Eberron Campaign concept: Mark of War - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Eberron Campaign concept: Mark of War

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Aegeri
Dec 24, 2009 7:07:52 I've become a bit stuck on my new campaign I'm writing for Eberron, which has really taken shape as I've read more about the War of the Mark and how dragonmarks can appear on races they normally wouldn't.

My primary problems are certain plot points, which I'm not sure in plausibility of in the setting:

1) The main antagonist is at the moment a Mithral dragon, convinced that the prophecy calls for some major cataclysmic battle between those with Dragonmarks and "Abberations" (which the Dragon has taken to mean those with aberrant marks - either out of race Dragonmarks or genuine abberant marks). If this battle does not take place, she fears that it will be the one of all Dragonkind in Eberron and indeed the world will follow afterwards.

Question: Can the prophecy be used in this way? The obvious thing here is that she's badly misinterpreted what "Abberations" mean in this context, which sets up some of the other antagonist groups in the campaign. She's still the central villain of the plot and should she be successful, the results on Khorvaire (indeed everywhere) would be devastating. More importantly, are Mithral dragons in Eberron still as crazy as their Draconomicon II counterparts (being more aware of the future). Or is that not really going to be relevant?

2) I figure she's aware of the fact that those with abberant marks were hunted practically to extinction in the War of the Mark. Building their strength up is a priority, but there is little natural talent for any kind of actual war. So she does the next best thing to her (crazed) mind - she makes herself an army of abberantly marked creatures. Given the changes and emergence of individuals with marks out of race, I plan to tie such events and characters into this games plot from my previous game. Effectively the dragons machinations are increasing the chances of abberant marks and out of race marks appearing in bloodlines that carried them (including ancient bloodlines). She's also made - via powerful magic - a kind of "artificial" abberant mark that actually proves to be fatal. One of her goals is "stabilizing" it so she can make enough footsoldiers for the coming war.

Question: Is this really daft? I figure that an eldritch machine might be a really good way of advancing the plot here, because that seems like the sort of thing that could make "abberant marked warriors". I figure that the machine she is using isn't working correctly - hence why her "victims" with manufactured marks live only for a short time, tend to have an insanely violent temperment and never have consistent (or even useful) powers. For example, one individual can light himself on fire but has no actual control of the power - so he burns to death horrifically shortly after creation.

Do I even need such a contrivance to amplify up the number of individuals with an abberant mark? I feel I may be doing more work than is actually required in the setting, but the ECG seems to indicate abberant marks are not common and not very powerful. I still want to use this plot point though as I love the idea of this insane dragon attempting to manufacture a war by literally "making" these abberant marked people (and then forcing a conflict by making them as dangerous as possible).

3) Countries in Khorvaire respond quickly, mostly due to the incredible pressure placed on them by the Dragonmarked Houses who fear (quite rightly at that) a second War of the Mark. In a desperate and immensely cruel attempt to prevent the "spread" of the abberant marks they round up entire families (As marks pass through both racial lines and even bloodlines - at least to my understanding?) and essentially begin sticking them in the equivalent of heavily guarded and defended "concentration" camps. This of course is used by the antagonist deliberately, causing the odd mark to flare up within the camp "proving" the authorities correct and fueling their paranoia. Ironically of course, the dragon has in fact created a scenario where abberant marks start appear more on their own as well - particularly in the misery of these horrific camps and this of course just confirms the Dragonmarked houses backed "purge" even more.

Of course, some scholars and individuals in Eberron are not easily fooled. They feel something is going on that isn't right, especially with the manufactured abberant marks. While they do not understand that these have an unnatural origin, they do suspect there is something wrong about these marks and that they are not like other marks. Even some Dragons, staring at events through the prophecy suspect something is not right about events (however distant) from them and stir to action.

Question: Essentially is this reaction, given how horrible the War of the Mark was justified? I've thought about the stupidity (in some ways) of basically bringing all these individuals they suspect are dangerous and concentrating them in one place. At the same time, it also seems like a good idea to isolate them in one spot and keep an eye on them under heavy guard away from the main population. Of course, why don't they just butcher all of them has crossed my mind and I'm just not sure they would be that evil (especially as they don't know if it's just an isolated outbreak, or really the first step to a genuine second War of the Mark).

There are of course other antagonists and similar in this game, including some genuinely powerful abberant marked individuals who really do want to tear everything down with them. But these are the core "points" to the games plot and if they don't work, it means the campaign loses any power it has in terms of horror/drama I'm trying to set up. Plus I really want to tie the draconic prophecy and how it can be interpreted by someone who is not entirely evil, but decides to do something truly terrible and horrific "for the greater good".
#2
Bly2729
Dec 24, 2009 23:59:43 1) Of course the prophecy can work that way. The Dragon sees it as him, those (expendable) allies on his side(and a dragons elevated sense of importance for the world) or the rest of civilization. They have to fight to the bloody end and only one of them can win. It might work better to expand the Dragon's enemy list to the entire of Khorvaire or Eberron rather than the small grouping of aberrents or Dragonmarked PCs/NPCs.

But it has to be more complicated. It can't be, "Crap this Dragon is going to ruin a very Karrnathi Christmas. Lets go stop the Dragon." Not in Eberron. That dog won't hunt. The prophecy should be like, if a showdown between the two forces doesn't occur, x. If it does, you have y and z outcomes for who wins, not even counting the ever popular lose-lose scenario. Like maybe the Dragon will bring destruction to the dragonmarked, but unchecked the Dragonmakred will be even worse. Something along those lines.

2) The Aberrent Marks in the ECG aren't very powerful because space does not permit 30 dragonmarked NPCs, as fun as that might be. Sure in a combat encounter they shoot lightning and cause fear but they can also level cities according to teh history. That's the problem with aberrent marks, for every 10 guys who can breed crippling fear in others, one dude can kill you with his skin, brain not needed.

The idea of an eldritch machine that somehow speeds up or enhances the dragonmarking process doesn't seem daft at all. In fact it seems quite the sort of shenanigans Zorlan d'Cannith, that wacky accountant, might be up to. Don't worry about it seeming like a shallow plot device, thats what eldritch machines are. If you want significance, say it runs on an orphan, hope, or the still beating lovecraftian heart of Halas Tarkanan.

3) That sounds like a very interesting plot to deal with. Look to the X-Men or District 9 for guidelines. I mean, ordinary farmer wakes up one day with a dragonmark. Ignore for a moment the being driven insane factor. Someone tries to throw him in a camp, only he finds he can throw back. Or what if he realized he could avenge some loss during the Last War? What if the marks show up first and most often on Cyran refugees?

What I would advise is hesitation on the part of the "government and Dragonmarked" reaction to the proliferation of marks due to the machine. Given the effect of the machine, you then want the PCs to react, and THEN the powers that be react based on what the PCs do. Do they immediately try to shut down the machine? If so, how will they deal with the damage already done? Will they have to compete with teams trying to get the machine for their own use?

You have a big broad plot to work with. Just be sure to keep it flexible.
#3
Aegeri
Dec 25, 2009 0:41:26 Thanks for your feedback! I'll address your points.

1) Of course the prophecy can work that way. The Dragon sees it as him, those (expendable) allies on his side(and a dragons elevated sense of importance for the world) or the rest of civilization. They have to fight to the bloody end and only one of them can win. It might work better to expand the Dragon's enemy list to the entire of Khorvaire or Eberron rather than the small grouping of aberrents or Dragonmarked PCs/NPCs.

That is a really good idea actually, as before I didn't really view her enemies as the abberants but instead all of those who are Dragonmarked. I guess by extension she should view Khorvair as having a "rot" to it that makes these dragonmarked individuals she believes should be destroyed. That makes her more of an overall threat to the land and not just as you say

Like maybe the Dragon will bring destruction to the dragonmarked, but unchecked the Dragonmakred will be even worse. Something along those lines.

This is a great idea and is rather what I want. I don't want her to be incredibly "cartoon" evil. Her actions - despite being murderous and reprehensible in their methods and manner - have to actually ultimately in a way be correct. That ultimately her goals are the right thing, it's just she's either misinterpreted it or that what she tries to do ultimately doesn't work (due to being thwarted).

2) The Aberrent Marks in the ECG aren't very powerful because space does not permit 30 dragonmarked NPCs, as fun as that might be.

I intend to make a set of aberrant marks and Paragon Paths for each one for my PCs. I don't mind these not being in the books for the same logic. I will of course share my work with the boards as well. I'm thinking more towards if it is justified story wise.

If you want significance, say it runs on an orphan, hope, or the still beating lovecraftian heart of Halas Tarkanan.

I'm thinking it's partly built out of a house Cannith creation forge, which functions by warping and devouring the souls of individuals who have dragonmarked or aberrant bloodlines (hence why it doesn't work so well).

3) That sounds like a very interesting plot to deal with. Look to the X-Men or District 9 for guidelines.

District 9 and Schindlers list are part of the inspiration with the game. The idea actually is that the PCs are the ones thrown into the camps originally.

What if the marks show up first and most often on Cyran refugees?

That's a very interesting idea and given they are disliked anyway, it's good cover for a creature that has studied Khorvaire for some time and knows how much people fear/dislike them. Plus their possible connections to the Mourning would interest her as well. The thing though is while I'm being pretty blatant with some of my inspiration, I don't want to be too obvious with making too much of a Cyrean Refugee = Jewish type analogy.

Given the effect of the machine, you then want the PCs to react, and THEN the powers that be react based on what the PCs do. Do they immediately try to shut down the machine? If so, how will they deal with the damage already done? Will they have to compete with teams trying to get the machine for their own use?

That's an interesting idea, I originally wanted the machine to be resolved towards the end of the epic tier of the game and actually be the resolution. But it could be far more interesting for it to actually be resolved by early paragon and then get far worse. Perhaps actually destroying the machine makes a horrific kind of "feedback" that accelerates the process terribly, causing widespread aberrant marks to suddenly appear. This then makes the epic tier more about permanently destroying the machine once and for all, containing the gigantic mess that has been unleashed and avoiding relevant authorities thinking the PCs are responsible.

Actually I much prefer how and where that plot could go compared to what I originally planned.
#4
Sarlax
Dec 25, 2009 2:13:03
That is a really good idea actually, as before I didn't really view her enemies as the abberants but instead all of those who are Dragonmarked. I guess by extension she should view Khorvair as having a "rot" to it that makes these dragonmarked individuals she believes should be destroyed. That makes her more of an overall threat to the land and not just as you say

Of course, you need not have the dragon actually think of all the people as intrinsic threats. But given how someone can manifest a mark even if their bloodline has been removed from the house for generations, the dragon might think it necessary to exterminate all races who might bear marks - all humans, elves, dwarves, half-elves, halflings, gnomes, and half-orcs. It's the only way to be sure that the marks never reappear.

Since 4E allows marks on all races, though...
#5
Aegeri
Dec 25, 2009 2:25:21
That is a really good idea actually, as before I didn't really view her enemies as the abberants but instead all of those who are Dragonmarked. I guess by extension she should view Khorvair as having a "rot" to it that makes these dragonmarked individuals she believes should be destroyed. That makes her more of an overall threat to the land and not just as you say

Of course, you need not have the dragon actually think of all the people as intrinsic threats. But given how someone can manifest a mark even if their bloodline has been removed from the house for generations, the dragon might think it necessary to exterminate all races who might bear marks - all humans, elves, dwarves, half-elves, halflings, gnomes, and half-orcs. It's the only way to be sure that the marks never reappear.

Since 4E allows marks on all races, though...

Homicidally wiping out everyone in the name of bloodline purity for the ultimate good of the world sounds like a suitably twisted goal. It may be that it has something to do with the activity of a dragonmarked house and I think, if I expand the plot, that it would be good if the PCs could pick up and possibly even stop both disasters. Rather than having a directly bleak outlook regardless of what they do.

Then again, I rather like the concept of the PCs having to choose between the lesser of two evils. I would rather - for this option to be viable - not see it as her being completely homicidal towards all of Khorvaire. This would basically make her to reprehensibly evil in a way, while a goal that does kill a lot of people but isn't about wiping out all of Khorvaire is easier to swallow and justify. I like the suggestion that the Draconic Prophecy (to her reading) requires a titanic battle at X place between Y forces (Aberrant Marked individuals vs. Dragonmarked Houses armies) with only both sides utter annihilation at the hands of one another preventing an event that would set the prophecys "path" inevitably to Eberrons destruction. This doesn't even have to be an event felt immediately, but instead something hinted at and referenced during the campaign and its aftermath.

Wiping out all sentient races is a suitable BBEG role, but it's just not viable to make her sympathetic because such a degree of massacre is just too much. On the other hand a PC could - if they understand the stakes involved - perhaps see the exchange of a few hundred thousand for everything alive on Eberron as an exchange that can at least be understood.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Aegeri Dec 24, 2009 7:07:52	I've become a bit stuck on my new campaign I'm writing for Eberron, which has really taken shape as I've read more about the War of the Mark and how dragonmarks can appear on races they normally wouldn't. My primary problems are certain plot points, which I'm not sure in plausibility of in the setting: 1) The main antagonist is at the moment a Mithral dragon, convinced that the prophecy calls for some major cataclysmic battle between those with Dragonmarks and "Abberations" (which the Dragon has taken to mean those with aberrant marks - either out of race Dragonmarks or genuine abberant marks). If this battle does not take place, she fears that it will be the one of all Dragonkind in Eberron and indeed the world will follow afterwards. Question: Can the prophecy be used in this way? The obvious thing here is that she's badly misinterpreted what "Abberations" mean in this context, which sets up some of the other antagonist groups in the campaign. She's still the central villain of the plot and should she be successful, the results on Khorvaire (indeed everywhere) would be devastating. More importantly, are Mithral dragons in Eberron still as crazy as their Draconomicon II counterparts (being more aware of the future). Or is that not really going to be relevant? 2) I figure she's aware of the fact that those with abberant marks were hunted practically to extinction in the War of the Mark. Building their strength up is a priority, but there is little natural talent for any kind of actual war. So she does the next best thing to her (crazed) mind - she makes herself an army of abberantly marked creatures. Given the changes and emergence of individuals with marks out of race, I plan to tie such events and characters into this games plot from my previous game. Effectively the dragons machinations are increasing the chances of abberant marks and out of race marks appearing in bloodlines that carried them (including ancient bloodlines). She's also made - via powerful magic - a kind of "artificial" abberant mark that actually proves to be fatal. One of her goals is "stabilizing" it so she can make enough footsoldiers for the coming war. Question: Is this really daft? I figure that an eldritch machine might be a really good way of advancing the plot here, because that seems like the sort of thing that could make "abberant marked warriors". I figure that the machine she is using isn't working correctly - hence why her "victims" with manufactured marks live only for a short time, tend to have an insanely violent temperment and never have consistent (or even useful) powers. For example, one individual can light himself on fire but has no actual control of the power - so he burns to death horrifically shortly after creation. Do I even need such a contrivance to amplify up the number of individuals with an abberant mark? I feel I may be doing more work than is actually required in the setting, but the ECG seems to indicate abberant marks are not common and not very powerful. I still want to use this plot point though as I love the idea of this insane dragon attempting to manufacture a war by literally "making" these abberant marked people (and then forcing a conflict by making them as dangerous as possible). 3) Countries in Khorvaire respond quickly, mostly due to the incredible pressure placed on them by the Dragonmarked Houses who fear (quite rightly at that) a second War of the Mark. In a desperate and immensely cruel attempt to prevent the "spread" of the abberant marks they round up entire families (As marks pass through both racial lines and even bloodlines - at least to my understanding?) and essentially begin sticking them in the equivalent of heavily guarded and defended "concentration" camps. This of course is used by the antagonist deliberately, causing the odd mark to flare up within the camp "proving" the authorities correct and fueling their paranoia. Ironically of course, the dragon has in fact created a scenario where abberant marks start appear more on their own as well - particularly in the misery of these horrific camps and this of course just confirms the Dragonmarked houses backed "purge" even more. Of course, some scholars and individuals in Eberron are not easily fooled. They feel something is going on that isn't right, especially with the manufactured abberant marks. While they do not understand that these have an unnatural origin, they do suspect there is something wrong about these marks and that they are not like other marks. Even some Dragons, staring at events through the prophecy suspect something is not right about events (however distant) from them and stir to action. Question: Essentially is this reaction, given how horrible the War of the Mark was justified? I've thought about the stupidity (in some ways) of basically bringing all these individuals they suspect are dangerous and concentrating them in one place. At the same time, it also seems like a good idea to isolate them in one spot and keep an eye on them under heavy guard away from the main population. Of course, why don't they just butcher all of them has crossed my mind and I'm just not sure they would be that evil (especially as they don't know if it's just an isolated outbreak, or really the first step to a genuine second War of the Mark). There are of course other antagonists and similar in this game, including some genuinely powerful abberant marked individuals who really do want to tear everything down with them. But these are the core "points" to the games plot and if they don't work, it means the campaign loses any power it has in terms of horror/drama I'm trying to set up. Plus I really want to tie the draconic prophecy and how it can be interpreted by someone who is not entirely evil, but decides to do something truly terrible and horrific "for the greater good".
#2 Bly2729 Dec 24, 2009 23:59:43	1) Of course the prophecy can work that way. The Dragon sees it as him, those (expendable) allies on his side(and a dragons elevated sense of importance for the world) or the rest of civilization. They have to fight to the bloody end and only one of them can win. It might work better to expand the Dragon's enemy list to the entire of Khorvaire or Eberron rather than the small grouping of aberrents or Dragonmarked PCs/NPCs. But it has to be more complicated. It can't be, "Crap this Dragon is going to ruin a very Karrnathi Christmas. Lets go stop the Dragon." Not in Eberron. That dog won't hunt. The prophecy should be like, if a showdown between the two forces doesn't occur, x. If it does, you have y and z outcomes for who wins, not even counting the ever popular lose-lose scenario. Like maybe the Dragon will bring destruction to the dragonmarked, but unchecked the Dragonmakred will be even worse. Something along those lines. 2) The Aberrent Marks in the ECG aren't very powerful because space does not permit 30 dragonmarked NPCs, as fun as that might be. Sure in a combat encounter they shoot lightning and cause fear but they can also level cities according to teh history. That's the problem with aberrent marks, for every 10 guys who can breed crippling fear in others, one dude can kill you with his skin, brain not needed. The idea of an eldritch machine that somehow speeds up or enhances the dragonmarking process doesn't seem daft at all. In fact it seems quite the sort of shenanigans Zorlan d'Cannith, that wacky accountant, might be up to. Don't worry about it seeming like a shallow plot device, thats what eldritch machines are. If you want significance, say it runs on an orphan, hope, or the still beating lovecraftian heart of Halas Tarkanan. 3) That sounds like a very interesting plot to deal with. Look to the X-Men or District 9 for guidelines. I mean, ordinary farmer wakes up one day with a dragonmark. Ignore for a moment the being driven insane factor. Someone tries to throw him in a camp, only he finds he can throw back. Or what if he realized he could avenge some loss during the Last War? What if the marks show up first and most often on Cyran refugees? What I would advise is hesitation on the part of the "government and Dragonmarked" reaction to the proliferation of marks due to the machine. Given the effect of the machine, you then want the PCs to react, and THEN the powers that be react based on what the PCs do. Do they immediately try to shut down the machine? If so, how will they deal with the damage already done? Will they have to compete with teams trying to get the machine for their own use? You have a big broad plot to work with. Just be sure to keep it flexible.
#3 Aegeri Dec 25, 2009 0:41:26	Thanks for your feedback! I'll address your points. 1) Of course the prophecy can work that way. The Dragon sees it as him, those (expendable) allies on his side(and a dragons elevated sense of importance for the world) or the rest of civilization. They have to fight to the bloody end and only one of them can win. It might work better to expand the Dragon's enemy list to the entire of Khorvaire or Eberron rather than the small grouping of aberrents or Dragonmarked PCs/NPCs. That is a really good idea actually, as before I didn't really view her enemies as the abberants but instead all of those who are Dragonmarked. I guess by extension she should view Khorvair as having a "rot" to it that makes these dragonmarked individuals she believes should be destroyed. That makes her more of an overall threat to the land and not just as you say Like maybe the Dragon will bring destruction to the dragonmarked, but unchecked the Dragonmakred will be even worse. Something along those lines. This is a great idea and is rather what I want. I don't want her to be incredibly "cartoon" evil. Her actions - despite being murderous and reprehensible in their methods and manner - have to actually ultimately in a way be correct. That ultimately her goals are the right thing, it's just she's either misinterpreted it or that what she tries to do ultimately doesn't work (due to being thwarted). 2) The Aberrent Marks in the ECG aren't very powerful because space does not permit 30 dragonmarked NPCs, as fun as that might be. I intend to make a set of aberrant marks and Paragon Paths for each one for my PCs. I don't mind these not being in the books for the same logic. I will of course share my work with the boards as well. I'm thinking more towards if it is justified story wise. If you want significance, say it runs on an orphan, hope, or the still beating lovecraftian heart of Halas Tarkanan. I'm thinking it's partly built out of a house Cannith creation forge, which functions by warping and devouring the souls of individuals who have dragonmarked or aberrant bloodlines (hence why it doesn't work so well). 3) That sounds like a very interesting plot to deal with. Look to the X-Men or District 9 for guidelines. District 9 and Schindlers list are part of the inspiration with the game. The idea actually is that the PCs are the ones thrown into the camps originally. What if the marks show up first and most often on Cyran refugees? That's a very interesting idea and given they are disliked anyway, it's good cover for a creature that has studied Khorvaire for some time and knows how much people fear/dislike them. Plus their possible connections to the Mourning would interest her as well. The thing though is while I'm being pretty blatant with some of my inspiration, I don't want to be too obvious with making too much of a Cyrean Refugee = Jewish type analogy. Given the effect of the machine, you then want the PCs to react, and THEN the powers that be react based on what the PCs do. Do they immediately try to shut down the machine? If so, how will they deal with the damage already done? Will they have to compete with teams trying to get the machine for their own use? That's an interesting idea, I originally wanted the machine to be resolved towards the end of the epic tier of the game and actually be the resolution. But it could be far more interesting for it to actually be resolved by early paragon and then get far worse. Perhaps actually destroying the machine makes a horrific kind of "feedback" that accelerates the process terribly, causing widespread aberrant marks to suddenly appear. This then makes the epic tier more about permanently destroying the machine once and for all, containing the gigantic mess that has been unleashed and avoiding relevant authorities thinking the PCs are responsible. Actually I much prefer how and where that plot could go compared to what I originally planned.
#4 Sarlax Dec 25, 2009 2:13:03	That is a really good idea actually, as before I didn't really view her enemies as the abberants but instead all of those who are Dragonmarked. I guess by extension she should view Khorvair as having a "rot" to it that makes these dragonmarked individuals she believes should be destroyed. That makes her more of an overall threat to the land and not just as you say Of course, you need not have the dragon actually think of all the people as intrinsic threats. But given how someone can manifest a mark even if their bloodline has been removed from the house for generations, the dragon might think it necessary to exterminate all races who might bear marks - all humans, elves, dwarves, half-elves, halflings, gnomes, and half-orcs. It's the only way to be sure that the marks never reappear. Since 4E allows marks on all races, though...
#5 Aegeri Dec 25, 2009 2:25:21	That is a really good idea actually, as before I didn't really view her enemies as the abberants but instead all of those who are Dragonmarked. I guess by extension she should view Khorvair as having a "rot" to it that makes these dragonmarked individuals she believes should be destroyed. That makes her more of an overall threat to the land and not just as you say Of course, you need not have the dragon actually think of all the people as intrinsic threats. But given how someone can manifest a mark even if their bloodline has been removed from the house for generations, the dragon might think it necessary to exterminate all races who might bear marks - all humans, elves, dwarves, half-elves, halflings, gnomes, and half-orcs. It's the only way to be sure that the marks never reappear. Since 4E allows marks on all races, though... Homicidally wiping out everyone in the name of bloodline purity for the ultimate good of the world sounds like a suitably twisted goal. It may be that it has something to do with the activity of a dragonmarked house and I think, if I expand the plot, that it would be good if the PCs could pick up and possibly even stop both disasters. Rather than having a directly bleak outlook regardless of what they do. Then again, I rather like the concept of the PCs having to choose between the lesser of two evils. I would rather - for this option to be viable - not see it as her being completely homicidal towards all of Khorvaire. This would basically make her to reprehensibly evil in a way, while a goal that does kill a lot of people but isn't about wiping out all of Khorvaire is easier to swallow and justify. I like the suggestion that the Draconic Prophecy (to her reading) requires a titanic battle at X place between Y forces (Aberrant Marked individuals vs. Dragonmarked Houses armies) with only both sides utter annihilation at the hands of one another preventing an event that would set the prophecys "path" inevitably to Eberrons destruction. This doesn't even have to be an event felt immediately, but instead something hinted at and referenced during the campaign and its aftermath. Wiping out all sentient races is a suitable BBEG role, but it's just not viable to make her sympathetic because such a degree of massacre is just too much. On the other hand a PC could - if they understand the stakes involved - perhaps see the exchange of a few hundred thousand for everything alive on Eberron as an exchange that can at least be understood.