - c o m i n g member of House Sivis working in the Notaries
of a p a r c h m e n t sheet with the a p p r o p r i a t e i n f o r m a t i o n Guild offices in S h a r n . T h o u g h she was gifted at scribing,
and an arcane mark, c a r r i e d in a leather folder. House Sivis, her true talents seemed to lie in politics, and she navigated
House Orien, House Deneith, and House Lyrandar all the complicated bureaucracy of House Sivis as deftly as an
offer traveling papers that are recognized t h r o u g h o u t acrobat on a tightrope.
central Khorvaire.
A l t h o u g h she is a distant cousin of Lysse L y r r i m a n
A set of traveling papers typically costs 2 sp, and can d'Sivis, no member of Benith's family has ever borne a
be purchased at Sivis and Deneith enclaves, l i g h t n i n g rail dragonmark, and that turned out to be an unavoidable
stations, and Lyrandar offices located in the ports of major obstacle in her career path. She grew frustrated as positions
cities. A forged set costs about 5 gp. of importance and transfers to the main enclave in Zilargo
were repeatedly given to lesser scribes who happened to have
Warrant: In civilized Khorvaire, the city guard, mili- dragonmarked relatives. Eventually she resigned from the
tia, constabulary, and all others charged with keeping the guild and renounced all ties to House Sivis.
peace have the power to detain those they suspect of wrong-
doing. However, this power is somewhat diminished if the Less than a week later, Benith opened Denithki and
suspect is a m e m b e r of a royal family or a d r a g o n m a r k e d Associates, a private licensing office that took advantage
house, or is sufficiently wealthy. T h i s is especially a problem of her knowledge of Sharn's bureaucracy and connections
for rural officials and deputized citizens, whose authority within the Notaries Guild to help clients secure even the
could be questioned. A warrant is an official d o c u m e n t most difficult-to-obtain documents and licenses. T h e vast
stating that the bearer has the authority to arrest a specific majority of the work done by D e n i t h k i and Associates is
individual or impound a specific item. A warrant includes legitimate and completely legal. However, Benith occasion-
identifying details of the person or item it covers, the reason ally takes commissions to create falsified documents, using
it was issued, the signature of the local lord or magistrate, her intimate familiarity with House Sivis's practices and
plus both an arcane mark and a wax or p r i n t e d seal. materials to make almost perfect forgeries.

Warrants are issued by law enforcement authorities and
cannot be purchased.

DRAGONS

SCALED MASTERS OF ARGONNESSEN WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

Before the world, dragons ruled. Knowledge (arcana)
Almost every story told about the creation of Eberron begins with DC 10: Though occasionally dismissed as

dragons. The most common legend involves the struggle between the three creatures of legend, dragons are real
progenitor dragons: Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber (see Creation Myths, and still exist. There are ten kinds
page 30). Even contrasting tales of the world's birth speak of dragons: of "true" dragon—black, blue, brass,
the Traveler pulling the world from a dragon's gut, Onatar hammering bronze, copper, gold, green, red,
it out of dragon scales, or A u r e o n speaking the world into being in the silver, and white—as well as n u m e r o u s
Draconic tongue. Dragons are creatures of ancient power whose roots other varieties that are considered
seem to extend back to the birth of the world. lesser dragons or dragonkind. Most
dragons live on the distant continent
Once the world was formed, dragons struggled for dominion over it. of Argonnessen and are rarely seen
There may be no written historical records of this age, but the legends are by h u m a n o i d s .
more than mythology: Ruins from the Age of Demons still stand in the
Shadow Marches, in Q'barra, in Xen'drik, and (presumably) in Argon- DC 15: All true dragons and some
nessen. These lands still bear physical signs of the war that raged for a related creatures grow increasingly
million years between the first dragons and the fiends of Khyber. In the large and powerful as they age, t h e -
end, thanks to the sacrifice of the couatls, the dragons were victorious. oretically without any upper limit.
However, instead of claiming rulership of the world as the fiends had They are extremely long-lived, and
done, the dragons retreated to Argonnessen to contemplate the Prophecy, one that is 500 years old is consider-
leaving a vacuum that would be filled by the lesser races—first the giants ably more capable than one that is
of X e n ' d r i k , then the h u m a n o i d races in all their diversity. only a century old.

Dragons are hardly a monolithic force in the world, though human- DC 20: Dragons believe in a mysterious
oids view t h e m that way. It is easy to speak of "the dragons" and imagine Prophecy, which they see unfolding in
them living in a unified society in distant Argonnessen—particularly since all sorts of events in the natural world
few h u m a n o i d s have ever been far into the dragon homeland and r e t u r n e d as well as among the "lesser races" of
to tell the tale. T h e few tales that have reached K h o r v a i r e ( i n c l u d i n g some humanoids. Everything from stellar
told by rogue dragons) paint a picture of a much less monolithic society, alignments to mysterious runes in
if society is even the right word to describe it. mountain caverns to the dragon-
marks carried by m e m b e r s of Khor¬
Argonnessen is sometimes described as "the dragon nation," and in some vaire's great houses plays a p a r t in this
ways it seems like a nation. When Aerenal went to war against Argonnessen, the Prophecy, in their view.
elves fought against a unified force of dragons, much like the army a humanoid
nation might field. There seemed to be chains of command, officers and sol- DC 30 : A few d r a g o n s believe that the
diers, possibly even conscripts. When agents of the Chamber overstep their fulfillment of the Prophecy is close
bounds or dragons turn rogue and hide themselves away in Khorvaire, they risk at hand, and dragons must actively
punishment by something resembling a police force—a cadre of dragon agents participate in bringing it to fruition.
armed with detailed knowledge and deadly tactical coordination. What is not These dragons often come to Khor-
fully understood is whether that structure and order applies within Argonnes- vaire and might even hide themselves
sen or only when the dragons must deal with a threat beyond their borders. among humanoids for the purpose of
carrying out their plans.
As far as humanoids are concerned, dragons are simply fearsome crea-
tures of legend. Still, speculation abounds about dragon society. Dragons Knowledge (geography)
seem to prefer the company of other dragons of philosophical and ethical DC 15: Most of Argonnessen is unex-
views regardless of color. Each type of metallic and chromatic dragon might
be considered a different species, but individual dragons follow their own plored by h u m a n o i d s . T h e northwest
personal moral and ethical codes. Also, age apparently equals status in part of the continent is the exception.
dragon society. Dragons are incredibly long-lived—possibly immortal—and The island of Seren and the nearby
the oldest dragons are treated with the greatest respect. Unlike humanoids, coast is inhabited by barbarians who
a dragon's physical capabilities improve along with its mental faculties as it revere the dragons, and they come
ages, making the oldest dragons the strongest, smartest, and most magi- to the shore of Argonnessen to pay
cally powerful of their kind. Along the same lines, dragons of the same age homage to their reptilian masters.
but different species maintain a definite hierarchy based on power: A red DC 20: The northwest coast of Argon-
dragon always outranks a white dragon of the same age, for example. T h e nessen is called Totem Beach in ref-
true dragons (the chromatic and metallic dragons described in the Monster erence to the massive, carved dragon
Manual) share higher status as a group than other types of dragons. Finally, heads that line the shore. The origin
dragons that have made their homes outside Argonnessen hold lower status of these sculptures is a mystery—they
than dragons that remain in the draconic homeland. seem too advanced for the barbaric
Seren, but it seems unlikely the
THE PROPHECY dragons themselves carved them.

According to those who claim to know the draconic mind, the power that
lifted these creatures from their original primitive state was knowledge—

specifically, knowledge of the Prophecy. When dragons learned Not every dragon you meet is an agent of the Chamber—
of the Prophecy, they knew they were destined to become more some are just hungry
than mere animals of scaled fury and elemental savagery.
They served a greater purpose in the universe. r e g a r d i n g its discussion, m u c h as h u m a n s shy away from
contentious points of religious doctrine. At present,
This knowledge caused them to rise up against the fiends there is a s h a r p rift between those d r a g o n s who view the
that ruled the world in the aftermath of creation. When the relatively recent emergence of dragonmarks on humanoid
fiends at last were defeated, this same knowledge led the flesh as a sign of the i m p e n d i n g fulfillment of the P r o p h -
dragons to retreat to Argonnessen, contemplating the Proph- ecy, and those with a more conservative view, who see this
ecy and i g n o r i n g the lesser races that spread over the world development as one more stage of a very long j o u r n e y .
to fill the void left by the imprisoned fiends. However, it was Although the latter group often dismisses the former
the Prophecy that at last drew the dragons out of their self- as " i m p e t u o u s y o u t h s , " many a n c i e n t and respectable
imposed exile when they saw it begin to unfold on the flesh of dragons believe the Prophecy is b u i l d i n g toward some
humanoids with the first appearance of dragonmarks. kind of climactic event.

What is the Prophecy? No h u m a n o i d knows. It might
be a t r a n s c r i p t i o n of the words of the p r o g e n i t o r dragons,
spoken before the birth of the world and written through
all creation. It might be the utterances of C h r o n e p s i s , the
dragon god of fate, giving clues to the future to those with
ears to hear. It might simply be the expression of patterns in
nature that point to the inevitable unfolding of those pat-
terns in the future. Even the dragons do not know for sure,
but each dragon has a theory—a personal understanding of
what the Prophecy is and what its significance might be, for
dragonkind and for the world.

Dragons watch for the unfolding of the Prophecy in
every part of the n a t u r a l world. E n o r m o u s r u n e s appear
in mountain caves and on sheer cliff faces. Stars, moons,
and planets take the shape of dragonmarks in the night sky.
The swirls of color in the heart of every dragonshard form
words and signs. Most startlingly, dragonmarks appear on
the flesh of humanoids—to the great chagrin of those who
consider such creatures to be the lesser races.

Certain alignments of celestial bodies and planes of
existence reveal marks where they did not previously exist, and
movements of the land—earthquakes and volcanic e r u p t i o n s -
uncover runes that have long been hidden. For this reason, the
dragons most interested in the unfolding of the future watch
actively, searching the world for newly revealed elements of the
Prophecy. Other dragons have been known to refer to such
active watchers as koto'zhak—"carrion birds"—because of their
tendency to fly quickly after any report of natural disaster.

Interpretation of the Prophecy is a contentious point
among all dragons. Many acknowledge certain social taboos

EVERYDAY DRAGONS?

Dragons play an important role in Eberron, as figures nothing of the Prophecy spawn, live, and die in the remote
of power and mystery. They appear throughout history, depths of Khyber, the dismal swamps of the Shadow
teaching magic to the giants, warring against the elves, Marches, the highest peaks of the Ironroot Mountains, the
founding the Gatekeepers among the orcs, and worshiped hidden wastes of Xen'drik, and the frigid barrens of the
as scaled gods in Q'barra. They watch the unfolding of the Frostfell. Young dragons caring nothing for the Prophecy
Prophecy and (through the Chamber) sometimes meddle come to Khorvaire to see what humanoids are like, enjoy
in humanoid affairs, manipulating history to fulfill their their societies, or taste their flesh. Some come to amass
own understanding. great hoards, some to be revered. Wherever you go in the
vast world of Eberron, there will be dragons.
Does this mean that all encounters with dragons in an
EBERRON campaign involve the Prophecy, and are linked to So it's all right. Perhaps that scaly horror you've
obscure oracles and grand machinations? encountered doesn't have any secret agenda or hidden
interests. It might not be entangled in a plot encompassing
In a word, no. a million-and-a-half years of history.
Sometimes a dragon is just a dragon. Cut off from
their more advanced kin, barbaric dragons who know It might just be hungry. Good luck with it.

THE CHAMBER are a wild and fierce people. Some thirty tribes, each paying
allegiance to a different dragon founder, make their homes
Many dragons are not content to sit in Argonnessen and on the island, the two smaller islands nearby, and the jungle
watch as the Prophecy unfolds in the world a r o u n d them. on the coast of Argonnessen. T h e coast itself is called Totem
Some, impetuous with youth and rebelling against an Beach, and it is considered neutral ground by the Seren tribes,
ancient culture that prizes contemplation over action, which often war with each other. At Totem Beach they set aside
believe that the fulfillment of the draconic Prophecy is close their differences to give their worship to the dragons.
at hand, and that dragons must act now if they are to receive
whatever glorious transformation it promises. Others, not All the Seren tribes have a similar social structure. The
subscribing to such extremes, nevertheless believe that the warlord is the mightiest warrior, but this position is based
emergence of dragonmarks on the lesser races signals a purely on skill, and any member of the tribe can challenge
change that requires closer study (if not direct interven- a weak warlord. The warlord oversees all military actions,
tion). These dragons, both the impetuous activists and the such as patrolling the land, organizing raids, and training
more restrained observers, together form the Chamber. young soldiers. Spiritual and domestic matters are overseen
by a council of dragonspeakers - mystics who use wisdom and
The dragons of the Chamber operate within Khorvaire. magic to guide the tribe. Dragonspeaker is a lifelong post,
The chromatic dragons' natural powers of shapechanging allow and authority within the council is based on age. Despite
them to move freely among the lesser races. Others use their the warlike nature of the Serens, dragonspeakers hold the
innate sorcerous abilities or magic items to disguise themselves, final authority and can overrule the decisions of a warlord,
while a few retain their natural forms and simply remain well or even force a warlord to step down.
hidden, using humanoid agents to carry out their plans. What-
ever their form, all members of the Chamber make extensive The tribes described below are a representative sample
use of humanoid agents, for their own n u m b e r s are few and of the variety found among the Seren barbarians.
the assistance of agents grants them much greater reach in the
world. With the treasure hoards they have at their disposal, they T h e Bringers of Fire were founded by a chaotic evil red
typically have little difficulty recruiting such aid. dragon. One of the largest and most dangerous tribes, the
Bringers have been known to completely exterminate Seren
T h e C h a m b e r is a loose-knit cabal at best, a group of clans they view as unworthy. T h e Bringers of Fire paint their
unconnected individuals with similar ideas and agendas. skin red before battle and make use of flaming oil, and they
Dragons are a fiercely i n d e p e n d e n t lot by n a t u r e , and even have volatile temperaments.
those who share a sense of urgency about the fulfillment of the
Prophecy do not like to work together. They freely share infor- T h e White Wanderers were founded by a neutral white
mation and resources (including their agents) among them- dragon. It is a nomadic tribe that has been charged with p r o -
selves, but rarely assist other Chamber members directly. tecting a series of shrines. The Wanderers believe in the power
of knowledge and magic, and they have a high percentage of lit-
The origins of the Chamber almost certainly lie in the eracy and dragonspeakers among them. As such, many explor-
appearance of dragonmarks on the inhabitants of Khorvaire ers find this the safest tribe to approach. White Wanderers have
some thirty-two hundred years ago. Prior to that time, the a cold, chilly demeanor, and never let their emotions show.
Prophecy seemed to be unfolding slowly but regularly in the
natural world, and the dragons were content to watch it and T h e Stormwalkers were founded by a lawful evil blue
collect its revelations at a leisurely pace. With the appearance dragon. O n e of the smallest tribes, it is nonetheless deadly
of d r a g o n m a r k s , dragons suddenly saw the Prophecy writ- in combat and therefore highly respected. The Stormwalk-
ten on a canvas that might only exist for a matter of decades ers have developed a monastic tradition that emulates the
before passing from the world forever. The very transience natural attacks of the dragon.
of the humanoid races gave these dragons a sense of urgency
about the Prophecy that they had never felt before. The War T h e Frostblades were founded by a lawful good white
of the Mark increased this urgency, for d u r i n g that period dragon. While they ruthlessly defend the land from inter-
some dragonmarked lineages disappeared forever, and the lopers, they seek to preserve the weaker tribes from the more
Chamber feels that pieces of the Prophecy might have van- violent clans, such as the Bringers of Fire. T h e Frostblade
ished with them. dragonspeakers have learned the secret of alchemist's frost
and use it as a weapon in battle.
Agents of the Chamber have a particular interest in
dragonmarks, and they keep a close eye on the dragonmarked The Totem Guardians are not a tribe, but an alliance
houses. In addition, they pay attention to the world's most of elite soldiers drawn from many tribes. These warriors
ancient secrets, such as artifacts created d u r i n g the war defend Totem Beach and the Great Barrier of Argonnessen.
between the dragons and the fiends at the beginning of history Typically, a dragonspeaker priest receives a dream-vision
(see Remnants of Creation, page 31). With rumors circulat- ordering her to send a particular warrior to Totem Beach
ing that the Scepter ofFell Khadash has been discovered, members to j o i n the order, but in a few cases dragons have personally
of the Chamber are getting involved—some encouraging visited a tribe to call a Seren to the guardians.
the search for the related artifacts, others trying to prevent
them from being found. If members of the Chamber become Seren adventurers (who do exist, although they are
involved in other affairs, it is always because they believe that extremely rare) can make use of exotic rules and prestige
such events are relevant to the Prophecy. classes such as those in Draconomicon.

SEREN HEIRS Of THE DRAGONS

The large island at the northwest end of Argonnessen is Seren, Half-dragons are rare in the world of Eberron. Since the
home of the barbarian tribes that bear the same name. Claim- first attempt by the House of Vol to reconcile the w a r r i n g
ing descent from humans gathered from around the world to races of elves and dragons by creating a h a l f - d r a g o n , such
serve as the guardians of Argonnessen, the Seren barbarians i n t e r m i n g l i n g has been viewed as an abomination against
all that is noble and p u r e . Dragons do not breed with n o n -
dragons by choice, and they go out of their way to e x t e r m i -
nate any half-dragon they encounter.

That said, half-dragons and draconic creatures (descen- lich Erandis d'Vol is creating new half-dragons as part of
dants of half-dragons whose blood has been diluted through her attempt to regenerate her lost bloodline and recover the
generations) do exist. Legends speak of a tribe of half-dragon Mark of Death.
orcs spawned by a wild bronze dragon in the Shadow Marches,
and of numerous half-dragon aberrations in Khyber p r o - Sorcerers in Eberron do not claim blood descent from
duced by a mad red dragon devoted to a Cult of the Dragon dragons, but they speak of mystical ties to the three progeni-
Below. Confirmed tales from Q'barra describe half-dragon tor dragons—Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber. Some sorcerers
lizardfolk and dinosaurs created to guard Haka'torvhak, "the cultivate abilities reminiscent of dragons and adopt prestige
throne of the holy dragons." Some tales (dismissed as base- classes such as the dragon disciple, but they are simply emu-
less speculation) even claim that the half-dragon, half-elf lating the dragons they admire, rather than manifesting
latent qualities of hidden dragon bloodlines.

SHUGENJAS AND DRAGONS

Introduced in Oriental Adventures and Complete Divine, shugen- orders, each focused on one of the four elements (air,
jas are the priests of a relatively new religious movement earth, fire, and water).
that reveres the dragons of A r g o n n e s s e n . D i s c o u n t i n g
the traditional gods of the Sovereign Host, shugenjas In Eberron, each of the eight orders has a kind of
believe that dragons are nearly divine, and that by emu- dragon as its emblem and ideal, as shown below.
lating them, members of other races can approach divin-
ity themselves. Theirs is not the totemic dragon worship Shugenja Order Dragon
of the Seren barbarians (although some shugenjas live Order of the A l l - S e e i n g Eye Green
and work among the Serens, hoping to win converts), but Order of the Spring Zephyr Silver
a sophisticated set of philosophical teachings and precise Order of the Impenetrable Crucible Blue
rituals designed to increase one's harmony with those Order of the Perfect Sculpture Copper
elements at the heart of the dragons' power. T h o u g h this Order of the Consuming Flame Red
Path of the Elemental Masters is still a young movement, Order of the Forbidding Wasteland Black
its practitioners divide themselves into eight mystical Order of the Gentle Rain Bronze
Order of the Ineffable Mystery Gold

DRAGONMARKS

HEIRS TO POWER WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

D r a g o n m a r k s are b o u n d by bloodlines, and behave in mysterious ways. Knowledge (arcana)
Only half-elves can carry the Mark of Storm, for example. Either a human DC 5: Dragonmarks are magical marks
or a half-orc can have the Mark of F i n d i n g , but a full orc cannot. O n e fact
is certain: If you possess a dragonmark, you must have a blood tie to one that appear on the skin and grant
of the families that originally manifested that mark. powers to their bearers.
DC 10: Dragonmarks are tied to spe-
However, carrying the blood of a dragonmarked family does not cific bloodlines. The people bearing
automatically make you a member of that family's house or guarantee that these dragonmarks joined together to
you will manifest a d r a g o n m a r k . By the edicts of K o r t h (see the next page), create houses, which use the powers of
a member of a dragonmarked house who marries into one of the noble the mark for economic gain.
families of Galifar must sever ties to his or her house. F u r t h e r m o r e , it is DC 15: You know the names of the thir-
possible for a member of a dragonmarked family to be stripped of rank and teen dragonmarked houses and the
disinherited by the house itself, as a result of some crime he has committed mark associated with each one. You
or dishonor he has brought to the house. People banished from a house can identify the trade symbols and
are called excoriates. In the past, the house lords would actually cut away seals of each house.
the dragonmark of an excoriate, an act that often resulted in the death
of the victim. Today, excoriation is a symbolic gesture, but an excoriate Knowledge (history)
cannot hold house rank or make use of the house name, and members of DC 15: T h e War of the Mark was
the dragonmarked houses are forbidden to aid or associate with one.
an attempt to exterminate aber-
Because of the practice of excoriation, it is possible to have dragon- rant dragonmarks. In the current
marked blood in your family tree and never know it, allowing you to spon- era, aberrant marks are grudgingly
taneously and unexpectedly manifest a dragonmark. Such unattached heirs accepted, but the houses forbid inter-
are known as foundlings. As a general rule, the dragonmarked houses gladly breeding, and aberrants are still
bring foundlings back into the fold. The sins of the parent are not visited on viewed with suspicion.
the child, and the interests of the house demands consolidation of dragon- DC 20: Accounts of the War of the Mark
marks when it can. If you possess a particularly powerful mark, you might imply that in the past people pos-
receive pressure to j o i n a house—and should you be seen as threatening its sessed aberrant marks with far greater
reputation or business, the house might seek to eliminate you. powers than those seen today.

Within the house, possession of a dragonmark does not automatically Knowledge (nobility and royalty)
equate to authority. The Favored in House feat represents influence based DC 10: You know the names of the thir-
on family connections, history, or personal accomplishments. Unless you
possess this feat, how the house treats you depends on what you do for it teen dragonmarked houses and the
in return. mark associated with each one. You
can identify the trade symbols and
In general, if you are an accepted heir to a house, you can get room seals of each house.
and board at any house enclave (although you might have to put in a few DC 15: You are familiar with the busi-
hours work in exchange for your dinner). Members of the house share nesses and guilds of each house.
rumors with you and discuss local news. If you're short on gold, you can DC 20: You know the names of the lead-
always find work at one of the house businesses—though you have to earn ers and key figures within a particular
your wage like anyone else. house. You are familiar with the cus-
toms and traditions of a house.
For access to the greater services or resources of the house—whether
arcane workshops, free tickets on the lightning rail, or free healing from Spellcraft
House Jorasco - you need to earn your influence. If you have the Favored
in House feat, you can use this influence to curry favor. Otherwise, the You can recognize a specific dragon-
lords of the house (traditionally known as barons) might approach you
with propositions of their own. As an adventurer, you are likely to be more mark and the power it bestows
capable than many other members of the house. A baron might want you
to recover a lost treasure, or to cripple a trade rival. In exchange for these through visual examination. If you
services, you can call in favors from the house (within reason).
are a member of a dragonmarked
While you might become Favored in House, as an adventurer you are
unlikely to hold any significant authority in your house. The dragon- house, you can identify the marks of
marked houses are businesses. The barons earn their ascension through the
ranks with years of dedication and management, and they spend their days your house without a check.
balancing budgets and monitoring house operations. Unless you're willing
to set aside your sword for an accounting ledger, you should be content with Aberrant mark D C 18
the influence you can gain from serving the house in the field.
Least mark D C 15
POWER AND PROPHECY
Lesser mark DC 20
Symbols of power and mystery, dragonmarks manifest on certain members of
select bloodlines. Over the course of the last two thousand years, the families Greater mark DC 25

Siberys mark DC 30

carrying these marks established themselves as mercantile the creation forges and cease production of the warforged.
dynasties known as dragonmarked houses. Today, these houses However, some of the dragonmarked barons are beginning
are a vital part of post war Khorvaire. House Sivis maintains to question the edicts. These rebellious leaders say that the
the message stations that allow swift long-distance c o m m u - houses are more powerful than the fractured remnants of
nication. House Lyrandar and House Orien provide quick, Galifar—and that it is time to reconsider the relationship
safe travel by land, air, or sea. House Jorasco holds the keys to between baron and king.
medicine and healing, both magical and mundane.
THE TWELVE
However, dragonmarks are only one aspect of the power
of the houses. Being able to use cure light wounds or perform The War of the Mark was a defining moment in the history
whispering wind once per day is useful, but hardly enough to of the dragonmarked houses. Many of the houses came into
build a monopoly on medicine or communications. Over existence as a result of the war, as the families carrying the
the centuries, the houses e x p e r i m e n t e d with d r a g o n s h a r d pure marks joined together to face the aberrants and discov-
focus items—magic items that e n h a n c e the i n h e r e n t powers ered the power such an alliance could wield. At the end of
of a dragonmark. From the speaking stones of House Sivis to the the war, Lord Hadran d'Cannith suggested that the houses
lightning rail of House O r i e n , these items transform the powers formally cement their alliance by creating a citadel—a center
of a dragonmark into the keys to commerce and industry. for research and study of both arcane magic and the potential
of the dragonmarks. Though there were only ten dragon-
Beyond this, the houses spent hundreds of years perfect- marked houses at the time, the architect and artificer Alder
ing their skills and absorbing smaller traders, creating vast d'Cannith convinced the committee to name the institute
guilds that the people of Khorvaire now know and trust. An the Twelve, based on his belief that there were twelve pure
innkeeper doesn't need the Mark of Hospitality to do his job dragonmarks in addition to the shattered Mark of Death.
(though it might make that job easier), but if he has the sign Alder was a brilliant man whose works had played a critical
of Ghallanda over his door, travelers know that he has been role in the War of the Mark, and the members of the com-
licensed by the Hostelers Guild and they can expect good- mittee h u m o r e d him—though few actually expected a twelfth
quality service and food. T h e reputation and influence of the mark to appear. (The remaining two marks, Warding and
guilds is almost as significant as the power of the dragonmarks Finding, weren't "discovered" until after the creation of
themselves. Given the choice, a soldier buys his arms and the Kingdom of Galifar.)
armor from a smith sanctioned by the Fabricators Guild.
Over the centuries, the Twelve has remained one of the
THE EDICTS OF KORTH premier centers for magical research in Khorvaire, and only
the Arcane Congress can match its resources. The primary
When Galifar I was building his kingdom, he called focus of the Twelve is the study of dragonmarks and dragon-
together the leaders of the dragonmarked houses and swore mark focus items, and the development of new magical items
to provide them with a safe haven and special status. In that can benefit society (and turn a profit for the houses). In
return, the houses agreed to a set of restrictions that pre- combining the skills and powers of the different marks, the
vented them from posing a threat to the rule of Galifar or wizards and artificers of the Twelve have crafted remarkable
that of his descendants, while allowing them to c o n t i n u e as items. It took the combined skills of Houses Orien, Can-
mercantile powers. The so-called edicts of Korth forbid any nith, and Kundarak to create the spacious vaults that allow
member of a dragonmarked house from holding a grant of K u n d a r a k customers to deposit goods at one bank and
land, and place limits on the size of house enclaves and the withdraw them across the c o n t i n e n t . A i r s h i p s , the lightning
armed forces that can be garrisoned at an enclave. Special rail, even the warforged—these things would not exist without
provisions are made for House Deneith, which has the right the spirit of cooperation found among the Twelve.
to assemble military forces for m e r c e n a r y service. T h e
edicts further specify that no member of the aristocracy of Should you rise high in the favor of a dragonmarked
Galifar can be bound to a member of a dragonmarked house house, you might be able to call upon the resources of the
in marriage without one of the two giving up all heritage and Twelve. This institute possesses impressive arcane workshops
rights. Since the houses do not own land, the edicts dictate and vast libraries, and it draws upon the talents of some of the
a system of rents to be paid to the crown. most gifted artificers and wizards in Khorvaire—all of which
could prove quite useful to an adventurer. After all, the
In the wake of the Last War, the houses continue to oper- Twelve can always use someone to test new inventions—magic
ate under the edicts of K o r t h , t r e a t i n g the local r u l e r as the weapons, dragonshard focus items, or other creations that
crown for purposes of the law. This authority allowed the lead- aren't quite stable enough for public use.
ers of the Five Nations to demand that House C a n n i t h destroy

SUBRACES AND DRAGONMARKS

The dwarf, elf, gnome, and halfling subraces detailed in the Mark of Shadow, and only hill dwarves from House
the Monster Manual, as well as new subraces introduced in Kundarak display the Mark of Warding. A member of a
Races of Stone and Races of Destiny, are all considered members variant subrace - any character whose type is humanoid and
of the dragonmarked races. However, the bloodlines of the whose subtype is human, dwarf, elf, gnome, or halfling—
dragonmarked houses only manifest in the most common does qualify for the Aberrant Dragonmark feat, however,
subraces. For example, only high elves who are members of since aberrant dragonmarks occasionally manifest among
the House Thuranni or House Phiarlan bloodlines display these subraces.

DRAGONMARK TALENTS Benefit: As an immediate action, you can expend one
of your daily uses of your Mark of Sentinel dragonmark to
Dragonmarks have existed for thousands of years. Over the gain a dodge bonus to AC. This benefit lasts for a number
centuries, the houses have honed their skills, adapting the of r o u n d s equal to your Wisdom bonus (if any) + 1/2 your
power of the dragonmarks to aid with specific tasks. character level ( m i n i m u m 1 r o u n d ) . T h e value depends on
the level of the mark charge that you expend.
Dragon's Insight
Mark Dodge Bonus
You can call on the power of your dragonmark to enhance Least mark +1
your natural abilities. Lesser mark +2
Greater mark +3
Prerequisite: Least Dragonmark or Siberys Siberys mark +4
Dragonmark.
Swiftness of Orien
Benefit: As a free action, you can expend one of the
daily uses of one of your dragonmark powers to gain a + 4 You can draw on the power of your Mark of Passage to tem-
insight bonus on checks using a particular skill for a limited porarily enhance your speed or the speed of your mount.
t i m e . T h e skill affected by this feat is d e t e r m i n e d by the
nature of your mark: Prerequisite: Least Mark of Passage or Siberys Mark
of Passage.
Detection: Spot
Finding: Search B e n e f i t : As a swift action, you can e x p e n d one of
Handling: Handle Animal your daily uses of your Mark of Passage d r a g o n m a r k to
Healing: Heal gain an enhancement bonus to any of your speeds for 1
Hospitality: Diplomacy round. Alternatively, you can grant this bonus to a crea-
Making: Craft (any) ture you are currently riding. The creature affected must
Passage: Survival have a speed in the form of movement to be increased (for
Scribing: Decipher Script example, you can't g a i n a b o n u s to fly speed if you don't
Sentinel: Sense Motive have a fly s p e e d ) .
Shadow: Gather Information
Storm: Balance The increase to speed depends on the level of the mark
Warding: Search charge that you expend.

The duration of the bonus depends on the potency of the Mark Speed Increase
dragonmark whose power you expend. The bonus granted Least mark +20 ft.
by this feat always applies to at least one check (regardless of Lesser mark +40 ft.
how long it takes to make such a check), as long as you begin Greater mark +60 ft.
the check before the duration elapses. For example, if you Siberys mark +90 ft.
have the Least Mark of Shadow, the bonus applies to at least
one Gather Information check begun within 1 minute of ABERRANT DRAGONMARKS
activating the ability, even though a typical Gather Infor-
mation check takes much longer than 1 minute. Common superstition holds that aberrant marks are a
taint on the soul—that the bearer of one of these marks
Mark Duration will invariably fall ill or go mad. Furthermore, aberrant
Least mark 1 minute marks can hold powers more dangerous than the pure
Lesser mark 10 minutes marks—abilities such as burning hands, charm person, chilling touch
Greater mark 1 hour inflict light wounds, and produceflame. Between the stories of mad-
Siberys mark 24 hours ness and the clear threat posed by these deadly marks, people
view the bearers of aberrant dragonmarks with a mix of fear
Shield of Deneith and suspicion.

You can channel the power of your Deneith dragonmark to It's difficult to say if there is any foundation to these fears.
defend yourself in battle. People with aberrant marks tend toward evil alignments—but
this could reflect either the sinister influence of the mark or
Prerequisite: Least mark of Sentinel or Siberys Mark the abuse and distrust they suffer as a result of their marks.
of Sentinel.

FAMILY NAMES: TO D' OR NOT TO D'?

The naming conventions of the dragonmarked houses can be formal occasions—so Elaydren Vown d'Cannith usually
mystifying to those outside the houses. T h e first key to u n d e r - refers to herself as "Elaydren d ' C a n n i t h " when dealing with
standing is that the dragonmarked houses are comprised of people outside of her house.
multiple but related families. House Phiarlan consists of the
Phiarlan, Tialaen, Shol, and Ellorenthi lines, while House The d' prefix, added after the War of the Mark, identi-
Cannith includes the Vown and Tellic lines. fies blood families tied to recognized d r a g o n m a r k e d houses
and sets those born of dragonmarked blood apart from the
Typically, members of a house use the house name rest of Khorvaire.
when dealing with others, saving their family names for

Not all of these marks are d a n g e r o u s ; some g r a n t harmless Handbook), or use a warlock invocation (see Complete Arcane),
powers such as featherfall or jump. Should you chose to play a you can sacrifice a daily use of the spell-like ability granted
character with an aberrant mark, there are no rules forcing by your a b e r r a n t d r a g o n m a r k as a free action to increase
you to become mad. the caster level of the spell, infusion, power, or invocation

These superstitions are drawn from the past. Accounts by +1.
of the War of the Mark make clear that there was a time when
aberrant marks could channel powers far greater than the Aberrant Dragonmark Vigor
pure marks. Two aberrant lords - Halas Tarkanan and his
consort, a woman known only as the Lady of the Plague — You can channel the energy of your aberrant mark to
destroyed an entire city with their aberrant marks, and enhance your health.
legends say that the d e a t h - c u r s e of the Lady of the Plague
still lingers in the depths of Sharn. T h e stories of madness Prerequisite: Aberrant Dragonmark.
might also be drawn from this time—implying that while the Benefit: As an immediate action, you can sacrifice a
first aberrants could channel greater powers, these abilities daily use of the spell-like ability granted by your a b e r r a n t
took a terrible toll on body and mind. dragonmark to gain temporary hit points equal to your Hit
Dice. These hit points last for a maximum of 1 hour.
No one knows where the first a b e r r a n t marks came
from. Some say that the p u r e marks are gifts of Siberys, Heirs of Mouse Thuranni,
while the aberrant marks reflect the touch of Khyber. It Tharashk, and Deneith
is a known fact that if two people of different d r a g o n m a r k
bloodlines have a child, the offspring is more likely to
manifest an aberrant dragonmark than the pure mark of
either house. Such marks are known as mixed marks, and
as a result of this p h e n o m e n o n the houses have forbidden
breeding between dragonmarked lines. But sometimes
aberrant marks manifest randomly, in bloodlines with
no tie to any d r a g o n m a r k house. Recently, a b e r r a n t
marks have been rumored to grant greater abilities
than have been seen in centuries. (These abilities
are reflected in the feats presented on this page.)
No one has an explanation for this surge in
aberrant power—but some fear that it is a
precursor to the r e t u r n of the C h i l d r e n of
Khyber and the terrible powers last seen in
the War of the Mark.

While aberrant dragonmarks can
be identified using Spellcraft, they can
never be mistaken for pure dragonmarks.
Aberrant dragonmarks come in a wild
range of colors and shapes, and two that
grant the same power might look entirely
different. Aberrant marks are often sur-
rounded by welts, boils, or otherwise
discolored flesh.

Aberrant
Dragonmark Gift

Your aberrant dragonmark is especially
potent.

Prerequisite: Aberrant Dragon-
mark.

Benefit: You can use the spell-like
ability granted by your A b e r r a n t D r a g o n -
mark three times per day.

Aberrant
Dragonmark Mystery

You can use the power of your a b e r -
rant mark to enhance your magical
abilities.

Prerequisite Aberrant Dragon-
mark, Concentration 6 ranks.

Benefit: When you cast a
spell, imbue an infusion, manifest
a psionic power (see Expanded Psionics