Reshar in Eberron
Reshar's legacy in Eberron is quite different than as it is told in the Tome of Battle. The origins of the Prince of the Nine Blades are strongly debated by scholars. The common theory is that he was born in 768 YK, while Shavarath was coterminous. Others theorize that he was a fiend from the Battleground, disguised in mortal form. There is evidence, however, that his legacy begins in Sarlona, near the borders of Riedra and Adar. Because of his martial aptitude, he was sought after by the quori, who saw in him a mortal agent of the Dreaming Dark. To evade the prying eyes of the quori, Reshar fled to Adar, where he took his first steps on the Ninefold Path.
In the monasteries of Adar, Reshar trained to master the secrets of the Diamond Mind discipline. While he didn't have the psionic talent of his kalashtar thakhal ("teacher" in Quor), he did have an astounding affinity for blade magic. Reshar was open to the philosophies of the Path of Light, but didn't follow them, despite the subtle urgings of his kalashtar teachers. He did know that he had only begun to study the Sublime Way, and to learn more, he had to leave the continent of Sarlona.
Leaving Sarlona, Reshar traveled eastward to the primordial continent of Xen'drik. There, he met the Sulatar drow, who were masters of the Desert Wind. The dark elves decided to allow the human to learn its secrets, but administered cruel tests and challenges for their giant masters. Incredibly, Reshar survived these tests, keeping the drow to their word. Despite their hostility towards Reshar, they were bound by their honor, and they taught him what he needed to master the Desert Wind discipline.
From the Sulatar, Reshar learned of the ancient Umbragen drow, who were hidden deep in Khyber's depths. The Sulatar knew that it was almost suicidal to enter these depths, and so allowed the human to go, hoping he would not survive. After traveling for weeks through the cavernous deeps, Reshar found the Umbragen. These dark elves, unlike their Sulatar kin, welcomed Reshar as a strong ally against the monsters of Khyber. However, they still were wary to teach him their secrets. After saving the clan's elder from a gelugon, however, the clan was willing to teach Reshar. The Umbragen led Reshar to the surface again at his urging. While the drow needed a warrior like Reshar, he wished to further walk the Ninefold Path.
The drow lead him north, to the city of Stormreach. There, Reshar went on a voyage to Khorvaire, eventually landing in Zilargo. In the land of the Zil, he sought the ruined city of Paluur Draal, where he hoped to find other martial adepts. At its borders, Reshar found an ascetic gnome of the Setting Sun. This gnome was far more helpful than the drow of Xen'drik, and voluntarily taught him how to initiate the mighty throws of his discipline. Knowing that the human owed him much, he waved Reshar off, who went further east.
From the Seawall Mountains, Reshar found the Heirs of Dhakaan. Having mastered three disciplines, the Darguun saw that he was a skilled warrior, and let him study the way of the Iron Heart. However, the path was riddled with grueling and wracking sparring, due to the hobgoblins' cruel disposition. After months of hard training, the Heirs of Dhakaan tempered Reshar's aptitude in the Iron Heart discipline. Even the tough bugbears were amazed by the human's perseverance and stamina as he set off again.
Heading north, the Mironite monks of Thrane welcomed a tired Reshar. These ascetics, followers of the Silver Flame, heard of Reshar's accomplishments, and knew that he sought to study the discipline of the Devoted Spirit. Despite his unwillingness to convert to the worship of the Silver Flame, the monks saw his own devotion to the Sublime Way. Through days upon days of meditation and vasting, Reshar gained insight into the secrets of the Devoted Spirit. At this time, the monks noticed that despite his decent age, he was still as vigorous as a young man. With the blessing of the monks, Reshar left for the Talenta Plains.
There, he met with a halfling clan which was renowned for its bestial combat style; they were Tiger Claw warriors. The savage halflings set Reshar against the wild dinosaurs of the Talenta Plains, not only to fight them, but to emulate them as well. Even against a dreaded swordtooth titan, Reshar managed to fight the dinosaur in its own way. The halflings were baffled by this display of might, and deemed him a master of the Tiger Claw discipline.
From the northern edge of the Talenta Plains, Reshar ventured into the Mror Holds, where he met the dwarves of Clan Mronanon after an encounter with a deepstone sentinel who mistook him for a threat. Having seen the human hold his own against a mighty deepstone sentinel, they immediately deemed the aged warrior worthy of learning the beginnings of the Stone Dragon discipline. However, Reshar learned far more than the basics, much to the chagrin of the dwarves of Clan Mroranon.
At the end of his journey on the Ninefold Path, Reshar came to Karrnath to learn the secrets of the White Raven discipline. For a while, Reshar studied at the Rekkenmark Academy under the guise of an aged warrior. The identity Reshar assumed whilst studying there is unknown to this day. In exchange for his stay, the warrior became the mentor of Drago ir'Loran of Karrnath, who would later become the teacher of the famed King Jarot.
What happened to Reshar after this is unknown; some say that he went into exile at the dawn of the Last War, while others muse that he fought to defend the weak. Nonetheless, it is indisputable that he has played a key role into spreading the lore of the Sublime Way across Khorvaire. The Nine Swords are a lasting testimony to his legacy, and they are sought-after artifacts for those interested in the Strider of the Ninefold Path. Others seek to unite all nine swords to usher in the return of Reshar.
Tome of Battle Disciplines
Desert Wind: The elves of Xen'drik learned the secret of fire magic from their fire giant masters. When the quori invaded the continent, the elves rebelled and took the secrets of the giants with them. Many learned to blend their fire magic with their martial prowess, and the Desert Wind discipline was born. While the Sulatar drow are skilled initiates of this discipline, the Valaes Tairn have mastered this discipline. Due to this, a lot of elves from Valenar have at least a basic grasp of the Desert Wind discipline. Because the Valenar elves practice with their traditional double scimitars, add that weapon to the list of favored weapons for the Desert Wind discipline.
Devoted Spirit: Nowadays, the Devoted Spirit is often mentioned in one breath with the Silver Flame. However, the Ghaash'kala orcs of the Demon Wastes were the first to initiate its maneuvers. Inspired by the Binding Flame, these orcs fought with vigor that repelled the dreaded rakshasas. Somehow, this knowledge was passed on to the worshipers of the Silver Flame; some sages even theorize that Tira Miron was a crusader of the Devoted Spirit discipline.
Diamond Mind: This discipline is known as the Crystal Dream in Sarlona, where it originated. The quori, with their mental prowess, inspired the humans of the continent to conceive this discipline. Both the kalashtar of Adar and the Inspired of the Dreaming Dark are skilled martial adepts and champions of the Crystal Dream. Because of the secrecy of these groups, relatively few Riedran humans know about it. Nonetheless, its secrets are scattered across Eberron. Even those who have never heard of it may receive inspiration from a quori while they sleep...
Iron Heart: The oldest martial discipline on Khorvaire, the maneuvers of the Iron Heart discipline were first seen by the Dhakaani Empire. The hobgoblins have conceived many of its maneuvers, but the bugbears had a hand in many of the mightier maneuvers, such as the punishing stance. Because of its origins, the favored weapons of the Iron Heart discipline are the dire flail, heavy flail, flail, and the spiked chain.
Setting Sun: Surprisingly, the gnomes of Zilargo conceived the Setting Sun discipline. The Zilfolk were not always as civilized and proper as they are in the current age. In the time of the Dhakaani Empire, they were conquered by the goblinoids, but they fought back, albeit unfair. These cunning gnomes turned their enemies' strength to their advantage. Nowadays, few gnomes know of this, despite their inherent curiosity.
Shadow Hand: Like the Desert Wind discipline, the Shadow Hand discipline traces its origins back to the elves of Xen'drik. The giants of that continent had no hand in this discipline, however. The elves who hid in Khyber's depths found the Umbra, to which they bound themselves, becoming the drow. With the shadow infusing their flesh, these dark elves merged their martial prowess with that darkness. Its existence was unknown to many for a long time, and how the secrets of the Shadow Hand discipline were discovered by the other races, no one knows.
Stone Dragon: While many attribute this discipline to the dwarves of the Mror Holds, it finds its origins in the wastelands now known as Droaam. There, medusas and gargoyles, with their racial affinity for stone, learned to channel the strength of the earth to increase their already impressive might. These savage martial adepts only initiated the simplest maneuvers of this discipline, however, and the dwarves can be accredited for perfecting it.
Tiger Claw: The origins of the Tiger Claw discipline can be traced back to two distinct cultures; those of the shifters of the Eldeen Reaches and the halflings of the Talenta Plains, who named it the Carver Claw. The mighty strikes, such as the awesome rabid bear strike, were conceived by the shifters, while the leaping attacks, like the dreaded swooping dragon strike (known as the swooping glidewing strike by the halflings) were first initiated by the halflings. It is not uncommon for shifters to rename the discipline after their lycanthropic heritage. A beasthide shifter might call it the Bear Claw, while a longtooth shifter refers to the Wolf Fang.
White Raven: The White Raven discipline is the youngest of the disciplines, having originated at the Rekkenmark Academy. There, the generals of Karrn ir'Wynarn mastered the art of haranguing their warriors to fight their best. Karrnath has a longstanding martial tradition, and its warblades pride themselves on their mastery of the White Raven discipline. The discipline became even more widespread during the Last War, where generals of the other Five Nations picked up its secrets from spies and through studies of their opponents.
Practitioners of the Sublime Way
In the war-torn lands of Eberron, many dabble in the Sublime Way. The Last War has caused blade magic to spread across the face of Eberron with surprising speed, as one faction learned the secrets of another. However, there are surprisingly few martial adepts amongst the warriors of Khorvaire, because of the devotion and skill required to delve deeper into the secrets of the Sublime Way. Nonetheless, martial adepts can be found all over the world. In the Last War, crusaders and warblades were often high-ranking soldiers. Swordsages, on the other hand, were often infiltrators and spies if they weren't recluses, neutral to the war around them.
Crusaders
Crusaders are practically synonymous with the Silver Flame. The Order of Templars boasts the greatest number of crusaders in all of Eberron, and these devout warriors unswervingly obey the Silver Flame. The interpretations that they attach to their orders are their own, however. Like clerics, the best and worst are among them. They are masters of the Devoted Spirit, and with some of the higher-level maneuvers, these warriors even manifest silvery flames around them. (This has no mechanical effect, however.) A very rare few crusaders belong to the Order of Friars. These Flamers specialize in the harmless maneuvers of the Devoted Spirit and White Raven disciplines.
However, not all crusaders belong to the Silver Flame. As mentioned before, some Ghaash'kala orcs follow the Sublime Way as crusaders. These orcs call upon the might of the Stone Dragon more often, wielding the earth that traps the fiends as their weapons. Their tenacity and devotion lets them momentarily ignore their pain, much to the annoyance of individual rakshasas who have fought them. A few barbarians of Argonessen are crusaders as well. These Argons are inspired by their dragon patrons and name their maneuvers in honor of them.
The Blood of Vol has some crusaders, and the more powerful of these often become ruby knight vindicators (see below). Strengthened in mind by the undeath of their dark master, these warriors are as resilient as the undead alongside which they fight. Due to the mindlessness of the undead, they have a lesser emphasis on the White Raven discipline, as they cannot comprehend the haranguing that powers its maneuvers.
Finally, the Sovereign Host and Dark Six boast a few crusaders as well. Dol Arrah, Dol Dorn, the Fury, and the Mockery are the most common patron deities for these crusaders. These martial adepts wander the land, spreading the word of their gods and following their dogmas.
Swordsages
Many monastic orders have swordsages among them. (For three sample monastic orders, see this Dragonshards article.) There, the ascetic swordsages practice their blade magic in relative peace. That is not to say these swordsages are pacifistic, however; all monasteries fight back when attacked, and some of the more evil ones might ravage the villages in their vicinity without provocation. Because of the magical nature of a swordsage's maneuvers, they are commonly mistaken for warmages, weaving spells with blades. A few swordsages have actively fought in the Last War for one faction or another, although many have merely retreated, remaining impassive about the war.
A large number of swordsages come from the war clans of the Valenar elves. These martial adepts specialize in the Desert Wind and Setting Sun disciplines, initiating the latter as a way to emulate their ancestors dodging the blows of their former giant masters. The elves of the Siyaldira war clan ("blade watchers" in Elven) are particularly numerous amongst the swordsages. These elves wield their double scimitars almost exclusively, as a tribute to their patron ancestors.
While the hobgoblins and bugbears of the Dhakaani Empire were renowned for their skill in blade magic, the goblins were also proficient martial adepts. These goblins often specialized in the Setting Sun and Stone Dragon disciplines to evade their larger opponents and strike back with tremendous force. In the current age, most goblin swordsages are members of the shaarat'khesh. These swordsages sometimes take Martial Study to learn maneuvers of the Iron Heart discipline.
Warblades
The warblades are the most numerous of the martial adepts in Eberron. Almost all warblades who still live today have fought in the Last War. These veterans were often elite soldiers of their nations, and their pride in serving their nation has led to the image of a warblade being a glory hound. Each nation's warblades tend to specialize in one or two disciplines. The warblades of Aundair, for example, chose Diamond Mind and Iron Heart maneuvers above all others. Those warblades charged with leading foot soldiers usually learned the secrets of the White Raven discipline as well.
The nation of Karrnath has a longstanding tradition of warblades, and a number of warblades still graduate from the Rekkenmark Academy each year. While they are proud warriors, this pride takes second place to their academic nature. They see the Sublime Way as an art that must be learned through experience. Teachers can introduce warriors to the Sublime Way, but a martial adept must walk the path alone beyond a certain point. To them, it is unimportant that Karrnath nearly lost the Last War; they had the most skilled warriors of all of the Five Nations, and that is all what matters to them. Many warblades from the Rekkenmark Academy learn at least one maneuver from the White Raven discipline, as it is its trademark discipline.
Unsurprisingly, there are also a lot of warblades among the hobgoblins and bugbears of Darguun. These goblinoids, seeking to re-enact their illustrious past, have taken up the art of their forebears. They are masters of the Iron Heart discipline, and a few have reached the glorious skill of the warblades of the Dhakaani Empire.
Tome of Battle Prestige Classes
Bloodclaw Master: Quite a few shifter martial adepts are bloodclaw masters. To the weretouched, it is a natural extension of the ideals that they see in the Tiger Claw discipline. Many bloodclaw masters take one of the two shifter tactical feats presented in Races of Eberron. A few of the Eldeen Wolves, a terrorist group of shifters, are bloodclaw masters as well. The few bloodclaw masters who are not shifters have studied the Sublime Way in the Eldeen Reaches under shifter or lycanthrope masters.
Bloodstorm Blade: The first bloodstorm blades were Dhakaani hobgoblins. These warriors terrorized their foes by throwing their chain weapons, which uncannily returned to their hands. In the current age, many bloodstorm blades learned their style from ancient scripts. A rare few developed this fighting style on their own, among which are quite a few halflings.
Deepstone Sentinel: The dwarves of Clan Mroranon produced the first deepstone sentinels. These warlike dwarves were skilled initiates of the Stone Dragon discipline in their own right, but when they needed to defend their holds from the Jorash'tar orcs, their most powerful warriors learned to delve even deeper into the earth, commanding the mountains to fight alongside them. Nowadays, most of the clans have one or two deepstone sentinels, and these individuals are renowned and respected warriors among their clans.
Eternal Blade: Although the elves of Aerenal are skilled necromancers, a few of the most skilled warriors are proficient with the Diamond Mind and Devoted Spirit disciplines. These martial adepts often become eternal blades, although they do not form an order. Instead, they are warriors of the Undying Court. The eternal blades call upon a member of the Undying Court, and their call is answered in the form of a blade guide. To reflect this, prospective eternal blades must have the Right of Council feat instead of the Weapon Focus feat.
Jade Phoenix Mage: Although the jade phoenix mages of Eberron aren't reincarnations of the first of their order, they do have a similar purpose. They strive to keep the spawn of Khyber sealed away, and they wield the might of the couatls and the dragons to this end. Some mages may even be agents of the Chamber. A surprising number of Ghaash'kala orcs are jade phoenix mages as well; brandishing the Binding Flame, these warriors are the vanguards against the Lords of Dust and their corruption.
Master of Nine: There is only a handful of masters of nine in Eberron. Incredibly rare as they are, they are peerless martial adepts who are the stuff of legends. They seek to emulate Reshar, and they come as close as a mortal can. The majority of the masters of nine come from Karrnath, and many are graduates of the Rekkenmark Academy.
Ruby Knight Vindicator: These faithful martial adepts are commonly found in the clergy of the Blood of Vol. These fanatics are dreaded warriors who root out all opposition to their faith. They are very rare among the Order of the Emerald Claw, though. There are also a few crusaders devoted to the Keeper, but these are not as organized as their Blood of Vol counterparts.
Shadow Sun Ninja: Although there are few who suspect it and even fewer who know it, a large number of shadow sun ninjas serve the Silver Flame. These individuals go against the doctrine of the church and know it, but they are genuine in their beliefs and altruistic, embracing the darkness to save others. They know that the Silver Flame holds an evil force captive, and this evil lets them use their dark powers. When a shadow sun ninja falls prey to the balance of light and dark ability, she falls prey to the evil that resides within the Silver Flame, and the party must bargain with the Voice for her soul.
Adventure Hooks
You can use one of these adventure hooks to introduce your players to the Tome of Battle. Alternatively, you could begin a martial themed campaign set in Eberron with them.
• A hobgoblin wields a bastard sword that is rumored to be Kamate. Lhesh Haruuc seeks to acquire the legendary sword to further rally the goblinoids of Darguun. The Heirs of Dhakaan want to retrieve this artifact of their ancient times. The hobgoblin could ally himself with either party. Alternatively, warblades might chase the rumors of this powerful blade as well, such as the warblade in your party. Alternatively, if your party has ties with the hobgoblin king or the Heirs of Dhakaan, they could call for the PCs' help.
• There has been a massive increase in the number of Diamond Mind adepts at the Rekkenmark Academy. Are the quori behind this sudden boom of martial adepts? If so, what are their schemes for the renowned martial academy? Of course, the few kalashtar at Rekkenmark might also have taught these martial adepts. Are they conscripting allies in their war against the Dreaming Dark? Or maybe their goals are less noble than one would expect from these former Sarlonans.
• An influential scholar at Morgrave University wishes to collect the Nine Swords. What are his motivations and his goals? If the scholar believes that Reshar will return upon the retrieval of his legacy weapons, what does he intend to do with the Master of Nine? Your party might be hired by the scholar, or his rivals might call upon you to stop him for any number of reasons.
I was racking my brain on this one and you have actualy did a better idea on this than I.
I am so going to steal this for my Eberron Campaign. I was just going to stat this out for one of my players!!Thanks
Good write up!
Also, I believe it won't take that long until the errata comes up, so you'll even have a correction to go with it!
So does anyone have any suggestions for this 'article'? I might think of a few adventure hooks related to the Tome of Battle, if people are interested in that.
I've just added three adventure hooks to the article. Please tell me what you think of them. Adventure hooks aren't my specialty, so I'd like to know what I can improve. Of course, suggestions for additional hooks are welcomed as well.
These look good! The one with the scholar seems promising, as this quest can take a long time before concluding.
Too bad we don't have the real stats for Reshar; if he ever attack the PCs for trickery, thanks to the scholar, it would be very useful.
The Unarmed Strike covers the Tiger Claw, Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon, and Setting Sun style
The Basterd Sword covers Diamond Mind and Iron Heart
The Long Sword covers White Raven
The Short Sword Shadow Hand and Setting Sun as well
the kukries for some twf Tiger Claw Savagry with the blood in the water stance in mind
The Falchon Covers Desert Wind and Devoted Sprit
I think I just found it. Well done.