Page 285 - Eberron -Rising from the Last War_Neat

Held Loosel y in S p ace. The daelkyr have lairs within CHARACTE RS WITH TI ES TO H T E DAELKYR
Khyber, but these are no mere caverns. Each daelkyr's Player characters might manifest connections to the
domain is a demiplane reflecting the twisted vision of its daelkyr in many ways. The r eat Old One warlock patron
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master. These realms are connected to the surface by is an excellent match to Belashyrra or Dyrrn, but other
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tunnels and chasms, but they defy conventional geogra­ classes can just as eas l y reflect a connection to this dark­
phy. Passages to Belashyrra's domain can be found in ness. For example, a barbarian's rage might be seen as a
the Shadow Marches, but tunnels also connect its realm form of daelkyr-induced madness, or a sorcerer's Sorcer­
to Xen'drik. Adventurers can potentially cross great dis­ ous Origin could be the result of a daelkyr experiment.
When a character has a tie to a daelkyr, consider whether
tances quickly by passing through a daelkyr's domain. that tie was chosen or thrust p on them. Is the character
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U n fathomable Evil. The daelkyr are utterly alien, a cultist who embraces their dark path, believing that a
and their physical forms can't be fully perceived by world transformed by the daelkyr will be a better place? Or
mortals. Viewers perceive the same general impression is the character a victim of the daelkyr, consumed by the
of a daelkyr, but the details vary in ways that can't be fe ar of what they might become?
controlled. For example, Belashyrra might appear as a The touch of the daelkyr might be purely mental, or it
female humanoid surrounded by floating eyes to some might be accompanied by a physical transformation. A
viewers, while other viewers see a haggard male elf. barbarian touched by Belashyrra might serve as an eye of
the All-Seer but remain physically n changed, even as a
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S P AWN O F T H E DA L KYR barbarian tied to Dyrrn takes on aberrant features while
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raging. When a warlock character gains the Devil's Sight
Most of the aberrations on Eberron are the creations of invocation, they might i terally gain the fiery red eyes
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the daelkyr. The daelkyr are masters of flesh-shaping, of a devil.
and they altered existing life forms-often beyond rec­ ... ....
ognition-to create soldiers for their wars against the DOPPELGANGERS
peoples of Khorvaire. The daelkyr Dyrrn the Corruptor enhanced the latent
When a character faces a creature twisted by the psychic abilities of changelings to develop doppelgang­
daelkyr-an aberration or another creature bearing a ers, while implanting a desire to cause chaos in the com­
daelkyr's corruption-consider rolling on the Daelkyr munities around them.-even when there's no benefit in
Modifications table to add strange cosmetic details to it for the doppelganger. Some doppelgangers, driven by
the creature.
visions from the daelkyr, can be found working with the
Cults of the Dragon Below or fighting alongside aberra­
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DA L K Y R M O D I F I C A T I O N S
tions in Khyber. Others operate alone.
d l 0 Modification
LYCANTHROPES
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l The creature is fused with another creature or b ject.
2 The creature has additional eyes, or its existing eyes Many people believe that shifters are descended from
lycanthropes, but shifter druids often assert the op­
are replaced with the eyes of a different creature.
posite-that the abilities of the shifters are a gift from
3 The creature produces eerie music instead of speech. Eberron or Lamannia, but the gift was corrupted by the
4 The creature's skin has an unusual texture or color. daelkyr to create the curse of lycanthropy.
5 The creature's hair is replaced by spines or tentacles. Whatever the origin of lycanthropy, in the ninth cen­
6 The creature's Aesh is transparent. tury YK, the power of the curse surged dramatically,
7 The creature has extra limbs. and all lycanthropes were drawn toward evil. The
Church of the Silver Flame engaged in a long crusade to
8 The creature is bioluminescent. defend civilization from this brutal scourge, eventually
9 The creature has an additional head. all but eradicating lycanthropy from the Five Nations.
1 0 The creature sheds its skin every 0 days. The lycanthropes that survived hid in dark places, deep
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within the woods of the Eldeen Reaches and Droaam.
BEHOLDERS The common people of Khorvaire still see lycan­
Beholders served as the living artillery of the daelkyr thropes as a dire threat. Most folks don't understand
forces, shattering hobgoblin armies with their deadly that good-aligned lycanthropes exist.
eye rays. When the Gatekeepers drove back and impris­
oned the daelkyr, most of the beholders were driven into MIND FLAYERS
Khyber along with their creators. The illithids of Eberron are the creations of the daelkyr
Today, beholders are solitary, egocentric creatures. Dyrrn the Corruptor. Most mind flayers on Eberron
Some have remained among the daelkyr and dolgaunts dwell in Khyber with their daelkyr masters, command­
(presented later in this chapter), while others have ing cities of dolgaunts and dolgrims. A few can be found
accumulated their own followings among the Cults of on the surface, working with the Cults of the Dragon
the Dragon Below. A few have abandoned the path of Below or pursuing their own enigmatic goals. The mind
aggression in favor of solitary philosophy and reflection. flayers often seem to pursue reopening the gates to Xo­
A beholder philosopher might manipulate events in a hu­ riat with more urgency than the daelkyr themselves do.
manoid city not to gain power or wealth, but to stimulate The immortal daelkyr can afford to wait for another ten
and then study a particular social or economic situation. thousand years; the illithids aren't so patient.

C H APTER 6 I FRIENDS AND FOES