Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Bluebrush 04-03-06, 04:29 PM	Eberron has many interesting organisations as sources of adventures, social structure and even heroes. It is the latter that is the concern of this thread. I read one poster complain about playing Kalashtar characters, since any adventures they go on would have to involve thwarting the machinations of the Quori. Similar problems exist for other organisations. Why is a knight of the Silver Flame slogging his way through the sewers of Sharn with a group of treasure hunters? Shouldn't the Gatekeepers stick to maintaining their seals in the Marches instead of gallivanting off to Xen'drik in search of buried giant pirate treasure? Basically, this thread is for suggesting reasons that PCs can leave the traditional posts of their organisations and take up any adventure that comes the way of the party. I'll start with the example I noted in the introduction. The Kalashtar The very existance of the Kalashtar has it's ties to the philosophical conflict between the Path of Light and the Dreaming Dark. The Kalashtar of Adar hold the mountains of Adar against Rideria, and those in Khorvaire do their best to hold the schemes of the inspired in check. However, the Kalashtar believe the true struggle is spiritual in nature, unfolding in the mind more than on the face of Eberron. Those who worship the light hope to bring about a new age through meditation, bringing the age of darkness to a close ever so slightly faster with each mind turned to the task. So, simply meditating on the turning of the age, a Kalashtar is doing his part to help, even if he's fighting evil completely unrelated to Dal Quor.
Charles Phipps 04-03-06, 04:41 PM	I stick with Doctor Who for my answers.... *scene from his trial, paraphrased* Second Doctor: Look at all the evils I've fought! The Daleks, murderous monsters. The Cyberman, an evil machine race that tried to conquer the Earth! The Yeti, another cybernetic race that tried to take over the world. Time Lord: This changes nothing... Second Doctor: You asked me to justify my actions and that's what I'm doing! The Time Lords don't interfere in non-time related crimes. The Second Doctor felt this was wrong. PCs are invariably individuals whom hang around with an ecletic sort of group and the majority of the time, its because they feel that its accomplishing something greater in the grand scheme of things. Why does a Gatekeeper not stay around the musty and old tombs of his ancestors? Probably because he recognizes that evil is already loose in the world and that its a losing battle to guard and not go on the offensive. Destroying the Lords of Dust, thwarting their efforts, and killing their minions accomplishes far more than simply making sure the old circles are maintained. Plenty of other places have lost their circles entirely and need to be checked on. Why does a Silver Flame Knight go gallivanting off with a group of rogues? Probably because he knows he can trust them and they're seeking actively evil out rather than simply going out on his own doing the usual method of battling evil a knight might do that won't bring him to the root of the causes. He probably recognizes the skills of a wizard and rogue might be needed for the greater good. Frankly, the Kalashatar are possibly the greatest morons on the planet with their nonsensical rituals and haughty belief they somehow are doing anything to thwart the quori when all they're doing is being an irritant. The Quori know their enemies like the back of their hand and it will only be with new blood and non-quori thinkers that will bring low their enemies. Plus, the Kalashatar would do well to realize the Quori reflect the evil in the hearts of normal men and the best way to bring the great change is to destroy evil on Earth before trying to do it in dreams.
Germytech 04-03-06, 05:41 PM	Basically, this thread is for suggesting reasons that PCs can leave the traditional posts of their organisations and take up any adventure that comes the way of the party. To use a modern, real-world example, this would be like wondering why a soldier in the United States Army stationed in Hawai'i isn't off fighting in Iraq. The primary motivation for anyone is never the overarching organization that they belong to: it's the local level that determines their actions. If a kalashtar living in Sharn is in danger from a cult rising in the Sharn sewers, he will likely combat that cult instead of ignoring it and saying, "I only fight the Dreaming Dark." If the friends of a Gatekeeper are being manipulated by the Lords of Dust, she's not going to care that Xoriat is not involved. She'll save her friends. Having PCs involved in these organizations make great plot hooks, but not necessary ones. Adventures are always driven by what most directly effects the characters, not what may or may not be on the other side of the world.
(Psi)SeveredHead 04-03-06, 10:30 PM	You get the same issue with dragonmarked PCs - they're rare, because the hooks tying them to their House go deep. Some organizations, like the Church of the Silver Flame, would be pretty lenient about this kind of thing. As long as you're smacking down evil and telling your superiors what you're doing, you should be fine. It's a bit different for a PC from (for example) House Lyrander. Unless you're literally saving the world, you're not really doing anything to profit the House. Are you planning on sending half your treasure to the House, and therefore gimp your character? Kalashtar have their own motivations - they're not all alike. While pretty much any kalashtar PC would take on the quori agents when they encounter them, this doesn't mean they have to go out of their way to find them. A kalashtar raised in Khorvaire might not care that deeply for the war against the quori, even if their spirit makes them feel a bit guilty about that.
Splendide 04-03-06, 10:53 PM	Dragonmarked PCs are easy - treat them like Hollywood stars. Usually they get away with doing whatever they want, but they still rely on a lot of goodwill to do so. So really they can go off on any crusade, but the smart ones use the "one for me, one for the studio/house" system. Yeah, you can go off and do a bunch of indies, but don't expect to be favoured in house for long.
Romulus LoneWolf 04-03-06, 11:03 PM	Uh, my interpretation of the Kalashtar philosophy actually supports the idea of a bunch of Kalashtar going out to fight Evil, in order to further the turning of the age towards the Light. From Races of Eberron: If you have chosen to fight in the war, you must determine your path. The shadow walker fights physical manifestations of evil and is ideally suited to the life of the roving adventurer; At no point does it say Shadow Walker Kalashtar are limited to only fighting the Quori and their minions. While Quori would inevitably take precedence as a threat, a Shadow Walker could see battling any kind of evil as a valid way of furthering the Path of Light, and of honing their skills to better battle the Quori. In fact, any heroic character could see battling evils other then his normal fare as a good way to broaden his skills a bit. In fact, that reminds me of a quote from JLA: The working week, by Batman: "Evil only faces one kind of Good, so it gets sloppy. Good fights all kinds of Evil, so we have a lot of tricks to work with; we learn from the best." Basically, you never know what Evil's going to throw at you next, so why not experience as many different kinds of Evil, so you'll not be caught unprepared?
Just another user 04-04-06, 06:40 AM	To quote Halharan, the kalashtar Psion iconic character from the ECS (pag. 40) "Evil must be dealt with, no matter its source"
okaynowa 04-04-06, 10:07 AM	How to hook these disparate characters is a big concern for me right now-- my players are in the creation phase of a fledgling Eberron campaign. I've told them the first arc will focus on tracking down a lost expedition in the jungles of Xen'drik, but that we'll be globe-trotting after that. Brainstorming so far: Q: Why would a cleric, part of a SH or CotSF hierarchy, swan off to the jungle? A1: The cleric is of the Jesuit-scholar sort, out there learning for the good of the church. A2: The destination has religious significance (legendary couatl hang-out, reputed place where "gods touched the earth," etc). A3: The other party members practice the same faith, and could use the guidance. Q: Why would a changeling spy/sleeper/agent join the party heading for Xen'drik? A1: It's something the cover identity would do. A2: The secret mission requires getting involved and looking for opportunities. A3: In the absence of instructions, the agent needs to start looking for ways out. Q: Why would/how could a Karrnathi soldier get involved in any overseas adventures? A1: With the war ended, the soldier has been de-mobilized. He's on his own recognizance now, and can re-up anytime it's narratively convenient. Till then, it's sell-sword time. A2: The soldier is on special leave to deal with family matters (one of the other PCs?). A3: The soldier is on special assignment, representing the interests of a particular warlord and doing alone (well, with the party) what a battalion cannot. The key for us has been getting the players to think of ways their characters might know each other before the adventuring starts. Even if the continent-wide organizations have global agendas, the agents can have personal ones.
Gaunt's Ghost 04-04-06, 06:16 PM	Frankly, the Kalashatar are possibly the greatest morons on the planet with their nonsensical rituals and haughty belief they somehow are doing anything to thwart the quori when all they're doing is being an irritant. The Quori know their enemies like the back of their hand and it will only be with new blood and non-quori thinkers that will bring low their enemies. Oh, you mean the rituals that if they didn't do would make them all crazy and psychopathic? Or the rituals that hide Adar from the military of Riedra? Or the ones that allow them to spot out Quori and other evil threats? Or the ones that assist their psionic abilities? Or their ones that help keep Adar a constant thorn in Riedra and the Inspired's side? There's a reason Riedra hasn't invaded Khorvaire. It's called the Kalashtar forcing the vast majority of the Riedran military forces to hunt them down. Plus, the Kalashatar would do well to realize the Quori reflect the evil in the hearts of normal men and the best way to bring the great change is to destroy evil on Earth before trying to do it in dreams. Oh, you mean like the entire basic principle of the Shadow Walkers? :rolleyes:
Charles Phipps 04-04-06, 11:27 PM	There's a reason Riedra hasn't invaded Khorvaire. It's called the Kalashtar forcing the vast majority of the Riedran military forces to hunt them down. Yeah, they'd lose control over Reidra. Keith said so. And those rituals don't do anything to my opinion Oh, you mean like the entire basic principle of the Shadow Walkers? :rolleyes: Uh...yeah. Why I mentioned it? *stares at him weirdly*