Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 rauric Oct 10, 2009 20:11:11	Since it seems that the deep parts of Eberron (Khyber) has the ability to contain great godlike beings and these areas also contain Khyber shards is there some correlation? Are the Khyber shards and their binding properties the reason why the Daelkyr and Rajahs were "fused" into the planet so easily? What if the one thing (dragonshards) that have been making nations and Houses rich and allowing society to evolve also the one thing that is truely keeping the great evils at bay after all these years? If this is the case what happens when enough of these Shards are removed?
#2 Hellcow Oct 10, 2009 21:51:56	Actually, this was the subject of the unpublished backdrop article I mentioned in the Primordial thread - a khyber shard mining operation in the Frostfell removing the shards that formed part of her prison, and those shards carrying her influence with them. Though with that said, there's supposed to be more to the bonds of the overlords than just the shards themselves. From the backdrop,  Her weakened bonds allow her to reach out from her prison and touch the world. But she is held by more than Khyber shards, and it will take more than miners to release her. The wards that hold her can only be broken under very specific circumstances – and it's up to you to set these to best fit the needs of your campaign. An obvious key is to tie her release to one or more of the player characters. Consider the following: * A final seal can only be shifted by a specific combination of dragonmarked characters – a combination that exists in the group. * An ancient spellshard is buried in the depths. This is a dragonshard with arcane formulas imprinted within – a crystalline spellbook. It includes any Frostburn spells you want to introduce into the campaign; it could even provide guidelines for entering into a Frostburn prestige class, such as the frost mage. A few spells are far more powerful than normal. These have the benefits of metamagic feats with no change to the spell slot, and could range from an intensified polar ray to a maximized chilling touch. But every time a character uses one of these powerful spells, he is providing Dral Khatuur with a greater bond to the world. Will his actions break the seal – or will he actually become a host for the spirit himself? The spellshard cannot be broken, and even if the PCs decide not to use it, once it has been found it could easily fall into the wrong hands! * Along similar lines, other powerful magical artifacts found in Feoral could channel power to Dral Khatuur. Her power grows every time Winter's Edge slays a dragon. And when it is used to kill the Lord of the Chamber, she will rise from her ancient tomb and stretch her hand across the globe.
#3 JohnLynch Oct 10, 2009 23:09:04	It doesn't get more official then Hellcow posting. But I never let that stop me I see it more along the lines of Khyber can produce "tainted" being and items (we only call it tainted from our perspective of course). Perhaps the Daelkyri were trapped there by manipulating the filth and taint of Khyber into a prison that works in harmony with the taint of the Daelkyri themselves. Perhaps Khyber can only be used to imprison Daelkyri and Rakshasa Rajahs (although I believe most of the latter were trapped by a certain draconic race, correct?). Angels or creatures of Eberron can't be held by such traps, because they're simply made up of different stuff (which theoretically means if a human were to be warped and endowed with sufficient power from the Far Realms, they could also become trapped in Khyber).
#4 Hellcow Oct 10, 2009 23:23:28	It doesn't get more official then Hellcow posting. But I never let that stop me. Nor should you. I wasn't trying to end the discussion, just throw in my two coppers. Your ideas may be far more interesting than mine. It is worth noting that per canon, the daelkyr and the Overlords are bound in very different ways. The daelkyr are held within Khyber by the seals created by the Gatekeepers, but are active and free to move around within Khyber itself. The Overlords, on the other hand, are bound by the Silver Flame - the combined essence of the couatl and other spirits that have joined with them - and are not only dormant, but in most cases not even corporeally present (either diffused through Khyber shards or trapped in other ways). This is part of why you can't kill an Overlord. They aren't really physical beings; they are spiritual energy, and destroying the body is only a temporary inconvenience.  So khyber shards are a factor in the prison of the Overlords, but the Silver Flame is the key... at least by the canon. You may come up with a more interesting approach. ;)