Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Fiddlypoppin 08-17-05, 10:07 PM	Just wanted to bounce this idea off of some people here, including the mighty Hellcow, if he feels so inclined. I was wanting to run an epic campaign in Eberron, but thought that, while I'm at it, I should accelerate the world a bit to make such high level PCs a bit more plausible (and just for a little fun). Out of pure speculation, what do you all think the world of Eberron, and specifically the continent of Khorvaire, would be like in another 100 years? A few ideas that my wife and I had while brainstorming on this include: --Another outbreak of war (similar to WWII in the real world), and its resolution --The further increase in size in Sharn and other major cities (a fourth tower layer in Sharn perhaps?) --Much more "advanced" and widespread magic-technology (an airborne "subway" in Sharn?) --An equal rights type movement with the warforged demanding better treatment, and possibly the ability to procreate their own race That's about all that we've bounced around so far, and I was wondering what everyone else thought. Like I said, I'm just looking for speculation and ideas (and if we hit close to the mark on what's being planned, then HEY! kudos for us!). I'm planning on running a few adventures, leading to an epic conflict that will change the face of the planet (politically, if not geographically--in my version of Eberron, at least), and wrapping the story. So, what do you all think? How will Eberron change in 100 years?
Giarc 08-17-05, 10:16 PM	Make arcane magic a bit more rare. Have a plague that occurred in the last few decades that targetted arcane magic-users. Possibly linked to what caused the Day of Mourning. Divine magic has started to fill in the void.
anarco_rata 08-17-05, 10:23 PM	The identity of the lord of blades has been discovered, however, he stills has many followers and the warforged now follow a new religion, embodied in the LoB: the way of the forge, that starts a new holy war on khorvaine to make all nations slaves of the warforged just as they once where slaves of those same nations. Of course, by now, the LoB would be epic also: all the nations have new pollitical structures. Democratyc breland is one, and the keeper of the flame is still alive and way, waay to powerfull
a_psh 08-17-05, 10:36 PM	I see Khorvaire as potentially too fragile to survive 100 more years in any recognizable form. For example: The Treaty of Thronehold doesn't hold for more than 15 years. The ensuing war starts out quietly but soon grows into an amazingly merciless conflict. Perhaps the cause of the Day of Mourning is discovered, replicated, and results in disaster yet again. Khorvaire has largely been ground to dust. Feeling betrayed and tired, its people cry out to the only voice of stability they still see: the Inspired. Et cetera. That's sort of the whole reason why Eberron *needs heroes*: the Khorvaire described in the ECS is going straight back to hell if someone doesn't save it pretty quickly.
Tek 08-17-05, 10:41 PM	Make arcane magic a bit more rare. Have a plague that occurred in the last few decades that targetted arcane magic-users. Possibly linked to what caused the Day of Mourning. Divine magic has started to fill in the void. Umm, why? That sounds like a boring idea to me.
Giarc 08-17-05, 11:07 PM	Umm, why? That sounds like a boring idea to me. So you would be bored in a world where arcane magic is more rare? One where the Arcane Congress and other arcane organizations are scrambling to keep their power, scouring for potential members? Enemy organizations would see their weakness and be working toward their final destruction. Arcane magic is not gone, just a bit staggered from the losses.
Tek 08-17-05, 11:09 PM	Shrug. I don't like the idea. What I like about Eberron are its many magewrights and abundance of Arcane. If Arcane becomes rare for the Arcane Congress, thats basically meaning that you no longer have the magewrights, or that precious scene when the tavern closes and the automatically sweeping broom comes out from the closet and all the chairs flip up onto the tables automatically.
Giarc 08-17-05, 11:50 PM	Not at all, the items are all still there, just a portion of the arcane casters were taken by the plague. The remaining and any potential casters are in high demand.
Full Quiver 08-18-05, 12:04 AM	The cost of arcane magic would rise rapidly like gas today! People really would have to make sure the get the most out of hired spell casters. Arcane spellcasters would walk around Yojimbo-like with a Magical taxi meter attached to themselves. Ok lets add up your bill here. protection from evil, two maximized fireballs and one false life. Thats gonna be.....
zambuka 08-18-05, 01:00 AM	Make arcane magic a bit more rare. Have a plague that occurred in the last few decades that targetted arcane magic-users. Possibly linked to what caused the Day of Mourning. Divine magic has started to fill in the void. I'd actually do it the other way around. Divine magic dying out. Arcane magic getting more powerful and heading towards the epic magics that the giants unleashed. Psionics (from the inspired no less) coming in to fill the roles that the divine casters held. The arcane magics wielded small tactical mournlanders (like mini nukes) during the last war (not the Last War, just the most recent one) leaving the landscape dotted with mini mournlands. Dakhann has used the instability and infighting and some very clever treaties to expand their territory into Valenar and Talenta. Magic, at least minor magic, is now truly approaching mass production levels. A recent breakthrough allows message stones to be useable by anyone, house Sivis owns the patent and construction means. Cannith has split into two major factions, north and south. The southern one, led by Merrix before being assasinated, is now considered an outlaw organisation for its role in creating the mournlander weapons. North Cannith (a misnomer since its base of operations is in Sharn) now leads the house and runs most of the manufacturing industry. Zilargo is almost in ruins after a decade of skirmishes with the new Dhakaani empire, but the plucky little gnomes refuse to give up. A treaty prevents the 5 nations from directly intervening, but they still provide assistance in the form of an underground. The remnants of the Valenar elves, now exhiled from both their claimed lands and their ancestral home of Aerenal fight beside the gnomes and halflings. Lightning rails now crisscross the continent allowing cheap rapid transit to everyone. Other elemental transport devices are more common now that the troubles with control are well and truly sorted out. Breland is now a republic with 5 yearly elections. With the reduced Divine influence Thrane has become a very fundamentalist state with tightly controlled borders, 'forged are blamed for the loss of most of the divine powers of the flamers. Karrnath is now run by Kaius the IV after Kauis III was revealed as the Vampire Kaius I. Aundair is an agricultural powerhouse, spared from the ravishes of the most recent war they now feed a large portion of the continent. Queen Aurala's second son now runs the country but is seriously considering moving the nation to a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament and the royal family left with the final word in any matters of state. Cyrrans have developed magics that "clean up" the mournland allowing them to slowly recover land. The LoB has drawn a line in the sand claiming the territory between the old rail line and the Karrnath border and threatening dire consequenses to any non-forged crossing that line. Warforged now live mostly in the mourland and Sharn. Those few that haven't moved to these areas are mostly non-functional. The Inspired now hold seats in most of the parliaments of Khorvaire, provide open assistance to the gnomes and halflings battling the goblins. It is even rumoured they are responsible for Kaius III's exposure. They also exposed Erandis d'Vol who promplty disappeared, some say the LoB has her captive somewhere in the mournlands. The Aerenal closed their borders soon after Vol was exposed, citing internal issues. Anyone not of full elven blood was deported. There have been no communications with the island for nearly 10 years now. There ya go. Khorvaire 1098 in a nutshell.
Marshall Stone 08-18-05, 01:13 AM	You know you it's possible to infer some things from the novels series being put out: The Lost Mark, War-Torn, The Dreaming Dark, and The Dragon Below trilogies. Such as the return of Mark of Death, and perhaps the exposing of the Dreaming Dark. But let's consider the various power groups (or at least one of them, because thier are ALOT of power groups in Eberron), and how they would have faired in a 100 years. At the top of the list I would put the DREAMING DARK as amongst THE most dangerous threat to Khorvaire. They are organized, they are united, they are insidious, and they are patient. In Sharn alone they've taken over the Deneith Enclave, and without even all of the Deneith personnell knowing it. In Q'Barra they've provided armed forces. They offer help and a semblance of...how do I put it...well like a_psh wrote, they offer a sense of stability, plus they are exotically good looking people. Now no Monarch in his right mind is going to fully trust Riedran/Inspired overtures, but the general public can much more easily be swayed. So assuming the Dreaming Dark goes unimpeded by Heroic Adventurers I'd say that in 100 years, Q'barra has been completely taken over by Riedra and the Inspired in a bloodless take over that occurred over a few generations. Riedran Monoliths begin to appear in Q'barra. In Sharn, the Governing Council is all but completely run by the Dreaming Dark, who instigate a civil war demanding a democratic society. In step the Inspired who have offered to mediate between the Unionists and the Seperatists. So that by the end of it the Dreaming Dark has complete behind the scenes control of Breland. In another 50 years or so afer that (150 years all togehter) they'll be able to start building Monoliths. Meanwhile they will have made various in roads in Aundair, Karrnath, and Thrane. With Thrane being the most difficult due to thier zealous worhsip of the Silver Flame. However, 500 years from now, if not stopped, all of the 5 nations of Khorvaire are firmly and silently in the grip of the Dreaming Dark. Bwahahahaha!!! Or... A group of brave adventurers composed of Kalashtar, Nobles, Dragonmarks Hiers, Warforged and other free thinkers manage to strike a critical blow against the efforts of the Dreaming Dark by exposing them in Sharn; proving that "the devil" really DOES exist, so watch out!
Kaoru Nagisa 08-18-05, 01:23 AM	Perhaps the Last War generation of Warforged are beginning to grow rare. After all, since the majority of them probably fought for the last century, the majority have most likely been destroyed. Depending on the current number of Warforged (Last War generation as well as the newer generation that would clearly come from the wars of the eleventh century YK) the majority may succeed in forging (forgive the pun) a true nation of their own. However, the question is: who rules? The LOBster? Or perhaps more good-natured Warforged? There would be at least a few epic level elves and other long-lived races. (The greatest non-human heroes of the last century could still survive, I'd think!) There would be almost no epic level humans... at least, fewer of them, I'd imagine, thanks to the rigors of age. Stormreach could have become a grand city, the gateway to a new nation to the south. In fact, I'd imagine maybe several small nations in Xen'drik. They may not be independant yet, though. (that would come later, I'm sure.) The question is: who controls these Khorvairan lands?
Naudachu 08-18-05, 01:34 AM	Great thread! Here's what I see. In the North: - Karrnath and Aundair begin warring, possibly over northern shipping lanes - Thrane sides with Aundair, because they've been waiting for any excuse to attack Karrnath - Demons begin to spill into (are awakened from) Eldeen Bay, this splits Aundair's forces as Thrane and Karrnath continue to fight In the South: - Breland stays neutral in the war being far from any front - Instead Breland, Zilargo and possibly even Darguun vie for control of the "New World" of Xen'drik - Privateers abound as the "jungle rats" (gnomes) bear their teeth - Valenar turn their attention to the sea battles sinking many Lhazaar Pirates - Valenar also carve out a section of Xen'drik as their own: the shores of the great exodus - Droaam unexpectedly turns their attention to the Eldeen Reaches as their foray into Breland failed to bare fruit Inspired: - They quietly implant themselves in the new Xen'drik settlements leaving the hopelessly wartorn Khorvaire behind - Q'Barra has, quite peacfully, become a Sarlonan colony
Marshall Stone 08-18-05, 02:17 AM	Another thought came to me. With all the various power groups; the Dreaming Dark, the Lords Of Dust, the Cults of the Dragon Below, etc. and all of the various adventuring groups that each on their own fight against these groups. Those adventurers who manage to make to epic level, might form a guild of sorts with other adventurers that made to epic level. You see where I'm going with this of course. The formation of a Justice League of Khorvaire, so to write. I'm a big comic book fan and I can picture eddy's warforged paladin, Crucible, having reached Epic Levels fighting against the efforts of the Blood of Vol, meeting The Black Dragon (a la Peoples and Places board) who reached Epic level while fighting against the corruption in Sharn, meeting various other characters from other gaming groups that managed to reach Epic Level while fighting against one group or another. Or even meeting characters that reached Epic level thru exploring Xen'drick or Argonessan. So 100 years from know these Epic Level characters have formed a group, that bring all thier various talents and experiences together to fight united against groups which before they fought against alone. The Justice Avengers of Khorvaire...okay, it's corny, but seriously, with beings like the Warforged, Elves and Dwarves who all have long life spans, in a 100 years I'd figure thier would be at least a handful of characters that reached Epic Levels with reputations to match. Reputations that would make each Epic Level character at least aware of the other Epic Level Characters.
Fiddlypoppin 08-18-05, 10:48 AM	Thanks, everyone, for your replies so far. I would like to point out right now that I'm thinking in terms of a future where heroes have emerged. After all, aren't there all these heroic PCs wandering around the world in 998? ;) I want some help getting ideas for how Khorvaire would have changed, but I don't expect a world shattering apocalypse in the next 100 years (other than what I'm planning for my campaign, anyway); although another outbreak of war is all but inevitable. Thanks again for your insight, and your help.
Manyfist 08-18-05, 11:16 AM	- The Last War was like WWI - The Inspired have invaded Xen'Drik - The Independent Nation of Xen'Drik calls for help, the Dragons Ignore, While Khorvaire goes in and trys to help out Xen'Drik. - In Khorvaire, LOB has started his own Revoloution demanding Warforged to destory the Fleshies. (Black Panthers). - Xoriat and Dal Quor are Conterminous, Daelkyr and Quori invade Eberron, Now Khorvaire can face the threat. - The Dragons of Argonnessen are extinct. - Divine Magic is dying out, since it was found out that it was Divine magic that caused The Mourning. - Psionics is gaining in Popularity, thanks to the Inspired. - Daelkyr claim Argonnessen as theirs and Kyber opens up, spewing out the extremely Epic Daelkyr Lords. - Lords of Dust, join Khorvaire to help fight off the Daelkyr.
Dalmuti 08-18-05, 03:23 PM	What you should really do is look at our Modern History and make connections to it. Now Eberron history doesn't exactly match up real history 100%. But there are connections. The Great war was World War I. WHich means that one nation has to go completely crazy and become the Eberron "Nazi's" and start WWII. My suggestion would be Aundair with backing from the Dreaming Dark and Riedra. I have always thought that Queen Aurala would make a deal with the devil if she could become all powerful. Aundair should become crazy powerful, so much so that a bunch of other nations have to band together to fight them off. At the end of the Second Last War, once Aundair is a smoking ruin, the people realise who really backed up Aundair, namely Riedra. So the Eberron UN pops up, with all the countries now working together. Maybe the unified nations try to fight Riedra in a pseudo-Korean war to help the Kalaishar, and expand their territory a bit. But eventually things end up in a Cold War with Riedra. Especially when it is discovered that Inspired of Riedra are responsible for the Mourning (Some sort of focused Psionic weapon, that use the Monoliths, which was supposed to open up a portal to the Dreaming Dark, but instead opened up a large connection to the plane of Madness or something). So you have a crazy arms race of some sort. Oh and don't forget everybody trying to get into Space with newer and better Airships to harvest Siberys Dragonshards directly. But basically yeah, use real history as a guide.
Malniemel 08-18-05, 04:38 PM	well, if you were to use real history as a guide... i'd suggest breland having a civil war...something similar to france's or england's... perhaps Baronel goes down fighting one of the daughters of Sora Kell... Baronels son that went to Rekkenmark (the sharn inquisitive) takes the throne. People see him as weak...and not a very good leader...parliament goes for the throat...he gets his head put in a basket...and a reign of terror insues thanks to the swords of liberty... i'm all for the cyre thing...Have Kaius fake his assassination while his half elf son (half vampire, libris mortis) becomes a mage/fighter (i'd say bladesinger, but they are underpowered). Huge fit is thrown in Karrnath and the world is outraged to see a half elf mut on the throne that belongs to a human. He quickly snuffs out any opposition, then lifts martial law...or he can keep it...whatever. Thrane...I could see them imploding...civil war...Aundair, Karrnath, and New cyre all go in for the short and curlies. Dropping to it's knees, trechery revealed...the silver flame is almost non-existant (religion wise). New Cyre gets the bulk of the land (considering they have no nation. Aundair gets THaliost region back. The lord of blades feels that the weakest of the fleshies are the valenar...(considering that they have penalties to con) that and they just live to long....He gets his butt whooped...Valenar could do the pirate trade as well...sign up with the bloodsails...Valenar could become the new Stronghold of the blood of vol...HEHEHEHEHEH! The house cannith actually splitting...I can see the dragon marked houses loosing their hold on business...some of them (the k-mart) while others become the new walmart of eberron. the Aundair bit about becomin' nazi like...pretty swanky...i'd go for it...esp with the lord of dust guy right there...perhaps he was the one that suggested to push the civil war...descreetly of course...weaken the silver flame (possibly...or u could just have it sit there) and BAM! with have the freakin' rajah's back...and and the queen of AUNDAIR ASCENDS TO BECOME A RAJAH...Dragons come to save the day...hardcore battle... aerenal comes and aligns themselves with the dragons...that is the war that is going on right now...world vs aundair with aid o' rajahs (what it turned out to be like with ww2) or you could just hav ethe rajah situation being broute to light. Anyhow, i support this...cause actually, this is the stuff i changed about my campaign world...My players were stuck in a remote part of thelanis manifest zone where time actually stood still (instead of 7 times slower) and they come back to Khorvaire...and are lost completely...this is what is gonna happen...they gotta get out of the demon waists first...heheheh.