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Eberron

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Welcome to Eberron

"In an ancient ruin beneath the Demon Wastes, a band of heroes races to claim the Reaper’s Heart. If the agents of the Emerald Claw reach it first, they’ll reignite the Last War and unleash an army of undead."   "In the city of Sharn, a team of spies pulls off an impossible scheme—breaking into the impenetrable vaults of House Kundarak. But instead of gold, they find a secret that could shatter the fragile peace between the nations."   "Aboard an airship, a wizard debates the interpretation of an ancient prophecy with a blood-red dragon. If the sage loses the argument, the dragon will destroy the airship and everyone on it. But if she wins the debate, the dragon will take them to distant Argonnessen, and no human has ever seen the land of dragons and returned!"   The world of Eberron has a rich history built on heroic deeds, evolving magic, and the wounds of a long, devastating war. Action, adventure, good, evil, and a thousand shades of gray paint the landscape in broad strokes. Ancient mysteries await discovery so they can influence the world and its people.   Magic is built into the very fabric of the world. It pervades everyday life. It provides comforts and conveniences unknown in either the modern world or any world of medieval fantasy. Great cities where castles scrape the sky prosper throughout the continent of Khorvaire, and a thriving aristocracy of merchant families controls much of the world’s economy thanks to the edge given them by the mysterious and rare dragonmarks. Its people harness magic as a tool—to build cities, to sail ships through the skies, and to create both wonders and weapons.   Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, all classes and races. They travel the world, battling villains in instants of over-the-top action. And they unearth fabulous treasure, and deal with narrow escapes and ominous mysteries that are as likely to shed light on centuries of secrets as they are to threaten the world’s safety.   Eberron embraces swashbuckling action and pulp adventure while adding a layer of noir intrigue. Stories don’t always end well, and there isn’t a perfect answer to every problem. The Last War turned old allies into bitter enemies and destroyed an entire nation, leaving behind terrible scars. Crime and corruption lurk in the great cities of Khorvaire. Hidden dragons shape the course of history, and sinister fiends influence the dreams of the unwary. Yet mortal greed and ambition might prove more dangerous than any dragon or fiend. This darkness affords opportunities for a group of bold adventurers to make a difference—for better or for worse.  

Seven Things To Know

What is Eberron? Here are the key things to know:   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 Intrigue. 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 Sharn 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 dragonshards, 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 orc or goblinoid characters in Eberron. Or they can choose one of four new races: changelings, kalashtar, shifters, and 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 humans 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. D&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 result, 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 worldview are shaped by magic (such as the curse of lycanthropy) is alignment a given.