#Lhazaar Principalities

[mimzalot]

a market on rafts, elaborate and risky schemes, pirate princes and the start of a new journey - join us in Eberron for ep 2, because I don't expect the peace from ep 1 is gonna stick around!

newcomer friendly, there's gonna be a lot of lore explained in these establishing eps to catch everyone up :3c

[captainkingsley]

My favorite dnd setting is Eberron and now I'm thinking up an Eberron au for the Nein for the fun of it. Some get a class swap, too, but I guess that just comes with the setting change.

There would obviously be a whole different plot, and while I don't want to undertake the ordeal of writing an entire fic, here's my ramblings for the Nein and how they'd fit into the Eberron setting.

Molly, a Risian tiefling with ice coating his horns. Blood hunters in Eberron have their own suggested lore, and with it I could see him being a part of the Order of the Silver Night. For every cut to himself, a part of his soul seeps out of him, making room for Lucien — the original owner of the body, and possibly attached to the Lords of Dust, having defected from the Order? Molly hopes to break the connection between them before all nine of the eye tattoos open.

Caleb, formerly a student of the floating towers of Arcanix, now a very accomplished artificer, with his steel defender, Frumpkin. After uncovering that one of his teachers has a connection to the evil bound and whispering under the towers, he's been on the run and learning how to use the new post-war technology to topple the heirarchy of the school.

Veth, who made a deal with one of the daughters of Sora Kell to get her family back, now a warlock. Still a rogue, as well, which I think some botched thievery led to her losing her family and becoming indebted to Sora Teraza. She was promised that once she fulfilled her debt, she'd get Yeza and Luc back — but Veth isn't sure how much the hag wants.

Fjord, a former member of the Diresharks, running from the Lhazaar Principalities out of his fear of the agreement his Prince made with the Emerald Claw. At first he tried sailing with another crew, but after Vandran's ship was attacked by one flying the colors of the Diresharks, Fjord fled to the mainland in hopes of severing his connection.

Jester, also a planetouched tiefling, but one with influence from Thelanis, carrying with her the stories from the Fae plane. There are some stories that have unwritten endings, and she's going to find them — even if one of them is her own.

Beau, the only one getting a race change, though her appearance stays the same: a kalashtar monk, whose quori helps her still despite the tension between her and her family. Her quori does their best to help her cope with her struggles after she left on bad terms, while training her to control the abilities she never finished studying in her time at the monastery.

Caduceus, a druid following the ancient ways of the Gatekeepers, living in a secluded area of the Shadow Marches. Firbolgs aren't common in Eberron, at least in Khorvaire — so the strange, ancient magic he uses to bar the dead from entering the material plane is shrugged off as just a part of what he is.

Yasha, a planetouched aasimar of Shavarath, as strong as the steel and iron that are associated with the plane. Bound to pursue one side of the conflict, but she doesn't know which one. One day she feels the pull from the devils, and the next the celestials pull her toward a path of justice. The Silver Flame has an interest in her helping to unlock her full potential — maybe that's where she met Mollymauk.

Any of the Nein could wind up Dragonmarked, as well — I know official Eberron lore suggests that they're connected to race, but my own personal homebrew of Siberys Dragonmarks will manifest on anyone of any race or family, so.

[444namesplus]

source

a adar adderport aelyndar aerenal ahdryatmin ak an and aqat arcanix ardev ardhmen areksul argarak argonnessen argonth arolangard aruldusk arythawn ash ashtakala askelios athandra atoll atur aundair avaroth aventus b baran barra barrel barren bastion bay below bitter black blackbriar blackcaps blackwood blade blades blood bluespine bluevine boneyard borunan brek breland brey bright broken brom bull by byeshk c cairdal castle category cauldrons caves cazhaak cerulean chance chasm citadel city clanhold corvagura cove crag cragwar crescent crimson crossing crown crying cyre d dagger dannel danthaven dar darguun dark daskaran dawn dead deathsgate deep deepdark delethorn demesne demon desert desolate desolation deth dhak dhakaani dhavin dol dollen dolurrh dor dowron draaka draal dragon dragonreach dragonroost dragonwood dread dreadhold drik droaam drum durat duskwing duskwood dvaarnava e eastwood eberron eldeen empire endworld erlaskar esk eston everice eyes eyrie f face faded fairhaven fairhold fangs farlnen festering field fields fire first fist five flamekeep flint forest fort frostfell g galethspyre galifar games ganitari gap garay gate gatherhold gathering ghalt ghoza glass gloaming glowing glyphstone goradra gorge gorgonhorn gray graywall great greenheart greenland greentarn grimwall gulch gundrak h haka halkhad hall harbor harrowcrowns harrowgard harvest hatheril havrakhad haztaratain highwater hills hilt hoarfrost holds hollow holt howling hydra i ice icehorn icemaw inner ironroot irontown island isle j jarp jern jhegesh jin jungle k ka kalazart kanatash karnel karrlakton karrnath karrnwood karthoon kasshta keep keeper kenn kennrun ker kerkulin keth khashana khorvaire khyber king kingdom knowledge korranberg korrandar korth korthos korunda krag kraken krona l lair lakashtari lake lakeside lanamelk lanharath larunor last lathleer lessyk lhaz lhazaar lidless light liugwen location locations loom loran lorn lost lyrenton m making maleer malharath malshashar mar maradal marches marguul marketplace marquan marsh mel menechtarun merylsward metrol mevakri minharath mirrors mist mistmarsh monastery moonshadow moonwatch mordai morningcrest mountains mournland mror mun n nail narath natek nathyrr nations nevitash new newthrone nightbit nightwood norinath novakri nowhere o obsidian of olath on onatar orcbone orgalos orioth orthoss oskilor otharaunt overlord p pain panitari parmelk pass passage paw peak peaks peninsula pillars pit plains plateau port post pra pride principalities pylas q qalatesh qat quesk questor r rage rath ravar reaches realm red regalport region rekkenmark rellekor rest reven rhashan rhenshia rhonewatch rhukaan riedra ring ringbriar river rock rotting ruins ruukosi s sarlona saval scions sea seaside seawall senne sentinel seren seven shadow shadukar shae shalquar sharavacion shargon sharn shavalant shield shining siber siberys sigilstar silver sinara siyar skyfall smuggler sorashana sorrowdusk sorrows sound springs starilaskur starpeak sterngate stone stonespur stormhome stormhorn stormreach storms straits sun sunscale sword swoz sylbaran syrkarn t taer tal talaear talenta tamor tanar tangleroot tansend tantamar tapestry tarandro tariston tarn tashalatora tashana teeth tellyn tempest teryk thakakhad thakashtai thaliost tharkgun thatari the thinharath thousand thrane three threnal thronehold thunder thunderwall thurimbar til titan tol tooth tor torch torvhak totens tower traelyn trag traglorn trebaz trolanport tronish tundra turakbar twilight type tzanthus ul underdark v valaestas vale valenar valiant valiron valley valshar varna vast vathirond vedykar venomous verge vigilant vom vralkek vulyar vurgenslye w ward warden wastes water whisper white windshire wolf woodhelm wroat wrogar wyr wyrmwatch wyvernskull x xandrar xen xephanan xirek y yrlag z zantashk zarash zi zilargo zilspar znir zolanberg zombie

[eldritch-baby]

The Treaty of Thronehold

The treaty officially ended the Last War. The treaty recognized the following nations as sovereign states: Aundair, Breland, Darguun, the Eldeen Reaches, Karrnath, the Lhazaar Principalities, the Mror Holds, Q'barra, the Talenta Plains, Thrane, Valenar, and Zilargo. These nations abide by a common set of laws and maintain diplomatic relations. The Demon Wastes and Shadow Marches regions have no unified government. Droaam has declared itself a nation but has yet to be recognized by the treaty nations.

[babybluesquid]

Consequences of Karrnath Session 4

Greetings From the Grey Tide

Our Players this week:

Dagne, Vengeance Paladin, an undead soldier with the curious property of acting like a living person. Trusts nobody and acts as the leader.

Ro, Circle of Spores Druid, a Talentan halfling who survived The Mourning and won’t go home. They tend to not take things seriously.

Vaeren, Swarmkeeper Ranger, a Deathguard sent to investigate Dagne’s nature. They’re the quiet one who helps keep everyone in line.

Syv, Glamour Bard, a traveling performer turned traveling adventurer. Personas are Eshi, a sea elf, and Star, a shifter.

Adonis, Berserker Barbarian, a planetouched Shavarath tiefling. He’s large, strong, soft spoken, and not very bright, but he is filled with loyalty to his friends.

In the morning, the party wakes up still feeling the harsh defeat of a few days ago. Minroy died and Inesa, his killer, had completely escaped. Dagne notices a slip of paper by the door, something which had probably been slipped under during the night. They pick it up, unfold it, and read “Red Watcher Inesa Yanova is in Coldport. She is negotiating with the captain of the S.S. Bitterbloom, Kalina Soria, for last minute passage to the Lhazaar Principalities. - A Seeker of the Divinity Within” curiously, the note is written in three separate scripts. Immediately, the party hurries to the docks. They quickly find the dockmaster and Eshi asks after the location of the S.S. Bitterbloom. Everyone is relieved to learn that it’s still in port, and will remain for two days.

The party goes to check out the ship and find a big, fast looking warship. The docks are swarming with people of all races. Then, one changes to another face. Excited because they’ve already guessed what this is, Eshi changes back to Syv. One of the sailors approaches them and says, “Greetings from the Grey Tide, sibling!” Ro asks after the captain of the S.S. Bitterbloom, and the sailor says that she’s gone right now negotiating cargo prices, but she should be back in a couple hours, and asks why the party needs to see her. Dagne only reveals that it’s about a passenger and it’s important.

With some time to kill, the party takes to the streets to try to find word of Inesa. Syv changes back to Eshi once they leave the safety of the port. While asking around, they just so happen to catch the ears of a large tiefling man, who approaches them. His name is Adonis, and it just so happens that he’s also after Inesa because she murdered his friend. Dagne questions his motives and his ability to actually get revenge, Ro rides on Eshi’s shoulders to be closer to eye level. Eventually, the party is satisfied that Adonis is, indeed, qualified to be going after such a dangerous quarry and agree to let him accompany them.

In a few hours, after finding nothing else, the party returns to the S.S. Bitterbloom to meet with Captain Kalina Soria. They’re led aboard and taken to the captain’s quarters. She’s a Khoravar, or at least appears to be one, wearing a big pirate hat with the symbol of the Grey Tide on the side, a red pirate coat with golden buttons, poofy pants, and a cutlass at her belt. On her shoulder, a purple pseudodragon perches and eyes the party. “So, what’s this about on of my passengers?”

Eshi changes back to Syv after passing a message to Kalina in skin cant, confirming that they’re both changelings. Dagne tells Kalina all about Inesa, producing the bounty sheet as proof. Kalina is receptive, agreeing to help the party catch her as long as she herself isn’t put in front of a Tribunal for aiding a wanted criminal. Insight into her motives only suggests that she wants to avoid the harsh Karrnathi law in this grave matter. Seeing the terms as reasonable, the party agrees to keep Kalina out of the legal proceedings. In return, Kalina offers information. She is going to meet Inesa in an alley that night for payment, 200 galifars for last minute passage to the Lhazaar Principalities. The party can set up an ambush once payment is rendered and Kalina is safely out of the alley.

The party sets up their ambush, Dagne with Ro and Eshi on one side, Adonis and Vaeren on the other. The latter group manages to get the drop on Inesa, Vaeren setting a hunter’s mar on Inesa before shooting her, Adonis running up and attacking her with a thrust of his flamberge, aided by a searing smite. Shaken, Inesa produces a vial of clear liquid with a single spide suspended in it, drinks it, and then runs straight up the wall. Adonis manages to slice at her as she flees. The chase is on. Eshi and Vaeren take to the rooftops after Inesa while Dagne and Ro riding on Adonis’ back follow on the street. Dagne issues a magical command to Inesa to halt, but she continues running, unaffected. A dwarf wearing armor comes to view on the street ahead. Vaeren shoots Inesa and ghostly hands drag her from the roof. The dwarf, now clearly Valtis Redeyes, catches her. Donata shows herself as well.

Just when Adonis catches up, Inesa throws a small white crystal at his forehead. He instantly goes into a rage, then a frenzy. She looks confused, it didn’t have the desired effect. Dagne issues a vow of enmity to Inesa, runs up, crits and smites on a slash of their longsword. “You should just come quietly. Last time, you got the better of us, but you made a grave mistake. You will regret facing us again.” Vaeren shoots at Inesa, a ghost correcting the shot mid-flight so it strikes Inesa in a gap in her armor. “Don’t kill any of them!” Dagne orders the party. “They need to face the Tribunal!” Donata produces a small pane of glass from her pack and dashes it against the ground, the action letting out a painful ringing sound and causing Adonis and Ro to take thunder damage in sympathy with the glass. Focused singularly on Inesa though, Adonis runs up to her. He intends to strike nonlethally, as ordered, but in his frenzy he stabs Inesa right through the torso with his flamberge. The wound is obviously fatal. “Welp,” Valtis Redeyes says, before sticking his hand in his bag and vanishing. Quickly, Dagne disarms the dying Inesa and pushes her to her knees, their longsword against her neck. Simultaneously, their touch imbues her with a small bit of healing magic, enough to save her life.

Vaeren shoots at the stunned Donata and the ghosts drag her up to Adonis. She regathers her wits and misty steps onto the roof, attempting to flee the doomed battle. The party pursues her, Vaeren shoots her leg to slow her, Ro knocks her from the roof, and Adonis grapples her. With two out of the three conspirators captured, the party puts them in manacles and heads for the main barracks in Coldport.

Dagne, Eshi, and Adonis enter with the prisoners while Vaeren and Ro remain outside. As soon as they enter, one of the guards looks Inesa in the face. Soon, he recognizes her, “I’ll be damned, somebody caught her.” He approaches the defeated terrorist and punches her in the gut, doubling her over. “We can’t have people killing our own.” The commander of the garrison then walks in. He’s a ruinbound dwarf, two tentacles with eye stalks growing from his neck. All four eyes settle on Inesa, who puts on a show of complete calm, then Dagne, who he takes for the leader. He produces a 3000 galifar check for Inesa’s bounty, then asks about the other one. “Inesa found an accessory in Burnfrost, her name is Donata.” Dagne says. Begrudgingly, the commander flips a singular Soldarak platinum to Dagne for Donata. The guards lead the two prisoners off.

The Crimson Eyes, Crimson Hands adventure is done. The party takes 1 XP.

The party goes and cashes their check, then sets off to find a good bar. The Gold Dragon Inn is decent, but everyone is craving the good stuff after such a tense capture. Adonis approaches a place called The Bull and Anvil and walks inside, he then notices something strange with the interior doormat. He lifts the edge and finds a trapdoor. Curious, he opens it and finds a ladder. The party decides to head down. Beneath The Bull and Anvil is another bar, a sign inside it prominently displaying the name, The Hidden Hammer. A dwarf woman behind the counter eyes the party as they come down, then laughs at their confused expressions. “Come on it! We have a rule here! If you find this place by chance, you get one drink for free! Limited to our moderate priced drinks and cheaper, of course.”

The group approaches and orders. Dagne gets a nightwood ale, Vaeren orders the same as Dagne and then hands the drink over to them, intending on only partaking in tea, Syv gets a mix of rum, emberwheat ale, and horchata, Ro orders the same as Syv, and Adonis asks the barkeep to surprise him. She grins mischievously and produces an unmarked bottle, pouring a goopy red substance into a cup for him. When he drinks it, it wriggles and tries to escape his mouth, but he swallows the acidic, savory mass. The barkeep laughs uproariously and comments that it’s always a treat to watch people try Liquored Jelly. Intrigued, Dagne orders two Liquored Jellies, causing Vaeren to leave in disappointment and wait outside on the street.

The party finds a booth in the back, where Dagne will be able to face away from the rest of the patrons and drink without their face being visible. Adonis stands at the edge of the table and wanders off, finding two people who look exactly like him. They both laugh and revert back to natural form. He just stands in confusion, wondering what’s so funny. Eshi notices the encounter and realizes that the Grey Tide is in, reverting back to Syv as well. She then scans the room, looking for someone. She grins as she spots Captain Kalina Soria. Meanwhile, Dagne orders four shots from the barkeep, who comments “where’d you come across resistance to poison by the way? By all rights you should be out.” Dagne shrugs and says to her, “I’m just built different,” before returning to the booth.

Syv approaches Kalina, who’s gloating over the events of the day to her subordinates over a glass of rum, “I’m winning, I got paid 200 golden galifars for doing absolutely nothing.” Syv takes a seat beside her and asks, “wanna score again tonight?” “If you were a human I would’ve punched you in the face…” Kalina pauses for a moment and then begins a rant about how creepy single skins are. Syv agrees wholeheartedly, saying that they don’t even care for her true looks, only what she can turn into. With that, Kalina grins and reverts to true form, and Syv gasps, “woah, you are gorgeous.” “I don’t normally first face in public. I get too many suspicious glances. That’s not a problem in the Grey Tide though, you can wear any face you want without anyone getting in your business. It’s the best nation in the world,” Kalina shares. “I’m honored you showed me your face, it’s one that should be shown more often,” Syv replies. Kalina laughs, “only in the Grey Tide and Dragon Eyes,” then looks at Syv closer, “I have to return the compliment you gave me. Your first face is beautiful, as well as the form I’ve seen you choose.” “Want to explore our forms together?” Asks Syv. Kalina smirks, rests a hand on Syv’s thigh, and says, “alright. Do you have a room or should we go back to my ship?” The two agree to head back to the ship, and Kalina says to one of the subordinates at her table “Jax, you’re in charge. Make sure nobody gets alcohol poisoning,” before turning to Syv and shifting into the form of a male changeling, “I can also do a dude as well.”

As the two walk off, Adonis, watching this whole exchange, is just entirely confused. Dagne turns around and takes one of their shots, trying their best to ignore the twinge of jealousy. Ro grins, excited for her friend. Outside, Vaeren watches Syv and Kalina leave together, sipping their water and wondering what the heck happened while they weren’t there to watch the party.

With Syv gone, Ro and Dagne settle into a game of Five Crowns, gambling their crowns. Both perform incredibly well, but Ro manages to squeeze a narrow victory.

——————

Highlights:

Ding dong the witch is gone. Finally Minroy is avenged.

Hope Valtis getting away doesn’t come back to bite us or anything.

Vaeren is really scary, shooting people off of roofs like that.

Adonis is super softspoken, like his player literally almost whispers.

Ro has super feral child energy for an adult.

Dagne probably needs help…

Syv had a grand time interacting with the Grey Tide.

Session 5.

[indigobluealchemy]

Eberron cuisine by nation

Note: This is not canon. This is "In My Eberron" and evolves over time. Assumptions about Cuisine. They eat what they are able to find or grow or trade for. The Five Nations have domesticated meats and farmed vegetables and if not for the Last War, would eat well. The ring nations that used to be part of the five nations tend to have some farming. The outer nations tend to have game meats and wild vegetables, since their lifestyles do not lend themselves to growing crops.

Aundair. Known for their fine wines and ornate complex meals, of small portions, a wide variety of ingredients and sauces. They specialize in wine and soft cheese and bread. Harmless magic is usually part of the meal presentation. They map closest to French cuisine. 

Breland. They are the breadbasket of the continent, they grown most of the wheat and other grains eaten by the nations. They are known for their breads. Like the fashions, the meals tend to be functional more than flashy. A single plate or bowl for meat and farmed vegetables and always a variety of breads. Breland has a warm climate, so many of the food are served at room temperature. Their food maps similar Mediterranean cuisine spice profile.

Karrnath. Their harsh winters made the karrnathi cuisine a mix of heavy and filling food. They specialize in creative ways to preserve food to last the winters. But during the Last War, many starved.  Sausages, sauerkraut,and hard cheese making are considered an art form. Meals have little meats, lots of grains, beans and pasta and winter vegetables, like broccoli, cabbage, beets. Strong alcohol are a standard of Karrnath meals and it’s excellent. Karrnathi are renowned for being able to turn anything that doesn’t poison them into decent hard alcohol. They map closest to German and Northeastern European cuisine. 

Thrane. Because the region is home to several hot and or strong spices that only grow there, they cook very spiced cuisine profile. For example, they make roasted garlic into a full meal.  They do three course meals, salad, main dish and dessert. 

Cyre (The Mournland), was known for their candies and cakes and fusion dishes, mixing foods from everywhere else  They were know for adapting (or stealing) the recipes from everywhere else and combining them.. Like their deep fried candied crickets..

Darguun. What ever tropical food the slaves cook. things that can be prepared quickly and/or lend themselves well to traveling (almost like military rations) are probably commonplace ( I treat the globlinids like Babylon 5 Centari, they eat simple military ration type food, but they reminisce constantly about the glory days when they ruled the known world before the pink skins invaded and they could make recipes that used ingredients from all over the continent.)

The Demon Wastes. Known for their vermin meats cooked over fire. Rat on a stick is quite popular.

Droaam. The area has abundant fruit trees, It was Breland’s orchard district long ago.. Known for their fruit influenced meals. Apples, peaches, plums, pears trees grow especially well. They eat a lot of goat and sheep and pig and what that ghastly stuff is that is made from troll.  

The Eldeen Reaches. Known for their game dishes, with wild spices and local vegetables.

The Lhazaar Principalities. Known for their seafood and sea vegetables dishes.

The Mror Holds. Mushroom and fungus are most every dish. Centipede and giant worm make for good proteins.  

Q’barra. Simple meals made from mostly found vegetables and lots of raw and cooked insects and lizards. Cooked small mammals and fish.   Fresh fruits abound.

The Shadow Marches. Simple meals made from swamp creatures, swamp vegetables and hot spices to mask the taste of the swamp creatures. Their food is like a mix of Thai and Cajun cuisine. Thrane may be spicier, but shadow march food is HOT

Talenta Plains. They tend to be nomads, so their meals are made up of goat, dinosaur, bird, sheep and eggs. Veggies are found greens. 

Valenar - Very, very ornate meals for special occasions, military rations the rest of the time. 

Zilargo  Their meals feature whimsical and complex meals of eggs, bugs, grubs and meat from small animals tuber and imported grains. Fresh fruits are in every meal. 

[dwollsadventures]

The Talenta Plains are the largest remnants of a bygone era, before the proliferation of angiosperms. Flowering plants first evolved on Sarlona in conjunction with the extinction of the dinosaurs of the continent. Possibly the cause of said extinction. For a while they lived exclusively on the Eastern continent, slowly proliferating to the nearby Argonesson and Lhazaar Principalities. With the third land-bridge between Frostfell, Sarlona, and Khorvaire came an exchange of both fauna and flora. By chance flowering plants got their first foothold on Khorvaire. Especially grass. These plants spread throughout the continent and gradually faded the gymnosperms out. Mammals, being better adapted to consume angiosperms, replaced the once dominant dinosaurs. Only a handful of locations exist on Khorvaire where they can be found freely, the Talenta Plains being the largest. Gymnosperms and their saurian consumers retain their position due to their ecological stability. And even then some angiosperms have invaded. Talenta is an interesting case, as grasses, almost omnipresent elsewhere, are completely absent. Instead the "plains" of Talenta are faux savannas made up of short ferns and terrestrial horsetail relatives. Floodplains dominant Talenta, leading to the binomial name of the nation. While enormous, larger than any other biome on the continent, they do not alone make up Talenta. To the South and East the Blade Desert sits. A narrow sea used to exist on Khorvaire millions of years ago, bounded by the Ironroot and (formerly shorter) Endwall Mountains. This sea flooded much of low-lying Talenta and Valenar. Eventually it dried up and was replaced by long prairies of ferns adapted to the salty soil. The Blade Desert facing the Endwall mountains, however, did not recover with plants. A rain-shadow effect produced a long desert where the salt never truly left. This is a lifeless land devoid of even plants, made up of dry soil and a white covering of salt. The Ironroot Mountains are a different story. They provide enormous amounts of snow melt. Water carries from these mountains, through Talenta, until it dumps into Lake Cyre. Hugging the mountains is a vast gymnosperm forest that makes the easternmost portion of Talenta. A similar forest sits on the Northwestern edge of Talenta, stretching into Karrnath and formerly Cyran territory. Talenta's plains are characterized by the yearly cycle of water flow from the Ironroot mountains. Wet and dry seasons are incredibly distinct, so much so that the native halflings have based their calendars around it, creating five month-long dry and wet "years". In the dry season Talenta is similar to the savannas of Sarlona. Ferns grow short and skimp on producing chlorophyll, making the plains a wide yellow expanse. Rivers and lakes still flow, but at a much smaller rate. During this period animals make a migration around the plains to not exhaust the plant resources in one area. The foremost players are sauropods. At every step in the cycle they rid the plains of any and all mid to high growing trees. Behind them they leave bare wooden spears and the short-growing ferns, which smaller herbivores feed upon. Following the sauropods are the large carnivores. With the wet season comes the renewal of plant life all across the plains. Talenta's odd soil composition and the presence of huge herds of dinosaurs crossing it constantly means the ground is highly changeable. Rivers rarely flow along the same path they did last wet season, snaking through the turbulent soil to make new riverbeds. Where they cannot flow they create ephemeral lakes that, depending on the ground, can become quite deep and deceptively narrow. Walking along the plains at any season, but especially the wet season, is a nightmare. Nowhere is the ground flat enough to support horses or wheels or rails. Stepping on what looks like grass could lead to a hidden hole grown over by ferns. It's no wonder the small, light-footed halflings are the only ones who call this place home. Wet seasons usually spell a short rest to the cycle of migration, as dinosaurs start to mate, make nests, and raise their young. Once this is over the waterways dry up, all except the largest, and the migration continues. Any lakes or ponds will either evaporate or become stable and stranded, growing ever more stagnant and muck-filled. Here amphibians and hardy fish wait out the next wet season. This way of life, characterized by the constant shifting of landmarks and cycles of water flow, have created a dichotomously chaotic and predictable environment. Animal groups extinct elsewhere thrive in Talenta, changing ever so slowly. Which isn't to say it is not free from change. Halflings, the first humanoid species to come to Khorvaire, shook up the ecosystem quite a bit. They slotted into the migratory cycles easily, following the fastieth, dinosaurs known in Common as camptosaurs, dryosaurs, and their relatives. Any notion of hunting sauropods is the realm of Talenta myths and legends. At some point in this cycle the halflings domesticated the swift, small-bodied fastieth known as dryosaurs. These mounts are much smaller than horses but perfect for the little folk to ride and take hunting. Their three-toed, splayed feet make running across the uneven plains a breeze, and riders will leap from their saddles in tandem with the bumps of their mounts to create a rhythm. When this domestication event happened is unknown, but it may have been earlier than the first Dhakaani empires. Fastieth and other members of the Talenta menagerie figure into the beliefs of the halflings almost as easy as they figure into their daily lives. During the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold the Talenta delegation showed up with a flag bearing two footprints: one halfling and one fastieth. -- Hello! This is a continuation of that biogeography/ecology series. While DM-ing an Eberron campaign for about a year now I have written a shit-ton of stuff. Mostly to put all the information in one place so I don't have to keep switching to the Eberron wiki in games, but also for my own ideas and world-building. And because I'm me, the dinosaurs have been a big part of that. The Talenta Plains are, I've decided, basically just the Morrison Formation. This, and what follows, are what I've written about it. Eberron originally belongs to D&D and Keith Baker.

[sunevial]

The lady in charge of the morgrave branch in Sarlona trying to bullshit her way past the university commission when it arrives

Spoilers for the DMsGuild adventure Escape from Riedra!

There was a part of Chandra Thane that had hoped that gnomish professor from Morgrave University was just playing an elaborate prank when he came to visit. The Historical Society of Lhazaar was doing important work...occasionally, when permits were granted and she wasn't wining and dining with the other big players in the Jhodra.

Somehow, she had the feeling the gnome standing in the front door was not going to be taking those as excuses.

"I assure you, Dr. Rellys, we have everything in order, I will just need a few days to properly copy over the documents," Chandra said, knowing both that there were few original documents at best and that lying to a gnome was ineffectual at best.

Relnin, one of the few professors at Morgrave's who actually had something resembling a reputation, simply raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression, Ms. Thane, that you received a sending detailing we would be arriving by the end of the month, and that all findings thus far would be ready for us to pick up."

"Well, yes, but clearly you will not be leaving right away," she replied, showing a large smile. "Why not relax a little, Professor? Enjoy the sites and the Jhodra for a few days? You couldn't have come out all this way just for paperwork!"

"Oh I assure you, I have planned to do plenty of my own research here. I would also like to have something to read other than my own books."

Chandra bit back a swallow and gave as sincere a smile as she could muster. "Then I'll see that you have those documents by tomorrow morning."

The gnome smiled wryly. "I look forward to seeing your work, then, Ms. Thane."

She really should've just gone to the Principalities when that Six Damned aberrant mark manifested.

This was going to be a long night.

[rebuketheviolent]

Connor 👀

mouth of the river by imagine dragons. overall it's a very. Sad song imo! about what you want to be, and what you are, and the gulf between those two and the feeling of giving in- connor struggles with that a lot, and with being someone who has killed cruelly balanced with her being raised to do that to live. early connor days especially

rib cage by nixe. i think of this song a lot as her and her cousin kailanna running away from the house of assassins they were raised in, taking the train to get all the way from the lhazaar principalities to sharn, and the joy she finds in having freedom for the first time and what lightness it brings to her shoulders.

i will by mitski. connor is in general a supportive person who seeks her friends out when they're down. this song in particular is aimed at an npc- a white dragon paladin (of her god!) named tepullanir, who has spent the last two years trapped in a shard (by her husband's work) in order to contain an archfiend. they have bonded a bit since connor liberated her and she feels really protective towards tepu and her happiness!

red rain by peter gabriel. despite the sheer amount of work she's done in the last 8 years to Get Better, my dm told me the other day "fuck the hero's journey but connor's getting shoved into the descent now". she's in the shard now (all in shades of red, which is great when you have purification rituals centered around blood!), with tepu, both of them cut off from their god. it's an incredibly bad setback for her mentally and i'm excited to see where it takes her!

[andrastes-burning-britches]

Steph's Quick-n-Dirty guide to the nations of Khorvaire

Aundair- Magic France- Fancy Cheese, Fancy Clothes, Fancy Spells

Breland- Fantasy Chicago circa 1900s- bustling, gleaming hub of industry, also festering cesspool of corruption and crime

Cyre- Fantasy Baghdad- The cradle of civilization, hub of art and culture, then it got blown up.

Darguun- Goblin Mezo-American AU where they kicked out the Human colonizers.

Demon Wastes - You know that abandoned Trump Casino in Jersey?? That, mixed with that one coal mine that is just forever on fire.

Droaam- Russia, but what if Putin was three Baba Yagas in a trench coat??

Eldeen Reaches- West Virginia as one giant Hippie Commune

Karrnath- Switzerland, now with Zombies!

Lhazaar Principalities- Pirates of the Holy Roman Empire

Mror Holds- Hey, here's a unique concept, dwarves as an allegory for capitalism and greed. Wow, very novel. Dig too deep and you'll get a Balro- er, daelkyr

Q'barra- There's dragonshards in them thar jungles

Shadow Marches- Is this not just Louisiana?

Talenta Plains- What happens when you watch the Hobbit and Jurassic Park at the same time

Thrane- Spanish Inquisition v2.0

Thronehold- Khorvaire's old Washington D.C.

Valenar- Elfy McElfertown

Zilargo- Gnome Mafia

[mimzalot]

FINALLY! after so many delays, we're back to Eberron for our murder mystery in Regalport! last episode we found out that a suspect is a Nothic in disguise so, uh... safe to say shit's goin down.

join us in 12 hours at twitch.tv/mimzalot all episodes are also posted to our youtube channel

it was my birthday earlier this week too so feel free to tune in as a present (ꈍ꒳ꈍ)

[hipsterbrigadier]

I found this homebrew map of Khorvaire that whatgravitas on reddit made and I’m pretty much in love with it. Slapping an inland sea in the middle just changes so much about the setting. It makes Thrane into a navel powerhouse, enhances the rivalry between Karrnath and Thrane, changes the way the war was fought and provides free real estate for the pirates of the Lhazaar Principalities who can now raid three nations (well...two now but Cyre would have been a target).

It also changes the shape of a lot of the nations and actually the overall territory size is smaller making the setting feel more populated

[cepheidelta]

Eberron Pokemon #20 - Lhazaar Principalities

The last of the Thronehold signatories! Lhazaar is a loose nation organised into small Principalities spread all across the vast archipelago. They’re well known for piracy even beyond their own borders.

[wearebloodhunter]

Blood Hunters in Eberron: Part Two

I promised this a while back, but unfortunately life has a habit of getting in the way of stuff like that.

When last we left our heroes...we were talking about what blood hunters from each region are most likely to be like, particularly as far as subclass, race, motivation, equipment, and that sort of thing. Let’s continue that now.

The Lhazaar Principalities: This collection of islands is a haven of pirates and renegades. It’s intensely factional, and no two places in the Principalities is alike. It seems like blood hunters wouldn’t be widely supported, but that’s pretty typical for the class. 

Blood hunters from the Lhazaar Principalities likely have the Sailor background, like most people from the region. Honestly, any subclass would probably work.

The Mror Holds: This collection of twelve dwarfholds is on the rise. They have a heavily materialistic culture.

Blood hunters from the Mror Holds are likely important: who knows what lurks in the mines, after all. While playing a dwarf is the obvious choice, the Jhorash’tar orcs that are being forced away from dwarven territory but are in some cases being incorporated into the hold and culture open up interesting opportunities for unique characters. Because the clans are so important, put some thought into your character’s clan and what their focus is on: the more martial clans are most likely the ones blood hunters will come from. Blood hunters from the Mror Holds are likely Order of the Ghostslayer, but are there many things cooler than a dwarf werebear Order of the Lycan blood hunter? I don’t think so.

Q’barra: Q’barra is a new frontier for the people of Khorvaire, but it’s already occupied by lizardfolk, dragonborn, and yuan-ti. Dragonshards constantly draw newcomers to the region, but they also cause any truces between Q’barrans and the “scales” to be shaky at best.

There’s a lot of options here. A yuan-ti pureblood from the confederacy of the Poison Dusk could make a great Order of the Profane Soul blood hunter with a Fiend patron. I could see a tradition of alchemy among the lizardfolk of the Cold Sun Federation that would make for interesting lizardfolk Order of the Mutant blood hunters. Dragonborn are always great, too. If you want to play a race that doesn’t have scales, Q’barra is still very much untamed wilderness: there’s going to be creatures that will attack people out there. You might also consider an Order of the Ghostslayer blood hunter who has fought a guerrilla war against the Poison Dusk.

The Shadow Marches: This marsh is home to the orcs, but there are also humans living there. It’s a place most people stay away from, but there’s a history of fiends coming into conflict with the mortals living there.

There’s a lot of places in Eberron where Order of the Profane Soul blood hunters would fit right in, and the Shadow Marches are another one. If you want to play a blood hunter who’s definitely a good guy, I’d consider playing an Order of the Profane Soul blood hunter with an Archfey patron and be part of the Gatekeepers: they’re druids who defeated the fiends before and continue to hold the line against them. And blood hunters love fighting fiends.

The Talenta Plains: Halflings riding dinosaurs.

That may be an oversimplification, but it’s probably the most likely thing to draw you to playing a blood hunter from the Talenta Plains. This region favors Order of the Profane Soul blood hunters because the halflings there believe they are surrounded by spirits, which include various entities you could make a pact with. Of course, it also means that blood hunters have a lot of work available because there’s fey and fiends running around out there. But, like, riding a dinosaur while swinging a flaming sword? I’m in.

Thrane: Ah, Thrane. The complicated theocracy that has the opportunity to produce awesome Oath of Devotion paladins...or really sucky ones.

But we’re not here to talk about paladins, are we? No. That said, blood hunters are likely part of the Church of the Silver Flame. I think they’d lean more towards the darker parts, though, and that provides some great opportunities for looking at how blood hunters, who are products of darkness, interact with it. I’d say that a blood hunter from Thrane would be an excellent opportunity to play a ranged blood hunter: archery is a big thing there, and I feel like there’s not enough blood hunters out there using bows, despite how ranged combat compliments the glass-cannon nature of the blood hunter.

Valenar: Feudal elves. I mean...I’m in. They’re certainly a different philosophy regarding the elves than in the Forgotten Realms.

I don’t think you’d have a lot of blood hunters from Valenar - if you can fight, after all, why aren’t you in a warband? That said, there’s still monsters running around, and monsters mean blood hunters. I don’t see any specific subclass being favored, but if you’re in Valenar you’re most likely playing an elf.

Zilargo: The gnomes’ home, a place of intense intrigue.

I think Zil characters could be really interesting. There’s a serious disconnect between the intrigue of Zilargo and the “I hunt monsters” mentality of the blood hunter, and playing this character who is just not interested in the tangled web everybody else is could be very interesting. I mean, it might also get your character killed, but that comes with playing a blood hunter anyway.

So, there’s all of the places blood hunters could be from in Eberron. Next I’ll tackle the races, and then it’s time to look at the dragonmarked houses and see what dragonmarks would best be suited to blood hunters.

[maximumsnow]

The world that’s always hated me

I saw this prompt, and I got a very vivid image to write for one of my ocs. Captain and his mother are my characters.  Gina, Gina’s sister, Arivin, Leah, and all of their children belong to my D&D group, and most of the other characters mentioned belong to whoever owns the Eberron 3.5 world. I think it’s Wizards of the Coast. Note that this is basically a bad end AU since the player characters are stupidly hard to kill in game. Also, I took some liberties with the Dragonmarks. Yes, the title is a Les Miserables reference and I’m not sorry.

My very existence is a crime in most of the world, so I decided fuck it, and became a crime lord.  Prompt from @highprinceofgeeks

He hadn't wanted this. All he had wanted from life was to see the world and explore. He had hated being trapped with the Dragonborn on Argonessen; he figured out early on that he was different, and when his mother finally told him why, he wanted to explore. He lived in audacity. No one would believe that he was a half-dragon if they were so hated by the dragon-gods. Even then, he could have lived with people knowing his true origins. And then his Dragonmark manifested. Then No One could know. His mother had told him the origins of Lady Vol. How the dragons and elves ended a war just to destroy her and her entire family. Most importantly, she told him why it failed and backfired so horribly.

As he cradled the baby in one arm, and held a small hand in the other, Captain once again did a head count of the children he had rescued. The children of his friends. One, two, three, four. He sighed. The events of what had just happened weighed heavily on all of them, even on the young toddler. The twins were unusually quiet, and he thanked the non-existent gods that the baby had fallen asleep.

He thought he had done a damn good job of hiding as a Dragonborn, and then later as a Half-Elf. He had panicked when Lady Vol had taunted him about being kin. He knew the consequences of his secret, and slaughtered the messenger. He didn't know how she found out, but he had hoped it had involved her lich magic and therefore no one could replicate it. With his mother lying about his origins, and convincing Sir Cul that their group wasn't to be messed with, he had hoped that maybe the dragons would leave him alone. Hell, he hadn't planned on it, but he had done them a huge favor.

But it was all for naught.

Instead of the great war between the dragonmark house and Argonessen he had imagined, House Lyrandar and the dragons collaborated to specifically get rid of him. They must have gotten Sir Cul's story out of him, for they made sure to attack when the three of them were not near each other. He owed his life to his mother; she had caused a massive storm and utterly destroyed several airships before she went down. It had given him enough time to get through the portal on his ship and close it. What he hadn't expected was what awaited him on the other side.

Arivin's tavern was destroyed. Tables and chairs were thrown about as if a massive bar fight had happened, but given the scope of the damage, it couldn't have been just that. As he gingerly stepped around broken glass and spilled alcohol, he heard faint stepping. He poised his spear for attack, but faltered when three puppies covered in soot broke cover and ran towards him. They quickly recognized him and changed into three young elves who sobbed and clung to his legs. They had babbled about the scary men with the cloud marks coming in and demanding to speak their parents. Their mother had ushered them to a hiding spot and told them to stay as small as possible and to not come out until she or their father came back. The children didn't need to finish the obvious. He tried to tell them to go hide while he finished looking around, but they clung to him too tightly. Instead he held one of their hands and formed a chain with the rest as he explored.

He should have known they would have laid a trap, but they obviously hadn't expected that even without Gina and Arivin, he was incredibly dangerous. The door to Arivin and Leah's room busted open and several men bearing the Lyrandar insignia rushed at him. They foolishly remained in a line, and he took advantage of it. He inhaled and breathed a bolt of plasma that knocked most of them onto the ground. Killing them would take too long, and he didn't have time to waste. He snatched up the three children and ran out into Sharn. He slipped the magical mask on before leaving, but a tall Half-Elf with three children clinging to him in terror still caused a ruckus.

He ran until he made it to the warforged tavern in the root of the city. Here he finally paused to catch his breath and to let the children breath as well. He pulled out a Sending scroll to contact Gina. He had to try. When the attempt failed, he felt three tiny gazes on his back. He faked a smile to keep them from freaking out, but emotions were running thin. They started asking when Mom and Dad would be coming after them. The youngest didn't want to believe that they weren't coming back, and insisted that they'd see Arivin tearing the city apart for them. At least the twins seemed to understand, and one of them quickly changed the subject.

They couldn't stay long, however. After getting a little food and drink, the strange group had to move. Deciding that in person was the only way to contact Gina, he travelled to the last location he knew she had been. She hadn't want to constantly move when she finally had her first child, and had chosen a place in Sharn to pause. It was close to almost everything she needed, and with Arivin's tavern in the same city, she could always get in contact with Captain's ship.

When he thought he saw Gina, he was immensely relieved until he realized that her mark was all wrong. The warforged in front of him still looked like her since that was her purpose, but the original had a Greater Mark. Gina's sister stopped him from getting any closer to Gina's dwelling with a warning. Apparently someone had already "dealt" with the head of House Cannith. She handed him a small bundle. Apparently she had saved Gina's son before getting herself and their father out. She couldn't take care of two people, and knew that Captain was one of the very few people Gina trusted. No one in House Cannith would have truly taken care of this child. In fact, she was certain that the child was to be killed if anything happened to Gina. Afterwards, the warforged slipped away with a grace reminiscent to the first time they had met.

With four children, Captain was panicking. The mask that disguised his heritage helped greatly, but he needed to get out of Sharn without a trace. After days of walking, running, backtracking, and lying about why a lone adult man had four children with him, he finally got out of Sharn. One of the biggest problems was keeping the children fed. Especially the baby. He thanked the powers that be that Gina had gotten him more than one set of fake papers, and people were usually willing to overlook children. He figured his safest bet would be the Lhazaar principalities. He knew the area well, and since the area lacked a central politcal figure, it would be easy to disappear. The thunderail got him there safely, and that was the last time most people saw Captain Iris Draytek.

While in a seedy inn, he kept a close count of the children around his feet as he paid for a night's stay. He didn't want to stay here for long, but it would do. Thanks to Arivin being what he was and Leah being a druid, their children adapted to road life well. The main reason he hadn't completely disappeared into the wilds was because of the baby. Until the child could eat normal food, he couldn't leave society completely.

Once they settled into their room, he allowed the kids to jump onto the bed. He continued to cradle Gina's child until he made a table a relatively safe place for the baby to sleep. It was then that he received a knock on the door. Nervous, he gently placed Anders down before picking up his spear and opening the door a mere inch. It was someone delivering a message. He snatched the paper from the messenger and slammed the door shut before opening the note. It was a simple message. "Would you like to reconsider my offer, my dear kin? They have betrayed you."

There was only one person who called him kin that wasn't his mother. He and Lady Vol shared many similarities after all. She had wanted him to join her cause for reasons he didn't know, but at that point, he didn't care. He had loved his life, and he didn't see a point in fighting the dragons and Houses. He knew he was a bit of an idealist, but he wished to live up to his name. Not the Common name that had butchered his lovely birthname. He wanted to ease the hate that people bore towards each other. But it seemed like it didn't matter. All he did was get the ones he loved killed simply because they had been close to him. As he gazed over the frightened children that had once again changed shape to wolf pups and the sleeping form of Gina's only child, something within him snapped. He didn't deserve this. These children didn't deserve this.

As he searched for something to write with, the mark on his back exploded in size. The medium sized storm cloud danced across his skin as it changed into a dragon that began to cover his skin. The previously dark room was filled with a faint blue-green glow as his Dragonmark of Storm became a Siberys mark. In the blank space left at the bottom for a reply, he swiftly wrote, "Yes. I only have one condition..."

[sageadvicednd]

If you wanted to run an Al Amarja alike game, but in Eberron… if you wanted to run an Al Amarja alike game, but in Eberron, where would you put a little semi-independent nationstate of weirdness and intrigue?The Lhazaar Principalities are an easy option.