The Moons of Eberron

The Moons of Eberron

By Keith Baker and Chris Perkins

The sky of Eberron is full of wonders. The Ring of Siberys stretches over the equator, its glittering stones standing out even in the light of day. Sages trace images of celestial dragon patterns of the stars. And twelve moons circle the planet, filling the night sky with color and light.

This multitude of moons affects Eberron in many ways. While Zarantyr has the greatest influence over the tides of Eberron, each moon has its own impact on wind and water, and lunar conjunctions can have dramatic effects that can spawn adventures. A confluence of moons can pull back the waters, revealing ancient ruins along the shores of Xen'drik. Sailors speak of maelstroms that arise when Zarantyr eclipses Aryth -- vast whirlpools that can draw a ship into the elemental oceans of Lamannia or the endless frozen sea of Risia. The sage Galeoin, who lived among the Serens, claimed that the moons influenced the tides of magic as well as water and that his barbaric hosts had learned to weave lunar power into their arcane rituals; however, the magi of the Arcane Congress have yet to find any solid evidence supporting Galeoin's claims. A Dungeon Master could certainly decide that a particular ritual, magic item, or eldritch machine can be completed only during a particular conjunction of moons, or that a full moon can enhance the effects of a particular manifest zone.

Each moon has an "ascendant phase" -- a 28-day period during which it is unusually bright. To date, scholars have found no natural explanation for this phenomenon, and it remains one of the mysteries of the skies. This cycle of radiance is the basis for the lunar calendar, and each month is named for the moon that is in its ascendant phase. Some stargazers claim that the ascendant moon has a profound impact on the skills and spirit of children born beneath it; a child born in the month of Zarantyr will be wild and mercurial, while a child of Therendor will be gentle and kind. Druids and rangers also believe that the ascendant moon can be a source of strength -- that a child of Dravago has a special gift for calming animals when this moon is full in the sky. A Dungeon Master who wants to embrace this idea can provide a character with a single action point on a night when his ascendant moon is full; this can be used only for an action tied to the theme of his moon.

When the dragonmarks appeared, sages were quick to note the similarities between the powers of the marks and the mythic qualities of the moons. According to popular legend, each dragonmark first manifested during the month of its associated moon. One common belief is that a child born in the month of his mark has a greater chance of developing a powerful dragonmark, and superstitious dragonmarked couples often time pregnancies to end in the appropriate month. As there were once thirteen dragonmarks, some sages believe that there is a thirteenth moon that has either vanished or simply cannot be seen with the naked eye, and the existence of such a moon has been hinted at by dragons and carvings found in ruined Xen'drik. If this moon was once visible in the sky, it vanished long before the rise of human civilization, and the common races do not know its name or place in the heavens.

The Twelve Moons

Zarantyr, the Storm Moon

Color: Pearly white

Associated Dragonmark: Storm

Approximate Diameter: 1,250 miles

Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 14,300 miles

Zarantyr is the closest moon to Eberron, and it has the greatest effect on the planet's tides. Superstition holds that there is a far greater chance of being struck by lightning when Zarantyr is full, and that bolts can fall from a clear sky. According to the druids, those born in the month of Zarantyr have a wild and tempestuous nature. Sometimes this translates to aggression, but it can also manifest as pure, unbridled energy; barbarians, fighters, sorcerers, and evokers may all feel a bond with the Storm Moon.

Olarune, The Sentinel

Color: Pale orange

Associated Dragonmark: Sentinel

Approximate Diameter: 950 miles

Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 22,500 miles

To the naked eye, the orange disk of Olarune seems to have a slight fringe that vaguely resembles the rim of a shield. The druids say that those born when Olarune is ascendant have a strong bond to community and to order, and a natural desire to protect others; superstition holds that more paladins are born in this month than any other. Scattered lycanthropes, especially weretigers, revere Olarune as a sort of demigoddess-protector.

Therendor, The Healer's Moon

Color: Pale gray

Associated Dragonmark: Healing

Approximate Diameter: 1,100 miles

Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 39,000 miles

Therendor is the "brother moon" of Barrakas, sharing a similar but narrower orbit with the Lantern Moon. The Serens and druids maintain that natural medicines concocted when Therendor is full and Barrakas is new are more potent than normal. Those born in the month of Therendor are thought to be gentle and empathetic; priests, mediators, and healers often have Therendor as their ascendant moon.

Eyre, the Anvil

Color: Silver-gray

Associated Dragonmark: Making

Approximate Diameter: 1,200 miles

Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 52,000 miles

When Eyre is full, a keen-eyed observer can pick out on its surface a shadowy shape that vaguely resembles an anvil. According to druidic belief, those born under Eyre inherit a solid, practical nature and a gift for nature crafts. Some smiths will wait until Eyre is full to work on especially difficult projects, and House Cannith enclaves often hold celebrations when the Anvil is full in the sky.

Dravago, the Herder's Moon

Color: Pale lavender

Associated Dragonmark: Handling

Approximate Diameter: 2,000 miles

Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 77,500 miles

Large and lavender, Dravago is a striking image in the sky. Its orbit typically keeps it at a distance from other moons, and old legends say that it is herding the rest and keeping them in motion. Children of Dravago are said to be more comfortable with animals and plants than with people -- gifted herders, handlers, and farmers, but often awkward in social situations. Some say that stones from Dravago occasionally fall to Eberron, and alchemists have long claimed that this "purple dust of Dravago" holds remarkable magical properties.

Nymm, the Crown or King Nymm

Color: Pale yellow

Associated Dragonmark: Hospitality

Approximate Diameter: 900 miles

Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 95,000 miles

The golden disk of Nymm is most typically associated with royalty. Those born when Nymm is ascendant are said to be sociable and charismatic, gifted orators and con artists. The halflings of House Ghallanda frequently offer discounted rates at their hostelries on nights when "King Nymm" is in its full moon phase.

Lharvion, the Eye

Color: Dull white with black slit

Associated Dragonmark: Detection

Approximate Diameter: 1,350 miles

Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 125,000 miles

This moon features a 750-mile-long black chasm, and, when viewed from Eberron, the full disk of Lharvion resembles a slitted eye. Many superstitions exist about the baleful influence of this moon, and strange occurrences and calamities seem to happen when the Eye of Lharvion is full in the sky. The druids believe that children of Lharvion possess unnatural insights, and gifted diviners and researchers are often born in this month.

Barrakas, the Lantern

Color: Pale gray

Associated Dragonmark: Finding

Approximate Diameter: 1,500 miles

Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 144,000 miles

Barrakas is the brightest of Eberron's moons, and hunters value its light when stalking prey at night. This "sister moon" of Therendor shares a similar (if wider) orbit and occasionally seems to hide behind her closer brother. On nights when Therendor eclipses Barrakas -- "when Barrakas is shy" -- sailors worry about getting lost at sea. Those born when Barrakas is ascendant are thought to be gifted hunters, but many also believe they have a knack for clarifying things that others find confusing. The son of Lharvion sees what others cannot see, while the daughter of Barrakas sheds light on that which is already in the open.

Rhaan, the Book

Color: Pale blue

Associated Dragonmark: Scribing

Approximate Diameter: 800 miles

Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 168,000 miles

The smallest of Eberron's moons, Rhaan looks more like a bright star. When viewed with a spyglass, one may see a series of ridges that vaguely resemble scribblings on a page. The druids say that Rhaan empowers creative thought, and they believe that dancers, musicians, poets, and artists of all stripes draw inspiration from the Book.

Sypheros, the Shadow

Color: Smoky gray

Associated Dragonmark: Shadow

Approximate Diameter: 1,200 miles

Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 193,000 miles

Sypheros is a dim moon, and people often find it difficult to spot in the night sky. Recent observations using powerful spyglasses have confirmed that a jagged crack runs down the center of the moon, as if the moon is splitting in two. Many believe that children born in the month of Sypheros inherit a shifty, untrustworthy nature, and parents often seek to time pregnancies to avoid this month. However, the druids say that the children of Sypheros are not evil; rather, they are comfortable with the shadows and can face them without fear.

Aryth, the Gateway

Color: Orange-red

Associated Dragonmark: Passage

Approximate Diameter: 1,000 miles

Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 221,000 miles

The black dragon Vvarrak told the first druids that Aryth has a similar effect on manifest zones as Zarantyr has on tides, and that particularly weak manifest zones appear only when Aryth is in its full moon phase. Some say that those born under this moon are restless folk, driven to travel and explore; Lhazaar, who led the first great migration from Sarlona to Khorvaire, is said to have been a child of Aryth.

Vult, the Warding Moon

Color: Gray and pockmarked

Associated Dragonmark: Warding

Approximate Diameter: 1,800 miles

Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 252,000 miles

Vult is the farthest moon from Eberron, and some legends say that it holds back forces that lurk out within the stars. The druids say that children of Vult are practical, careful folk who generally plan ahead and prepare for the worst; when disaster strikes, the children of Vult hold civilization together. In his study of the Serens, the sage Galeoin reported that the barbarians believe that Vult "devours" the spirits of deceased great wyrms that fail to attain godhood.

Lycanthropes and the Moons of Eberron

The full moon has a powerful effect on lycanthropes -- and on Eberron, a shapeshifter may have to contend with the influence of multiple moons on a single night. A creature afflicted with lycanthropy changes involuntarily into animal form whenever one of the twelve moons is full. An afflicted creature can resist the involuntary transformation with a successful Control Shape check (see Monster Manual, page 303); however, for each additional full moon after the first, apply a -2 penalty to the check.

This means that an afflicted lycanthrope has to contend with the effects of the curse an average of nineteen nights of the month. Thus, rarely does an afflicted lycanthrope last a week before the curse takes hold and permanently alters her alignment.

The Daelkyr War

-8000 Y.K.

The Daelkyr War decimated the western reaches of Khorvaire when nine thousand years ago Xoriat, the Plane of Madness, became coterminous with Eberron and the daelkyr lords and their terrible armies of aberrations—mind flayers, beholders, neogi, dolgrims and dolgaunts—invaded the world. Determined to refashion Eberron into another nightmare version of their native Xoriat, the daelkyr and their aberrations passed through a planar portal to arrive in western Khorvaire. Their army was met by the legions of the Dhakaani Empire and the conflict between the two forces raged for millennia. In the course of the war, the Dhakaani Empire was brought nearly to ruin as the powerful fleshshapers and their hideous minions proved more than a match for the Dhakaani’s finest bugbear warriors and hobgoblin samurai.

The daelkyr would have succeeded in their insane plan to begin reshaping the natural order of Eberron into an extension of the Plane of Madness if not for the intervention of the orcish druids of the Gatekeeper sect. The druids lured the main thrust of the daelkyr invasion into the Shadow Marches of western Khorvaire and unleashed the full, primal fury of Eberron upon the foul lords of Xoriat and their aberrations. The six daelkyr lords known to have survived the onslaught were then locked by the mightiest of the Gatekeepers’ Great Druids deep below ground in Khyber with their surviving aberrations. The power of the Gatekeepers’ druidic wards kept the daelkyr from setting foot on the surface of Eberron again, though their foul servants could still come up from the depths at will to spread fear and death. The daelkyr were not immobilized in Khyber like the fiendish Overlords but could move around at will through the Dragon Below. The Gatekeepers’ wards also shifted Xoriat in its orbit around the world so that it would not again become coterminous with Eberron until these arcane seals were destroyed.

In time, the daelkyr’s contained but subterranean influence led to the development of the Cults of the Dragon Below, foul religious organizations dedicating to worshipping Khyber and her servants, the daelkyr and the fiendish Lords of Dust, in the hopes of bringing on the end of the world and releasing Khyber from her planetary prison. In contrast, the orcs of the Gatekeeper sect remained ever vigilant for signs that their wards on Khyber were weakening or that another planar incursion from Xoriat was imminent. In the orcish druids’ view, the daelkyr and all magical aberrations presented the greatest threat to the natural order of Eberron that they were sworn to uphold since they were inherently not part of the workings of the natural world, much like the undead, and sought to destroy the delicate balance between the three draconic Progenitors that sustained all life. The daelkyr were the lords of the plane of Xoriat, the Realm of Madness. A daelkyr resembled a perfectly formed athletic human male, possessing unearthly beauty and pupiless white eyes. Despite this outward appearance, daelkyr were actually sexless and did not reproduce, since they were formed from the chaotic fabric of the plane of Xoriat itself.

A daelkyr’s horrible touch caused disease and biological corruption, and its very presence could trigger madness and confusion. At least six daelkyr (possibly more) inhabit Eberron in the present day. The surviving commanders of the daelkyr army that invaded Khorvaire, they were sealed deep in Khyber and cut off from their home plane. For millennia, the daelkyr have bided their time in the depths of Khyber, waiting for Xoriat to become coterminous with Eberron once more. The daelkyr are immortal and endlessly patient, and their manner of thinking is almost impossible for mortals (or even other outsiders) to understand. For the daelkyr, destroying worlds appears to be a form of art, and until Xoriat and Eberron are again coterminous, the daelkyr are indulging their other sordid escapades. Some are poets, musicians, or sculptors, although their works are invariably bizarre and alien to human senses. Their preferred canvas is flesh, for they are the makers of monsters. Dolgrims, dolgaunts, beholders, mind flayers, neogi, tsochar and other hideous aberrations are the legacy of the daelkyr—living weapons created expressly to destroy life. The subterranean citadel of a daelkyr lord usually supports a garrison of dolgrims, dolgaunt lieutenants, and illithid commanders. Each daelkyr also has its personal biological creations, reflecting its own aesthetic tastes. One might have a preference for oozes. Another breeds psionic vermin, while a third crafts hideous and deadly carnivorous plants. Their experiments—creating new races by twisting existing creatures into new forms—take time. A daelkyr can polymorph a creature into something else easily enough; however, creating a new species of aberration such as the dolgrim and dolgaunts (created from Dhakaani hobgoblins captured during the Daelkyr War) or neogi (fleshcrafted from the dwarves of the Ironroot Mountains) takes years to accomplish.

The ancient seals placed by the Gatekeepers trap the daelkyr beneath Eberron and keep Xoriat from becoming coterminous with the world again, but the daelkyr have not made a concerted effort to destroy these seals. Their motives are inscrutable—above all things, the daelkyr are the lords of the Realm of Madness. Insanity and corruption are the currency they deal in.

An Abbreviated History of Eberron

An Abbreviated History of Eberron

The past shapes the present, setting the stage for the future that is to come. In Eberron, a rich and tangled history has helped craft the current era. What follows is a timeline of ages past. The current era is reckoned from the birth of the Kingdom of Galifar (in the Year since the founding of the Kingdom, or YK). Events from the more distant past are shown as a number of years before the current day.

Age of Dragons

Date: ???
In the mythic past, the world was one and the progenitor wyrms, the first and greatest of dragon-kind, ruled all. The three most powerful (Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber) discovered (or created) the Prophecy. A world-shattering struggle followed, splitting the world into three parts and scattering the Prophecy across the width and breadth of existence. In the end, Siberys became the glowing ring that surrounds the world, Khyber was bound in the darkest depths, and Eberron healed the world between by becoming one with it. Siberys called forth the next generation of dragons, Eberron created all manner of other living things, and Khyber spat out the fiends.

Age of Demons

Date: -10,000,000
Khyber's fiendish offspring overrun the surface world, creating a hellish enviroment where rakshasas and night hags rule supreme.

Date: -1,500,000
Dragons rediscover the Prophecy and rise from their primitive state to oppose their demonic overlords, allying with other draconic species, including the couatls. The common races, still in primitive states, hide from the godlike combatants and find a way to survive.

Date: -100,000
Couatls sacrifice most of their number to send the most powerful of the deomon lords and the majority of the fiends back to Khyber, where they are trapped for eternity. The dragons retreat to Argonnessen to contemplate the Prophecy, ignoring the "lesser races."

Age of Giants

Date: -80,000
The giants rise from the ruins of the Dragon-Fiend Wars to establish a vast and powerful civilization on the continent of Xen'drik. They enslave elves and drow, which has the inadvertent effect of pulling the first of the common races out of their primitive state.

Date: -60,000
Dragons make contact with the giant kingdoms and begin to teach the giants how to use arcane magic. The elves watch and learn from their place at the giants' heels. The giants quickly master the arcane arts, creating wonders unequaled even in the modern day.

Date: -40,000
The quori invade Xen'drik through a gate that connects Eberron to Dal Quor, the Plane of Dreams. After years of battle, the giants call upon the magic of the dragons to destroy the planar gate. This act results in a cataclysm that shakes Xen'drik to its core and plunges large chunks of the continent beneath the sea. The physical connection to Dal Quor is severed, perhaps forever.

Date: -39,000
The remaining giant kingdoms never quite recover from the events of the quori invasion. Horrible curses and plagues sweep through the land, and the elves use the opportunity to rebel. In desperation, the giants again turn to the same magic they used to stop the quori. Before they can unleash such destruction a second time, the dragons attack. Giant civilization crumbles, the drow go into hiding in the Xen'drik countryside, and the elves flee to the island-continent of Aerenal.

Age of Monsters

Date: -38,000
The giants revert to primitive monsters living in the ruins of their shattered civilization as the dragons return to their secluded continent and the elves settle Aerenal. Meanwhile, on Khorvaire, the first of the goblinoid kingdoms rises in the area that will one day become Breland and Darguun.

Date: -30,000
Orc nations arise in western Khorvaire to compete with the goblinoid kingdoms.

Date: -25,000
The Undying Court appears in Aerenal. First skirmish between the elves and the dragons, which sets a pattern of long periods of peace punctuated by short, devastating battles every few hundred years.

Date: -16,000
The Dhakaani unite the goblinoid nations to create the greatest empire the goblins have ever known. The Gatekeepers appear among the orcs of western Khorvaire.

Date: -12,000
The dwarves migrate from the Frostfell to the Ironroot Mountains.

Date: -10,000
Aerenal elves establish a colony in what is now present-day Valenar. Peaceful coexistence doesn't last, and the elves come into conflict with the Dhakaani. The elves abandon the colony when another clash with the dragons threatens Aerenal.

Date: -9,000
The Daelkyr War decimates the western reaches of Khorvaire.

Date: -5,000
Weakened by the Daelkyr War, the Dhakaani Empire is shattered by infighting and civil strife, eventually leading to the collapse of the goblinoid civilization.

The Current Age

Date: -4,100
The greatpine Oalian is awakened.

Date: -3,200
The Mark of Hospitality appears among halflings of the Talenta Plains. The Mark of Shadow and the Mark of Death appear among the elves of Aerenal. The dragons watch in awe and horror as the Prophecy begins to unfold among the "lesser" races.

Date: -3,000
Lhazaar leads humans from Sarlona to the eastern shores of Khorvaire. The Mark of Healing appears among halflings of the Talenta Plains.

Date: -2,800
The Mark of Scribing appears among the gnomes of Zilargo.

Date: -2,600
The Mark of Sentinel appears among humans of pre-Galifar Karrnath. House Vol, which carries the Mark of Death, is wiped out in Aerenal. Vol the lich is created. House Phiarlan leaves Aerenal to relocate among the humans of Khorvaire.

Date: -2,500
The distinct settlements that will become the Five Nations appear in central Khorvaire. The Mark of Making appears among humans of pre-Galifar Cyre. The Mark of Warding appears among the dwarves of the Mror Holds.

Date: -2,000
Karrn the Conquerer establishes the nation of Karrnath, defeats the remaining goblinoid settlements, and unsuccessfully attempts to conquer the other four human nations. The Mark of Storm appears among half-elves of pre-Galifar Thrane.

Date: -1,900
The Mark of Passage appears among humans of pre-Galifar Aundair.

Date: -1,800
The Mark of Handling appears among humans in the Eldeen Reaches. Kalashtar reach Sarlona, fleeing Dal Quor and the persecution of the quori.

Date: -1,500
Quori begin conquest of Sarlona. Second wave of humans reach Khorvaire's weastern shores. The Mark of Detection appears among half-elves of pre-Galifar Breland. The dragonmarked houses launch the War of the Mark to end the threat of aberrant and mixed marks. The Twelve is established.

Date: -1,043
Galifar I is born in Karrnath.

Date: -1,022
Galifar assumes rulership of Karrnath.

Date: -1,012
Galifar begins his campaign to unite the Five Nations.

Date: -1,005
Galifar makes a deal with the dragonmarked houses, offering them neutral status in exchange for support in his campaign.

Date: -1,000
The Mark of Finding appears among humans and half-orcs of the Shadow Marches.

Date: 1 YK (-998)
Galifar I and his five sicons - Cyre, Karrn, Thrane, Aundair, and Brey - take control of the Five Nations and establish the Kingdom of Galifar.

Date: 15 YK
Galifar I establishes the Arcane Congress.

Date: 28 YK
Galifar-Lhazaar War, a decade-long conflict, begins.

Date: 32 YK
The Five Nations of Galifar adopt the names of King Galifar's children as their own.

Date: 40 YK
Galifar, now eighty-five years old, steps down and passes rulership of the kingdom to his oldest remaining scion, Cyre.

Date: 53 YK
Galifar I dies.

Date: 106 YK
House Kundarak is reconized by the established dragonmarked houses.

Date: 299 YK
The Church of the Silver Flame is born.

Date: 347 YK
House Lyrandar takes possession of an island off the coast of Aundair to create Stormhome.

Date: 498 YK
House Sivis discovers the Mark of Finding while exploring the Shadow Marches. House Tharashk is created shortly thereafter.

Date: 512 YK
King Daroon orders the construction of the Starpeaks Observatory.

Date: 778 YK
Medusas from Khyber take possession of Cazhaak Draal.

Date: 789 YK
House Sivis message stations begin operations.

Date: 802 YK
The Kingdom of Galifar, in cooperation with the dragonmarked houses, funds the upgrade of the trade city of Stormreach on the northern peninsula of Xen'drik.

Date: 811 YK
First lightning rail connects Flamekeep and Fairhaven.

Date: 832 YK
The inquisition to wipe out lycanthropes is launched by the Church of the Silver Flame; it lasts fifty years and drives the species almost to extinction.

Date: 845 YK
King Jarot begins a public works project to connect all of central Khorvaire via lightning rails. Within twenty years, lines connect the Five Nations, Zilargo, the Mror Holds, and the Talenta Plains.

Date: 878 YK
House Deneith begins to provide clients with goblinoid mercenaries from Darguun region.

Date: 894 YK
King Jarot, the last ruler of Galifar dies. Thalin, Kaius, and Wroann reject the succession of Mishann. Wrogar backs his sister's claim, and the Last War begins.

Date: 896 YK
Order of the Emerald Claw established.

Date: 897 YK
Kaius I turned into a vampire by Vol the lich (not public knowledge).

Date: 910 YK
Kaius II ascends to the throne of Karrnath after Kaius I fakes his death and goes in search of a way to free his kingdom from Blood of Vol.

Date: 914 YK
The Mror Holds declares it's independence. Thalin of Thrane dies and the Church of the Silver Flame seizes control of the nation.

Date: 918 YK
Unknown saboteurs destroy the Glass Tower of Sharn.

Date: 928 YK
Ven ir'Kesslan leads settlers from the Five Nations to forge the nation of Q'barra.

Date: 958 YK
The Eldeen Reaches declares itself an independent nation under the protection of the Wardens of the Wood and the guidance of the Great Druid Oalian.

Date: 961 YK
Boranel becomes king of Breland.

Date: 962 YK
Zilargo formally aligns with Breland.

Date: 965 YK
House Cannith perfects the modern-era warforged, living constructs designed to fight the Last War.

Date: 969 YK
Haruuc leads the hobgoblin rebellion, and the nation of Darguun is born.

Date: 972 YK
House Thuranni splits off from House Phiarlan.

Date: 976 YK
Regent Moranna of Karrnat outlaws the Order of the Emerald Claw.

Date: 980 YK
Queen Aurala's reign of Aundair begins.

Date: 986 YK
A trio of hags known as the Daughters of Sora Kell arrive in Droaam with an army of trolls, ogres, and gnolls.

Date: 987 YK
King Boranel pulls settlers back and seals off the land west of the Graywall Mountains. The Daughters of Sora Kell declare the sovereignty of the nation of Droaam.

Date: 990 YK
The first elemental airships go into service for House Lyrandar.

Date: 991 YK
Kaius III's rule of Karrnath begins.

Date: 993 YK
Jaela Daran assumes the power of the Keeper of the Silver Flame.

Date: 994 YK
Cyre is destroyed; the Mournland is created.

Date: 996 YK
The Treaty of Thronehold officially ends the Last War. The treaty officially recognizes the nations of Aundair, Breland, Thrane, Karrnath, the Talenta Plains, Zilargo, Q'barra, the Lhazaar Principalities, the Mror Holds, the Eldeen Reaches, Darguun, and Valenar. House Cannith is ordered to destroy all creation forges; the remaining warforged are granted the rights of sentient beings.

Date: 998 YK
The campaign begins....

Planes of Existence

The following concepts are taken from 4e (sorry) due to the fact that they seem to have given a little more thought to things in this edition. They don't differ greatly from 3.5e and there are no rules differences, just fluff.

The Astral Sea

The Astral Sea is the plane of the gods and demigods, a model of perfection and order. It includes Syriana, Irian, and Daanvi.

Syrania

Syrania, the Azure Sky, is the perfect paradise that most people would want to retire to in the afterlife, but currently the only known residents of Syrania are angels. With cities floating in a crystalline blue sky thanks to the light gravity on the plane each one goverened by a powerful Solar, it’s hard to imagine a more perfect existance. Sharn the city of towers is built in a Syrania manifest zone providing the city the ability to support the monstrous towers of the skyscraping metropolis. Clear blue cloudless skies and deep midnight blue skies mark a coterminous Syrania. When Syrania is remote the skies are slate gray or white and the nights are lightless and black. Sharn has a significant manifest zone of Syriana.

Irian

Irian, the Eternal Day, is a plane of positive energy. Some might equivocate this to paradise. A brilliant white sun hangs in a beautiful blue sky while rivers of liquid glass flow down from mountains of quartz. The plane is suffused with positive energy not enough to harm life, but enough to sustain unusual forms of life, though not neccesarily good aligned creatures. Just like its opposite, Mabar, the energies of this plane work in opposition to the natural decay and birth of life. In the short period of time when Irian is coterminous with the Material Plane life blossoms. Days are brighter, colors are vibrant and sensations are more intense. Positive energy spells are enhanced in these times, however the manifestations occur only for the hour surrounding noon. The plane is coterminous for ten days in Eyre. When Irian is remote the opposite takes effect. Night becomes darker, numbness hangs in the air and spells with positive energy are less powerful. These manifestations occur during the autumn month of Sypheros for ten days. An almost permanent manifest zone of Irian exists in Aerenal.

Daanvi

Daanvi, the Perfect Order, is the manifestation of law in the Planes of Eberron, and its opposite is Shavarath. All things of Daanvi live in perfect harmony born of order. On the plane all spells with the lawful descriptor are automatically maximized and enlarged, while chaotic spells are impeded. Though there are no founded links between changes in Eberron during coterminous and remote periods of Daanvi, many claim that centuries in which Daanvi are coterminous are historically more stable while periods when it is remote are historically unstable.

Dal Quor

The Realm of Dreams. Dal Quor is a unique plane in that it is shaped by the dreams of the inhabitants of the Material Plane. Every tree that you dream of sprouts in Dal Quor, but every nightmare monster lives there as well. Because of these principles, the plane is an almost constantly changing place, where no terrain is permanent. The inhabitants of the plane are mostly the quori, coalesced around the Dreaming Dark.

The plane came into existence when the first being slumbered and allowed the energy of their mind to escape the Material Plane. As the total number of dreaming creatures has increased, the plane’s power and size has increased.
Most planes manifest themselves physically on the Material Plane, but because of Quori Giant War, Dal Quor has been forceably disconnected, and any cotermination is probably millenia away.

The Elemental Chaos

The Elemental Chaos is the plane of the primordials, and contains Shavarath, Risia, Kythri, and Fernia.

Shavarath

Shavarath, the Battleground, is a region ever gripped in the throes of war as three groups vie for control of the plane, a host of celestial archons, an infernal reginment of devils and a swarming horde of demons. Forever in a rough balance of power each of the three factions lay siege to one anothers fortresses only to lose their own holdings on other fortresses in the process. Beyond these fortresses the plain stretches infinitely, with low hills providing the only terrain feature. The plane is aligned by territory. Those areas held by the archons are mildly good and lawfully aligned while those areas held by devils are mildly evil and lawfully aligned and that held by the demons is mildly chaotic and evil aligned. Magic spells that mimic, create or enhance weapons as well as spells that excite hostile emotions are extended, while charms and pacifisms are impeded. Whirling blades travel the plane like flocks of birds seeking out non-native inhabitants and attacking them. In times of conflict, when Shavarath draws near to the Material Plane, the effects spill over into it. Magic spells are enhanced or impeded as they are on the Battleground and reports have even come of flocks of whirling blades seen on the battlefields. No known effect manifests when Shavarath is remote.

Risia

Risia, the Plain of Ice, is a plane that is layer upon layer of snow and ice with a constant blizzard raining down new layers of sleet snow and ice from a dark grey clouded sky. The very atmosphere freezes the lungs and steals away the breath. The average temperature hovers around 0 degrees. Most of the effects of Risia’s coterminous phases are unfelt by the general populace of Khorvaire since these effects mostly take place in the Frostfell and the Everice regions of Eberron. These areas grow more intesely cold and temporary conduits to Risia open up in these areas of intense cold allowing natives of the plane to slip into the Material Plane. Mostly, this is unfelt since few of the civilized races exist in these extreme environments. Similarly these remote areas experience a decrease in temperature around times that the plane is remote, though the change in temperature is only faintly noticeable.

Kythri

Kythri, the Churning Chaos, is the opposite of Daanvi. Highly morphic the land is a roiling mass of land, water, air, fire, magma, steam, and all other manner of elemental forces. The plane is in a constant state of unrest though some can keep a location from morphing by strength of will, if only for a short period of time. The gravity changes randomly in random directions, and spells with the chaotic descriptor are automatically enlarged and maximized while spells of the lawful type are impeded. Kythri does not follow a set planar orbit but rather lurches through the Astral Plane at random intervals sometimes hurtling through space, sometimes slowing to a crawl. Because of this feature Kythri might be coterminous with the Material Plane for a day or a century and might be remote for only a few months before jumping back into touch with the Material Plane. Popular superstition link coterminous periods with eras of unrest and war. Many scholars believe Kythri was coterminous during the first decades of the Last War but no firm evidence backs these claims. As of yet, there does not appear to be any effect on Eberron when Kythri is remote.

Fernia

Fernia, the Sea of Fire, is a continually burning landscape. Plates of compressed ash and debris float atop oceans of liquid flame as mountains ooze with molten lava. When Fernia is coterminous to the Material Plane areas of extreme heat become even more radiant and entering pools of lava may whisk one away to Fernia. Likewise inhabitants of Fernia can slip into the Material Plane and magic cast in these areas with the fire descriptor is automatically enlarged and empowered. When Fernia is remote, areas of extreme heat are reduced in severity. Spells with the fire descriptor are more difficult to cast, except near hot-spots.

Feywild

The Feywild, a wild reflection of the Material Plane, is the plane of primal spirits. It contains Thelanis and Lamannia.

Thelanis

Thelanis, the Faerie Court, is similar to both Eberron and Lamannia in that it bears untamed expanses of rugged forests and crystal-clear waters dotted with small settlements. Arcane spells are enhanced on Thelanis and time flows differently. Every day in Thelanis equals a week on the Material Plane, this time catches up to any person traveling back to the Material Plane. If one spends too much time on Thelanis moving back to Eberron might suddenly kill the person of old age. When Thelanis is coterminous to Eberron certain magical areas appear such as faerie rings and faerie mounds often accompanied by mysterious lights. These areas are conduits between Thelanis and the Material Plane and inhabitants of either plane can find themselves easily transported back and forth. Arcane spells are extended when cast within 300 feet of these sites and fey creatures are more populous on Eberron during this time. When Thelanis is remote fey creatures grow less prevalent. Some argue that the fey hibernate over this period, but these claims are unsubstantiated by any real evidence. The feyspires that have appeared in Khorvaire come from Thelanis.

Lamannia

Lamannia, the Twilight Forest, is a realm of raw unbounded nature. Untouched by civilization the realm is full of virgin forests, majestic mountains, rolling hills, steamy jungles, festering swamps, and all manner of terrain. Inhabited by all forms of plants, animals and magical beasts as well as a number of lycanthropes who have made a new life for themselves on the plane after fleeing Eberron during the time of the Silver Flame’s Purge. Regions of unspoiled nature floruish in times when Lamannia is coterminous with the Material Plane. Animals breed more prolifically and plants grow more verdant. When Lamannia is remote nature diminishes. Cultivated crops grow poorly and animals product small litters.

Shadowfell

The Shadowfell is a dark reflection of the Material Plane, a plane of death and darkness. It contains Mabar and Dolurrh.

Mabar

Mabar, the Endless Night, is a blackened realm where the faintest spark of light is quickly devoured by the unending darkness. It is a plane suffused with negative energy and the antithesis of Irian. But, just like Irian, the energies of this plane work in opposition to the natural decay and birth of life, which makes a natural source for necromancers to draw power from. Negative energy spells are maximized and all the inhabitants of this plane are immune to effects from negative energy. Positive energy spells are impeded here. The nights grow blacker and more dangerous when Mabar becomes coterminous with the Material Plane. Travel to Mabar becomes as easy as stepping into an area where there is no light, and inhabitants of the plane slip out from the shadows and into the world. The plane becomes coterminous on three dark nights in the dead of night on the nights of the new moon closest to the winter solstice. Consequently when Mabar is remote the darkness seems to sap from Eberron. These periods occur every five years on the nights of the full moon around the summer solstice.

Dolurrh

Dolurrh, the Realm of the Dead, is a hopeless gray waste where mortal souls go after death. It is not a reward, nor a punishment, it simply is. Dolurrh has heavy gravity, it is timeless and people who visit Dolurrh are slowly overcome with apathy and eventually fade, turning into a shade. When Dolurrh is coterminous to the Material Plane slipping occurs between the planes. Ghosts are more common and spells to resurrect the dead often result in bringing back more spirits than originally intended. When the plane is remote, resurrection magic does not work at all and the only way to bring a soul back from the dead is to physically travel to Dolurrh and retrieve the soul, though the native inhabitants of the plane don’t take too keenly to having souls being taken. The shadar kai are said to have originated here.

Xoriat

Xoriat is the Far Realm, a place of madness.