Seven Things to Know About Eberron
1. The Last War Has Ended-Sort Of. The Last War plunged the continent of Khorvaire into civil war more than a century ago, shattering the Five Nations
that made up the kingdom of Galifar.Just two years ago, the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold and the establishment of twelve recognized nations and a tenuous peace. The conflicts, the anger, and the pain of the long war remain, however, and the new nations seek every advantage as they prepare for the next war to break out on the continent.
2. Dragonmarked Dynasties. The great dragonmarked families are the barons of industry and commerce throughout Khorvaire and beyond. Their influence
transcends political boundaries, and they remained mostly neutral during the Last War. Not technically citizens of any nation, the matriarchs and patriarchs
of each house live in splendor within their enclaves and emporiums located throughout Khorvaire. These dynastic houses of commerce derive their power from dragonmarks-hereditary arcane sigils that manifest on certain individuals within the family, granting them limited but useful magical abilities associated
with the trade guilds each family controls.
3. Lands of lntrigue. The war is over, and the nations of Khorvaire now try to build a new age of peace and prosperity. Ancient threats linger, however, and the
world needs heroes to take up the cause. Nations compete on many levels-over economic dominance, political influence, territory, magical power, and more-each looking to maintain or improve its status
by any means short of all-out war. Dragonmarked houses, churches both pure and corrupt, crime lords, monster gangs, psionic spies, arcane universities,
secret societies, sinister masterminds, dragons, and a multitude of organizations and factions join the
struggle for position and power in the aftermath of the Last War.
4. A Continent of Adventure. From the jungles of Q'barra to the blasted hills and valleys of the Demon Wastes, from the skyscrapers of Sham to the dinosaur-filled Talenta Plains, Eberron is a world of adventure. Adventures can draw heroes from one exotic location to another across the continent of Khorvaire.
The quest for the Mirror of the Seventh Moon might take the heroes from a hidden mountain shrine in Darguun to a ruined castle in the Shadow Marches
and finally to a dungeon deep below the Library of Korranberg. Through the use of magical transportation, heroes can reach a wide range of environments
over the course of an adventure, and thus deal with a diverse assortment of monsters and other challenges.
5. A World of Magic. The technology of Eberron has developed not through the advance of science but by the mastery of magic. The widespread use of magic
pervades life in the cities and towns. Airships and rail transport make rapid travel across the continent possible. A working class of minor mages, called
magewrights, uses spells to provide energy and other necessities. Advances in magic item creation have led to everything from self-propelled farming implements to sentient, free-willed beings created in artificers' forges. With the aid of rare crystals called dragon-
shards, dragonmarks can be made more powerful, elementals can be controlled and harnessed, and magic items can be crafted and shaped.
6. New Races. In addition to the common player character races found in the Player's Handbook, players can
choose to play ore or goblinoid characters in Eberron. Or they can choose one of four new races: change-
lings, kalashtar, shifters, am;! warforged. Changelings have minor shapechanging abilities similar to those of doppelgangers. Kalashtar are planar entities.merged with human hosts, giving them telepathic abilities. Shifters developed from the mixing of hu-
mans and lycanthropes, a union that grants them limited bestial abilities and feral instincts. The warforged
are a constructed race created during the Last War, seeking to find its place in a post-war world.
7. Dl9-D with a Twist. Every race, monster, spell, and magic item in the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual has a place
somewhere in Eberron, but it might not be the place you expect. Eberron has a unique spot in the D&D multiverse, and many familiar elements of the game
play different roles in the world. In particular, mortal creatures are products of culture and circumstances, rather than the direct influence of the gods. As a re-
sult, you can't assume that a gold dragon is good or a beholder is evil; only in the case of celestials, fiends, and certain other creatures whose identity and world view are shaped by magic (such as the curse of lycanthropy) is alignment a given.
