Some heroes foudn out and tried to put a stop to it, only to have it blow up in their faces.
The demon is still imprisoned, kinda. The Lord of Blades isn't the name of a warforged, its the title of a Demon Overlord. He can't free himself, but he was able to possess a warforged, and raise an army.
This allowed the heroes in my game to 'kill' the Lord of Blades (the warforged) once and have him come back seemingly no worse for wear, they thought it was an imposter, but it was just the 'real' LoBs with a different warforged host.
The only thing I could come up with is a plot by Vol to use the life energy of the people in Cyre to give her enough power to once again use her Dragonmark.
Very nice, I especially like the LoB part.
The only thing I could come up with is a plot by Vol to use the life energy of the people in Cyre to give her enough power to once again use her Dragonmark.
Ooh. I like that one.
It's a work in progress.
I had also planned for the current party to come across the previous campaigns PCs. The old characters (as NPCs) would be attempting to assassinate the King, while the PCs are working for him, unknowing of the reason for assassination until a climax scene.
This allowed the heroes in my game to 'kill' the Lord of Blades (the warforged) once and have him come back seemingly no worse for wear, they thought it was an imposter, but it was just the 'real' LoBs with a different warforged host.
That could get really frustrating, and therefore it's funny.
One of the focal elements of my campaign involved Warforged having sentience and souls because Cannith bound souls of the dead to them in much the same way that elementals are bound to items. When the containment on the primary creation forge failed, it went Chernobyl with all the restrained soul energy. Not only killed everyone, but it still does a number on healing, and wont let the dead decay, as well as giving life to things not meant to have it.
I like it, though for some reason I saw the Containment Unit shutdown scene from Ghostbusters in my head (granted I have that on the brain since the videogame comes out the same day as the EPG. If only I could pick them up from the same store Tuesday, but I digress)
I like it, though for some reason I saw the Containment Unit shutdown scene from Ghostbusters in my head (granted I have that on the brain since the videogame comes out the same day as the EPG. If only I could pick them up from the same store Tuesday, but I digress)
Man, I hear that digression.
My personal theory is that the leaders of Cyre found some ancient ritual that they believed would protect the borders of their beloved country, except this ripped the entire nation from the martial plane and placed it in a far realm. The plan was to make it the Eberron equivalent of Ravenloft.
There was a 3.5 Eberron poster that said that the mourning was caused by the dragons.
Really?! Where did you see this poster? Was it official? Do you have a link?
Really?! Where did you see this poster? Was it official? Do you have a link?
I think they meant forum poster (ie. one who posts in forums). I believe the Mourning is one of the official "left up to the DM" mysteries of Eberron and always will be.
I think they meant forum poster (ie. one who posts in forums). I believe the Mourning is one of the official "left up to the DM" mysteries of Eberron and always will be.
Oh, that makes more sense. Sorry, when they said "3.5 Eberron poster" I assumed a phyical poster, since anyone who posted back when it was 3.5 could post again if they wished it. But that definitely makes more sense.
And yes, I was aware it was codified as a "no-touchy" from day one, but that being said, skrapsan's sig says they're from Norway, and I thought it would be awesome if some Norwegian Eberron poster from 3.5 was used as part of an ad campaign there that wasn't meant to be used because they decided not to have an official stance but hadn't let their Norwegian distributors know or something. Long shot, but hey. It'd be hilarious to see.
Oh, that makes more sense. Sorry, when they said "3.5 Eberron poster" I assumed a phyical poster, since anyone who posted back when it was 3.5 could post again if they wished it. But that definitely makes more sense.
And yes, I was aware it was codified as a "no-touchy" from day one, but that being said, skrapsan's sig says they're from Norway, and I thought it would be awesome if some Norwegian Eberron poster from 3.5 was used as part of an ad campaign there that wasn't meant to be used because they decided not to have an official stance but hadn't let their Norwegian distributors know or something. Long shot, but hey. It'd be hilarious to see.
It would certainly be interesting to see the reaction to that one. I think the entire Eberron forums would burst into a different dimension if any of these "unanswerables" ever got answered.
ok a little explanation needed. Each PC fought in the war on diffrent sides. The day of morning they were near but not in it. in the aftermath they came togather to survive. (back story to the fist game level 1)
they found out they were important to the dragon profacy, and fought the delkair a few times, and saved some high memebers of diffrent dragon marked houses (Level 4-9ish).
Just around level 10 they fought something trying to bring out a true delkair lord...they in the last few moments disrupted the rituel sending them back in time. (guess when) They decied to try to find the answer...and came across the same entity (way less powerful) trying the rituel to begin the process of opeing ing the door. they stoped him and found it would not have caused the morning...but he got away.
A Silver dragon lands, and ploymoprhs telling them they must come with her. they make there way to a store house of new weapons (Magic nukes)...she explains the profacy could go one of two ways, but even she can't see witch is right. She asks them what should happen.
to end the war, to bring them togather to stop teh delkair lord...to keep history on track...they have only one option. At level 13 (I wish I could say that was on purpose) they ended the game by sacraficing themselves...and killing thousands of cyrians...including one of the PCs pregnat wife...
My PC caused the morning...
A rogue Sivis agent took it upon himself to read confidential diplomatic communications and came across a plot by desperate members of Cyre's royal court to seize holdings from various d'marked houses to aid in the war effort. The Sivis agent took this knowledge to the leaders of his house. He was imprisoned for breaking the confidence of a client, but the house elders could not ignore this threat to themselves directly and the autonomy of the houses as a whole.
The leaders of Sivis knew this plot was a symptom, not the disease. While the war had certainly been profitable for all the houses, it had grown out of control and was poisoning the civility of the entire continent. Sivis elders decided to take decisive action and end both threats - the war and Cyre.
How they did this, their are several possibilities.
1.) They used an ancient ritual kept in house vaults.
2.) Gnomes are masters of elemental binding, maybe they learned to bind - or more importantly unbind - other immortal beings. What would happen to a piece of the world if the spirit of the dragon between herself was somehow unbound from the land.
3.) Perhaps the most tantalizing possibility is this, gnomes are master's of illusion - what the Mourning itself was the greatest illusion in history. Those who enter are confused by the fog and keep wandering in circles in the outer edge of the kingdom. Illusions in D&D can be dangerously real. If someone manages to pass this outer edge they would find the real kingdom of Cyre - unscathed with the citizens all wandering dazed in an illusionary labyrinth. After all, what better way to assure the dominance of the houses forever. In a few decades - once the horror has again become common place - Sivis and the other houses will simply dispel the illusion (with a showy display of light and magic). They will seem to have miraculously resurrected an entire country, its people in tact. Khrovaire will forever be in debt to the dragonmarked houses.
Oh, that makes more sense. Sorry, when they said "3.5 Eberron poster" I assumed a phyical poster, since anyone who posted back when it was 3.5 could post again if they wished it. But that definitely makes more sense.
And yes, I was aware it was codified as a "no-touchy" from day one, but that being said, skrapsan's sig says they're from Norway, and I thought it would be awesome if some Norwegian Eberron poster from 3.5 was used as part of an ad campaign there that wasn't meant to be used because they decided not to have an official stance but hadn't let their Norwegian distributors know or something. Long shot, but hey. It'd be hilarious to see.
Well yeah I'm from Norway, but Norway sadly has a population of 4.5 million people in total... that means we dont realy represent a huge market. So almost anything non mainstream happening in this country is by the blood and sweat of us geeks. And though it seems we are growing in number we realy arrent that many.
Anywho, my point being, I'm lucky if I manage to get the EPG next month at a fair price, so no no special marketing posters here.
And as a side note, the poster I was refering to was Edymnion He has some decent thoughts on the world. You just have to deal with a bit of 4e hate.
The day of mourning was triggered by a powerful ritual that the warforged in question taught them, they realized too late what it was meant to do, destroy organic life forms, a sort of neutron bomb, that would leave warforged unscathed. They managed to stop the ritual from completion, but the results unleashed the spells power over all of Cyre, chaotic energy rippled out transforming the landscapes and destroying or perverting natural life. The one remaining warforged took the title lord of blades, and began his quest of forming a grand army.
Actually, it's pretty similar to what Archangel62 posted.
I just read a story in The Tales of the Last War that involves a Cyran warforged expedition to Xen'Drik in 992 YK. The warforged find a weapon used by the giants against Dal Quor and are then possessed by quori. It ends with them planning to dismantle the weapon and bring it back to Cyre to "insure victory".
Actually, it's pretty similar to what Archangel62 posted.
*looks around for a tinfoil smiley* Well that sounds pretty workable too, whatever the giants were planning to do was bad enough all the dragons converged to stop it from happening, so I could see this being an issue and possibly being the cause of the mourning.
3.) Perhaps the most tantalizing possibility is this, gnomes are master's of illusion - what the Mourning itself was the greatest illusion in history.
Following on your idea - I'll say the Trust did it to end the Last War.
- mass illusion over Cyre, maybe a mass sleep effect too (which explain the un-decaying "bodies" sightings in the Mournland).
- payed actors (new-Cyre is a 'movie set western town').
- faked Mournland related communication at house Sivis stations
- manipulated the Korranberg Chronicle headlines
- got some Warforged to scare away noisy adventurers.
Once they feel the nations have taken the road to peace (may take a while) - they will reveal the hoax and everyone will have a good laugh ;)
Following on your idea - I'll say the Trust did it to end the Last War.
- mass illusion over Cyre, maybe a mass sleep effect too (which explain the un-decaying "bodies" sightings in the Mournland).
- payed actors (new-Cyre is a 'movie set western town').
- faked Mournland related communication at house Sivis stations
- manipulated the Korranberg Chronicle headlines
- got some Warforged to scare away noisy adventurers.
Once they feel the nations have taken the road to peace (may take a while) - they will revival the hoax and everyone will have a good laugh ;)
I am suddenly reminded of a movie, I believe it was called Capricorn 1
Didn't the Heirs of Ash trilogy address the cause of Day of Mourning?
the novels are not canon, so while a DM can incorporate events, characters, explanations, etc., from the novels, they are not incorporated into the setting in the way that FR's novels are.
P.S.Not that the novel actually dealt with the cause of the Day of Mourning anyway.
An Elder Evil did it; the Mournland is its moderate sign (the faint sign had been a strange storm over a manifest zone for Mabar, lasting ~25 years before the last war began, pouring a strange rain that applied gentle repose to anything in contact with the water).
Rather than a plot by one of the big bads already present in the setting, I'd propose a new one, another eldritch horror deal, though separate from the Daelkyr and the Qouri.
The strong sign would be applied when the PC's learn enough; aberrant weather whose rain operates as above and the lightning animates slain creatures randomly as undead or deathless, along with the mournland borders expanding (1d3 miles per week).
Then there's the Matrix idea, that the pople of Eberron are in a Microcosm machine controlled by the LoBster or the Quori and the mounrland is a glitch; saw it suggested on the psionics motivator thread.
Another Idea;
Finally, the sixteenth deity of the orignial host (The Overthrown), who had been erased from public knowledge is returning, but its aspects is that off loss and regret; its return to the pantheon is causing bad things to happen in the mortal frame of reference.
Why'd it knock Cyre out? The original Cult of Sixteen, those who had avoided the separation of the schism and the erasure of The Overthrown had a major temple there, long ago, though it was (of course) destroyed and defiled by the sovereign-host-as-a-separate-pantheon clergy, when they found it. Conforming to the borders of Cyre had more to do with the eldritch resonance that the cyrans had with thier land (the sacrifice was loss on a grand scale, the country fitting the bill). Then, one of the PC's would discover that thier ancestry includes preisthood in the Cult of Sixteen and that the this "new" god is calling to them to return knowledge of it to the world.
Or is it really a plot by the lords of dust to turn people from gods who would cause such a thing to be? :evillaugh
The first time, The Shadow had created an alternate Eberron where he was the only god that he intended to merge back with the real world, so he would be the only god of the REAL world as well. The Mourning wasn't actually an event: Cyre still existed, but the silver mists was actually one massive sheet of portals leading to this alternate universe. So, the Mournland was just Alternate Eberron landscape.
The second time, the Mournland was plot-necessary but not plot-central, so I just decided it was an Eberron-style Nuclear Warhead.
This next campaign I do, I intend to say that the drifting pieces of the Prophecy can sometimes be brought together in ways that allow control over DESTINY. That it's not like the giants or dragons knew rituals that were Way Overpowered; they simply gathered pieces of the prophecy, and controlled the fate of their enemies with them.
Except, the giants did it poorly, since no giant has the lifespan required to understand the prophecy enough to not screw it up (dragons are a different story, living much longer).
And the Mourning... was the same type of event. Whether intentionally, or whether the natural tendency of dragonmarked people to gather--whichever, it caused the Prophecy to go from "read" to "write" mode in Cyre, destroying the entire nation and everyone in it and permanently rewiring all of the magic within it.
(My players have long since figured out that nothing I say in one game is canon in the next; we can retread the Mourning more than otherwise =P)
I've just started an Eberron campaign and I've had a few ideas for the Mournland in my world, perhaps a little backstory first, to give you an idea of all of the factions at work and alive at any given time for the PCs to run into. I generally like to have 5 storylines that arn't tied to any of the PCs effecting the world around them, and allowing them to fall into the pieces and effect and be effected by the world in which they live (play).
I have two PCs who were brought through a trans-dimentional portal when four of the moons aligned in a prophetic event. The PCs were originally from Forgotten Realms, and the concepts of Eberron are drastically different. (We had originally started a game a year ago that fell apart and they wanted to bring their characters over).
The draconic prophecy has made known that two visitors from another world would come, and that they would play a part in the fate of all of Eberron.
House d'Cannith is in the process of building a new creation forge since their primary one in Cyre was lost in the Mourning. In addition the House d'Cannith is building a "Stone of Awakening" that is a powerful artifact that distrupts necrotic/undead energies. The Blood of Vol has a very vested interest in preventing House d'Cannith from being successful. House d'Cannith wishes to recover some valuable resources from the city of Making in the Mournland, and is seeking to hire PCs to make the necessary trip.
The Undying Court has recognized the prophecy and has sent an emissary of the Undying (Who leaves the elven lands to meet the strange visitors in Throne Hold). A NPC ranger named Oren d'Phairlan is the guardian for the Undying ancestor, and ends up protecting the two PCs from another world and so befriends them and joins then on their travels. The Undying court sends the PC's to find more prophetic information as to why they have been transported to Eberron in a underground geod that is one giant dragonshard that has been recognized as a holy place named the "Halls of Echoes". The Undying Court has discovered in prophecy that an ancient evil could be release and that the visitors from another world are the key to preventing his release.
The Chamber has also been watching prophecy and a silver dragon has hired a few people to intercept the "visitors" and to determine what their place in the prophecy really means. This is a minor action to some plot twists I have concieved in Paragon Teir. But another PC is a cleric of the Chamber who is a "Pacifist (feat)" and wishes to observe rather than interact. He is a antagonist character that drives the group to decisions based on what the chamber instructs him to do. He is often asked to make note of certain events, and to prevent the other PCs from discovering certain information that would otherwise be easily available. He soon finds that his fate is wrapped into the fate of the visitors and that the Chamber knows more about what is going on then they are letting onto. They are the ultimate key to allowing the two visitors to return home.
Meanwhile, at the Halls of Echoes the PCs meet a young lad named Ehren (Eh-Ren) who is a Cyre survivor. This lad assists them in passing by some fanatical protectors of the Halls of Echoes and they meet him again later in their travels near the borders of the mournland. He offers to take them to the city of making.
The two PCs (visitors) end up finding that there is something destined for them within the mournland, and that they must travel there before finding their way home. This allows them to take up the tasks that d'Cannith has set aside, with the Emerald Claw agents attempting to stop them at many different paths along the way.
Ehren turns out to be a powerful Raksasha Lord that is using the PCs to unleash one of the Demon Overlords from the age of Demons. He is trapped underneath the Glass Plateau. The demon had been trying to influence the House d'Cannith into releasing him, but then the Mourning had happened and had ended his endevours with minimal success. However he had secured enough of a crack in his prision to send a message to one of this faithful servants (Ehren) to come to his aid. Ehren has a network of spies in the human lands and had discovered the PCs possible motivations for venturing into the Mournlands to the City of Making. He influences their decsions and intends to use them to reach the city and to perform a ritual using the creation forge there to fully release his master.
The adventure into the mournlands reveals some interesting properties of the lands. The mist travels, and it is sentient, although it is not in all places at once, it ebs and flows like the tides of an ocean. One can move through the mournland without encountering the mist if they move in the right patterns of behavior. The ground of the mournland has been transformed, layers upon layers of humanoid bones scatter across the landscape, near the center every step the PCs take is crunching down on the bleached white bones. Undead travel throughout the mist, the mist itself seems harmless, but for the legions of undead that reach out of it for the living. House d'Cannith has invented a device that allows the PCs to determine the flows of the mist so they can avoid it as much as possible (An obsidian orb that changes color with the behavior of the mist). During their travels they discover dragon prophecy along the way that lead up to the events mourning. Including references to the demon overlord, and the nature of the mist.
The mist is a manifestation from Xoriat, and the cataclysm is a rift in one of the khyber seals that had broken. The mist is one of the enemies of the daelkyr lords, it reaches through the rift (The Glowing Chasm) from a region of Xoriat that even the daelkyr lords stay away from. In the initial event the mist came through the rift in a very weakened state, absorbing all of the life energy that it possibly could from the areas around the rift. The mist can only extend itself so far through the rift, its main body of existance is still rooted in Xoriat and can not leave without causing its own distruction. The daelkyr lords name for this entity is the "Creeping Death". It is a perversion even for them. It does not create chaos and corruption, it ceases the existance of all things. It is pure necrotic energies, and where it can not go, it sends undead servants to accomplish its needs, however the energies don't last long outside of the mist, hence why it is limited to the borders of the mournland. The center of the mist, where the actual rift is, can not be reached except by traveling through it to the source. Making it a perminent addition to the surface of Eberron, unless events change in Xoriat that would force the mist to retreat to defend itself there (possibly epic teir). As it stands the Creeping Death is drawing energy from the rift itself, giving it ample reason to stay partly in Eberron and party in Xoriat.
At least those are some of the ideas that I have for my campaign. *grin* Whatcha think?
One of the focal elements of my campaign involved Warforged having sentience and souls because Cannith bound souls of the dead to them in much the same way that elementals are bound to items. When the containment on the primary creation forge failed, it went Chernobyl with all the restrained soul energy. Not only killed everyone, but it still does a number on healing, and wont let the dead decay, as well as giving life to things not meant to have it.
I haven't settled on it myself, but I kinda think I'm leaning that way. I don't think Cannith knew that that was what they were doing though. They were useing magic/technlogy they got from ruins in Xendrik but didn't really understand the process.
The forge might have had something to do with the Mourning but not all of it. I like to think that on that day a thousand too many destructive spells were cast, a thousand too many people died and a few other things that didn't seemingly have much to do with each other acted together to make Galfair a powder keg.
I know the cause..... a Wizard stood next to an open magical furnice in a Cannith Workshop and asked someone to pull his finger......
Ok Not really, but I like to think that a weapon being developed by House Cannith was accidentally set off or backfired. Something like the atomic bomb only worse.
Here's a thought I had. Xoriat was first and eternal. Time and space are a false construct of the Three Dragons and now the veneer painted over the truth is wearing thin. The Mournland is only the first stage of the decay of reality. Deep in the heart of Cyre a hole in the fabric is spreading and time is unraveling. The difference between what must be and what is imposable had blurred as the rules of creation unravel. All things are returning to Those Before and the suicide of Cyre is the mortal wound in creation.
Another idea is that the royalty of Cyre struck a deal with Those Before. In exchange for a gate into the world Those Before agreed to make Cyre "Eternal and invincible for all of time."
A combination of a second creation forge, some manifest zones and the archons of thrane. A cyre warmachine and some very bad luck, caused the day of mourning in my game. Ultimately, it was the Rakshasa that set everything in motion.
i cant believe someone hasnt used this one yet: what about an elemental node of chaos?
nodes are phenomenons that happen when elemental planes get close to the materal plane; wonder if crye was trying to emulate elementals to the creation forges to enhance the power of war forge?
With so many plots and whatnot afoot in Eberron already, I opt for a simpler, less sinister answer in my Eberron. What created the Mourning was a war machine alright, but not a weapon. It was intended as a shield.
With the war effort going so badly, Cyre and Cannith created an arcane shield that would prevent further intrusions into Cyre. Thus, why the Mournland fits Cyre's borders as of that day (current battles notwithstanding). Tragically, in the haste to raise the shield, the device malfunctioned with the effects seen. If the machine is found an destroyed, it may be possible to restore Cyre to normal, though not reverse the damage already done.
Cyre was a conterminous zone to Thalamus, and they were using a Dragonshard that was all three types fused together to power a giant superweapon. The Crystal(Which used psionics and arcane magic) was shattered by an agent of the Dreaming Dark because it was too powerful and with the power of Thalamus, the connection to Thalamus was severed but not before creating a colossal explosion due to the enhanced magic. The corruption was the result of all the greedy thoughts and destructive tendencies of the Cyrians and the battle.
The big chasm was where it was, and the LoB is the superweapon. He's a cerebremancer, having fused with the crystal when he was on his last eking of power. He's insane due to having that much power, with the aggression of the battle in him.
I'm with you,dru. I was gonna have it a genuine attempt to shield Cyre, because they were losing, but it was intercepted by a high ranking member of a khyber cult who subtly transformed it to it's current state. Agents of House Phiarlan had discovered his intent and were able to warn the House leaders before the day of Mourning, but not in time for themto warn anyone else.
The Eldritch Machine is still out there, and House Phiarlan have attempted a number of times to shut it down.However it caught the attention of the Daelkyr who lived in Khyber below the machine, and who has brought itinto his realm for amusement. The chasm is a result of his intervention.
My last Mournland cause.....Cyre.
In my game, I decided that all of the Lords of Dust and Raksashas were imprisoned, save one. The lone one was aware of a piece of the Prophecy that stipulated that immortals couldn't open the seals; mortals would have to. So, cue infiltration of the Giants of Xen'drik to make the most magically talented factions build a weapon suitable of freeing the Rajas, but, it didn't work. Oh well, Bakasura has time. Fast forward to the fall of Galifar, orchestrated for the same reason. Towards the end of the Last War, with Cyre pressed on all sides, they dusted off old Galifaran research for CHRYSANTHEMUM, which was supposed to create a field impenetrable to the enemy (hence why the Mourning hugged the borders of Cyre). But, it didn't. The plot of the campaign was to stop Bakasura manipulating Aundair into a war for the "third time's the charm" apocalyptic death machine (but, the PCs didn't know that for a long time).