Shadow Marches

Capital: Zarash'ak (unofficial) Hallmarks: Eberron dragonshards, herbs
When most people think of the Shadow Marches, they imagine a fetid backwater where illiterate humans mingle with orcs and other foul creatures, practicing strange rites by the light of the moons. While flawed, this vision isn't entirely inaccurate. The Shadow Marches are a desolate land of swamps and moors. The homeland of the orcs, the Marches were scarred in the ancient conflict with the daelkyr. The fiends left twisted creatures and aberrations in the swamps, and sowed seeds of madness that linger to this day. There are indeed moonlit rituals in the Marches: some to honor the daelkyr, others to maintain the wards that keep them trapped in Khyber.
Humans came to the Marches long ago, refugees fleeing a war in the distant land of Sarlona. Over time the two cultures merged, forming the Marches as they exist today.
The Marches had little contact with the Kingdom of Galifar or the east until a few hundred years ago, when a House Sivis expedition made two discoveries: the region contained valuable dragonshards, and a number of clans had manifested the Dragonmark of Finding. This led to the foundation of House Tharashk, as these clans joined together to master the economic potential of their mark and leverage their mineral wealth.
The Shadow Marches aren't a nation. No one voice speaks for the clans and tribes, and most of the tribes have no interest in dealing with outsiders. House Tharashk is the largest faction in the region, and their city of Zarash'ak is the center for commerce.
House Tharashk is the main point of contact between the Shadow Marches and the outside world. Tharashk aside, the region remains a collection of tribes and cultists following their ancient traditions in the shadows of the swamps.
Interesting Things About the Shadow Marches The untamed Shadow Marches are filled with mysteries. Relics of the daelkyr rest undisturbed in the depths of the swamps, along with foul monsters and druidic shrines. The Marches are the birthplace of the druidic tradition of the Gatekeepers. Long ago, this sect defeated the vile daelkyr; today, its last champions continue to protect Eberron from aberrations and other extraplanar threats. Even in defeat, the daelkyr sowed seeds of madness in the Marches. Followers of the Cults of the Dragon Below remain scattered across the region. Some of these cults work with mind flayers and other aberrations. Others have no evil intent but are driven by dangerous delusions. Marcher Characters As you develop a Marcher character or NPC, consider the following:
The Mark of Finding. An alliance of Marcher clans formed House Tharashk, but not all those who carried the mark chose to join this house. As a half-orc with the Mark of Finding, you could be a child of the Marches with a strong tie to the house, or you could be a scion of a small tribe of hunters, proud of your independence and suspicious of the houses. Your ties to the Marches might be distant because you were born to a family that left years ago. Do you want to rediscover your ancestral roots?
Madness and Mysticism. Most Marchers have a mystical view of the world, beliefs shaped by the traditions of the Gatekeepers and the madness of the daelkyr. Marchers typically feel that the people of the treaty nations are blinded by their civilized ways. You have heard the truth in the voices of croaking frogs and seen it in the shadows shifting on the water. Whether you're loyal to the Gatekeepers, the Sovereign Host, or the Dragon Below, superstitions inform your path.
Clan or Tribe? The people of the Shadow Marches are split into two distinct cultures. The clans blend the traditions of human and orc, building towns and working with steel. If you were raised in one of the clans, the ways of civilization aren't that strange to you; you've seen the city of Zarash'ak and worked with House Tharashk. By contrast, the Marcher tribes maintain traditions that predate humanity. As nomadic hunter-gatherers, they don't work metals; they make their tools from stone, hide, wood, and bone. If your character is from one of the Marcher tribes, you might be the first of your people to leave the swamps. Why have you left your people, and how are you adapting to this new world?
Cities and Sites The clans of the Shadow Marches primarily live in small towns and villages, their huts raised above the swamps on stilts. The Shadow Marches contain many manifest zones tied to Xoriat and Kythri (see chapter 4 for descriptions of both), the planes of madness and chaos. Time moves strangely in places in the deep swamps, which twists mundane beasts and plants into strange shapes. Daelkyr ruins linger in these areas, remnants of the ancient war against the goblins and orcs that once dominated Khorvaire.
Dragonshard Fields The Shadow Marches hold deposits of Eberron dragonshards, the source of House Tharashk's wealth. These fields aren't as rich as those in Q'barra, but there's gold to be made by those willing to hunt for shards in the dangerous swamps.
Vvaraak's Cave The green dragon Vvaraak is said to have taught the secrets of druidic magic to the first Gatekeepers thousands of years ago. Though Vvaraak is long dead, rumors say that her hidden lair holds secrets tied to the Draconic Prophecy and the mysteries of druidic magic.
Zarash'ak Because overland travel through Droaam or the Eldeen Reaches can be extremely dangerous, most people who need to do business in the Marches travel by ship to the port city of Zarash'ak. Built on stilts and known for its cuisine and music, Zarash'ak offers the rare exports of the land without the difficulty of navigating the swamps. House Tharashk oversees the City of Stilts, but Marcher clans and tribes come here to sell crafts and other goods or to celebrate religious rituals.
Aftermath of the Last War The Shadow Marches aren't a nation, and the region wasn't recognized by the Treaty of Thronehold. Most Marchers have little interest in the outside world. Marcher tribes don't know the names or number of the nations beyond the swamps, let alone that they were at war. However, as House Tharashk gains power and influence in the world beyond the swamps, it has increased its presence in its homeland. The house has expanded Zarash'ak dramatically over the last decade and is working on transforming other towns into cities. This has caused tension with a number of tribes. And House Tharashk's mining operations and its urban expansion always run the risk of disrupting Gatekeeper seals and unleashing ancient evils bound beneath the Marches.

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