Eberron Setting

Eight Things to Know About Eberron

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1. If it exists in D&D, it has a place in Eberron
A monster or spell or magic item from the core rule- books might feature a twist or two to account for Eberron’s tone and attitude, but otherwise everything in 5e D&D has a place somewhere in Eberron. There will be a few small exceptions to this rule - the Ravnica guild backgrounds for example. In addition, there are several races and classes that are unique to Eberron - Warforged, Changelings, Shifters, Kalashtar, and Gnoll (in Exploring Eberron).



2. The Last War
The Last War has ended - sort of. The Last War, which plunged the continent of Khorvaire into civil war more than a century ago and destroyed an entire nation, leaving terrible scars behind. At least overtly, the peace has held for just under 2 years as the campaign begins. The conflicts, the anger, and the bitter pain of the long war remain, however, and the new nations seek every advantage as they prepare for the next war that they believe will inevitably eventually break out on the continent.

3. Pulp Adventures
Eberron is a world of swashbuckling adventure and two-fisted action, a world in need of heroes. Movies that could easily be set in Eberron include Indiana Jones, Firefly, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Mummy. Eberron faces many threats... and there’s no one out there to stop them. In Eberron, the gods are distant and don’t directly intervene. Most of the powerful people in the setting are driven by selfish goals, and the few powerful benevolent NPCs have limitations and cannot act alone. If the Tarrasque comes to Eberron, there’s no one else to deal with the problem: the fate of the world is in your hands.

This is something to consider in developing your character and choosing your background. If you take the soldier background, you can be more than just a grunt. What did you do during the Last War? What was your greatest triumph or most tragic defeat? If you’re a spy, are you a prized agent or did you break loose from your organization after they pushed you too far?



4. Magic as Technology.
Eberron is a world where arcane magic has been studied as the science that it is. While powerful mages are rare, especially after the Last War, wizards and artificers have created many powerful magic items. Some magic items exist which perform functions similar to modern technology. The warforged are one example; because they are constructed beings, they remind some players of robots, even though they are animated by magic rather than electricity or gears. Eberron's most famous city, Sharn, features towers that touch the sky. Several nations and groups own airships powered by bound elementals. The Lightning Rail hovers along a track of magic crystals, carrying passengers between several major cities.

Most players compare this "magitech" to games like Final Fantasy or Arcanum, which feature mechanical objects enhanced by arcane power. The primary difference between Eberron and steampunk/magitech settings is that Eberron's items are not mechanical in nature. Without magic, they would be totally inert objects. The stone platforms that carry pedestrians between towers in Sharn would fall without magic, and an airship would crash as surely as a magic carpet in an antimagic field. Eberron's emphasis is not on reproducing modern technology, but on applying existing D&D magic, particularly low-level magic like prestidigitation, in practical ways. A secondary but important difference between Eberron and other magitech settings is that there is no conflict between magic and technology; the two have evolved together, and a flying ship is seen as no more "technological" than an enchanted sword.



5. No Fixed Alignments
Mortal creatures are shaped by their culture and personal circumstances. An orc is just as likely to be lawful good as chaotic evil, depending on their personal history. A gold dragon, a beholder, a halfling; you can’t make automatic assumptions about any of them. In part this is because of Eberron’s distant gods. Orcs aren’t driven by Gruumsh’s fury, and the gnolls aren’t tied to Yeenoghu. The exceptions to this rule are creatures whose identities are shaped by magic. Fiends and celestials embody pure ideals of good and evil; lycanthropes are driven by a curse.

In Eberron, monsters aren’t always villains, and the villains aren’t always monsters. Many of the gnolls of Droaam are more honorable than the human mercenaries of House Deneith. In Karrnath and Aerenal, undead are used as tools. You certainly could find yourself fighting a merciless minotaur in the slums of Sharn... but you’re just as likely to cross swords with a cruel halfling cutthroat.



6. Dragonmark Dynasties
The great dragonmarked families are the barons of industry and commerce throughout Khorvaire and beyond. Comparable to megacorporations of science fiction, their influence transcends political boundaries, and they remained mostly neutral during the Last War. The heads of each house, not technically citizens of any nation, live in splendor within their enclaves and emporiums located throughout Khorvaire. These dynastic houses of commerce derive their power from the dragonmarks - unique, hereditary arcane sigils - that manifest on certain individuals within the family, granting them limited but very useful magical abilities associated with the trade guilds the family controls. Dragonmarks are said to be the Prophecy written on mortal flesh—a supposition that incenses the dragons.In 5e Eberron, there are subraces you can choose from that allow you to become a member of these houses and gain thematically linked abilities. How you choose your background will affect your relationship to your house. You could be an outcast or even bastard child who has manifested their Mark but is unknown to the house.

7. Religion
In Eberron, the gods are mysterious and distant. People worship various pantheons and deities and there is definitely divine magic. However, there is no proof of their existence like in the Forgotten Realms. Nobody has ever seen or spoken to a god, and nobody knows what happens to you when you die. People must have faith that their deities are listening to their prayers. It is also entirely possible to be an atheist in Eberron.

The Sovereign Host is a pantheon of the gods of good. You can worship the entire host or pick one of the host to worship, but whatever your flavor of good holy shininess, the host is there for you.

The Silver Flame is the spiritual center of the theocracy in Thrane. Largely considered a force for good, the Silver Flame speaks to the Keeper of the Flame, currently a 12 year old girl named Jaela, and she spreads the word of the Flame.

The Dark Six is a pantheon of evil gods, worshipped by the evil denizens of Khorvaire. Five of the six are distinctly evil, but the sixth, called the Traveler, more enigmatic than evil.

The Blood of Vol is more a cult than a full blown religion, centered around the last scion of the now dead dragonmarked house that bore the Mark of Death. Lady Erandis d’Vol, now dead for thousands of year, is the center of this faith.

The Lord of Blades is a warforged who took to the Mournlands after the Treaty of Thronehold was signed. Since, he has been gathering warforged followers, who zealously follow his banner of intolerance in his war against all flesh-bound things.



8. Dragonshards
Ancient legends and creation myths describe Eberron as a world in three parts: the ring above, the subterranean realm below, and the land between. Each of these world sections is tied to a great dragon of legend—Siberys, Khyber, and Eberron, respectively. Each section of the world produces dragonshards, stones and crystals imbued with arcane power. With the aid of dragonshards, dragonmarks become more powerful, elementals are controlled and harnessed, and magic items of all sorts are crafted and shaped. These shards, however, are rare and difficult to come by, making them expensive and often the goals of great quests and adventures.



A Brief History of Eberron

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Mythological Origins
According to myth, three mighty dragons made the world. These were the first dragons: Khyber, Siberys, and Eberron. They were the most powerful of all dragons. They lived in harmony until they discovered the mysterious Prophecy. The evil Khyber fought the others to seize control of the Prophecy. Noble Siberys was torn to pieces and became the Dragon Above, a ring of glowing shards that circles the world. Eberron wrapped herself around Khyber and bound him in her coils. Khyber became the Dragon Below, a monster-filled maze of caves that fills the planet. The last of the dragons became the surface of the world. She gave birth to all natural things. This is Eberron, the Dragon Between.



The Age of Dragons
The three great dragons fought. They split the world into the heavens, the earth, and the underworld. Siberys created the dragons, Eberron made all manner of living things, and Khyber spawned the fiends.

The Age of Demons
Evil creatures from the depths of Khyber overran the world. They warred with dragons for centuries. Their long reign was ended with the sacrifice of the noble couatl, beautiful serpents with majestic wings.

The Age of Giants
Giants built an advanced society on the continent of Xen'drik. A rebellion of elf slaves and an invasion by the quori—living nightmares from beyond the world—led to the end of the giants' civilization.

The Age of Monsters
Goblin kingdoms rose on the continent of Khorvaire. At the same time, elves settled their island homeland of Aerenal. Eventually, the goblins created an empire. A brutal war with the madness-born creatures called daelkyr caused the empire to collapse.

The Reign of Galifar
A thousand years ago, the continent of Khorvaire was conquered, east to west, by a powerful, brilliant king by the name of Galifar. He reigned over the kingdom for the rest of his days and then divided the kingdom into five nations, putting each of his children sovereignty over each, under a high king and became known as the Five Nations. They consist of Auidair, Breland, Cyre, Karrnath, and Thrane (each named after their sovereign leader).

The Last War
A hundred years ago, High King Jarot died of old age. The rightful heir to the throne, Jarot’s eldest scion the queen of Cyre, was opposed by the king of Auindair and the queen of Breland. This sparked a war that lasted one hundred years. During this time new nations formed, each nation broke ties with their allies and forged new alliances and each nation had cause to forswear the others.

The Last War saw any number of innovations and horrors. After decades of fighting, on multiple fronts, each nation was hurting for resources, some more than others. Karrnath turned to necromancy: The necromancers of Karrnath developed a way to raise thinking, reasoning undead without too much expense, and began raising legions of their own dead to fight on their various fronts. Other countries turned to House Cannith with their amazing mechanical and magic warriors called warforged. All the countries made use of the House Lyrandar invention of the elementally powered airship.



The Day of Mourning
Four years ago, Cyre was overtaken by some kind of magical maelstrom that formed in the center of the nation and soon covered the entire nation in a dead gray mist, killing everyone within its borders. To this day, no one knows how or why it happened, only that in the span of a few hours, an entire nation was obliterated. This would come to be known as the Day of Mourning, and the ruined country of Cyre came to be known as the Mournland. It is a most inhospitable place. The wanton destruction of an entire nation caused the war to end abruptly.

Now it is 998 YK (year of the king) and things are tense at best. Each of the Five Nations has its own hopes and dreams for the future, and some of those plans involve annexing their neighbours. But currently peace holds.