Page 125 - Eberron -Rising from the Last War_Neat

The Shadow Marches aren't a nation. No one voice hunter-gatherers, they don't work metals; they make
speaks for the clans and tribes, and most of the tribes their tools from stone, hide, wood, and bone. If your
have no interest in dealing with outsiders. House Tha­ character is from one of the Marcher tribes, you might
rashk is the largest faction in the region, and their city of be the first of your people to leave the swamps. Why
Zarash'ak is the center for commerce. have you left your people, and how are you adapting to
House Tharashk is the main point of contact between this new world?
the Shadow Marches and the outside world. Tharashk
aside, the region remains a collection of tribes and cult­ C I T I E S A N D SITES
ists following their ancient traditions in the shadows of The clans of the Shadow Marches primarily live in small
the swamps. towns and villages, their huts raised above the swamps
on stilts. The Shadow Marches contain many manifest
I N TERESTING THI N G S ABOUT H E
T
zones tied to Xoriat and Kythri (see chapter 4 for de­
S H A D O W MAR H E S scriptions of both), the planes of madness and chaos.
C
Time moves strangely in places in the deep swamps,
• The untamed Shadow Marches are filled with mys­
teries. Relics of the daelkyr rest undisturbed in the which twists mundane beasts and plants into strange
depths of the swamps, along with foul monsters and shapes. Daelkyr ruins linger in these areas, remnants of
druidic shrines. the ancient war against the goblins and ores that once
The Marches are the birthplace of the druidic tradi­ dominated Khorvaire.
tion of the Gatekeepers. Long ago, this sect defeated DRAGONSHARD FIELDS
the vile daelkyr; today, its last champions continue to The Shadow Marches hold deposits of Eberron dragon­
protect Eberron from aberrations and other extrapla­ shards, the source of House Tharashk's wealth. These
nar threats. fields aren't as rich as those in Q'barra, but there's gold
• Even in defeat, the daelkyr sowed seeds of madness in to be made by those willing to hunt for shards in the
the Marches. Followers of the Cults of the Dragon Be­ dangerous swamps.
low remain scattered across the region. Some of these
cults work with mind flayers and other aberrations. VVARAAK'S CAVE
Others have no evil intent but are driven by dangerous The green dragon Vvaraak is said to have taught the
delusions. secrets of druidic magic to the first Gatekeepers thou­
sands of years ago. Though Vvaraak is long dead, ru­
MAR H E R C H ARACTERS mors say that her hidden lair holds secrets tied to the
C
As you develop a Marcher character or NPC, consider Draconic Prophecy and the mysteries of druidic magic.
the following:
ZARASH'AK
The Mark of Finding. An alliance of Marcher clans Because overland travel through Droaam or the Eldeen
formed House Tharashk, but not all those who car­ Reaches can be extremely dangerous, most people who
ried the mark chose to join this house. As a half-ore need to do business in the Marches travel by ship to the
with the Mark of Finding, you could be a child of the port city of Zarash'ak. Built on stilts and known for its
Marches with a strong tie to the house, or you could cuisine and music, Zarash'ak offers the rare exports of
be a scion of a small tribe of hunters, proud of your in­ the land without the difficulty of navigating the swamps.
dependence and suspicious of the houses. Your ties to House Tharashk oversees the City of Stilts, but Marcher
the Marches might be distant because you were born clans and tribes come here to sell crafts and other goods
to a family that left years ago. Do you want to redis­ or to celebrate religious rituals.
cover your ancestral roots?
Madness and Mysticism. Most Marchers have a mysti­ AFTERMA H OF H E LAST W A R
T
T
cal view of the world, beliefs shaped by the traditions
of the Gatekeepers and the madness of the daelkyr. The Shadow Marches aren't a nation, and the region
Marchers typically feel that the people of the treaty wasn't recognized by the Treaty of Thronehold. Most
nations are blinded by their civilized ways. You have Marchers have little interest in the outside world.
heard the truth in the voices of croaking frogs and Marcher tribes don't know the names or number of the
seen it in the shadows shifting on the water. Whether nations beyond the swamps, let alone that they were
you're loyal to the Gatekeepers, the Sovereign Host, or at war. However, as House Tharashk gains power and
the Dragon Below, superstitions inform your path. influence in the world beyond the swamps, it has in­
Clan or Tribe? The people of the Shadow Marches are creased its presence in its homeland. The house has
split into two distinct cultures. The clans blend the tra­ expanded Zarash'ak dramatically over the last decade
ditions of human and ore, building towns and working and is working on transforming other towns into cities.
with steel. If you were raised in one of the clans, the This has caused tension with a number of tribes. And
ways of civilization aren't that strange to you; you've House Tharashk's mining operations and its urban
seen the city of Zarash'ak and worked with House expansion always run the risk of disrupting Gatekeeper
Tharashk. By contrast, the Marcher tribes main- seals and unleashing ancient evils bound beneath
tain traditions that predate humanity. As nomadic the Marches.

C H APTER 2 I KHORVAIRE GAZETTEER
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