Theory: Sarlona is not native to Eberron. - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Theory: Sarlona is not native to Eberron.

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
haplo81
Feb 15, 2010 16:41:30
Consider:

- The dragons of Argonessen don't talk about Sarlona. One proposed reason for this is that it exists outside the Prophecy.

- Dragonmarks don't manifest in Sarlona.

- Eberron Dragonshards don't form in Sarlona.

- Sarlona is positively lousy with unstable planar connections.

Speculation: Sarlona is a transplant from another world, perhaps similar to Returned Abeir in the 4E Realms. Somehow, at some point in the distant past, the entire continent was ripped from its home plane and appeared on Eberron. As it is not native to Eberron, it doesn't form shards (though Khyber shards can be found there, so perhaps part of the continental shelf is a leftover from whatever was there before), its inhabitants don't develop dragonmarks, and the Prophecy doesn't account for it.

Maybe its former location is now filled with dead-gray mists...
#2
yakman
Feb 15, 2010 22:57:16
Consider:

- The dragons of Argonessen don't talk about Sarlona. One proposed reason for this is that it exists outside the Prophecy.

- Dragonmarks don't manifest in Sarlona.

- Eberron Dragonshards don't form in Sarlona.

- Sarlona is positively lousy with unstable planar connections.

Speculation: Sarlona is a transplant from another world, perhaps similar to Returned Abeir in the 4E Realms. Somehow, at some point in the distant past, the entire continent was ripped from its home plane and appeared on Eberron. As it is not native to Eberron, it doesn't form shards (though Khyber shards can be found there, so perhaps part of the continental shelf is a leftover from whatever was there before), its inhabitants don't develop dragonmarks, and the Prophecy doesn't account for it.

Maybe its former location is now filled with dead-gray mists...

it's certainly an interesting theory.

however, there are at least three rajahs trapped there, so it can't have shown up after the defeat of the Rajahs.

I've always thought that Sarlona existing outside of the Prophecy has to do with one of those trapped Rajahs, but it's entirely possible that Sarlona is native to somewhere else... a bit of Siberys that smashed into Eberron perhaps?
#3
haplo81
Feb 15, 2010 23:01:04 IIRC, there are 3 rajahs trapped there. But yeah, it would have to have been in the planet's prehistory to really work.
#4
DoctorBadWolf
Feb 18, 2010 0:01:57 which makes the whole "chunk of siberys" idea a reasonable one.

perhaps even a chunk of dal quor?
#5
elanthiscannith
Feb 18, 2010 2:20:30 If Sarlona is a chunk of siberys where are the chunks of Eberron and Siberis?

And if its a chunk of Dal Quor does that mean since humans are from Sarlona they are also native to Dal Quor initially which could very well be why the humanish inspired/kalistar are able to be possessed so easilly and more common then the other races. The warforged having sentience now protects them from being simularrly possessed.
#6
Alas
Feb 18, 2010 4:42:16 It's a very intriguing idea, especially as it relates to the origins of humans (and therefore the later union of humans and Quori as Kalashtar).

Now, how might a DM use this idea in a campaign? Especially at the epic level, the idea that Sarlona comes from somewhere else provides a lot of hooks:
Where is that somewhere else?

Is there anybody at that place that misses it?

Did Eberron swap something of its own out when Sarlona arrived?

Is it possible to recreate that motion? (Hint: Mournland as failed swap?!)

Lots of room for adventure, there.
#7
yakman
Feb 18, 2010 11:04:01 but it's not just Dal Quor that has manifest zones and planar storms in Sarlona--all the planes have a similar status.

AS it says in SoS--Sarlona has a perilous position amongst the planes.

Considering that the situation is so much worse in the Tundra, is it possible that the Rajah there has something to do with it?
#8
haplo81
Feb 18, 2010 17:48:48 Given the fact that the Daelkyr look EXACTLY like humans... what if Sarlona was transplanted from the Far Realm? Or maybe, given that the continent seems to be made of ordinary rock and dirt, the landmass is a natural part of Eberron, but a thousand-mile wide rift to Xoriat opened and a number of aberrations, including several Daelkyr, came through, together with a tremendous amount of alien energy, which seeped into the soil and stone, forever altering Sarlona...
#9
DoctorBadWolf
Feb 18, 2010 18:50:54
If Sarlona is a chunk of siberys where are the chunks of Eberron and Siberis?

And if its a chunk of Dal Quor does that mean since humans are from Sarlona they are also native to Dal Quor initially which could very well be why the humanish inspired/kalistar are able to be possessed so easilly and more common then the other races. The warforged having sentience now protects them from being simularrly possessed.

Interesting. Quite interesting....

...ponders...
#10
khift
Feb 19, 2010 14:33:29
On the topic of the Rajahs being imprisoned there, what if Sarlona coming to Eberron was actually the work of the Rajahs? We know that Sarlona predates the defeat of the Rajahs, but we don't know that it predates the Rajahs themselves. So what if the Rajahs did it in an attempt to provide a prophecy free safe haven? Have a particularly prescient and intelligent Rajah discover the prophecy before / when the dragons did, realize that it prophesies the downfall of the Rajahs, and then instead of trying to fight the prophecy he summoned in an entire continent from some other world that the prophecy doesn't include and try to hide and fight from there. Perhaps said Rajah is even still free, laying low, plotting his return to the world, hidden in this anti-prophecy-shroud...
#11
yakman
Feb 19, 2010 23:39:11

On the topic of the Rajahs being imprisoned there, what if Sarlona coming to Eberron was actually the work of the Rajahs? We know that Sarlona predates the defeat of the Rajahs, but we don't know that it predates the Rajahs themselves. So what if the Rajahs did it in an attempt to provide a prophecy free safe haven? Have a particularly prescient and intelligent Rajah discover the prophecy before / when the dragons did, realize that it prophesies the downfall of the Rajahs, and then instead of trying to fight the prophecy he summoned in an entire continent from some other world that the prophecy doesn't include and try to hide and fight from there. Perhaps said Rajah is even still free, laying low, plotting his return to the world, hidden in this anti-prophecy-shroud...

one minor problem--if the Rajahs brought Sarlona to Eberron, why are there so many Couatl ruins there?

Then again, the Wars against the Rajahs lasted literally millions of years, so anything could have happened.
#12
haplo81
Feb 19, 2010 23:42:56 Hm. The Rajahs may have brought it to Eberron, but maybe when the tide turned against them, the couatls were able to take the fight to Sarlona, pushing further and further into the enemy's last stronghold.
#13
Axiomatic_Badger
Feb 22, 2010 9:08:39 I like the idea that Sarlona used to be a distinct plane, which the coatls ripped from reality and smashed into a couple of rajahs, essentially trapping them "beneath" it, with Xoriat being the gaping wound where it used to be.
#14
JohnLynch
Mar 14, 2010 1:53:37 What if Sarlona is from Eberron's future? The Daelkyri were unleashed and madness enveloped the world. The prophecy unravelled and general madness and chaos ruled. As the planet begins to unravel, manifestation zones go beserk and in a great big flash a chunk of Eberron is sent flying through time back to the birth of the entire planet.

Its always been there, but it also doesn't belong.
#15
yakman
Mar 18, 2010 20:49:56
What if Sarlona is from Eberron's future? The Daelkyri were unleashed and madness enveloped the world. The prophecy unravelled and general madness and chaos ruled. As the planet begins to unravel, manifestation zones go beserk and in a great big flash a chunk of Eberron is sent flying through time back to the birth of the entire planet.

Its always been there, but it also doesn't belong.

it's entirely possible.

however, if it were from the future, wouldn't it still be a part of the draconic prophecy?
#16
AvonRekaes
Mar 19, 2010 16:51:11 Not if it's from a future where the prophecy has reached conclusion. Someone wrote "The End." and all hell broke loose.
#17
yakman
Mar 21, 2010 12:33:38
Not if it's from a future where the prophecy has reached conclusion. Someone wrote "The End." and all hell broke loose.

i guess.

i don't know what i would do with that in a campaign though--i suppose something really heavy on Daelkyr--particularly illithids--could be done.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 haplo81 Feb 15, 2010 16:41:30	Consider: - The dragons of Argonessen don't talk about Sarlona. One proposed reason for this is that it exists outside the Prophecy. - Dragonmarks don't manifest in Sarlona. - Eberron Dragonshards don't form in Sarlona. - Sarlona is positively lousy with unstable planar connections. Speculation: Sarlona is a transplant from another world, perhaps similar to Returned Abeir in the 4E Realms. Somehow, at some point in the distant past, the entire continent was ripped from its home plane and appeared on Eberron. As it is not native to Eberron, it doesn't form shards (though Khyber shards can be found there, so perhaps part of the continental shelf is a leftover from whatever was there before), its inhabitants don't develop dragonmarks, and the Prophecy doesn't account for it. Maybe its former location is now filled with dead-gray mists...
#2 yakman Feb 15, 2010 22:57:16	Consider: - The dragons of Argonessen don't talk about Sarlona. One proposed reason for this is that it exists outside the Prophecy. - Dragonmarks don't manifest in Sarlona. - Eberron Dragonshards don't form in Sarlona. - Sarlona is positively lousy with unstable planar connections. Speculation: Sarlona is a transplant from another world, perhaps similar to Returned Abeir in the 4E Realms. Somehow, at some point in the distant past, the entire continent was ripped from its home plane and appeared on Eberron. As it is not native to Eberron, it doesn't form shards (though Khyber shards can be found there, so perhaps part of the continental shelf is a leftover from whatever was there before), its inhabitants don't develop dragonmarks, and the Prophecy doesn't account for it. Maybe its former location is now filled with dead-gray mists... it's certainly an interesting theory. however, there are at least three rajahs trapped there, so it can't have shown up after the defeat of the Rajahs. I've always thought that Sarlona existing outside of the Prophecy has to do with one of those trapped Rajahs, but it's entirely possible that Sarlona is native to somewhere else... a bit of Siberys that smashed into Eberron perhaps?
#3 haplo81 Feb 15, 2010 23:01:04	IIRC, there are 3 rajahs trapped there. But yeah, it would have to have been in the planet's prehistory to really work.
#4 DoctorBadWolf Feb 18, 2010 0:01:57	which makes the whole "chunk of siberys" idea a reasonable one. perhaps even a chunk of dal quor?
#5 elanthiscannith Feb 18, 2010 2:20:30	If Sarlona is a chunk of siberys where are the chunks of Eberron and Siberis? And if its a chunk of Dal Quor does that mean since humans are from Sarlona they are also native to Dal Quor initially which could very well be why the humanish inspired/kalistar are able to be possessed so easilly and more common then the other races. The warforged having sentience now protects them from being simularrly possessed.
#6 Alas Feb 18, 2010 4:42:16	It's a very intriguing idea, especially as it relates to the origins of humans (and therefore the later union of humans and Quori as Kalashtar). Now, how might a DM use this idea in a campaign? Especially at the epic level, the idea that Sarlona comes from somewhere else provides a lot of hooks: Where is that somewhere else? Is there anybody at that place that misses it? Did Eberron swap something of its own out when Sarlona arrived? Is it possible to recreate that motion? (Hint: Mournland as failed swap?!) Lots of room for adventure, there.
#7 yakman Feb 18, 2010 11:04:01	but it's not just Dal Quor that has manifest zones and planar storms in Sarlona--all the planes have a similar status. AS it says in SoS--Sarlona has a perilous position amongst the planes. Considering that the situation is so much worse in the Tundra, is it possible that the Rajah there has something to do with it?
#8 haplo81 Feb 18, 2010 17:48:48	Given the fact that the Daelkyr look EXACTLY like humans... what if Sarlona was transplanted from the Far Realm? Or maybe, given that the continent seems to be made of ordinary rock and dirt, the landmass is a natural part of Eberron, but a thousand-mile wide rift to Xoriat opened and a number of aberrations, including several Daelkyr, came through, together with a tremendous amount of alien energy, which seeped into the soil and stone, forever altering Sarlona...
#9 DoctorBadWolf Feb 18, 2010 18:50:54	If Sarlona is a chunk of siberys where are the chunks of Eberron and Siberis? And if its a chunk of Dal Quor does that mean since humans are from Sarlona they are also native to Dal Quor initially which could very well be why the humanish inspired/kalistar are able to be possessed so easilly and more common then the other races. The warforged having sentience now protects them from being simularrly possessed. Interesting. Quite interesting.... ...ponders...
#10 khift Feb 19, 2010 14:33:29	On the topic of the Rajahs being imprisoned there, what if Sarlona coming to Eberron was actually the work of the Rajahs? We know that Sarlona predates the defeat of the Rajahs, but we don't know that it predates the Rajahs themselves. So what if the Rajahs did it in an attempt to provide a prophecy free safe haven? Have a particularly prescient and intelligent Rajah discover the prophecy before / when the dragons did, realize that it prophesies the downfall of the Rajahs, and then instead of trying to fight the prophecy he summoned in an entire continent from some other world that the prophecy doesn't include and try to hide and fight from there. Perhaps said Rajah is even still free, laying low, plotting his return to the world, hidden in this anti-prophecy-shroud...
#11 yakman Feb 19, 2010 23:39:11	On the topic of the Rajahs being imprisoned there, what if Sarlona coming to Eberron was actually the work of the Rajahs? We know that Sarlona predates the defeat of the Rajahs, but we don't know that it predates the Rajahs themselves. So what if the Rajahs did it in an attempt to provide a prophecy free safe haven? Have a particularly prescient and intelligent Rajah discover the prophecy before / when the dragons did, realize that it prophesies the downfall of the Rajahs, and then instead of trying to fight the prophecy he summoned in an entire continent from some other world that the prophecy doesn't include and try to hide and fight from there. Perhaps said Rajah is even still free, laying low, plotting his return to the world, hidden in this anti-prophecy-shroud... one minor problem--if the Rajahs brought Sarlona to Eberron, why are there so many Couatl ruins there? Then again, the Wars against the Rajahs lasted literally millions of years, so anything could have happened.
#12 haplo81 Feb 19, 2010 23:42:56	Hm. The Rajahs may have brought it to Eberron, but maybe when the tide turned against them, the couatls were able to take the fight to Sarlona, pushing further and further into the enemy's last stronghold.
#13 Axiomatic_Badger Feb 22, 2010 9:08:39	I like the idea that Sarlona used to be a distinct plane, which the coatls ripped from reality and smashed into a couple of rajahs, essentially trapping them "beneath" it, with Xoriat being the gaping wound where it used to be.
#14 JohnLynch Mar 14, 2010 1:53:37	What if Sarlona is from Eberron's future? The Daelkyri were unleashed and madness enveloped the world. The prophecy unravelled and general madness and chaos ruled. As the planet begins to unravel, manifestation zones go beserk and in a great big flash a chunk of Eberron is sent flying through time back to the birth of the entire planet. Its always been there, but it also doesn't belong.
#15 yakman Mar 18, 2010 20:49:56	What if Sarlona is from Eberron's future? The Daelkyri were unleashed and madness enveloped the world. The prophecy unravelled and general madness and chaos ruled. As the planet begins to unravel, manifestation zones go beserk and in a great big flash a chunk of Eberron is sent flying through time back to the birth of the entire planet. Its always been there, but it also doesn't belong. it's entirely possible. however, if it were from the future, wouldn't it still be a part of the draconic prophecy?
#16 AvonRekaes Mar 19, 2010 16:51:11	Not if it's from a future where the prophecy has reached conclusion. Someone wrote "The End." and all hell broke loose.
#17 yakman Mar 21, 2010 12:33:38	Not if it's from a future where the prophecy has reached conclusion. Someone wrote "The End." and all hell broke loose. i guess. i don't know what i would do with that in a campaign though--i suppose something really heavy on Daelkyr--particularly illithids--could be done.