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a nomadic existence. The Wardens of the Wood uphold
THE KORRANBERG order and settle disputes, and the Great Druid Oal
C M � O N � C L( ian-an awakened greatpine-is the spiritual leader of
the Reaches.
D E S C E N T I N TO I N T E R E S TING THINGS ABOUT H E
T
E L D E E N REACH E S
A
DRO A M : M Y • The Towering Wood is vast and untamed. The
Wardens of the Wood seek to protect travelers, but
swathes of forest remain entirely untouched by human
TRA L TO E RROR or shifter. Such areas could hold giant beasts never
T
I
seen in the outside world, or relics from a previous
age-artifacts or ruins created by demons or the terri
We're all going to die. That thought echoed through my fying daelkyr.
mind as the wagon carried us toward the Great Crag. • The fey have a strong presence in the Towering Wood.
The diplomats around me intended to speak with the Even outside the fey stronghold of the Twilight De
Daughters of Sora Kell. All I could think about was the mesne, manifest zones tied to Thelanis (see chapter 4)
stories my grandmother used to tell me. Sora Maenya can allow passage between worlds. The Eldeen Reaches
crush a giant with her bare hands. She can eat the whole creature are a logical origin for a character with ties to the fey.
and still be hungry. If you're bad, she'll come in the night and • Druidic magic is a vital tool in the Eldeen Reaches.
carry you away. She'll make a lantern of your skull and torment Residents use animal messengers to carry commu
you until the end of time. And she's the least frightening nications between villages, and beasts perform vital
member of the Daughters of Sora Kell! services. Good berry wine takes the place of House
When I could set aside my sheer terror, I was learning
a great deal about this strange nation. The Daughters in Vadalis healing. Communities include awakened ani
vested power in warlords, each of whom rules a territory mals and plants as members.
in their name. It's sort of like Karmath, except each of
the warlords of Droaam is a horrifying monster. We were E L D E E N CHARACTERS
traveling through the territory of the Prince of Bones, When creating an Eldeen character or NPC, consider
an ancient troll said to be too evil to die. We'd already the following:
passed through the domain of Queen Sheska the me
dusa, where even the trees are turning to stone. Harpies. Farm or Forest? Did you grow up on one of the farms of
Gargoyles. There's even a king of the kobolds. Our car the eastern Reaches, or did you spend your childhood
avan was being protected by gnolls. Not protected from in the Towering Wood? Are you comfortable in build
gnolls, protected by gnolls. I thought things couldn't get ings, or do you prefer the open air? As a child of the
any stranger. I couldn't have been more wrong . . .
.
forest, you might take the outlander background, or
perhaps you became a folk hero by defending farmers
from bandits and beasts.
E L D E E N R E A C H E S Natural Magic. Druidic traditions play an important
role in Eldeen society. If you're a druid or ranger, are
Capital: Greenheart
Hallmarks: Agriculture, animal husbandry, you a stoic Warden of the Wood or a grim Child of
druidic magic Winter? Even if you're not a spellcaster, the Magic Ini
tiate feat can provide you with a few spells to reflect a
A stretch of fertile farmlands borders a vast, untamed basic initiation into the druidic mysteries.
forest. Farmers tend the fields, while tribes of shifters A Land with No Lords. The Reachers are fiercely inde
and circles of druids and rangers roam through the pendent. They broke with Aundair, and they bow to
woods. These are the Eldeen Reaches. no monarch. The folk of the Reaches value talent over
Druids and shifters dwelled in the Towering Wood titles. The Eldeen people respect the guidance of the
for thousands of years, but the eastern farmlands of the druids, but they all work together to solve their prob
Reaches were part of Aundair until the Last War. The lems; no one gives orders to a Reacher.
lords of Aundair focused their resources on the war ef
fort, ignoring banditry and other problems faced by the
farmers of the east. The Wardens of the Wood-largest
of the druid sects-came to the aid of these farmers.
Fifty years ago, the people of eastern Aundair seceded
and formed the Eldeen Reaches. The Treaty of Throne
hold recognized the Reaches as a nation, but its citizens
fear Aundair will try to reclaim the region.
Druidic magic is central to life in the Eldeen Reaches.
Its people seek to live in harmony with the natural
world, and each community has a druidic advisor
who helps with planning and planting. The Towering
Wood is also home to tribes of shifters, who maintain
C H APTER 2 I KHORVAIRE GAZE'ITEER
IIS
