EDIT: I do realize that the Explorer's Handbook provides in-game rules for playing Conqueror using Knowlege (History) checks, but I mean actual out-of-game methods of playing.
I have a question if you don't mind, about a shady and may be less know Eberronian figure: the Finch family.
Question: Did you ever used the Finch family in one of your campaign and where did the inspiration came from for their creation ?
For those that don't know the Finch [sblock]
The Family Finch (Eberron Campaign Guide pg 253.) are a family residing on the outskirt s of Zarash'ak where civililzation pretends to dwell in Ihe heart of the Shadow Marches. Their estate is sprawling and grand, but its fences are rusted, its paths overgrown and its walls peeling. They are one of the region's oldest families. Family members mostly keep to themselves, except when they send servants or younger members into town to buy goods and supplies. They're a stiff, proper, unsmiling bunch but they've been decent enough to the community.
Some more details:
- The Finch family is ruled with iron fists by Thdonius and Lucretia. They have one son, Julius, who's not known for his intellectual capacity. Their favored heir is Lucretia's niece. Eliza Winthrope, who came to live with them when she was just a child.
- Rumor has it that the Finch estate is haunted, but that the Finches won't admit to it in order to avoid shaming the family. This, some locals say, is the reason for their stern, unbending demeanor.
- In reality, every Finch for generations uncounted has a burning, inherited madness.
- The Finches have their gods: dark, alien powers who they believe will restore the family's weallh and power and set the Finches to rule atop the festering graveyard of twisted flesh once called Eberron.
I love them and think they are a bunch of weirdos. The Finches are the perfect candidates for every creepy, insular, darkness-worshiping, backwoods family story you've ever imagined. They are the cut off, secluded clan of degenerated people living outside your village, that appear almost normal on the surface. They can be used in any Campaign or Setting, in any part of a town, remote region or small Village and not just in Eberron. I've used them twice already, once in an Eberron campaign and once in a non-Eberron campaign. They are the Ravenloft creepyness you can introduce just about anywhere, the kind of people not right in their mind that everyone distrust. They could be Cultist venerating people, or simply evil and disjointed family like those upstaged in many horror movies, like Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
I have a question if you don't mind, about a shady and may be less know Eberronian figure: the Finch family.
If memory serves me right - and it may not - the Finch family is the work of Ari Marmell. As such, I haven't personally used them. However, they are certainly a Marcher archetype, and I've used variations of my own in the past. I'd certainly point to Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror and Shadow Over Innsmouth as good inspiration for this sort of Marcher.
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One Marcher scene I like is to have the family who, while a little off, are generally friendly; a member of the family may be a friend of the party, or even one of the PCs (a star/vestige warlock would work well, if they are interested). While staying overnight, whispers draw you to the basement, where you find they have a gibbering mouther. Family tradition holds that anyone who grows ill or reaches a certain age is concumed by the mouther; they believe that the spirits live on, and that the maddening voices are the souls of all the ancestors gone before... and they claim to be able to understand the whispers. Is it true? Or is it a mad family with a monster in the basement?
Yup, the Finch family was my creation. As Keith suggests, they were inspired mostly by the "backwood folks" of many of Lovecraft's stories, though I also got a little bit of inspiration from a few episodes of Supernatural and the X-Files.
(Of course, let's be fair. There's a pretty good chance that portions of Supernatural and the X-Files were both inspired, in part, by Lovecraft. Lovecraft is everywhere. Ia, ia!) ;)
I've actually not had the chance to use them in a campaign myself, actually. (Whether Eberron or not; they could be tweaked pretty easily to fit in elsewhere.) I'd very much like to, but the opportunity simply hasn't come up.
(though anything mentioned would probably skirt NDA issues, so I wouldn't be expecting to see it)
Certainly anything relating to the planes would be interesting
The important thing to understand about the Dragonmarks is that it's not an outlet for concrete game material like Eye on Eberron or the Dragonshard articles. It's a Q & A column. I can't just post an Dragonmark about, say, Fernia like the Eye on Eberron article I wrote on Baator. However, if you had a specific question about Fernia ("What's the relationship between the pit fiends of Fernia and those in Baator?") I could answer that. Or if you wanted to know Why we decided not to use the Great Wheel in the first place, or some examples how I've used the planes in my games, I could write about that. In other words, the more specific the question the more chance you'll get an answer that helps.
Meanwhile, there's a new article up about religion. It's a little less focused than last weeks, but like I said, informal!
So, the guidelines are, specific focus questions?
I think it is things like specific focused questions and descriptions of play/DM experiences (houserules, etc).
So, the guidelines are, specific focus questions?
I've placed a thread on my website as the ideal place to ask questions. The main thing is that Eye on Eberron is essentially content you could find in an Eberron sourcebook. The website content is more what it would be like if you had a chance to ask me a question at a convention. If you just say "I'd like to know more about the Lhazaar Principalities" I'm going to say "And I wish I had the opportunity to write more about them. If you say "What's the relationship between House Thuranni and the Bloodsail Principalities?" I'll say "It's actually something we don't discuss at all, but given that the ancestors of both fled from Aerenal following the destruction of the Mark of Death, I think there's room for something interesting. I might do this..." Of course, it will still be conversational in tone, as opposed to a sourcebook-ready chunk about Bloodsails & Thuranni.
I'm also happy to have questions or issues that people want to discuss. Someone's brought up what might happen if Boranel died. When I answer this, I'd love to see anyone else who's had Boranel die chip in with their experiences. Where Eye on Eberron is an article, this is more of a conversation.
SO: The following questions would be great.
"Why doesn't the Dreaming Dark kill PCs early on while they are weak?"
"Why's the Church of the Silver Flame allow evil people to be priests?"
"What's your favorite theory about the Mourning?"
"What's the point of having the Mourning in the setting?
"Who do you think would win the next war?"
"Why is Queen Aurala so unlikeable?"
"Do planes like Fernia have civilizations?"
The following questions AREN'T so likely to get answered.
"Can you tell us more about the planes?"
"I'd like (game system) stats for the (insert thing here)."
"I'd like to know more about Zilargo."
... again, either too general or too concrete (in the case of stats).
The goal is to have a new article up by Wednesday evening, Central time USA.
I asked one on that thread earlier, but think it was overlooked:
Also, is there any way to still get a hold of the Dolurrh’s Dawn charity adventure? I missed it and would be willing to purchase it/donate if need be.
Thanks again!
Personally, I use the "oversoul" or "paramatman" ideology in my games. That basically, there is one supereme conciousness that pervades everything, but that this supreme soul has no direct means of interaction with anything. So, it spins off small portions of itself as empty slates that are sent into the "mortal world" to gain experiences, to grow on their own, and upon "death" their souls return to the oversoul where their knowledge, personality, and experiences are re-absorbed into the oversoul, enriching it and allowing it to grow.
For me, it fills in consistant flavor for two big areas in Eberron pertaining to the soul, that spending too much time in Dolurrh strips the soul of it's personality and experience so that, even if you could raise it, it wouldn't be that person anymore, and the origin of Warforged souls (that the creation forges forcibly remove a chunk of the oversoul and it's amalgamated knowledge, which is why a warforged can prove so skilled at virtually anything so shortly after "birth", the soul fragments aren't properly "cleaned" before being put into a mortal shell).
Interested to hear how you handle it (or even if you ever thought that far into it).
"What are your personal views on the nature of souls in Eberron?"
I posted the answer here at first, but then I decided to keep this thread to a place to ASK questions as opposed to clogging it with answers and discussions. So, I went ahead and answered this, but I added it to the existing Religion, Faith and Souls post instead of starting a new post.
Oh, and lest it go without saying: your idea seems perfectly sound to me. And with this or any subject, I hope that people will add to the blog posts with comments about what they have done in their own campaigns. As noted in the post, I have the vassals believing in a higher realm of the Sovereigns; that higher realm could simply be the Oversoul from your campaign.
There's a new post up at my site!
Nice! I like how you are going back and forth between detailed, longer entries and collections of shorter answers. It has kept me coming back and wanting more each time. Thanks for doing this!
Do you tend to run more sandbox games or pre-planned adventures (either your own creations or published stuff)? Can you go into some detail how you go about running a game for those of us that have not been lucky enough to travel to our city for Have Dice, Will Travel?
and related:
Any plans to come to Phoenix, Arizona so that I can try and convince you to run a game for me and my group?
I may return with questions. :D
Wait, I got one.
If the warforged have "reincarnated" souls of the dead and the ghulra were their dewey decimal system ID.... where would the card catalog be?
New lightning round Q&A up here. Warforged! The Tarrasque! d'Answers!
You linked the admin version and so we can't see it.
It looks like the correct link is this one.
You linked the admin version and so we can't see it. It looks like the correct link is this one.
Whoops! Fixed, but your link is also correct.
So, do the Riedrans as a whole consider Khorvaire to be culturally backward? (have Secrets of Sarlona, nothing's said about this). Or can I rule that the Riedrans are a bit decadent?
So, do the Riedrans as a whole consider Khorvaire to be culturally backward? (have Secrets of Sarlona, nothing's said about this). Or can I rule that the Riedrans are a bit decadent?
The following comes from the description of Dar San in Sharn: City of Towers -
Riedrans do not drink alcohol, nor do they use dreamlily or other narcotics; they view such behavior as an example of the corruption that grips Khorvaire.
Meanwhile, in Secrets of Sarlona, the relevant section is page 46-51. The most relevant quote would be...
While Riedrans rarely have concrete knowledge of other cultures, their opinions are shaped by dreams and stories. They know about the treacherous kalashtar, who are bound to demons and seek to undermine the Inspired. They know that the altavars hunger for innocent souls. They have even heard of the corrupt and violent people of Khorvaire, who destroyed an entire nation with war. Riedrans are thankful for the protection of the Inspired in such a dangerous world.
Now, CAN you rule that the Riedrans are decadant? Of course! Make them what you need them to be. But there's the canon links.
Spiritually decadent, maybe. :D
You can also draw a distinction between Riedran commoners and the Chosen. The Chosen are born to be Inspired and live an entirely separate life from the commoners; they certainly have more luxuries available to them.
Yeah. That's an awesome thought.
Another question: Kalataresh is one of the few Quori of this Age that isn't actually evil. Wouldn't be cool if he were Lawful Good? There is room for interpretation, but look at what he's doing: he's protecting his people. He feels that the Kalashtar are the traitors. He doesn't savor violence. He is truly concerned with Eberron.
(page 71 of Secrets of Sarlona). Based on this, Lord Kaltaresh is Lawful Good. If the other Chosen are in bloodlines that have access to a lot of luxuries, his line of Chosen would feel that it would be a great honor to be so, because in a small way they are helping him do a lot of good.
I often wonder what it would take for the Kalashtar to convince him that creating a Kalashtar line with one of the Chosen? Perhaps a total paradigm change, yes?
Another question: Kalataresh is one of the few Quori of this Age that isn't actually evil. Wouldn't be cool if he were Lawful Good? There is room for interpretation, but look at what he's doing: he's protecting his people. He feels that the Kalashtar are the traitors. He doesn't savor violence. He is truly concerned with Eberron.
Sure, but the two things I bolded are true of all of the quori. One of the things that makes the quori interesting as villains is that they ARE protecting their people. They believe that they MUST enslave humanity for their society to survive - and the Kalashtar are, in fact, attempting to commit genocide. Kaltaresh is concerned with the stability of Eberron and disturbed by the Mourning. He created the Edgewalkers to protect Riedra from planar incursions. But bear in mind that these are essentially the actions of a farmer making sure his battery hens are safe from the fox; at the end of the day, those hens are still laying eggs or going in the oven. Kaltaresh isn't cruel, but neither is he acting to give Riedrans greater freedom... at least as presented in canon.
Another question: Kalataresh is one of the few Quori of this Age that isn't actually evil. Wouldn't be cool if he were Lawful Good? There is room for interpretation, but look at what he's doing: he's protecting his people. He feels that the Kalashtar are the traitors. He doesn't savor violence. He is truly concerned with Eberron.
Sure, but the two things I bolded are true of all of the quori. One of the things that makes the quori interesting as villains is that they ARE protecting their people. They believe that they MUST enslave humanity for their society to survive - and the Kalashtar are, in fact, attempting to commit genocide. Kaltaresh is concerned with the stability of Eberron and disturbed by the Mourning. He created the Edgewalkers to protect Riedra from planar incursions. But bear in mind that these are essentially the actions of a farmer making sure his battery hens are safe from the fox; at the end of the day, those hens are still laying eggs or going in the oven. Kaltaresh isn't cruel, but neither is he acting to give Riedrans greater freedom... at least as presented in canon.
Not all Lawful Good is about creating Freedom. Sometimes, its wrapped up in maintaining the status quo.
Although I think the Schism in the Quori was, at first, an honest debate. However, as word spread to the Quori leaders, they find that the talk of a turning of an Age, and the turning evitable that they felt that it would take away their power. So, they attacked Taratai and her followers and drove them out.
Fear is what drives the Dreaming Dark, a deathly fear of genocide. It's nothing more than fear, that's what I see in the Dreaming Dark. Unfortunately, they have force of numbers. And a Minority 66 strong isn't going to make them see reason. The Dreaming Dark is a Conspiracy of FEAR rather than the control of a commodity used in the facilation of trade of other commodities.
Not all Lawful Good is about creating Freedom. Sometimes, its wrapped up in maintaining the status quo.
Right - but what is GOOD about what he is doing? He is protecting the people of Riedra. However, he has a selfish, personal interest in doing so: in doing so, he ensures the survival of his race. He isn't behaving in a cruel manner, but neither is he acting to make things better than they already are. Which is why I set him as neutral rather than good. The next question is what he will be willing to do in order to preserve his people. In comparing Aurala and Kaius, my point is that Kaius will murder, torture, or imprison anyone if it's what he has to do in the service of the greater good. Aurala won't. In her opinion, the ends don't justify the means. What makes her good is her conviction that torture is wrong, regardless of its cause. Kaltaresh won't torture himself, but he's perfectly willing to be part of the machine that will - and he's been part of that machine for over a thousand years. You could certainly play it as a sudden change of heart and conviction that he needs to do more - but I think it would be hard to have held a long-term position of authority among the quori with a good alignment.
However, as word spread to the Quori leaders, they find that the talk of a turning of an Age, and the turning evitable that they felt that it would take away their power.
Well, as long as we're talking canon, remember that we're not simply talking about loss of power. We are talking about loss of identity as well. No modern quori remembers the age that came before, nor will they remember the one that comes after. Even if it is an age of light, the Kalashtar quori are products of this dark time and their spirits will be reborn as something new, as well. Think of it as forced reincarnation. The spiritual energy that composes them will remain in a new form, but all memory will be gone, which might just as well be death. The kalashtar maintain that it's best to let this cycle take its course, and that the next age will be better for all reality. The Dreaming Dark is absolutely driven by fear, because no one knows when the age will turn or what lies beyond... but that fear is based on the absolute destruction of their civilization.
... And of course a side note is that it's entirely appropriate for the quori to be driven by fear, because particularly in the case of the tsucora quori, that's what they ARE: living nightmares, embodiments of fear. Just sayin'.
Who, exactly, is Sora-Kell? I believe you mentioned somewhere that she was the First Hag, though beyond that I haven't heard much about Sora-Kell herself.
Alongside that, what exactly are her daughters motives, in your version of Eberron, at least?
Who, exactly, is Sora-Kell? I believe you mentioned somewhere that she was the First Hag, though beyond that I haven't heard much about Sora-Kell herself.
Hi Aeith! The Daughters will be the subject of a full post in upcoming weeks, and I'll address the question of motives there. However, the first question is easily answered, as Sora Kell is described in this Dragonshard article.
Who, exactly, is Sora-Kell? I believe you mentioned somewhere that she was the First Hag, though beyond that I haven't heard much about Sora-Kell herself.
Hi Aeith! The Daughters will be the subject of a full post in upcoming weeks, and I'll address the question of motives there. However, the first question is easily answered, as Sora Kell is described in this Dragonshard article.
Wonderful! Thanks a lot, Keith.
BTW. I have chosen that my D&D playtest will be set in Eberron, Keith.
If you want to know what happens, you'll know where to look at it. Where might eladrin who don't live in Feyspires--eladrin who maybe have been living in Khorvaire for generations--fit into Khorvarian society? Would they organize in small communities that kept to themselves? Would it be likely that any exist in Valenar or Aerenal as minority members of society? If they were members of House Thuranni or Phiarlan, would there be any important distinctions between them and the more common elves?
When interacting with Khorvariains, how do the Inspired present themselves? What about the Chosen? Do the Quori and the Chosen take any pleasure out of living in the 'real' world through their hosts, or do they see it as an unpleasant necessity?
Is it likely Sarlonans many any attempts to colonize Khorvaire before the mass migrations?
In canon Eberron, I do not see the Eladrin as being a statistically significant factor in most population centers. In Sharn you might have a single Eladrin family. As with Dragonborn and Tieflings, they exist but have not had a dramatic impact on the culture or history of the Five Nations. With that said, that's canon, and I'll be happy to discuss other approaches I might take in a future Q&A article.
As for "Do the Quori and the Chosen take any pleasure out of living in the 'real' world through their hosts, or do they see it as an unpleasant necessity?" That depends entirely on the individual Quori, Some undoubtedly do, whether they take pleasure in the alternate physical experience or in the game of manipulating mortals. Others likely see it as a necessary duty. But I don't think one rule can apply to all Quori. Again, I'll discuss this in more detail in the future.
1) If a Cannith heir cracked the method of binding elementals, what would the fallout of that be? Would it spark a Hatfield-McCoy type feud? What side (if any) would any nations or other Dragonmarked Houses take?
2) Do the dragons of Argonnessen consider the quori/Inspired invasion a threat? Do they consider beings from another plane to be part of the prophecy? What would drive them to action against the Quori?
1) If a Cannith heir cracked the method of binding elementals, what would the fallout of that be? Would it spark a Hatfield-McCoy type feud? What side (if any) would any nations or other Dragonmarked Houses take?
Do you mean that the Heir cracks it and then makes the technique wide-known among the House? Or just cracks it and is about to? If it isn't extensive public knowledge that the heir figured it out then I assume the Trust would try to kill the Heir, but if the heir has already spread the knowledge throughout the House... I wonder how far the Trust is willing to go? The Gnomes survive by not making anyone angry enough to attack them, their alliance with Breland, and their spy networks. They can't just start an open conflict with one of the Houses without facing serious sanctions from every nation in Khorvaire.
I wonder how many "accidents" Cannith researchers could suffer before Cannith hires Thuranni agents to let the Trust know just how dangerous crossing the Gorgon is...
Actually that makes me wonder just how 'proactive' the Trust really is. What kind of targets is the Trust usually dealing with and how often do they act against citizens of other nations?
1) If a Cannith heir cracked the method of binding elementals, what would the fallout of that be? Would it spark a Hatfield-McCoy type feud? What side (if any) would any nations or other Dragonmarked Houses take?
Do you mean that the Heir cracks it and then makes the technique wide-known among the House? Or just cracks it and is about to? If it isn't extensive public knowledge that the heir figured it out then I assume the Trust would try to kill the Heir, but if the heir has already spread the knowledge throughout the House... I wonder how far the Trust is willing to go? The Gnomes survive by not making anyone angry enough to attack them, their alliance with Breland, and their spy networks. They can't just start an open conflict with one of the Houses without facing serious sanctions from every nation in Khorvaire.
I wonder how many "accidents" Cannith researchers could suffer before Cannith hires Thuranni agents to let the Trust know just how dangerous crossing the Gorgon is...
Actually that makes me wonder just how 'proactive' the Trust really is. What kind of targets is the Trust usually dealing with and how often do they act against citizens of other nations?
Ya I meant the scenario where Cannith figures out how to bind elementals, so the house as a group knows. Thinking about it I would think the gnomes would be powerless to do anything about it. Not that they couldnt try an assassination or two, or even succeed. But politically NO ONE else can afford to alienate themselves with House Cannith, nations need them in case the current cold war ever goes hot, and the dragonmarked houses need them for items to keep their competitive advantage. On the other hand no one really needs Zilargo.
As with Dragonborn and Tieflings, they exist but have not had a dramatic impact on the culture or history of the Five Nations. With that said, that's canon, and I'll be happy to discuss other approaches I might take in a future Q&A article.
Considering what you wrote about the eladrin in your novel, the influence of the eladrin might actually be relatively big (compared to their population numbers anyway) through fueling fairy tales and inadverently influencing events by empowering the right person at the right time ;) Mind you, they have to compete with all the other (super)natural forces doing the same thing.
Considering what you wrote about the eladrin in your novel, the influence of the eladrin might actually be relatively big (compared to their population numbers anyway) through fueling fairy tales and inadverently influencing events by empowering the right person at the right time.
Oh, certainly. My point is that they aren't a recognized racial group. I'll point out that in that novel, during the Citadel briefing, Drix (who's lived in a feyspire) is the only one who even knows the word "Eladrin." Which implies that there isn't an Eladrin deli down on King Street in Wroat.
Looking to Aerenal, if I wanted to work eladrin in I wouldn't do it by immigration. Rather, I'd play off the fact that the elves are supposed to in fact be descended from the eladrin by way of giant transmutation and say that there remains a highly recessive eladrin gene - so that there are a handful of eladrin scattered through Aerenal, but they are culuturally entirely Aereni.
If a Cannith heir cracked the method of binding elementals, what would the fallout of that be? Would it spark a Hatfield-McCoy type feud? What side (if any) would any nations or other Dragonmarked Houses take?
I've combine this with other questions and answered it here.
The notes on the Trust and Sivis, makes me wonder how Phiarlann/Thuranni all fit in this. Their main source of income is art (loved the school of dancing and etiquette in Wroat that was practically required material for Breland rich that my DM used even if just as background description), but how do you deal with commercial spying, sabotage and assassinations if all the major players are either allies (the other Houses) or potential customers? Or do they work like the Trust, gather secrets proactively and than sell them to the various people? How selective are they for that matter? The spy bussiness is a quick way to really anger people, so as a legal commercial business I doubt they would simply sell secrets to the highest bidders.
The notes on the Trust and Sivis, makes me wonder how Phiarlann/Thuranni all fit in this... how do you deal with commercial spying, sabotage and assassinations if all the major players are either allies (the other Houses) or potential customers?
This is touched on in the Phiarlan dragonshards. To begin with, they are selective in what jobs they take and what information they reveal. "From a purely financial standpoint, the house could survive without selling the services of its spies. But there is more to the world than gold... By choosing what jobs to accept and which to decline, the Serpentine Table has the power to shape Khorvaire." Another important point concerns assassination: "Assassination requires excellent justification, and the house never kills or kidnaps a client in good standing -- one of the reasons rulers prefer to work with the house instead of against it." If it makes more sense to you, you could extend this client protection further, and says that they won't actually reveal secrets of clients who pay a sufficient amount; essentially, a protection racket, but there it is. If this were the case, it would be a matter of them declining the assignment as opposed to revealing false information, of course.
A secondary element is that they are a neutral force, and they are upfront about that. Which is to say, they don't pretend to be your friend. If you want to find out something about someone and they take the job, they'll help you. But if someone else hires them to find out information about you, they will help them. That's what they are. If you can't accept that, don't use them or even go to war with them - but they will still be out there helping your enemies, and for that matter, if you're not a client, that takes you off that protected "no-hit" list.
The Serpentine Table certainly does obtain information proactively. It's worth calling out a quote from another of the Phiarlan dragonshards: "To a large degree the leaders of the house see themselves as agents of balance, evening the odds between opponents and exposing feuds that would otherwise fester and grow." On the one hand, this plays into their actual paying work. On the other, it also ties to the fact that they may choose to reveal information freely, in order to set certain events in motion; essentially, you could throw a certain element of Wikileaks into Phiarlan, which helps to differentiate it from the Trust, Citadel, or other purely selfish intelligence agencies.
There is also the fact that Phiarlan has no legal dispensation to break the law. If their agents are caught, the house will disavow them and they will suffer the consequences for their actions. As a result, Phiarlan simply may not take an assignment because it's not worth risking the lives of the agents. The same is true of any other spy agency, but given that the Trust/Citadel/Royal Eyes is acting for the good of its nation and is prepared to place those agents on the line, in situations where Phiarlan simply says "Nope, not worth it."
So let's pose an example: "Why hasn't Cannith hired Phiarlan to steal the secrets of elemental binding from Zilargo?" Here's a few possible answers.
* Phiarlan refused because it's simply too dangerous; they don't want to place their agents in the path of the Trust or create a long-term vendetta.
* Phiarlan refused because Sivis pays them a retainer to leave the subject alone.
* Phiarlan refused because it feels that the current situation places a valuable limit on Cannith's power and has no interest in breaking the monopoly.
* Phiarlan agreed and has in fact acquired the basic techniques and/or a sample of the shards required, but Cannith either a) still needs to build testing facilities or b) already did and this had all the consequences mentioned in the post, so they dropped it.
Part of it is like the Jhereg in Stephen Brust's Taltos books. The power players know what they do. They know, more or less, the rules that they play by - the jobs they will take and the jobs they won't. They have a sense of what information is likely to be revealed by Phiarlan and what isn't. And if you want to keep something safe, invest in more counter-intelligence... Medani, Deneith, and Kundarak will be happy to help you there.
My last point is one of scale. Elemental binding is a vital element of Zilargo's trade. Loss of this monopoly would be a serious blow. Hence the degree they will go to protect it and the likihood that Phiarlan will avoid it. On the other hand, if Phiarlan steals a particular book from the Library of Korranberg - well, the Trust will kill the agent if they can catch him, but if he gets away with it that won't start a deadly vendetta with Phiarlan; again, that's what Phiarlan does, it's a known fact, and hey, he beat the odds to get it. The general response would be "Let's improve security - next time, we'll get that guy!" Heck, they could even hire Thuranni to get the book back. I say Thuranni because while it's the Trust's job to stop a crime from occuring, once they've gotten away with it and gotten the book out of Zilargo, they've gotten away with it. The Trust has assassins and agents across Khorvaire, but it's not going to risk exposing or endangering them to pursue a simple criminal. But Thuranni would be happy to take that job for the Library!
All good questions, SC. They'll get dropped behind Sora Kell and the dwarves in the queue, but I will add them to the list. With that said, I'll give you a few quick answers:
In canon Eberron, I do not see the Eladrin as being a statistically significant factor in most population centers. In Sharn you might have a single Eladrin family. As with Dragonborn and Tieflings, they exist but have not had a dramatic impact on the culture or history of the Five Nations. With that said, that's canon, and I'll be happy to discuss other approaches I might take in a future Q&A article.
As for "Do the Quori and the Chosen take any pleasure out of living in the 'real' world through their hosts, or do they see it as an unpleasant necessity?" That depends entirely on the individual Quori, Some undoubtedly do, whether they take pleasure in the alternate physical experience or in the game of manipulating mortals. Others likely see it as a necessary duty. But I don't think one rule can apply to all Quori. Again, I'll discuss this in more detail in the future.
Thank you!
So I have a questions spawned by an event in my campaign. If Boranel died and Lord Rukin made a bid to end the monarchy, could you speculate as to the reaction of the royal family? Would Boranel's brother or any of his children resist such a measure. I know from the books that many of them are not particularly keen to take up the throne, but what if the choice came down to that or seeing the monarchy entirely done away with? And finally, if the royal family did resist the measure, how would the conflict be resolved within the political system? In other words, could they stop it if they wanted to?
Currently, the queue includes a post on the Daughters of Sora Kell and another lightning round, but the nobility of Eberron is next up after that. I'll add this to that queue.
I suddenly want to play a campaign with all the players as Droamish monsters in service to the Daughters, keeping the Warlord's in check and assist the Daask-... I will never get that out of my head now.
Anyway, two things caught my eye: You mentioned that the Night Hags deal with Dreams and served as messengers and ambassadors during the Age of Fiends.
Could the Hags have allies in Sarlona (Possibly in the Horned Shadow) and how exactly do they Dream/travel to Dal Quor (Are there any differences to normal Dreaming?)? What did/do the Dragons and Rakshasa think of the Hags during and after the Age of Demons?
... I ask many questions. :X
On another note, I'm thinking I should re-flavour Baba-Yaga's Hut to fit Katra, Teraza or even Sora-Kell herself-... So many ideas on how to alter it! :P
New Eberron Q&A up on HDWT: Droaam and the Daughters of Sora Kell!
This was a great read, I'm always a fan of more info on the 'monster' societies.
Do representitives from Adar / Kalashtar not speak to the nations of Khorvaire? Do they not say 'Hey guys Riedra is ruled by extra planar denizeniens bent on world (means everyone) domination, we should do something!'. Does no one care?
I just answered this here.
Having read the recent Eye on Eberron article (www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/d...), I am curious, how do you deal with subtle villains in your campaign? Personally I always have problems representing highly intelligent subtle villains in a for me believable way and still give the PCs a sense of victory. Run correctly, how would the PCs ever realize the so-called good organization is evil without that organization making a silly mistake, especially since most PCs are not sublte/astute themselves and the quori have plans spanning decades not the the months that involve the typical D&D campaign? I could use NPCs of course, but how would you prevent this feeling like the DM telling the PCs what to do?
That's an excellent question I'll be happy to address in the future, since it obviously applies to a lot of Eberron's factions. In the meantime, this week's Q&A actually has a question for all of you.
And why is Lyrander putting in so much rescources in having a secondary, or soon to be main base of operations in Valenar? No one like them, it'd be like Apple opening up a new campus in North Korea. "Yeah, the facilities great, but there's a good chance the locals might kill you before you get there."
What does Valenar want? As in, Droam wants recognition as a real country, Darguul wants to remake the Dhakaan Empire, Aundair wants to remake Galifar, Thrane wants to spread the faith, Jaela wants a pony... Why did Vadallia need or want to create his own country? Is he trying to one up his ancestors who conquered Aerenal by eventually conquering Khorvaire? Some sort of disagreement with the elves across the pond? I realize the Valaes Tairn are tribal, and operate on a warband as opposed to a warclan level, but there has to be more to the Darkwood Crown then just setting up a base of operations so his followers have someplace to go after they raid and annoy his neighbors. I hope.
And why is Lyrander putting in so much rescources in having a secondary, or soon to be main base of operations in Valenar? No one like them, it'd be like Apple opening up a new campus in North Korea. "Yeah, the facilities great, but there's a good chance the locals might kill you before you get there."
I'm also very interested in the answers to these two questions.
What does Valenar want?
I'm puzzled, because I'd swear I've written about this in a canon source, but I'm having trouble finding it. You may also want to check the comments of the current Q&A post on my website, as it discusses Valenar a bit.
You can of course come up with any answer you like to this question. However, mine is simple. The Valenar want to face the same sort of challenge as that faced by their ancestors. Mercenary work isn't that. Kingdom building isn't that. Their ancestors fought a guerilla war against a superior foe. They survived through skill, cunning, and knowledge of the land. This is what the Valenar want. They don't want to invade another nation; that's not what their ancestors did. They have spent decades learning about the territory they have claimed, learning its twists, learning to live off of it, considering ambush points, setting magical traps. They have no interest in Valenar as a long-term investment; for them it is a killing field waiting to happen. Everything Vadallia has done - from seizing the territory from Cyre in the first place, to allowing the raiding - is geared towards provoking someone into attacking THEM. They want a superior foe to challenge them on their home ground. On this note, bear in mind that almost all of the civilian population of the Valaes Tairn - children, horse-breeders, and so on - live on Aerenal. Valenar isn't a home to them; it's a battlefield waiting to happen. This is why they're perfectly happy to let Lyrandar do what they want with it - long term, the elves aren't interested in ruling a kingdom.
This may make them sound incredibly callous - they are slaughtering halflings as part of some big game? First, as noted in the Q&A discussion, they generally don't massacre people on their raids in the Talenta Plains or Q'barra. They aren't out for blood, and it doesn't help their cause. The point of raiding a Q'barran village is to have villagers terrified of them, demanding that something be done and thus causing attention to their actions. If the villagers are all dead or the village is razed, a) dead villagers tell no tales and b) there isn't a village to raid next week. Damage will be done and people may die - but that's not their goal in an attack, and they definitely don't want to hurt a target so badly that it can't recover and be around later. In the case of the halflings, perhaps if they fight enough times the halflings will gow seasoned from the experience and become worthy foes; again, slaughtering them accomplishes nothing.
However, beyond this we get to the important part: the why. WHY do the Tairnadal fight at all? It's not for glory or honor; these are secondary and only apply to certain ancestors. They fight because it is their religious duty to fight - because by acting as their ancestors would in their place, they believe that they are keeping the ancestors alive. It's a blend of the kalashtar (spirit preserved by being connected to mortal hosts) and deathless (entity preserved by reverence of descendants). The Tairnadal believe that the spirits of their heroic ancestors are anchored to those they have chosen, and remain anchored so long as the chosen emulate them. This is where you can get conflicts when an elf is chosen by a patron ancestor whose behavior he doesn't particularly like; it is still his religious duty to embody that specific ancestor, because they cannot allow those heroes to be lost.
And why is Lyrander putting in so much rescources in having a secondary, or soon to be main base of operations in Valenar? No one like them, it'd be like Apple opening up a new campus in North Korea. "Yeah, the facilities great, but there's a good chance the locals might kill you before you get there."
I'm not sure I understand the question. What do you mean by "No one likes them"? Have you read The People of Taer Valaestas ? It mentions the Lyrandar viceroy sitting at the right hand of the High King. There is a segment of the human population that dislikes the Khoravar as a whole, but most of their hostility is channelled against the thrones ("thrones" from Thronehold, a derogatory term for the people of the Five Nations). More important are the population numbers: Khoravar make up over a third of the population of the city! And hold most of the high level jobs. Setting aside its mercantile goals, Lyrandar sees Vaenar as an opportunity for Lyrandar to create a nation for its race. All the elves care about is fighting. If the Five Nations want to challenge Lyrandar for breaking the Korth Edicts, they'll have to go through the Valenar... Which the Valenar would LOVE. Stormhome is great, but at the end of the day it's in Aundair and closely watched. Valenar is an opportunity for Lyrandar to create a new kingdom.
You ask:
What’s your favorite nation in Khorvaire? Why?What’s your least favorite nation?
From what perspective? I love the variation between the countries which makes each of them useful depending on the type of campaign (theme, mood, style) you want to run. It makes it very difficult to pick a favorite and a least favorite since it depends greatly on the moment ;)
If I have to pick something, my least favorite would be Breland (excluding Sharn) since it can be a bit boring. Nothing special happens here except the conflict between anarchists, democracy and there being no good candidate to replace the king. There is the potential of clash with Droaam. Neither of these conflicts are particularly pressing, and require some DM work to bring to the forth.
My favorite would be Thrane. I am a big fan of the inherent conflict in the Silver Flame church, its duality due to the demon in the flame and whether or not the Church should actually rule the country. Depending on the type of campaign I want, I can run a really black-and-white type of campaign, or a really grey one. Mind you, the players in the campaign I am currently running tend to run rather anti-authorian, anti-religious types of characters, so I would likely not run a campaign set in Thrane for them.
And what I meant by "no one likes them" is that the nation of Valenar is seen by many of the other nations as an unstable region ruled by a warlike people with, apparently, a kind of collective deathwish. They don't really want their nation to die, of course, but they are actively trying to piss off a strong army to fight with, and that would make me worry for the nation's future and Lyrander's place in it. Of course, when your surrounded by the most elite army on the continent, maybe that's not really a worry. And sometimes making a new nation for the Khoravar means taking risks.
I read al the expedition dispatches and the dragonshards to try and make sure I'm not reasking you questions you've already answered. And the Tairndal love story that goes into patron ancestors.
What is the government of Tairndal like? The Tairndal have their own relationship with the Undying court, but do they serve the Undying Court or have their own seperate government in Aerenal? And what does this government (either Undying Court or Tairndal king) think of Vadallia declaring himself King of Valenar? Is he still a vassal of whoevers in charge in Aerenal? Or since they are not that interested in actually being a nation, is Vadallia declaring himself king more like declaring he's Supreme War Leader of the Tairndal forces in Khorvaire?
What is the government of Tairndal like? The Tairndal have their own relationship with the Undying court, but do they serve the Undying Court or have their own seperate government in Aerenal? And what does this government (either Undying Court or Tairndal king) think of Vadallia declaring himself King of Valenar? Is he still a vassal of whoevers in charge in Aerenal? Or since they are not that interested in actually being a nation, is Vadallia declaring himself king more like declaring he's Supreme War Leader of the Tairndal forces in Khorvaire?
I can't go into this in detail, but in brief:
The Tairnadal and the Aereni split shortly after settling on Aerenal. In part this was because they came from radically different backgrounds on Xen'drik - the ancestors of the Tairnadal were nomadic warriors on Xen'drik, as described in the ancestors article. The Tairnadal and Aereni have treated one another with respect and joined forces to fight the dragons, but they are culturally distinct and the Tairnadal aren't bound to the Undying Court.
Tairnadal culture is based around the warclans, with the Siyal Marrain and the Keepers of the Past serving as the unifying force that mediates disputes and provides guidance. Each warclan has its own leaders; there is no single Tairnadal king. Common projects between warclans are arranged diplomatically. In the case of Valenar, Vadallia (a leader within his own clan) approached the other clans and convinced them to join his mission. So Vadallia already WAS the supreme war leader of the Tairnadal forces in Khorvaire, and the motive force behind their coming to Khorvaire to begin with. As for Vadallia declaring himself "High King", really it's a sort of fun game for the Valenar. They don't want a kingdom. It's something they're doing because it's what people expect them to do - create a country so someone will eventually coem and take it away. Vadallia is enjoying being "king", but the role that truly matters is the one he had all along - war leader.
As for "Why was Vadallia a leader in his clan", this ties to the Tairnadal faith. Essentially, the original Vadallia was a famous war leader. Shaeras Vadallia is seen as the purest embodiment of her in the present age (something he acheived over the course of two centuries of devotion). Thus, when he suggests a course of action that it seems like Vadallia would have approved of, it's the religious duty of the Tairnadal whose patron ancestors served Vadallia on Xen'drik to serve with her avatar in the present.
One question (and apologies if this has been answered elsewhere), what motivations would an elf from a Valenar war-clan have to join a standard party of (non-Valenar) adventurers? Would he consider it a form of training, maybe gathering information and resources to help the war effort (when war is declared)?
Another idea is in his Crossing Valenar dispatches where he talks about a Valenar elf getting an Aberrant Dragonmark, and how that clashes with their religion. That would be a good excuse for an elf to leave his homeland.
First, who's the best? And since "best" is pretty subjective, lets go with: Who has the best intelligence gathering operations? Who's the best at direct action (Assassination, Extraction...). And which nation is the worst? A Trust agent, a Black Lantern, A Silent Knife, and a Phiarlan Shadow meet in a dark alley, who leaves (Thorn is not alowed to participate)? Who's James Bond and who's Jason Bourne?
And with all these agencies around, how much of the truly scary stuff are they aware of? Like the Dreaming Dark, Lords of Dust, Chamber, etc? In the Thorn of Breland series, the Dark Lanters seemed pretty clueless about supernatural threats like 'thropes and fallen angels, even when said fallen angels are underneath their feet, but when it comes to shoving a dagger into someone's throat, stand back!
Who does Thrane's intelligence agency report to, the Keeper or the Cardinals? If they're being dispatched to handle supernatural threats, it seems like it would be the Keeper, but I can't see Jaela ordering a hit.
And thanks for still being so involved in Eberron! Your fans appreciate it.
I have some questions on the intelligence agencies in Eberron and the Shadow War.
First, who's the best? And since "best" is pretty subjective, lets go with: Who has the best intelligence gathering operations? Who's the best at direct action (Assassination, Extraction...). And which nation is the worst? A Trust agent, a Black Lantern, A Silent Knife, and a Phiarlan Shadow meet in a dark alley, who leaves (Thorn is not alowed to participate)? Who's James Bond and who's Jason Bourne?
I'm hesitant to answer because its Keith's thread, but I think that'd make for a good thread in and of itself. Its probably best not to think of any one intelligence operation as "The Best" though, because it marginalizes a player choosing one or the other, as being part of the 'lesser' group.
Maybe a good way to think of it is along the lines of specializations. The Trust is the best with subtle influence (affecting situations without their involvement being known), the Silent Knives are the best assassins, the Phiarlan are the best at gathering information, and the Dark Lanterns have the agents most capable in a stand up fight without the aid of surprise.
Which isn't to say the Trust gnomes aren't quite capable in a fight or the Dark Lanterns don't understand subtlety, just that there are some broad specializations each organization could claim to do better.
But maybe I should rephrase the question. Like: Who's the most active on the world stage? Who's the most likely to make something,anything, happen?
And personally, I like the the underdog, so knowing who's the best means knowing who I'm up against, not who I'm playing
Like being the last member of the Cyre SAD (Special Activities Division) up against the Chamber.I can help with that Vaelorn. Check out the Valenar Elves Dragonshard, Keith gives three excellent examples at the end.
Another idea is in his Crossing Valenar dispatches where he talks about a Valenar elf getting an Aberrant Dragonmark, and how that clashes with their religion. That would be a good excuse for an elf to leave his homeland.
Great! Thanks - I'll check those out!
I have some questions on the intelligence agencies in Eberron and the Shadow War.
I'll provide answers when I have time (and I could swear I've had this specific discussion earlier on the forums, which is why I'm trying to consolidate these Q&As on my site).
Until then, I'd suggest moving further discussion on the subject to a new thread on the subject - ideally this thread should just be questions, and the more discussion there is the more chance that I'll miss a question when I skim through looking for things to answer!
And with all these agencies around, how much of the truly scary stuff are they aware of? Like the Dreaming Dark, Lords of Dust, Chamber, etc?
The theory is "not much" - because it's more interesting if your PCs are the ones who discover these things as opposed to having everyone just say "Oh, yeah, we already knew about that." How is this possible? Bear in mind the following...
* Most of these organizations rarely move directly; they act through pawns. When a Chamber dragon somehow is exposed, that tells you "Huh, there was a shapechanged dragon in Sharn" - it's hardly an immediate step to conclude "There must be a vast network of shapechanged dragons manipulating us at every turn!"
* Most have pawns IN all the major intelligence agencies, among other things for the direct purpose of surpressing reports about them.
* As with discussion about the kalashtar and the Dreaming Dark, most don't want to expose the others, because it will either cause mass panic or raise awareness and potentially expose their own actions. expose the Chamber and you can trace its actions to the force it's been opposing.
Who does Thrane's intelligence agency report to, the Keeper or the Cardinals? If they're being dispatched to handle supernatural threats, it seems like it would be the Keeper, but I can't see Jaela ordering a hit.
First, as with the Templars and Knights of Thrane, Thrane has separate secular and religious agencies. The church's deals with supernatural threats across the continent, the nation's with national security.
The theory is "not much" - because it's more interesting if your PCs are the ones who discover these things as opposed to having everyone just say "Oh, yeah, we already knew about that."
I'm actually very lucky in that my current group is new to Eberron. So, they don't just say, "Oh, undead? Order of the Emerald Claw." or stuff of that nature. They have been doing reading, but I've also been muddying the waters by being very selective as to which groups are active in the campaign. For example, I have eliminated the Lords of Dust as an organization (insofar as much as it is an organization in the first place), and the EC is not actively messing in the metaplot. Similarly, the Chamber doesn't exist, and the Dreaming Dark is not active either.
So, because I'm not doing a "kichen sink" with this group, and because they're new, the next Eberron game they're in will be new. Different foes. Probably the Emerald Claw-leading-to-Dreaming-Dark-scheme plot.
Anyways. My question would be.....what is the level of trade that runs between the nations?
On a completely unrelated note, why are Eberronian Elves unable to dream?
Because they don't sleep?
On a completely unrelated note, why are Eberronian Elves unable to dream?
Because they don't sleep?
But it is an interesting question on WHY the elves don't sleep. Is it because the eladrin are not from this world, and hence never sleep, or is it a defensive mechanic through a large scale ritual performed by eladrin and elves after the war between the Quori and the giants? It is something we recently discussed in our HC since it appears the Dreaming Dark is at least involved with the main villain. Of course, we also had some trouble with mindflayers and Lords of Dust, and it raised the question on whether they slepts and dreamt and if so how their interaction was with the Quori ;)
As for the question, I was under the (apparently wrong) assumption that even in older editions, it was only High Elves who tranced, and that your normal Elf simply slept.
That being said, I tend to operate under the 4th edition as my default, in which Elves aren't described as trancing, confused as to why not now that I've read up on it.
Why the Elves/Drow/Eladrin don't sleep is an interesting question. Given the 4e idea that they are all connected to Thelanis, I thought it was a planar thing, but then there's the Gnomes. The storybook nature of Thelanis could mean it could be connected to a specific event rather than simple biology.
If it is biological, perhaps they simply don't need sleep to restore the body, so trancing is a way of restoring the mind.
Did Elves in the older editions have resistance to Magic induced sleep? If not, I'd rule them as capable of dreaming in such a way.
Oh, and what's a Valenar warhound? Is it just a dog? or a super speedy dog to keep up with their horses?
I think you mean Undying sheep, Ogiwan.
Good catch. I was thinking of conventional fantasy Elves, not Eberron Aerneri Elves.
If I'm understanding their religion correctly, they believe that they merge with their mount in Dollurh, and together they have the power to return to Eberron to guide their people as ancestor spirits. So, if that's true, do they ever materialize in any substantial way on Eberron? The Tairnadal ancestors are able to influence their avatars, anything similar for the halflings?
What would a Talenta Halfling consider a sacred site?
The Talenta were around previous to humans arriving on Khorvaire; were they around during the Dhakkani Empire, or was their culture still in its infancy similar to the gnomes?
With Krezent located in the Talenta plains, is there any history of Silver Flame worship, perhaps as a barbaric offshoot similar to the Kalok Shash?
Do the Talenta have any history fighting the Lords of Dust trying to get to Kreznet, or do they have a history of being infiltrated by the Lords of Dust and used to siege Kreznet? And, to quote the dragonshard, if the shulasskar are so noble and wise, why do the halflings fear them?
A somewhat random question. Do you prefer the view of Xoriat as 'the Realm of Madness' or 'the Far Realm that happens to cause madness'? If it's the latter, how might this fit with the other Planes, is Daanvi the Plane of Order or simply an Ordered Plane?
I far prefer the view of it as the Realm of Madness. In my opinion, the thirteen planes are pillars of reality, and each influences Eberron and is influenced by it. Every creature that dreams has a connection to Dal Quor, which is the reason the Dreaming Dark is working to control Eberron. Likewise, every creature that has the potential for madness has a connection to Xoriat - which, at proper levels, can simply be a source of inspiration. This is also why both planes are associated with psionic powers. A psion drawing on the energies of Dal Quor to mold reality as if it was a dream; a wilder is drawing on the raw energies of Xoriat.
However, while I maintain that the 13 planes are the pillars of reality, that doesn't mean that they are the only planes - that you can't have "an ordered plane" in addition to the Plane of Order. Case in point, the Eye on Eberron article casts Baator in exactly this role: a demiplane created as a prison for rebelious celestials and fiends, NOT a major plane. This of course contradicts the 4E plane section, but hey, pick the one you prefer.
Do you see Xoriat as something that could be visited and, with scars to a character's sanity, used within an adventure?
Case in point, the Eye on Eberron article casts Baator in exactly this role: a demiplane created as a prison for rebelious celestials and fiends, NOT a major plane. This of course contradicts the 4E plane section, but hey, pick the one you prefer.
I always couldn't really wrap my head around Xoriat as something other than a plane, though if it was a plane, it would mess up the setting's Arc Number.
Do you see Xoriat as something that could be visited and, with scars to a character's sanity, used within an adventure?
Certainly. I see Xoriat as just like Dal Quor. People visit it every day. The voices a schizophrenic hears comes from Xoriat. An artist's wild inspiration may come from Xoriat... or Dal Quor, or Thelanis. Yet it is also possible to physically visit any of these places through the use of magic - or manifest zones, which are themselves magical. Stepping physically into a place like Dal Quor is very different from going there in your dreams, and far more dangerous, and the same is true of Xoriat. But certainly: just as a mind flayer or daelkyr can step out of madness and into reality, it's possible for you to go in the other direction.
It's also worth noting that Eberron isn't the only physical world around. It's been noted that the daelkyr destroy worlds as a form of art, and that the Gith are the remnants of a previous world that they visited. How this applies to you game is of course up to you, but if there are mortal creatures (like Gith) on a world, I'd expect that world to have ties to Dal Quor, Xoriat, and all the other core planes; again, what defines a "real world" is that it is a blend of all of those cardinal elements.
I always couldn't really wrap my head around Xoriat as something other than a plane, though if it was a plane, it would mess up the setting's Arc Number.
Only in 4E. In 3.5 it's part of the Arc Number. 4E muddied the issue by calling Baator a plane, which is why I threw out a different take in the EoE.
It's also worth noting that Eberron isn't the only physical world around. It's been noted that the daelkyr destroy worlds as a form of art, and that the Gith are the remnants of a previous world that they visited. How this applies to you game is of course up to you, but if there are mortal creatures (like Gith) on a world, I'd expect that world to have ties to Dal Quor, Xoriat, and all the other core planes; again, what defines a "real world" is that it is a blend of all of those cardinal elements.
I like to think that the World of the Gith lacked a connection to Thelanis. This meant that it was vastly lacking in the Arcane, while strong in Psionics, naturally their reliance on the Mind spelt their downfall as insanity overtook them.
That being said, I do find Alternate Primes a difficult concept to grasp, when the Planes are mixed in that is. Regardless, thanks for shedding light on these matters in Eberron!
"Eberron string theory"
Imagine each plane as a string of christmas lights. Now toss all of those strings into a cardboard box. Leave that box alone on a shelf for 11 months, then open it to reveal a jumbled mess of a universe. Each strand is separate but in points there are impossible knots bonding them to other stands. And in one massive cluster-flup is a material world, Eberron. It's tied to all, or most, of the strands and is magically solid. Hense the leading magical theory by Eberron decorators that if festive lights are stored in a cardboard box for any period of time, three dragons will tie them all together in a massive knot as soon as your not looking. In fact there is a small cult on the mountaintops that beilieve the end of the world will begin with the "great attempted unraveling" followed by the " great cursing" and finally the " not as great chucking in a bin and running off to the store to buy new decorations"
Anway an alt prime is just another big knot.
Great job, Keith!
I just have to wonder if anyone's ever done a large scale Eberron Planescape campaign, err, by which I mean a game revolving around the Thirteen Planes, not using the actual Planescape setting. That said, I have to wonder how Sigil might work in Eberron.
This might have been answered before, but why are the Zil Gnomes such master ship builders? I know that their mastery of elemental binding is associated with their mastery of alchemy, and the suberterfuge extends from their prediliction to illusion magic, but how did they get so good at building ships? And why is it important to them?
Their skill at it comes from the fact that it is important to them: that it's something their culture places a high value on and thus has devoted time and resources to perfecting. Why is it important? Because what the Zil value about all things is knowledge. They want to know everything - and that means that exploration and interaction with other cultures are vital. They are the finest cartographers of the world, in part because they have done their best to go everywhere it's possible to go. It was Sivis who made contact with Tharashk and brought them into the Twelve. And for that matter, elemental binding was inspired by the discovery of Sulat ruins in Xen'drik.
By contrast, humanity has approached travel from a more practical standpoint. Humans came to Khorvaire for land and resources; and Khorvaire had more of both than the number of humans could possibly use. Sea travel is a tool of commerce and war, but the Five Nations primarily focus on trade with one another and overland travel suffices for this. The Lhazaar are a seafaring culture, but frankly the Lhazaar simply aren't as sophisticated as the Zil, and no single principality has anything like the resources and knowledge based of the Zil shipbuilding industry. Furthermore, bear in mind that part of the excellence of Zil ships is because they incorporate alchemically infused materials; even before elemental binding, the Zil had many practical uses for alchemy.
Tied to this, you say that the Zil talent for subterfuge comes from their gift for illusion; my point against is that their passion for intrigue comes from their passion for information. They honed their illusion techniques in service of acquiring information - but if they weren't gifted illusionists, they'd have found something else. So the key is that the quest for knowledge drives the culture; honing intrigue and exploration techniques are the consequence of this basic cultural drive.
Keith, I've been enjoying your take on 4e Eberron (which I'm calling Eberron 4.K) but I'm trying to deal with the cost of rituals. Magewrights can learn one or two rituals but how do they handle component costs? I've been thinking of the lamplighters, walking around Sharn with Continual Light rituals and re-casting every 24 hours but the ritual is 20 gold or a healing surge. Adventurers can pay that but that's something like the annual income of the average laborer to power one lamp.
That's a case of the ritual being poorly designed for Eberron. There's no way people are paying 20 gp/day to keep a streetlight going. With that said, I think the answer is to say that it's about the streetlamp itself. The ritual allows you to place a continual light on ANYTHING. I can make my boot glow... but it only lasts for an hour. Now think of it as oil. I can pour oil on my boot and set it on fire, and it will provide light for a little while until it burns up the boot. However, if I use that same amount of oil in an oil lantern, it's going to last far longer, because it's a tool designed for that purpose.
So, in the case of Continual Light, what I'd say is that the streetlights are designed with dragonshard "wicks" that hold and channel the power of the ritual for an extended period of time. You pay the base cost to start it up the first time; from that point forward, you have a mini-version of the ritual that simply uses a pinch of residuum to keep it going. So the typical lamplighter is going around recharging, but only spending a small amount - which would come from municipal taxes.
As for the general costs of rituals (like arcane lock), the Magewright would simply have to charge enough for her services to cover the cost of the components and generate a profit.