Well, as the adventure evolved, I had the party go to a creation forge in Xen'drik (one of the old quori ones, not the cannith controlled ones) and meet an old warforged that had been inside. They talked to it and the drow asked some very pointed questions about what quori looked like. At first I was confused by her line of questioning, and then she asked, "Is Vulkoor a Quori?"
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I wasn't sure, and as far as that campaign went, Vulkoor is not a quori. But it left lingering doubts in my mind...
So let's look at the facts:
Enemy of the Giants - Check.
Large Pincer Claws - Check.
Six additional appendages - Check (if we're assuming Vulkoor is a scorpion)
-If you don't believe me, check out the picture of the tsucora quori on pg 297 of the ECS.
Tail ending in a point - Check. (again, see pg 297)
Perhaps most telling of all though, is the fact that Vulkoor manifests to his worshipers. If he really is an aspect of the Mockery, wouldn't he be as distant as the rest of the Sovereigns? For proof of this manifesting, see pg 140 of the Secrets of Xen'drik - the Claw of Vulkoor. A quori on the other hand would want to inspire worship and dedication, and would be able to.
Well, I've presented my argument, discuss amongst yourselves. Me? I'm going to sleep. Maybe the Quori will grant me enlightenment in my dreams...
If you wanted to put the spin that it really was a quoiri all those years ago that inspired the religion go ahead though especially if it fits in with your campaign.
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Gates of Night discusses this a bit.
While the novels are not canon, I still wouldn't say the Vulkoor is a Quori. For one thing, how did the stories of the sovereigns start? And physical manifestations can be seen as Planar creatures that still match these (The Claws of Vulkoor might not have anything to do with the deities). The gods of Eberron are meant to be like real world gods, and think of the real world. Hundreds of people claim to see spirits/gods/etc, but that doesn't mean they are real or fake. Another point to bring up is that Dal Quor is a changing plane that goes through ages. Right now, it is the Dreaming Dark and a plane of nightmares. Then it was much more peaceful, and the Quori looked nothing like they do now, they were pleasant dream creatures.
On ECS p.290, the Inspired vessels are said to be humans tinged with elf and fiendish blood. The fact that Quori would control a drow tribe, could be the source of the elf blood they used to create their vessels.
Maybe the Riedran outpost/colonies in Xen'drik are where they bred their first stock of empty vessels, at a time where it would have been unwise to create such a facility on Sarlona.
Rekko
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Good point.
I would think however, that quori don't even HAVE a base shape since there's more than one kind?
1) Vulkoor has been around longer then the Quori in Xen'Drik, but that doesn't stop a few from playing the part to manipulate a few tribes when they need it...
2) Vulkoor is a Quori, even before the time when Dal Quor was the nightmarish realm it is... a rogue Quori who posed as a god to privative elves and drow to push them to uprise after their connection to Xen'Drik was shattered.
3) Vulkoor was never a Quori or a Quori was never posing as Vulkoor... but now we have a new Adventure Hook : ] what would a Quori want to gain from posing as Vulkoor, is the Quori Rogue or working with others... are they trying to push the drow to be more aggressive to Stormreach? are they trying to use the Drow to find anything about the Quori of the last age of Dal Quor?
O i like this concept... Vulkoor and the Quori... what fun could be had...
Im pretty sure Vulkoor is the Traveler. Can't remember the exact spot in the book.Was it before or after Daine and crew traveled to the Fey court?Player's Guide to Eberron and Races of Eberron both suggest that.
Figures,since Baker made Eberron that it would be canon.
Course now he might be more an exarch than an aspect. But well have wait for next year to be sure about that.
To Amaril: Actually, I think the quori and the "LOBster" do have something in common. Remember, the quori made the original warforged, so who else would make a warforged that wants humans (and elves) dead? This is of course assuming that the LOBster didn't just evolve on his own... cause that's an outlandish idea!
To Bossemeyer: As for what a quori would gain from being Vulkoor? Who knows? Just because Dal Quor is currently under the control of the Dreaming Dark, doesn't mean it was good before. After all, they did invade the Giants. What was their goal then?
The Kalashtar are washed down versions of rebels against the Dreaming Dark who didn't convert. Just because the Kalashtar want the Dreaming Heart age to come around, doesn't mean the original quori did. I see seeking asylum in Adar as the last act of a desperate rebel, not necessarily the good-aligned action of someone unwilling to use possession.
Just some more food for thought...
It would make a great adventure hook however you run it, not only that it would empower the player also.
Vulkoor has been around longer then the Quori in Xen'Drik, but that doesn't stop a few from playing the part to manipulate a few tribes when they need it...
I realize that you're just suggesting this as a possibility, but just as a point of discussion, I don't think we have concrete proof of this.
First, the identification of Vulkoor with the Mockery is far from a sure thing. Secrets of Xen'drik says Vulkoor is "believed by some scholars to be an aspect of the Mockery"... but presents three very different views of Vulkoor, while the Qaltiar drow of The Gates of Night see Vulkoor as merely one of a host of animistic spirits. So the fact that worship of the Mockery existed prior to the drow doesn't prove that Vulkoor existed.
If the common story is accepted, the drow race was created during the Elven uprising, when the wizards of the Sulat League "bound the essence of night" to normal elves. Presumably these first drow weren't taught to worship Vulkoor, as shown by the fact that the Sulatar drow - presumably closest to the original in terms of culture - do not. So somehow, betweeen the downfall of the giants and the present day, the drow who were reduced to savagery found the faith of Vulkoor.
Meanwhile, all implications are that the Quori-Giant war occured because the Quori were struggling to stave off the turn of the age. The downfall of the giants occured centuries afterwards, and in Dal Quor time goes even faster. So by the time the Drow discovered Vulkoor, odds are good that the age had turned, and that the Quori as we know them today did exist.
None of this proves that Vulkoor is a quori, but it's an interesting possibility. The issue I'd see is whether drow sleep or trance. IIRC, this was an issue in The Gates of Night -
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Xu'sasar couldn't go with them to Dal Quor, because she couldn't sleep or dream.
I like the idea that a Quori could manipulate a drow faith, may it be Vulkoor or something else.
I do, too. Really. So much I´m planning to incorporate this fact to my campaign... but it will take a few levels, I´ll take my players to Xen´drik as the big cliffhanger between levels 10-11.
I have so much planning to do . . .
The fact that drow trance is to consider. In 3.5 Drows were immune, just like Elves to sleep, but they are no longer immune to it in 4E. Also note that Eladrin do trance, but not Elves, and both aren't immune to sleep, unless it's in the fey type, which I didn't check.
Rekko