Basics of Eberron

[Jeff]

This thread combines all the previous posts about general Eberron world info. Here are some links, too:

Current Map
Map of Khorvaire
Eberron Calendar

Eberron (Wikipedia)

[Jeff]

Now, just to get wheels turning a little bit, I figured I'd talk first about races in D&D—and more specifically, in this game. More detailed descriptions of everything I mention here I can provide you, and please feel free to ask questions, to just me or the whole group!

First off, for those of you new to Eberron, I'll eventuall be sending you a file that sums up some of basics of the world. In the meantime, feel free to reference the mostly-accurate Wikipedia entry for Eberron. It's not half bad. For you reference below, Khorvaire is the name of the main continent.

In the meantime, the following is a list of the races you can choose from for this game, which includes all the common races in the Player’s Handbook as well as the new races from the Eberron Campaign Setting book. If by chance you're itching to play a monstrous humanoid (orc, hobgoblin, goblin, kobold, gnoll, etc.) I'm sure I can accomodate you, but you'd definitely have to deal with adversity. Those creatures can be found on some city streets, but they're still faced with a great deal of prejudice.

Human - The most populous race on Khorvaire, humans came over from the continent of Sarlona thousands of years ago and swept away the last remains of the ancient goblin- and hobgoblin-ruled Dhakaani Empire. Most humans now hail from the nations Aundair, Breland, Karrnath, or Thrane. The dragonmarked houses of Cannith (Mark of Making), Deneith (Mark of Sentinel), Orien (Mark of Passage), Tharashk (Mark of Finding), and Vadalis (Mark of Handling) are human based.

Dwarf - Native to the Mror Holds, a clan-based nation in the Ironroot Mountains, dwarves can be found all over--usually involved in commerce of some kind. The dragonmarked house Kundarak is dwarf based.

Elf - Not your typical fantasy elves, the elves of Eberron are native to the island of Aerenal and the continent of Xen'drik before that. Many elves have blended into the human societies of Khorvaire. A newer nation of elves, Valenar, sprung up along the southern edge of Khorvaire during the Last War. The dragonmarked houses of Phiarlan and Thuranni, bearing the Mark of Shadow, are elf based.

Gnome – Native to the nation of Zilargo, gnomes are found throughout Khorvaire. They are a people obsessed with information, well known for using words over violence to win their battles. The dragonmarked house Sivis, bearing the Mark of Scribing, is gnome based.

Half-Elf - Not considered mongrels anymore, half-elves are those with mixed human and elf blood. It doesn’t necessarily mean equally half and half, just mixed. They are quite common and have a racial identity of their own in society, most living in among human societies. The dragonmarked houses of Lyrandar (Mark of Storm) and Medani (Mark of Detection) are half-elf based.

Half-Orc – While not very common, half-orcs are more accepted in the societies of the Five Nations than orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and other monstrous humanoids. Most hail from the Shadow Marches. The dragonmarked house of Tharashk (Mark of Finding) is a mixture of humans and half-orcs.

Halfling - Native to the Talenta Plains, most halflings are a tribal, nomadic people who tame the thunder lizards (dinosaurs) of the dry, grassy steppes. Still others dwell in the civilized cities among the other races and have adapted accordingly. The dragonmarked houses of Ghallanda (Mark of Hospitality) and Jorasco (Mark of Healing) are halfling based.

Changeling – An uncommon and seldom trusted race, changelings are descended from both humans and doppelgangers. Appearing as an amalgam of both, they have inherited some of the doppelganger’s ability to shift their bodies to resemble another. Changelings are certainly well suited to be rogues.

Kalashtar – Kalashtar are a race of humans bonded with a Quori (dream) spirit. They hail from the continent of Sarlona, as does the entire human race, but the kalashtar still maintain a presence there. They wage a silent war against the Inspired, an unearthly race who rule the slave states of Sarlona. A kalashtar’s talents are best used with psionic classes, but they don’t have to be.

Shifter – Descendent from both humans and lycanthropes, shifters are human in shape but bestial in feature—usually quite hairy and feral in appearance—inheriting the keen senses of their lycanthropic forebears and gifted with the ability to call on that heritage a limited number of times per day.

Warforged – A race of living constructs (made of metal, wood, and stone), warforged were created by House Cannith during the Last War to fight for the nations who purchased them. At the war’s end, the warforged were emancipated—but as they were designed for war, they have been forced to try and find a niche for themselves in a land of so-called peace. Warforged face a great deal of prejudice, the severity of which varies in each land. Warforged do not strictly have a gender, but most are male in demeanor and build; some female personality warforged do exist.

I'll admit up front that I personally prefer players create characters of their own actual gender, but I'm not passionate about it. Just a preference, and if anyone really prefers not to, it's okay. The main goal in this game is fun.

[Jeff]

Religion in Eberron isn't like in most D&D settings. Evidence of the gods' existence is not so concrete, though certainly something fuels divine power. The deities don't speak directly to mortals, so plenty of faiths have sprung up across the land. In fact, most people don't identify with a god so much as the church itself—in my opinion, much like Earth.

The character you create certainly doesn't need to follow any church or deity (unless you're a cleric), but you will certainly interact with those who do. Here are the most well known faiths in Eberron, for your reference:

The Sovereign Host - A collection of nine gods, the Sovereign Host is more commonly worshipped altogether as a single force. It is probably one of the oldest faiths in the world, whose tenets are universal and whose ideologies can be found in all things. Followers of the Host call themselves Vassals. The nine Sovereigns are:

• Arawai - Neutral Good goddess of fertility, crops, abundance, plants, the wilderness, and birth.
  
• Aureon - Lawful Neutral god of law, knowledge, and magic.
  
• Balinor - Neutral god of animals and the hunt.
  
• Boldrei - Lawful Good goddess of hearth, comunity, marriage, and government.
  
• Dol Arrah - Lawful Good god of honor, sacrifice, light, the sun, and diplomacy.
  
• Dol Dorn - Chaotic Good god of war, athleticism, and competition.
  
• Kol Korran - Neutral god of wealth, money, trade, commerce, and theft.
  
• Olladra - Neutral Good goddess of good fortune, feast, and plenty.
  
• Onatar - Neutral Good god of crafts, weapons, tools, smithing, fire, and innovation.
  

A follower of the Sovereign Host might make an offering to Arawai to bless his crops, then beseech Aureon for mercy when he confronts the town magistrate regarding his wayward's son vandalism. Still others favor a particular deity, and find a stronger connection to him or her.

The Dark Six - Once part of the Sovereign Host, the Dark Six were effectively kicked out by the other nine (and even had their original names stripped away, to be replaced by more savage-sounding epithets). They're the "bad guys," though like all faiths in Eberron just about anyone may pay them homage no matter what their alignment is. Where as the Host represents the civilized world (commerce, laws, innovation, etc.), the Dark Six tend to represent the more primal and elemental aspects of the world:

• The Devourer - Neutral Evil god of devastation, hunger, nautical travel, storms, and water.
  
• The Fury - Neutral Evil goddess of anger, extremism, insanity, passion, and revenge.
  
• The Keeper - Neutral Evil god of death, entropy, greed, hunger, and time.
  
• The Mockery - Neutral Evil god of combat, dishonor, murder, terror, and treachery.
  
• The Shadow - Chaotic Evil god of arcane magic, consequence, corruption, darkness, and duality.
  
• The Traveler - Chaotic Neutral god of chaos, deception, evolution, invention, and transformation.
  

Most followers of the Dark Six actually tend to worship only one of the Six.

The Silver Flame - Not so much a deity as a force. It is a timeless, disembodied "spirit" that has been around for thousands of years but only recently has deigned to commune with mortal, an occurance that began when a paladin named Tira Miron sacrificed her life when battling a powerful demon. Her spirit merged with the Flame, along her vision of a rainbow-feathered serpent, and she forever more became the Voice of the Silver Flame. The church of the Silver Flame is Lawful God in name and dogma, though of course many variances exist among its followers. Followers of the Silver Flame, who call themselves the Purified, are among Eberron's most zealous—yet at its heart the tenets of the Silver Flame are simply that evil must be destroyed—which often includes entities of alien evil (outsiders, aberrations, etc.), undead, lycanthropes (that lycanthropes are all evil is certainly a subject of debate), and those who choose the path of evil.

The faith of the Silver Flame is strongest in the nation of Thrane, where the Keeper of the Flame lives. The Keeper herself is an 11-year-old girl who is considered the living avatar of the Silver Flame's voice. She is the head of the church, atop a hierarchy of cardinals and bishops, and the only one who is said to be speak directly to the Flame.

The Blood of Vol - More of a cult than a widespread faith, the Blood of Vol is nevertheless a force that refuses to die. Centered mostly in Karrnath, the cult refuses to believe in the divinity of gods—the Sovereign Host and all the other "gods" are worthy only of contempt. Divinity, they believe, can be found only within oneself. They are obsessed with the figurative and literal meaning of blood, for it is life. Many Seekers, as Blood of followers call themselves, practice necromany, for undeath is one way of defying death, and death is their ultimate enemy. It is what they accuse the so-called gods of bringing to the world. Legend holds that undead creatures make up the higher echelons of the church, and that undead creatures are considered champions of their cause. As a whole, senior priests of the Blood of Vol are Lawful Evil, for the achieve their goals they are often known to do whatever it takes to serve the "greater good" of all mortals.

It is well known that during the Last War, the Blood of Vol helped the nation of Karrnath to build its undead armies. But in the last phase of the war, Karrnath's king, Kaius, broke all official ties to the cult. Since then its worship has gone mostly underground, though it is not entirely banned and still holds sway.

The Undying Court - The elves of Aerenal worship and revere their own ancestors, many of whom are brought back to "life" to serve as councilors and guardians. They are the Undying, beings much akin to undead although they are animated with Positive Energy (as opposed to the Negative Energy that fuels undead). To most people of Khorvaire, this is a pretty creepy practice, but to true elves with ties to Aerenel, it simply is.

The Dragon Below - Varies fanatical cults revere the powers of the subterranean world, otherwise known as Khyber, the Dragon Below. Such cults might seek to raise the Dragon Below up fro the depths to reign upon the world, or they may worship a single aberration or demon.

The Path of Light - Whereas the Silver Flame is a relatively new faith on Eberron, the Path of Light is a force yet to come. It is a universal force of positive energy followed mostly by the kalashtar. Followers of "the Great Light," as they call it, commonly oppose the Inspired of Riedra.

[Jeff]

Here is Khorvaire, the central continent:

www.wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_map/Eberron_Map_11x17.jpg

The Five Nations

The main human-based kingdoms, who once were separate provinces within the great kingdom of Galifar. After centuries of prosperity, its last great ruler—King Jarot—died. The dispute among his children as to who should ascend the throne in his place degenerated into a terrible conflict. It was eventually called the Last War by the chronicles (Eberron's newspapers), for it went on for so long (102 years) and saw so much devastation that it was commonly assumed that it had to be the war to end all wars—the last war. After generations of fighting, the people grew weary of it. Four years ago, in 994 YK, a sobering event made everyone think twice about the continued conflict. It was the Day of Mourning, which saw the complete destruction of the nation of Cyre; now Cyre is the Mournland, a blasted wasteland of twisted, arcane energies. In 996 YK, just two years later (and two years ago from the present year), the war came to an end when the rulers of each land signed the Treaty of Thronehold.

• Aundair - Education, high society, farming. The most “civilized” (perhaps arrogant) realm of the Five Nations and also its most talented with arcane magic. Think: Paris during the Renaissance but with magic.
  Breland – The most cosmopolitan and industrial of the Five Nations, as well as the largest geographically. It is also home to Sharn, the City of Towers, largest metropolis in all of Eberron. It is also the most culturally, racially, and spiritually tolerant realm.
  
• Cyre / Mournland – Once one of the most sophisticated of the Five Nations (and homeland of House Cannith), four years ago Cyre was destroyed by a shockwave of mysterious, magical power, nearly all of its inhabitants slain. Cyre became the Mournland, which is now a blasted land full of magical anomalies and deadly creatures. Cyrans who were outside the borders of the land on that day are all that remain of the glorious nation, and are often called Mourners. Most of these Cyran refugees settled in Breland.
  
• Karrnath – The most militant (and oldest) of the Five Nations, a cold realm with a martial-minded people and an undead stigma attached to it because of its use of skeleton and zombie soldiers during the Last War. It has a tradition of necromany that endures to this day, and the nation is still under martial law. Think: Germany or Russia during World War II.
  
• Thrane – The most spiritual of the Five Nations. It is ruled by the priests of the Silver Flame more than its puppet monarchy. Think: the Vatican with lots of zealous, holy knights. The religion of the Silver Flame is one of extreme law and extreme good, and the followers of the Flame run the spectrum between honest, good-hearted people and corrupt cardinals and priests.
  

And here's a scattering of other lands, islands, continents, many of which found their own independence during the Last War:

• Aerenal – Elven homeland; home of the Undying Court.
  
• Argonnessen – A continent ruled by dragons; only barbaric humans may come from there.
  
• Darguun – A land ruled by goblinkind, mostly the hobgoblin descendants of the ancient Dhakaani Empire. During the Last War, hobgoblin ercenaries employed by Breland banded together and turned on their allies, forming this own hobgoblin nation.
  
• Demon Wastes – A perilous land; mostly humans and orcs.
  
• Droaam – A land ruled by monstrous humanoids, where gnolls, trolls, minotaurs, harpies and the like can be found.
  
• Eldeen Reaches – A rustic country of thick forests, full of defensive rangers, druids, and backwater people, as well as sylvan creatures and dangerous woodland beasts. Plenty of shifters come from the Reaches. Once part of Aundair, which carved its own borders during the Last War.
  
• Lhazaar Principalities – Seafaring string of islands and hinterlands east of Karrn across the Ironroot Mountains. Mostly human, plenty of pirate activity.
  
• Mror Holds – Dwarven homeland, occupying the Ironroot Mountains.
  
• Q'barra – Once part of Cyre. Untamed frontier land with forests, swamps, and tribes of lizardfolk. Plenty of persecuted people, or jaded souls from the Last War, have gone to live in Q’barra.
  
• Riedra – On the continent of Sarlona, Riedra is a slave state ruled by the Inspired. Humans and a kalashtar minority dwell there.
  
• Sarlona - Mostly humans and kalashtar, part of the continent of Sarlona.
  
• Shadow Marches – A boggy and forested land full of orc tribes and wild-dwelling humans. Located west of Breland.
  
• Talenta Plains – The halfling homeland, grassy and dry plains where dinosaurs and other beasties roam.
  
• Valenar – Militant, war-loving nation of horse-riding elves. Carved itself this nation during the Last War.
  
• Xen'drik – The Dark Continent, home to thick jungles and the ruins of 40,000 years of lost civilizations. Giants and elves originated there. Now that the Last War is over, many veterans and mercenaries have turned to adventuring and expeditions to this perilous land.
  
• Zilargo – The gnome homeland, east of Breland. A place of great knowledge and diplomacy. The gnomes of Eberron use words to fight their battles.
  

[Jeff]

The twelve dragonmarked houses (or thirteen, considering the schism that separated House Phiarlan and House Thuranni), large and wealthy extended families, are the economic backbone of Eberron. They are so named because of the magical, tattoo-like dragonmarks that appear on some of their members, granting them powers that have come to symbolize the industries that their houses dominate. The dragonmarked houses are major players in Eberron’s industries and politics, rivaling the nations themselves in influence. They have enclaves in every major city. No realm is untouched by the dragonmarked houses.

By decree, the dragonmarked houses are politically neutral. During the Last War, they sold their services to all the nations. That said, individual members of the houses and enclaves can, off the books, favor one nation over the others. For example, the patriarch of House Medani is a personal friend to King Boranel, king of Breland, so Medani has a stronger presence in Breland than anywhere else. And so on.

If you actually want to take the feat called Least Dragonmark (we can go into feats sometime, if you're not sure how those work), you can possess one of these marks and actually be an actual heir in one of these dragonmarked houses. Even if you don’t, you can still be employed by a house or still be in the family. These are the houses:

• Cannith (human) – Possesses the Mark of Making; manufacturing; sponsors and employs blacksmiths and artisans, anything to do with creation, also created the warforged and raised the towers of Sharn. They are all about magic invention.
  
• Deneith (human) – Possesses the Mark of Sentinel; corporate security; often guarding important buildings or shipments.
  
• Ghallanda (halfling) – Possesses the Mark of Hospitality; comfort, rest; sponsors or owns many inns or places of recreation.
  
• Jorasco (halfling) – Possess the Mark of Healing; served as healers during the war, their enclaves are basically hospitals.
  
• Kundarak (dwarf) – Possesses the Mark of Warding; banking; maintains and protects money (and even provide extradimensional "lockers" where you can deposit or withdraw objects from any enclave).
  
• Lyrandar (half-elf) – Possesses the Mark of Storm; weather-control, transportation by air and sea; most famous for their wind galleons and airships.
  
• Medani (half-elf) – Possesses the Mark of Detection; personal security; private investigators, defenders, and purveyors of prescience.
  
• Orien (human) – Possesses the Mark of Passage; transportation; with the help of House Cannith, created the lightning rail (a "train" powered by air elementals and electricity magic), which connects most major cities, and also transport passengers or goods via caravan or coach.
  
• Phiarlan (elf) – Possesses the Mark of Shadow; entertainment, information-gathering; providers of entertainment and clandestine arrangments.
  
• Sivis (gnome) – Possesses the Mark of Scribing; communication, bookkeeping; maintainers of speaking stones (which allow one to magically send a message nearly anywhere), serve as translators or negotiators.
  
• Tharashk (human & half-orc) – Possesses the Mark of Finding; investigation, search; provides bounty-hunting or inquisitive services.
  
• Thuranni (elf) – Possessed the Mark of Shadow; entertainment, espionage; split from House Phiarlan, provides many of the same services with an emphasis on information gathering and espionage.
  
• Vadalis (human) – Possessed the Mark of Handling; livestock; animal handlers, provides the finest breeds.
  

Here is some more contextual information about the dragonmarked houses from the book Dragonmarked:

A dragonmark is a symbol of both the magical power granted to its wielder and the worldly power held by the twelve dragonmarked houses. This introduction examines all aspects of what it means to bear a dragonmark: the nature of the marks, the structure and history of the dragonmarked houses, and the impact of house membership on player characters.

Dragonmarks

A dragonmark is a magical symbol that manifests on the skin, but its color immediately differentiates it from any mundane tattoo. A dragonmark is etched in shades of blue, green, and purple so vivid that they appear to glow, though the mark provides no real illumination.

A dragonmark is associated with one or more magical abilities, and a person who carries a dragonmark can exercise these powers. When a bearer invokes the power of a dragonmark, its colors shimmer and flow, and the skin grows warm to the touch. The mark grows warmer each time its power is used over the course of a day; by the time the bearer has expended his full allotment of spell-like abilities, the mark is fever-hot and cannot be used again until it cools. Shapechanging ability and illusions can mimic a dragonmark's appearance, but usually cannot make it warm to the touch.

In keeping with their magical nature, dragonmarks are not simply skin deep. If a mark is cut or scarred, it reappears as the skin that bears it magically heals. If a warrior loses the hand that bears his dragonmark, the mark will manifest elsewhere on his body. Creatures under the effect of poJymorph, wild shape, and other shapechanging effects retain their dragonmarks unless they specifically will them to be hidden.

Nearly all dragonmarked heirs first manifest the least mark of their house. When a character increases her dragonmark's power, the mark physically expands. A typical least dragonmark covers an area 2 inches square on the skin. Lesser marks are typically 3-5 inches across, while greater dragonmarks are 6-8 inches. Siberys dragonmarks are vast designs that often cover the bearer's entire chest or torso.

Marked By Blood

Dragonmarks are tied to bloodlines. The dragonmarked houses are the descendants of the families that first manifested the marks, and a character with a dragonmark can always find a connection to a dragonmarked house somewhere in the roots of his family tree.

Though the appearance of marks cannot be consistently predicted, approximately half the children born to dragonmarked parents eventually develop dragonmarks of their own. Common belief holds that parents with powerful marks are more likely to produce gifted children; likewise, children often develop the same powers as their parents. Within House Sivis, members of the Torralyn family typically manifest whisperingwind, while Syrralans are more likely to possess the power of arcanemark. Houses often arrange marriages with marks in mind.

Despite these beliefs, dragonmarks are clearly about more than selective breeding. A child born to parents possessing least marks might later manifest the greater mark, or no mark at all. It is also known that the hybrid races cannot inherit the marks of their parents, so that a human cannot pass the Mark of Making to a half-elf child. A member of a dragonmarked house reincarnated as another race keeps his dragonmark, but children born to such transformed creatures never possess the dragonmark of the parent's original race. Though legend states that Erandis d'Vol, the last known heir of the Mark of Death, was a half-dragon, only the Mark of Finding is known to cross racial barriers, manifesting on both humans and half-orcs.

The Test of Siberys

Children are not born with dragonmarks. Rather, a dragonmark most often appears in response to a stressful situation;in which the powers of the mark could prove useful. A Jorasco heir feels her dragonmark flare to life as her best friend lies dying. A Medani scion instinctively realizes the meal he is about to eat is poisoned, and in an instant of burning pain, his mark appears.

The Test of Siberys—a rite of passage undertaken by the adolescent children of the dragonmarked houses—is rumored to induce the kind of extreme stress needed for dragonmarks to manifest. The test varies from house to house, and is based both on the powers of the mark and the traditions of the family. Outsiders, even those of dragonmarked houses, know little of what goes on in a particular house's test. Though a person can fail the test and still manifest a mark at a later age (as shown by the fact that a player character can manifest a mark at -any time), this is rare. As a rule, it is assumed that those who fail will never develop a dragonmark.

The Test of Siberys shapes the future of a character. A successful child emerges as a dragonmarked lord with a vital role to play in his family's future; one who fails still maintains the privileges of her bloodline, but must fight to prove her worth in the mundane offices of her house.

Dragonmarked Houses: Masters of Trade

The wealth of Khorvaire is built on magic, and the dragonmarked houses are the mortar that holds this magical economy together. Communications, transport, banking, animal husbandry, security-the cornerstones of Eberron's pseudo-medieval culture are all effectively owned by the dragonmarked houses.

The wealth and influence of the modern houses extends far beyond the power of dragonmarks, however. Though the unique magical abilities of the Mark of Making might have given Cannith smiths an edge over their mundane competitors in centuries past, the spell-like abilities of the dragonmarked are hardly novel in a modern society where adepts, artificers, and other spellcasters are far from rare.

Rather, it is the carefully crafted histories and reputations of the dragonmarked houses that are responsible for their commercial dominance in present-day Khorvaire. The skillful manipulation of magic and artifice has allowed the houses to use the dragonmarked as the keys by which even greater magic is controlled. House Sivis's speakingstones, the lightning rail of House Orien, Lyrandar airships, and the Cannith creation forges have all kept the dragonmarked houses at the center of Khorvaire's economic, military, and social development. As a result, the dragonmarked enjoy a status in Khorvaire that "mundane" wizards and artificers cannot match.

Dragonmarks and the Draconic Prophecy

For centuries, explorers have noted strange symbols similar to dragonmarks formed by such seemingly random forces as coral growth, lava flows, and earthquakes. These are the symbols of the draconic Prophecy studied by the great dragons of Argonnessen. Dragonmarks caused an upheaval among the dragons when they first appeared, and the Chamber has monitored the marked races ever since. It is difficult for humans and their kin to grasp the vast mysteries of the draconic Prophecy. Some scholars claim that the dragonmarks represent primal forces, and are tied to both the moons of Eberron and the planes. As such, a dragonmarked heir is a pawn of prophecy: a tool that can be used to shape the future.

The statement that a vile demon can be destroyed only by "Storm, Shadow, and the Servant of the Forge" might refer to vague legend—or it might refer to heirs of House Lyrandar, House Thuranni, and House Cannith working in concert. Members of the Chamber sometimes assemble teams of dragonmarked heirs to meet certain conditions. In other cases, the convergence of heirs can have its own significance. Just as a shaman reads meaning into the random patterns of bone chips, a student of the Prophecy can dredge omens from the presence of particular dragonmarks in a specific location.

[Jeff]

First Day - Sul (Sun)
Second Day - Mol (Mon)
Third Day - Zol (Tues)
Fourth Day - Wir (Wed)
Fifth Day - Zor (Thurs)
Sixth Day - Far (Fri)
Seventh Day - Sar (Sat)