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Exploring Eberron

Exploring Eberron

Sample file Credits Lead Designer: Keith Baker Producer: Wayne Chang Additional Designers: Will Brolley, Laura Hirsbrunner, Wayne Chang Playtesters: Alex D’Amico, Andrew Bishkinskyi, Anne Goblin Language Consultants: Don Bassingthwaite, Gregersen, Colin Marriott, Dorius Alyre ir’Korran, Jarrod Taylor Imogen Gingell, Jarrod Taylor, Joseph Meehan, Kristian Serrano, Patrick Dunning, Sadie Lowry, Steve Fidler, Editor: Laura Hirsbrunner Tim Hirsbrunner Sensitivity Readers: Gabriel Hicks, Anne Gregersen, Special Thanks from Keith: Thanks to Jennifer Ellis for her Imogen Gingell endless inspiration, and to Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, , James Wyatt, and the many others Art Director: Wayne Chang who made the world it is today. Layout Designer: Laura Hirsbrunner Graphic Designers: Cody Faulk, Darrin Scott Special Thanks from Wayne: Thanks to all the friends and fans, your enthusiasm along this journey was Cover Illustrator: Thomas Bourdon scintillating! Thank you, most of all, to Abigail, Gabriel, Cartographer: Marco “MA4PS” Bernardini and Joanne, patiently waiting for their father and Interior Illustrators: Benjamin Hubel, Carolina Cesario, husband to return from the depths of Eberron. Dante Ezio Cifaldi, David Auden Nash, Ekaterina Yastrubetskaya, James Austin, Juho Huttunen, Júlio Disclaimer: Linear time is an illusion. This book, published in the Unseen Azevedo, Katerina Poliakova, Kelly Brown, Kristóf Citadel of Xoriat, contains secrets that weren’t meant to be revealed for centuries. By reading it now, you are shifting the focus of the maze of Köteles, Laura Hirsbrunner, Luca Bancone, Lucas reality and destroying the world that could have been. That future is a Bonatto Guerrini, Marco “MA4PS” Bernardini, Mariana banana that will now remain unpeeled. Suarez Otero, Matthew Riley, Olie Boldador, Simon Zhong, Vincentius Matthew Additional Illustrators: Bob Greyvenstein, Bruno Balixa, Dean Spencer, Forrest Imel, Juan Diego Dianderas, Marin Iurii, Storn Cook, Tithi Luadthong, Wren Hunter, additional art courtesy of

ON THE COVER With the aid of Droaam's enigmatic Daughters of Sora Kell, the bold adventurers known as the Badgers have opened a portal to Dal Quor— an achievement long thought to be impossible. Can the artificer Dela d’Cannith master the dream-lost Orb of Dol Azur before her comrades are overwhelmed by du’ulora and tsucora quori? This scene is brought to life by Thomas Bourdon.

Spells marked with XGE are available in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything.

First Printing: July 2020. PDF Version: 1.04.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, , , Eberron, the dragon ampersand, and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos areSample trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. file This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by KB Presents and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. Keith-Baker.com Contents Preface...... 5 Khyber: The Worlds within the World...... 147 Chapter 1: Discovering Eberron...... 7 Daanvi: The Perfect Order...... 149 Dal Quor: The Region of Dreams...... 153 Ages Past...... 7 Dolurrh: The Realm of the Dead...... 156 The Dawn of Creation...... 7 Concerning Resurrection...... 159 The Age of Demons...... 7 Fernia: The Sea of Flame...... 161 The Age of Giants...... 8 Irian: The Eternal Dawn...... 165 The Age of Monsters...... 9 Kythri: The Churning Chaos...... 169 Recent History...... 10 Lamannia: The Twilight Forest...... 173 The of the Mark...... 12 Mabar: The Endless Night...... 177 The Kingdom of Galifar...... 12 Risia: The Plain of Ice...... 182 The Silver Crusade...... 13 Shavarath: The Eternal Battleground...... 185 Untold History...... 13 Syrania: The Azure Sky...... 189 Cyre: Before the Mourning...... 14 Thelanis: The Faerie Court...... 194 The Last War...... 18 Xoriat: The Realm of Madness...... 199 Magic in the World...... 25 Artificers: Invention and Innovation...... 29 Chapter 6: Character Options...... 205 Chapter 2: Races of Eberron...... 33 Backgrounds...... 205 Changeling Traveler...... 205 Changelings...... 33 Dhakaani Goblinoids...... 207 Elves of Aerenal...... 36 Malenti...... 207 Kalashtar...... 40 Races...... 208 Shifters...... 43 Aasimar...... 208 ...... 45 Aereni Elves...... 209 Chapter 3: Faiths of Eberron...... 49 Ruinbound Dwarves...... 209 The Role of the Divine...... 49 Dhakaani Ghaal’dar (Hobgoblins)...... 210 The Silver Flame...... 52 Dhakaani Golin’dar (Goblins)...... 211 The Blood of Vol...... 57 Dhakaani Guul’dar (Bugbears)...... 211 Sovereigns and Six...... 60 Gnolls...... 211 The Cults of the Dragon Below...... 66 Racial Feats...... 212 Unusual Faith...... 74 Class Options...... 214 Aasimar...... 76 Artificer: Forge Adept...... 214 Artificer: Maverick...... 215 Chapter 4: Uncharted Domains...... 81 Artificer Infusions...... 215 Droaam...... 81 Bard: College of the Dirge Singer...... 216 Droaamish History...... 81 Cleric: The Mind Domain...... 217 What Defines Droaam?...... 83 Druid: Circle of the Forged...... 217 The Denizens of Droaam...... 87 Monk: Way of the Living Weapon ...... 218 The Daughters of Sora Kell...... 90 The Gnolls of the Znir Pact...... 93 Chapter 7: Treasures...... 221 The Heirs of Dhakaan...... 96 Common Magic Items...... 221 Goblin History...... 97 Dhakaani Magic Items...... 222 What Defines the Dhakaani?...... 99 Dragonmarks...... 224 The Kech Dhakaan...... 101 Dragonmark Focus Items...... 224 Goblin Glossary...... 110 Siberys Dragonmarks...... 227 The Mror Holds...... 112 Miscellaneous Magic Items...... 229 Mror History...... 112 Symbionts...... 230 What Defines the Mror?...... 114 Chapter 8: Friends and Foes...... 233 The Realm Below...... 116 Daelkyr...... 233 The Ruling Clans...... 121 Valaara...... 234 The Thunder Sea...... 127 Fey Rulers...... 236 Open Waters...... 127 The Forest Queen...... 236 The Eternal Dominion: Sahuagin ...... 131 The Forgotten Prince...... 239 Karakala: Merfolk...... 136 Meld...... 242 The Valraean Protectorate: Sea Elves...... 138 Merfolk...... 243 Aboleths: The Darkest Depths...... 141 SampleMerfolk Stormcaller...... file243 Chapter 5: Planes of Existence...... 143 Quori...... 244 Eberron and Its Planes...... 143 Du’ulora Quori...... 245 About the Planes...... 143 Sahuagin...... 246 The Material Plane...... 145 Claw of Sha’argon...... 246 The Astral and Ethereal Planes...... 146 Plasmid...... 246 Sample file

4 Preface

izards of the Coast announced the We also worked with a host of artists to develop original art Setting Search in 2002: a call for a for this book. From Katerina Poliakova's wonderful portrait new world for Dungeons & Dragons. They of Tira Miron, which opens chapter 3, to Marco Bernardini's received thousands of entries, including amazing planar map with its miniature views of every plane, my world—which would ultimately become it's been thrilling to see these unexplored aspects of the WEberron. I worked with James Wyatt, Bill world come to life. In some instances, to convey a concept to Slavicsek, Christopher Perkins, and many more to develop my an artist, I put my own limited artistic skills to work. Below original idea into Eberron as you know it today. is my first draft of a sahuagin city built around one of the I’m extremely proud of the world we’ve created. However, there slumbering kar'lassa—and in chapter 4, you can see how are elements I love that I’ve never had the opportunity to explore Vincentius Matthew made sense of my sketch! in an official book. When first designing the world, I included I’d be remiss if I didn’t also call out the community of aquatic nations—considering the civilizations that the merfolk, Eberron players, DMs, and creators who are all keeping sahuagin, and other intelligent undersea species might build. Eberron alive—including our excellent playtesters! And, of We developed a unique system of planes for Eberron, something course, my brilliant wife, creative partner, and co-founder of with a very different flavor than the well-established Great Twogether Studios, Jennifer Ellis—who is always willing to Wheel. We presented the idea of a proud empire of goblinoids have a conversation about undercover shark people or tourist that ruled Khorvaire long before humanity arrived. But there attractions on the Plane of Peace. are only so many pages in any sourcebook, and these ideas Before I lay this book before you, one disclaimer: This is a had to be trimmed down—or in some cases, cut entirely—in vision of Eberron as I run it at my table. You’ll find a few details our original Eberron . The planes exist, but that don’t align with previous sourcebooks; it’s up to you to there was never enough space to describe them in more than decide which to use. But remember that there’s always a third a paragraph apiece, which isn’t nearly enough to understand option: using your answer. From the beginning, nearly two what makes Fernia different from the Elemental Plane of Fire, decades ago now—when we chose not to present the cause of or how you might set an adventure in Mabar. From canon the Mourning or reveal the powers of the Mark of Death—we material, we know the sahuagin exist and have ambassadors in wanted Eberron to inspire players and Dungeon Masters, not Stormreach, but nothing is revealed about their civilizations. to limit them. This is a book of ideas for you to build upon—and From the very beginning, I hoped that we might see a some, you might even ignore. This presents my Eberron, but Planes of Eberron sourcebook, but it never came to pass— I’m always thrilled to see people making the world their own. and when Eberron returned in the fourth and fifth editions of And now—Eberron awaits! D&D, sourcebooks needed to prioritize the key foundations of the setting, and didn’t have space to explore these hidden corners. So while I’ve always had dreams of Droaam and the planes in my head, Eberron is the intellectual property of Wizards of the Coast, and only they could publish new Eberron material. That all changed in 2018, when Wizards of the Coast worked with me to create the Wayfinder’s Guide to Eberron, a PDF supplement released on Guild website . . . and with that release, they made Keith Baker, creator of Eberron it possible, for the first time in Eberron’s history, foranyone to create new content for Eberron through the Dungeon Masters Guild. The next year, in creating Eberron: Rising from the Last War—the official fifth-edition hardcover— the design team expanded on the story of the Mror dwarves. But once again, there wasn’t enough room to focus on their conflict with the daelkyr and the mystery of the Realm Below. That’s where Wayne Chang, who works with me on the podcast Manifest Zone, entered the picture. Together, we sketched out a plan for a book that delves into many of the topics I’ve always wanted to explore—the planes, the Dhakaani, and undersea nations—as well as a few more recent developments, like the Mror. And so, this book was born! As it turns out, writing a book of this size is a tremendous amount of work. Laura Hirsbrunner accomplished herculean tasks as both editor and layoutSample designer, while Will Brolley developed file immersive monsters, magic items, archetypes, and more. Since working in a vacuum is a good way to die of asphyxiation, I’m incredibly grateful to Laura, Wayne, and Will for being a constant source of

OLIE BOLDADOR OLIE feedback and inspiration.

5 Sample file

6 Chapter 1: Discovering Eberron

ou think it’s safe?” The crackling from a higher level of reality, the same unknowable realm that arcs of energy wreathing the elemental lies above and beyond Dolurrh. But almost all cultures agree engine cast a pale blue light across the plat- on the forces that brought reality into existence. Three beings wove the planes into existence, then used these form. Dela smiled back at him. “It’s perfectly concepts as the foundation of the Material Plane. The giants Y safe, Rev. Haven’t you been on a lightning rail assert that these three beings were some form of titan, but the before? What you see there is just a secondary manifestation—” common interpretation is that of the Progenitor Wyrms: three “Not that.” The warforged soldier’s voice was deep and vast, cosmic dragons. Regardless, the tale ends in conflict. After solemn, like a heavy drum. “This task. The mountains. The completing the creation of the Material Plane, Khyber struck without warning and tore Siberys apart, leaving his remnants island. The journey into dreams. Rusty says it’s impossible.” drifting in the golden Ring of Siberys around the world. “Just because something's never been done doesn’t mean it’s Knowing she couldn’t defeat Khyber, Eberron coiled around impossible. It just means it’s a problem I’ve never tried to solve. her, becoming the world itself and binding Khyber within a living But safe? No, it’s definitely not safe.” She reached up, resting prison that holds to this day. Thus, the world as we know it is her hand on his steel shoulder. “That’s why I’m bringing you.” made from the intersection of Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber: the Dragon Above, the Dragon Between, and the Dragon Below. Rev gave a single, slow nod. A series of clicks emanated from While this tale is known to all, some traditions give it more his right arm, a sound quite familiar to Dela; the warforged was weight than others. In the Five Nations, most consider it a testing his embedded armblade, preparing it for release. simple metaphor for sky, earth, and the monsters that lurk below. Even those who consider it literal truth (as do many Eberron is a world shaped by the rise and fall of great ancient druids) don’t worship the Progenitors in the same way as they civilizations. It’s a setting scarred by the impact of the Last might the Sovereign Host. Siberys is dead, and Eberron is War and defined by the ongoing evolution of magic and artifice. the world itself; she’s the source of all life, but doesn’t actively What were the weapons of the Last War? How is magic a part intervene in any way. However, a few cults (notably among the of everyday life in the Five Nations? What events of the distant kobolds of Khorvaire) do worship the Progenitors directly. past could play a role in the present day? Whether literal truth or metaphor, the battle of these mighty Progenitors took place in the distant past. Its impact upon the ges ast present is most importantly this: that there is a present. As A P this act of creation brought all things into existence, scholars The present is shaped by the past. The shadow of the Last War of Khorvaire have yet to find any relics or records of this time hangs over Khorvaire, setting the stage for conflicts ahead. But before time. If a story involved an object from a deeper past, Khorvaire also bears the marks of struggles far more ancient. it would likely possess vast power and be of tremendous The goblins in Sharn’s slums are descended from the founders scholarly interest. of a mighty empire, and they rightfully feel that humanity stole their homeland. The purging of lycanthropes early in the ninth The Age of Demons century strains relations between humanity and shifters. The Church of the Silver Flame was founded at the end of the third Period: More than 100,000 years ago century, but it's simply the latest manifestation of a conflict that During the Age of Demons, myths tell us . . . began at the dawn of time—a battle still fought in the shadows • Eberron was dominated by the overlords, thirty archfiends by the fiendish Lords of Dust and of the Chamber. who shaped reality to their will. Eberron: Rising from the Last War touches briefly on • Champions, later known as the Sovereign Host, fought the Eberron's history, but a detailed accounting of the world's overlords with an alliance of dragons and couatl. hundred-thousand-year recorded history could easily fill • The sacrifice of the couatl bound the overlords with a force an entire book. This section provides an overview of ancient that formed the Silver Flame. history, focusing on aspects that are particularly relevant to adventurers—presenting echoes of each era that can be seen According to the Progenitor myth, Eberron became the world in the present day and suggesting story elements that could and all natural creatures are her children. But in the first inspire modern adventures. days of the world, the children of Khyber—fiends, aberrations, and other monsters—rose up from the darkness and claimed The Dawn of Creation dominion over the world. The greatest among these were the overlords, immortal archfiends embodying the evils that plague Period: Dates unknown mortals. Each overlord shaped the world to match their whims, Before history began, legend holds . . . and no civilization could challenge them. It was a time of chaos that lasted for untold millennia. • The three Progenitor dragons created the planes. The Age of Demons came to an end after an extended war • In a cosmic quarrel, Khyber destroyed Siberys. Eberron then between the overlords and a legendary group of champions— boundSample Khyber within her own body, forming the world. now known as the Sovereign Host.file Believed by some to be No one knows what came before the world’s creation. In some dragons, by others, gods—or perhaps something else entirely— accounts, Xoriat once encompassed everything; some cults of these rebels raised an army of dragons allied with the couatl, the Dragon Below assert that the daelkyr are simply trying to native celestials said to embody the last light of Siberys. As restore the original balance of reality. Others contend that there the immortal overlords couldn’t be destroyed, countless couatl

VINCENTIUS MATTHEW VINCENTIUS was nothing before creation—that the Progenitors descended sacrificed themselves, their spirits combining into a prison of

7 Chapter 1 | Discovering Eberron

pure celestial energy that could bind the overlords. Even today, The Age of Giants the overlords remain bound and the world protected from immense evil by this force, now known as the Silver Flame. Period: 80,000–40,000 years ago Why Does It Matter? During the Age of Giants, scholars describe how . . . The Age of Demons ended a hundred thousand years ago, long • Giant nations in Xen’drik unlocked secrets of arcane magic still unmatched in the modern age. before the foundation of any civilization that exists today. But • The giants fought the inhabitants of Dal Quor, ending the the time lingers in myth and continues to shape modern life. conflict by destroying a moon and thereby breaking Dal It’s commonly believed that the deities of the Sovereign Host Quor’s link to Eberron. walked the world during this time and physically battled the • The giants threatened to crush an elvish rebellion with overlords. However, many scholars assert that these myths are dangerous epic magics, prompting the dragons to step in, actually based on the deeds of heroic dragons—for example, utterly destroying Xen’drik and cursing the land. the myths of the Sovereign Aureon might be inspired by the deeds of a dragon named Ourelonastrix. It’s up to the DM to In the wake of the Age of Demons, the dragons were the most decide the truth, but it could be possible for adventurers to powerful force in Eberron. Some dragons helped guide lesser find places or relics tied to the Sovereigns from this age. You creatures, including the giants of Xen’drik, in their mastery of might find the lance Dol Arrah used when battling Katashka arcane magic. As the dragons’ increasing dominion caused a the Gatekeeper, or the site where she and Dol Dorn flayed the surge in the Daughter of Khyber’s power (see chapter 3), the Mockery for his treachery. Whether tied to gods or dragons, dragons were forced to withdraw to isolation in Argonnessen. these sites and relics still hold power. They remain there to this day, in hopes of preventing her While the overlords may have been defeated, they cannot be power from increasing further. destroyed. Each overlord is bound in a Khyber dragonshard Multiple nations of giants arose on Xen’drik. The Sulat and held in its prison by the power of the Silver Flame. League specialized in elemental binding and magebreeding. Though bound, an overlord can influence the world in the They created the as living weapons to deal with region around its prison . . . and there’s no official list of all of rebellious elves, and it’s thought that fire giants are remnants the overlords or where they are bound. So if a story calls for a of the Sulat. The Group of Eleven was an alliance of eleven region where the restless dead rise and prey on the living, this city-states, each led by a powerful empyrean mage. Their could be the prison of Katashka the Gatekeeper. If a region is diverse culture valued internal and external competition, suddenly overcome by ice and snow, perhaps the shard-prison believing it drove evolution. The Cul’sir Dominion was ruled of Dral Khatuur has been brought there. by mighty empyreans and sought to dominate all reality. Each overlord can only be freed if a particular passage of the They explored the planes as well as the world; it’s not known Draconic Prophecy comes to pass. The fiends known as the whether the Cul’sir attacked Dal Quor or whether the quori of Lords of Dust work to discover and enact these prophecies, the time sought to invade Eberron, but the two powers fought while the dragons of the Chamber try to stop them. Both an extended war. The giants ended the conflict by destroying one of the moons of Eberron with cataclysmic magic, sides frequently use mortals as pawns, so adventurers can damaging the planar connection between Dal Quor and the easily find themselves caught up in these schemes. As they world. Since then, the quori have been unable to physically reach higher levels, adventurers might even become active travel to Eberron, and there are no longer any manifest zones participants in this struggle instead of mere pawns. Though to Dal Quor. few mortals are aware of it, this is a constant cold war that These actions had devastating repercussions for giant determines the fate of the world. civilization. In the upheaval, many Cul’sir subjects used the Dungeons from the Age of Demons are rare, few surviving opportunity to rebel, but the largest uprising was that of the the passage of time. Any remaining sites would be infused with elves—both those oppressed by the Cul’sir, and warrior elves fiendish or celestial power. A vault created by the couatl could who had never been conquered by the giants. When the hold a deadly artifact tied to an overlord. An obsidian fortress Cul’sir threatened to draw on their most dangerous magics might be imbued with Rak Tulkhesh’s power, and people who once more to destroy the elves, the dragons emerged in force settle there are consumed by homicidal rage. One of the best from Argonnessen. They utterly devastated the civilizations documented sites is Ashtakala, an ancient city in the heart of the of Xen’drik, giant and otherwise, then laid curses on the land Demon Wastes said to be the sanctuary of the Lords of Dust. that are beyond the comprehension of the modern age. To this Character Ideas day, the scourge of the land prevents any advanced civilization from rising again. The Traveler’s Curse warps space and Though the overlords are bound and the Sovereigns no longer makes travel in Xen’drik unreliable. The curse known as the walk the earth, consider these ways your character might be Du’rashka Tul—“the madness of crowds”—causes civilizations caught up in their legendary struggle: that become too advanced or widespread to collapse into • You have a dragonshard embedded in your flesh, the madness. Draconic curses are believed the reason the giants source of some of your class abilities (e.g. warlock magic devolved from mighty titans into hill giants and the other or barbarian rage). This is a sliver of an overlord’s prison. giants known today. The full extent of these draconic curses is How did it come to be a part of you? Do the Lords of Dust unknown, but the impact is unmistakable. want to take it from you, or are you destined to become an hy oes t atter avatar for an overlord? W D I M ? • YouSample possess an object your parents swore once belonged The curses laid on Xen’drik mean thatfile the entire continent is in to a Sovereign. Currently it has no magical powers, but essence a vast dungeon, a land that can never be fully mapped perhaps there’s some way to activate its potential. or explored. The giants mastered secrets of arcane magic as • You were born in the Demon Wastes and spent your life yet unmatched by humanity or even by the elves, and as such battling fiends. Have you traveled south pursuing a particular Xen’drik is a source for powerful artifacts, spells, and eldritch fiend? Or do you follow visions granted by the Silver Flame?

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