Oriental in Eberron? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Oriental in Eberron? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Setsuna Moto
11-15-05, 08:25 PM I've recently been working on some campaign ideas using Oriental and Egyptian elements to break away from the traditional medieval/feudal style of D&D, but I've recently developed a serious interest in running Eberron. My question to experienced DMs is this... How would you incorporate elements of the Oriental Adventures book or egyptian based desert adventures (involving pharaohs and mummies) into the Eberron world. The one desert I've seen is straddled on either side by elfs and halflings... hardly a fitting home for an Egyptian campaign. I want to be true to eberron, but I have a good series of adventures running from 1st to 10th levels I'd still like to salvage.

Can these elements be worked into Khorvaire? Can I place an ancient Egyptian based ruin somewhere on Xen'drik? Could Sarlona have a portion of the country true to an Oriental setting (and free of "Inspired" based storyline tainting the plot)?

I'd like tips. Where would you place Egyptian or Oriental style adventures? Where in this world could a Ninja character come from?
DragonWatcher
11-15-05, 10:30 PM Well...

Eberron doesn't really have an oriental society per se. However, that shouldn't stop anyone from working oriental concepts into the game. For example:

The Kalashtar and Inspired both have a mystic feel that plays well to monks. In fact, Kalashtar monastaries are widely discussed.

The goblins of Darguun have strong military traditions, and as opposed to other goblinoids, are more lawful. It has been proposed by Hellcow that they would make use of the Samurai class. I have also use the Samurai to represent elite members of the Gatekeepers in the Shadow Marches.

There are those on the boards who have proposed using Sarlona as an oriental setting. Personally, however, I don't feel that this really works for one main reason. First off, there is really no strife or factions in Sarlona besides the Kalashtar in Adar. The Inspired have supposedly done a thorough job of subjugating the people of Sarlona. Troublemakers there would be noticed. Also, I believe that magic use of any kind is outlawed on Sarlona, and psionics are limited to the Inspired.

Honestly, the clan and tribe structure of the orcs and humans in the Shadow Marches would make for a fairly good oriental location. There are many factions that battle one another, and I could see them having different styles of magic and mysticism than the humans of Khorvaire.

As for Egyptian, again there's no direct location, but some ideas for this are:

The Valenar elves are very "Arabian" in feel. They are semi-nomadic horse lords who wage a type of holy war armed with scimitars. This does allow the Blade Desert to serve as a decent location for an "egyptian" feel.

Karrnath is a good point of focus for many of the undead aspects that would be associated with an Egyptian setting. According to "Whispers of the Vampires Blade", there are ziggurats in the Karrn countryside. We know that they don't frown upon the creation of undead. The Blood of Vol still operates within the borders of Karrnath, and they believe that ascension to an undead state is the ultimate form of existance. As such, mummies and the like could certainly be found there.

Alternately, Xen'drik is a HUGE continent which is unlikely to ever be fully mapped (even with the impending Xen'drik suppliment next year). It could certainly have a large desert that could be used as an Egyptian setting.

So, I hope that some of this might help. My best advice is that if you want to keep true to the feel of Eberron, it's best to incorporate the "feel" of oriental and egyptian elements into several areas of the setting, instead of converting parts of the setting into them. However, you could always do that too.
Setsuna Moto
11-15-05, 11:42 PM Thanks for pointing out a couple locations. I have been reading up on Eberron for the past week and also saw that there's no direct match for these countries/settings, which is one of the intriguing aspects of Eberron. It can incorporate everything with a little bit of 'bending' to make it fit. Eberron leaves enough room for adjustment to make things work. I suppose a ninja could come from any major city or government that needs secret agents CIA style to perform clandestine services. Perhaps some of the dragonmarked houses have aspects of samurai heritage or tradition?

Even though the raiding/horselord elves of Valenar have a somewhat Arabian feel, ancient Egypt doesn't quite fit that mood. I also thought of incorporating undead-mummy-tomb style dungeon crawls into other countries by bringing in the Blood of Vol or Emerald Claw who would be interested in ancient treasures or lore. I've also toyed with the idea that maybe ancient halfling tribes learned to make mummies and buried them in the desert in Egyptian style tombs, but that's a bit of an odd twist.

In the end it's a matter of keeping the themes and framework for these adventures and blending them into Eberron's structure. It's not overly difficult, but it takes some thought. Still welcoming any fresh ideas on how to do this well. Keep the thread going!
dang
11-16-05, 01:39 AM in the aerenal dragonshards, it mentions that the aereni elves are masters of embalming. they also wear gold death masks around, and their nobles are elevated (elvevated? sorry, couldn't resist) to divine status.
they have a city of the dead, shae mordai(?), which could be similar to the valley of the kings, and their other cities have extensive crypts filled with the preserved remains (guarded by the deathless, and probably curses :D ) . furthermore, their history of slavery parallels some exodus-like scenarios: aeren = moses? the climate is probably pretty hot, as well, although more humid than modern egypt.

i think that's your best bet for egyptian-like themes. you've got mummies, tombs, gold masks, undeath/immortality worship, slavery, and magic, in an ancient civ.

as for ninjas, i suppose house thuranni would be the best bet -- they're stealthy assassins.

jeez, all my posts have been about the pointy-ears! just for the record, i didn't start this one!

i don't know where to put other asian-style themes... sarlona is a good bet, but i don't think it's reasonable to have anything on that continent inspired-free. however, they don't have to concern themselves with everything, especially if they don't deem it a threat. xen'drik is designed as a catch-all for anything you can't find in the source material, so that always works, too!

good luck with your campaign :)

~dang
ps - for proof, i recommend checking the art galleries for ECS, you'll see what i mean!
LaoKhanWei
11-16-05, 02:04 AM I usually attribute asian themed elements to ancient Sarlona. Currently they're just a part of the extremely metropolitan Khorvaire.
Shadow_Gryphon
11-16-05, 04:07 AM I like envisioning the late Dhakaani Empire as decidely Asian in flavour. Despite the collapse of the Empire, its decendents have maintained their racial and cultural heritage. The Sharaat'Kesh assassins strike me as ninja, with some monks and rogues in their ranks as well. I can see hobgoblin samurai with their daisho tucked into their obi, communicating in deep, clipped syllables ("A... so desu!"). Those that have lost some of the honor and discipline that once characterized the civilization would have levels in the Ronin PrC...

One could even have the lower levels of Sharn have somewhat Asian architectural touches given the manner in which the city was built on the ruins of the goblinoids' structures. And I like the notion of the heavily goblinoid parts of the city bustling with the sights and smells of an active Chinatown...

Just my thoughts on the matter.
LaoKhanWei
11-16-05, 04:32 AM My Dakhaan is pretty Roman.
Altaris13
11-16-05, 11:19 AM Strangely enough, the Dhakaani as I envision and describe them is a blend of Japanese and early Roman cultures. Their social structure is very stratified, and very militarized as well. I describe the noble warrior Hobgoblins among the Dhakaani as being very much like the Samurai, but often utulizing their racial chain-weapons instead of the traditional daisho.

The Dhakaani are also one of the main sources of the Monk tradition IMC, along the Kalasthar/Inspired.

I have considered using the Wu Jen in place of wizard as the recently developed tradition of the Goblins among the Dhakaani.

I use the Samurai class for House Deneith. My Deneith also includes a line of Monk/Rogue multi-classed warriors who poses as servants and the like for their wards.

The Ninja suggestion for House Thuranni is a great idea, and fits well with their mentality. It would also fit well with the reasons as to the split between the two Shadow Houses.
MarkB
11-16-05, 12:13 PM in the aerenal dragonshards, it mentions that the aereni elves are masters of embalming. they also wear gold death masks around, and their nobles are elevated (elvevated? sorry, couldn't resist) to divine status.
they have a city of the dead, shae mordai(?), which could be similar to the valley of the kings, and their other cities have extensive crypts filled with the preserved remains (guarded by the deathless, and probably curses :D ) . furthermore, their history of slavery parallels some exodus-like scenarios: aeren = moses? the climate is probably pretty hot, as well, although more humid than modern egypt.

i think that's your best bet for egyptian-like themes. you've got mummies, tombs, gold masks, undeath/immortality worship, slavery, and magic, in an ancient civ.
It is certainly the best fit. And if you want to use that but still have undead rather than Deathless, then House Vol, before their destruction, pursued undeath as a religious fixation within Aereni society. Although the House no longer exists, their ancient estates and burial grounds may well still be present, considered off-limits by most elves, but still intact. You could have quests leading to explorations of these ancient ruins and their undead inhabitants.

Or if it's just ancient tombs you want, and you don't mind your mummies being family-size, there's always Xen'drik. Who's to say the ancient Giant culture wasn't similar to ancient Egypt? And there are still plenty of unexplored ruins.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Setsuna Moto 11-15-05, 08:25 PM	I've recently been working on some campaign ideas using Oriental and Egyptian elements to break away from the traditional medieval/feudal style of D&D, but I've recently developed a serious interest in running Eberron. My question to experienced DMs is this... How would you incorporate elements of the Oriental Adventures book or egyptian based desert adventures (involving pharaohs and mummies) into the Eberron world. The one desert I've seen is straddled on either side by elfs and halflings... hardly a fitting home for an Egyptian campaign. I want to be true to eberron, but I have a good series of adventures running from 1st to 10th levels I'd still like to salvage. Can these elements be worked into Khorvaire? Can I place an ancient Egyptian based ruin somewhere on Xen'drik? Could Sarlona have a portion of the country true to an Oriental setting (and free of "Inspired" based storyline tainting the plot)? I'd like tips. Where would you place Egyptian or Oriental style adventures? Where in this world could a Ninja character come from?
DragonWatcher 11-15-05, 10:30 PM	Well... Eberron doesn't really have an oriental society per se. However, that shouldn't stop anyone from working oriental concepts into the game. For example: The Kalashtar and Inspired both have a mystic feel that plays well to monks. In fact, Kalashtar monastaries are widely discussed. The goblins of Darguun have strong military traditions, and as opposed to other goblinoids, are more lawful. It has been proposed by Hellcow that they would make use of the Samurai class. I have also use the Samurai to represent elite members of the Gatekeepers in the Shadow Marches. There are those on the boards who have proposed using Sarlona as an oriental setting. Personally, however, I don't feel that this really works for one main reason. First off, there is really no strife or factions in Sarlona besides the Kalashtar in Adar. The Inspired have supposedly done a thorough job of subjugating the people of Sarlona. Troublemakers there would be noticed. Also, I believe that magic use of any kind is outlawed on Sarlona, and psionics are limited to the Inspired. Honestly, the clan and tribe structure of the orcs and humans in the Shadow Marches would make for a fairly good oriental location. There are many factions that battle one another, and I could see them having different styles of magic and mysticism than the humans of Khorvaire. As for Egyptian, again there's no direct location, but some ideas for this are: The Valenar elves are very "Arabian" in feel. They are semi-nomadic horse lords who wage a type of holy war armed with scimitars. This does allow the Blade Desert to serve as a decent location for an "egyptian" feel. Karrnath is a good point of focus for many of the undead aspects that would be associated with an Egyptian setting. According to "Whispers of the Vampires Blade", there are ziggurats in the Karrn countryside. We know that they don't frown upon the creation of undead. The Blood of Vol still operates within the borders of Karrnath, and they believe that ascension to an undead state is the ultimate form of existance. As such, mummies and the like could certainly be found there. Alternately, Xen'drik is a HUGE continent which is unlikely to ever be fully mapped (even with the impending Xen'drik suppliment next year). It could certainly have a large desert that could be used as an Egyptian setting. So, I hope that some of this might help. My best advice is that if you want to keep true to the feel of Eberron, it's best to incorporate the "feel" of oriental and egyptian elements into several areas of the setting, instead of converting parts of the setting into them. However, you could always do that too.
Setsuna Moto 11-15-05, 11:42 PM	Thanks for pointing out a couple locations. I have been reading up on Eberron for the past week and also saw that there's no direct match for these countries/settings, which is one of the intriguing aspects of Eberron. It can incorporate everything with a little bit of 'bending' to make it fit. Eberron leaves enough room for adjustment to make things work. I suppose a ninja could come from any major city or government that needs secret agents CIA style to perform clandestine services. Perhaps some of the dragonmarked houses have aspects of samurai heritage or tradition? Even though the raiding/horselord elves of Valenar have a somewhat Arabian feel, ancient Egypt doesn't quite fit that mood. I also thought of incorporating undead-mummy-tomb style dungeon crawls into other countries by bringing in the Blood of Vol or Emerald Claw who would be interested in ancient treasures or lore. I've also toyed with the idea that maybe ancient halfling tribes learned to make mummies and buried them in the desert in Egyptian style tombs, but that's a bit of an odd twist. In the end it's a matter of keeping the themes and framework for these adventures and blending them into Eberron's structure. It's not overly difficult, but it takes some thought. Still welcoming any fresh ideas on how to do this well. Keep the thread going!
dang 11-16-05, 01:39 AM	in the aerenal dragonshards, it mentions that the aereni elves are masters of embalming. they also wear gold death masks around, and their nobles are elevated (elvevated? sorry, couldn't resist) to divine status. they have a city of the dead, shae mordai(?), which could be similar to the valley of the kings, and their other cities have extensive crypts filled with the preserved remains (guarded by the deathless, and probably curses :D ) . furthermore, their history of slavery parallels some exodus-like scenarios: aeren = moses? the climate is probably pretty hot, as well, although more humid than modern egypt. i think that's your best bet for egyptian-like themes. you've got mummies, tombs, gold masks, undeath/immortality worship, slavery, and magic, in an ancient civ. as for ninjas, i suppose house thuranni would be the best bet -- they're stealthy assassins. jeez, all my posts have been about the pointy-ears! just for the record, i didn't start this one! i don't know where to put other asian-style themes... sarlona is a good bet, but i don't think it's reasonable to have anything on that continent inspired-free. however, they don't have to concern themselves with everything, especially if they don't deem it a threat. xen'drik is designed as a catch-all for anything you can't find in the source material, so that always works, too! good luck with your campaign :) ~dang ps - for proof, i recommend checking the art galleries for ECS, you'll see what i mean!
LaoKhanWei 11-16-05, 02:04 AM	I usually attribute asian themed elements to ancient Sarlona. Currently they're just a part of the extremely metropolitan Khorvaire.
Shadow_Gryphon 11-16-05, 04:07 AM	I like envisioning the late Dhakaani Empire as decidely Asian in flavour. Despite the collapse of the Empire, its decendents have maintained their racial and cultural heritage. The Sharaat'Kesh assassins strike me as ninja, with some monks and rogues in their ranks as well. I can see hobgoblin samurai with their daisho tucked into their obi, communicating in deep, clipped syllables ("A... so desu!"). Those that have lost some of the honor and discipline that once characterized the civilization would have levels in the Ronin PrC... One could even have the lower levels of Sharn have somewhat Asian architectural touches given the manner in which the city was built on the ruins of the goblinoids' structures. And I like the notion of the heavily goblinoid parts of the city bustling with the sights and smells of an active Chinatown... Just my thoughts on the matter.
LaoKhanWei 11-16-05, 04:32 AM	My Dakhaan is pretty Roman.
Altaris13 11-16-05, 11:19 AM	Strangely enough, the Dhakaani as I envision and describe them is a blend of Japanese and early Roman cultures. Their social structure is very stratified, and very militarized as well. I describe the noble warrior Hobgoblins among the Dhakaani as being very much like the Samurai, but often utulizing their racial chain-weapons instead of the traditional daisho. The Dhakaani are also one of the main sources of the Monk tradition IMC, along the Kalasthar/Inspired. I have considered using the Wu Jen in place of wizard as the recently developed tradition of the Goblins among the Dhakaani. I use the Samurai class for House Deneith. My Deneith also includes a line of Monk/Rogue multi-classed warriors who poses as servants and the like for their wards. The Ninja suggestion for House Thuranni is a great idea, and fits well with their mentality. It would also fit well with the reasons as to the split between the two Shadow Houses.
MarkB 11-16-05, 12:13 PM	in the aerenal dragonshards, it mentions that the aereni elves are masters of embalming. they also wear gold death masks around, and their nobles are elevated (elvevated? sorry, couldn't resist) to divine status. they have a city of the dead, shae mordai(?), which could be similar to the valley of the kings, and their other cities have extensive crypts filled with the preserved remains (guarded by the deathless, and probably curses :D ) . furthermore, their history of slavery parallels some exodus-like scenarios: aeren = moses? the climate is probably pretty hot, as well, although more humid than modern egypt. i think that's your best bet for egyptian-like themes. you've got mummies, tombs, gold masks, undeath/immortality worship, slavery, and magic, in an ancient civ. It is certainly the best fit. And if you want to use that but still have undead rather than Deathless, then House Vol, before their destruction, pursued undeath as a religious fixation within Aereni society. Although the House no longer exists, their ancient estates and burial grounds may well still be present, considered off-limits by most elves, but still intact. You could have quests leading to explorations of these ancient ruins and their undead inhabitants. Or if it's just ancient tombs you want, and you don't mind your mummies being family-size, there's always Xen'drik. Who's to say the ancient Giant culture wasn't similar to ancient Egypt? And there are still plenty of unexplored ruins.