Page 234 - Eberron -Rising from the Last War_Neat

Dark, but by and large these natives of other planes are TRA E L
V
exclusively concerned with where they live. As such,
o
player characters are more likely to encounter celestials Thanks to the industrious innovation f multiple dragon­
and fiends that are native to Eberron, spawned by Khy­ marked houses and workshops full of magewrights, the
ber or Siberys, rather than extraplanar entities. people of Khorvaire can cross the continent in a week
or less using magical means. The lightning rail and
COUATLS vessels powered by bound elementals and operated by
Couatls are a celestial race born from Siberys at the the dragonmarked houses, can carry passengers as far
dawn of time. Along with the dragons, they battled the in an hour as a horse can walk in a day. This section dis­
fiendish overlords of Khorvaire and Sarlona. Ultimately, cusses issues related to travel in an Eberron campaign
the couatls sacrificed most of their number and com­ and presents the Gold Dragon Inns, a chain of hotels
bined their souls to form a prison to hold the overlords. that offer consistent accommodation for travelers any­
Scholars have theorized that their combined souls even­ where in Khorvaire.
tually became the force that is worshiped by the Church As described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon M a ster's
of the Silver Flame. The church is ambivalent on the Guide, it's up to you whether you gloss over travel in
topic, preaching that regardless of how the Flame was your campaign or narrate it in more detail. If the point
first kindled, there is a place within the Flame for all is to get the characters to their destination so they can
noble souls. get the adventure underway, it's fine to assume that their
The few couatls that remain on Eberron are devoted journey (whether it's by lightning rail, airship, or more
servants of the light. They are most often found guard­ mundane means) passes without incident. After all,
ing the prison of the ancient fiendish overlords, and in­ the people of Khorvaire make such trips every day, and
dividuals sometimes act directly to aid adventurers who most of them reach their destinations safely.
fight the forces of darkness. The alternative is to make the journey an important
part of the adventure. Travel can play a crucial role in a
FIENDS story, and when it does, you should give it as much time
The mightiest of the fiends born from Khyber are crea­ at the game table as it needs.
tures of immense power known as the overlords. Doz­
ens of overlords were imprisoned by the Silver Flame E L E M E NTAL VES S E L S
at the dawn of time; two of them, Rak Tulkhesh and
Sul Khatesh, are detailed in chapter 6. Another-Bel Long ago, gnome artificers and specialists from House
Shalor, the Shadow in the Flame-is bound within the Cannith discovered and developed a means of magical
Silver Flame itself in the great cathedral in Flamekeep travel. The heart of the process is a set of techniques
for binding elementals that uses Khyber dragonshards.
in Thrane. You can adapt other evil gods or archfiends
for an Eberron campaign (assuming you don't want This closely guarded procedure requires delicate engi­
Eberron to be connected to the wider multiverse) by neering, arcane skill, and rare materials from around
recasting them as overlords. For example, Tiamat could the world, and different workshops employ varying
esoteric techniques. Building a new vehicle can occupy
be an overlord embodying the pride and potential for a workshop for months while magical energy is pains­
evil within dragons, Lolth could be an overlord who takingly inlaid into the vessel's hull. Such work is a
preys on the elves, and Asmodeus the insidious maker complicated task requiring the labor of many; it is not
of profane bargains. something that can be undertaken by a lone wizard for
Any fiend-whether devil, demon, yugoloth, or some­ any amount of compensation.
thing else-could be spawned by Khyber if it suits your The construction of elemental vessels requires the use
story. Such fiends might be bound to an overlord, or they of two kinds of dragonshards. A Khyber dragonshard
might be independent incarnations of evil unleashed on of the largest size and finest quality is required to bind
the world. Two other races of fiends, though, play im­ the elemental to the vessel, and a Siberys dragonshard
portant roles in its history. is needed to craft the vehicle's helm. Production of new
N ig ht H a gs. Night hags have been around since the vessels grinds to a halt without a steady supply of both
Age of Demons, when they often served as ambassadors kinds of dragonshards, and a workshop with an order
and carried messages between the fiends and the drag­ to fill will pay a handsome fee to adventurers who can
ons. Today, they remain impartial mediators, and ad­ find them.
venturers who are about to deal with outsiders or other
planes of existence might want to seek the advice of a ELEMENTAL MATRIX
night hag-although one can be quite difficult to find. Every elemental vessel is imbued with an invisible,
Rakshasas. As the primary agents of the fiendish arcane matrix. This magical essence extends from the
overlords, rakshasas once dominated Khorvaire and containment chamber at the core of the vehicle to the
Sarlona. When the overlords were defeated in the first binding struts, then through the rest of the vehicle's
age of the world by the combined might of the dragons hull. When a Khyber dragonshard holding a bound
and the couatls, the rakshasas largely disappeared into elemental is placed in the containment chamber, the ma­
Khyber as well. The Lords of Dust are made up largely trix comes alive. The unsuppressed elemental emerges
of rakshasas, scheming in the shadows-many trying to from the shard and flows along the matrix in the way
free their imprisoned overlords, others looking for a way that blood moves through the arteries and veins of a
to claim their masters' power for their own.
living creature.

CHAPTER 4- / BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES
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