The Medusas Come to Cazhaak Draal

Population Migration / Travel

Medusas from Khyber took possession of the ruins of the ancient Dhakaani city of Cazhaak Draal in what is now the independent nation of Droaam in western Khorvaire, where they restored the city to a semblance of life. The medusas were led by one of their kind named Sheshka, who became known as the Queen of Stone.

Medusas from Khyber took possession of the ruins of the ancient Dhakaani city of Cazhaak Draal in what is now the independent nation of Droaam in western Khorvaire, where they restored the city to a semblance of life. The medusas were led by one of their kind named Sheshka, who became known as the Queen of Stone.   Many forms of life on Eberron have been shaped by the arcane magical forces that suffuse the world. This can be seen in the minor illusion-weaving ability of the gnomes, the teleporting blink dog, or the petrifying gaze of the medusa. The deadly power of a medusa can certainly inspire terror, and thinking of this creature as a simple monster is easy. But medusas are not savage predators, roaming the wastes in search of prey. The medusas of Cazhaak Draal are, on average, more intelligent than most humans, and they have a proud city-state in the midst of what has become the newborn Kingdom of Droaam. The power of the medusas is a potent weapon in the present-day arsenal of Droaam, the “nation of monsters.” The medusas were born in Khyber, and no one on the surface knows the extent of their subterranean civilization.   In 778 YK, a force of medusas emerged from the underworld and laid claim to the city of Cazhaak Draal, an ancient goblin metropolis of the Dhakaani Empire that had been abandoned since the Daelkyr War had ended millennia before. Over the course of the next two hundred years, the medusas renovated Cazhaak Draal, repairing the ruins and domesticating many of the dangerous creatures found in the region. For the most part, the medusas were content in their tiny kingdom: Cazhaak Draal was far larger than their small numbers required, and many powerful Dhakaani treasures and magical wonders existed in the ancient city. Explorers who ventured into what became known as the “Stonelands” around the city rarely returned, but the medusas had little interest in the outside world.   The Gatekeeper druids claim that medusas were magical aberrations created millennia ago by the daelkyr Orlassk, but the medusa priests of Cazhaak Draal offered their devotions to the Shadow. They claimed that the Shadow shaped many of the creatures humans see as monsters, giving the harpy her deadly voice, hiding the displacer beast from its foes, and healing the wounds of the troll. These priests view the deities of the Sovereign Host as the true evil, comparing the divine exile of the Shadow to the fear with which many humans respond to medusas and other creatures labeled monsters.   Of course, some medusas do earn their evil reputation. Several revel in their powers and petrify lesser creatures for sport. But a medusa who calls this sort of attention to herself will not last long in one of the great cities of Khorvaire. Those medusas chosen to represent the “monster” nation of Droaam at the present time in the wider world are carefully vetted by Queen Sheshka and officials of House Tharashk, which established a relationship with the “monsters” of Droaam and began to offer their services as mercenaries to the people of the Five Nations. The average medusa is more intelligent and cunning than the average human, and she understands the need to control her behavior among the soft people of Khorvaire. In the Brelish city of Sharn, for example, a medusa may move unfettered in the lawless districts, but if she enters a respectable neighborhood, she must wear eye blinders, a metal visor secured with straps around her forehead and chin; otherwise, she may be attacked by the agents of the law. Eyeblinders require a full minute to don or remove; in some cities, a medusa must have the blinders secured with a lock for the duration of her stay.   Despite their worship of the Shadow, medusas are no more inherently evil than humans or elves. Some are arrogant and proud, believing that their deadly gaze places them above mundane creatures. Others respond to the fear they encounter every day by despising those who fear them, a path that often leads to malicious motivations. But many enjoy the same pleasures that humans do, and seek out song, good company, and the satisfaction of hard work. The medusas of Cazhaak Draal have a strong tradition of stonework, both architecture and purely aesthetic sculpture, and these works have begun to come to the notice of the outside world. For instance, in recent years, Councilor Kilk of Sharn has sought permission to bring in medusa architects and masons to perform work in the district of Northedge, although to date the other councilors have refused to use city funds to pay for the services of “monsters.”   The gaze of a medusa can petrify even an ally, and as a result, a medusa does not meet the gaze of a person with whom she is conversing. Where she directs her eyes indicates her esteem for the person. She drops her eyes toward the ground to show respect, or looks up and over the person if she wishes to indicate disdain; when speaking to an equal, she glances to the left or right. If she wishes to show trust, she directs her gaze to the person but closes her eyes. While this may seem inconvenient to a human, it has little impact on a medusa. If a medusa concentrates, she can receive limited visual impressions from the serpents that make up her hair; as a result, though she seems to look elsewhere, she is actually looking through the eyes of her serpents. She can even use her serpents to see when she is blindfolded or has her eyes closed. However, she can still “see” in only one direction in this way; her serpents may look all around her, but she cannot mentally process the information from all of them at once.