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properties of steel; an Aereni cleric might wear a
                           -- THE --                        bronzewood breastplate, while a paladin of the Undying
            S M /4 � �   � � Q � S � l � W (                wood plate armor. Bronzewood leaves are remarkably
                                    �
                                                            Court could wear a suit of elaborated engraved bronze­
                                                            tough, and the Aereni craft "leaf weave" armor function­
          N I G H T L I F E   O F   T H E                   Bronzewood can also be crafted into weapons, and Aer­
                                                            ally equivalent to leather, studded leather, or chain mail.
                                                            eni warriors use spears or swords made from a single
             WA K ING D E A D                               piece of bronzewood.
                      L

                                                            TRI N  K ETS  F R O M   A  E R E N A L
          The port city of Pylas T a laear is a place of wonders. Stand   d 8    Trinket
          on the steps of the Grand T e mple and look down upon   A bronzewood ring inscribed with the Elvish word for
          the High Street and you'll see fountains of light cast-  "hope"
          ing shadows across buildings that have stood for over   2   A dried flower;  if it's placed in water, it blooms
          ten thousand years.  Brilliant motes dance through the
          air-spectral messengers carrying words across the city.   3   An ebony locket; when it's opened, an elven voice
          But the most remarkable fe ature of Pylas T a laear is the   whispers "Always"
          dead. If you know anything about Aerenal, you've surely   4   A tiny skull carved from dark wood
          heard of the Undying Court, the deathless cabinet that   5   A finger bone inscribed with an  unknown sigil
          guides the nation. Only the grandest members of society
          win elevation to the Undying Court, but there are many   6   An  ivory flute which produces no sound
          forms of preservation. Go to the Dalaen Forge and you'll   7   A small journal made from preserved leaves
          see the ghost of Old Dalaen advising his descendants as   8   A book of poetry written by undead elves
          they work wood and steel. Visit the Eidolon T a vern and
          you'll see poltergeists mixing drinks,  and you can get
                                                                G
          advice from a spectral bartender with thousands of years   AR O N N E S S E N
          of wisdom to share. Visit Maer Crossing at midnight and
          you'll see the spirit of Lady Jhaelian dance with a grace   I n  Argonnessen, you could ...
          unmatched by any living elf.                      •  Clash with tribes of dragon-worshiping barbarians.
           Wondrous as it is,  as a human visitor, I found it more   •  Explore an ancient city of dragons.
          than a little unnerving. There's no escaping the past in   •  Discover mighty artifacts and long-lost spells.
          Aerenal; it lingers all around you, whispering advice or
          warning you to avoid transgression. Y o u never know   Argonnessen is home to the oldest civilization on Eber­
          when you'll f e el the tingle of spectral fingers against your   ron. The dragons wield ancient magic, and they have
          skin or hear the whisper of an elf who's older than hu­  shielded their homeland against divination and telepor­
          man civilization. There are many wonders in Aerenal . . .    tation. Tribes of barbarians roam the Seren Islands and
          just don't get buried in the past.                the coastlines of Argonnessen; these include members
                                                            of almost every humanoid race, perhaps collected by
                                                            dragons in ages past. The Seren barbarians worship the
          AERENA�S I N FL E N C E I N                       dragons and protect the coasts from invaders. To date,
                             U
                  A
          KHORV I R E                                       no one from Khorvaire has ventured into the interior of
                                                            the continent and returned to speak of it.
          In Khorvaire, you might ...                        No one knows how many dragons live in Argonnes­
          •  Team up with an agent of the Undying Court to bring   sen, but stories tell of vast cavern complexes filled with
           down a powerful vampire.                         the treasures of fallen civilizations, of prisons holding
          •  Be summoned by a deathless sage who needs your   bound demons, of cities made from adamantine.
           help to fulfill an ancient prophecy.              To those of Khorvaire, Argonnessen is a mystery
          •  Bargain with a merchant offering rare magic items.   space on the map. Only the most powerful characters
                                                            might visit Argonnessen and return to tell the tale.
          Few Aereni elves are interested in the world beyond
          their island. The Aereni see Khorvaire as a primitive   AR O N N E S S E N ' S  N F L U E N C E   I N
                                                               G
                                                                                I
          backwater, and humans as dangerously impulsive. Aer­
                                                                    A
          eni who travel to Khorvaire have a concrete purpose for   KHORV I R E
          the journey, which could drive an adventure.     In Khorvaire, you might ...
           The magewrights and artificers of Aerenal are more   •  Prevent a villain from acquiring a powerful artifact
          advanced than those of Khorvaire. Aereni artisans   smuggled out of Argonnessen.
          fashion rods, staffs, and wands, and other rare or even   •  Encounter a dragonborn barbarian born on the Seren
          legendary items may come from Aerenal. However, the   islands, who shares tales of mighty wyrms.
         nation is less industrialized than Khorvaire. Legend­  •  Battle a dragon who guards a hidden vault.
          ary items aren't mass produced; some are personally
         crafted by members of the Undying Court.          Some say the mysterious dragons of Argonnessen
           Aereni goods make use of exotic plants and woods.   hide in plain sight, that shapechanged dragons scat­
          Bronzewood has the density and even some of the   tered across Khorvaire pull the strings of civilization.


          CHAPTER  2  I  KHORVAIRE GAZETIEER
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