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HUM     A N S                                    HUMANS AND  D       R AGONMARKS

           DWARVES ARE STOIC .  ELVES ARE WISE.  GNOMES ARE   Five different dragonmarks appear among humans,
                                                             reflecting their dominant status among the races of
           cunning. And humans? They   can't make up their mind, so
                                                             Khorvaire:
           they try to be all o f  these things at once.
                                                             •  The Mark of Making is found in House Cannith,
                                    -Kessler, bard of Sham
                                                               which has used it to become one of the most powerful
                                                               houses, creating an abundance of both magical and
           The first human settlers came to Khorvaire about    technological wonders.
           3,000 years ago, landing in the area now known as the   •  The Mark of Passage aids the humans of House Orien
           Lhazaar Principalities. From there, they began a slow   in operating the lightning rail and trade caravans run­
           but inexorable spread across the continent, disrupting   ning across the continent.
           the placid elven empire of Aerenal and leaving further   •  The Mark of Sentinel makes the bodyguards, mer­
           ruined remnants of fallen Dhakaani goblin kingdoms   cenaries, and Sentinel Marshals of House Deneith
           in their wake. During this migration, they founded the   widely respected across Khorvaire.
           settlements that would grow into the Five Nations. Even   •  The Mark of Handling appears in House Vada­
           today humans make up the majority of the population   lis, which uses it to breed fine mounts and other
           in these countries. Despite their relatively short lifes­  creatures.
           pans-or perhaps because of them-humans are inno­    Humans also number among House Tharashk and
           vative, adaptable, and aggressive, always pushing their   manifest the Mark of Finding with their half-ore kin.
           limits and pursuing new ideas.
             Humans prove extremely diverse; a barbarian from   KALAS H    T A R
           the Demon Wastes has little in common with a Brelish
           rogue. When creating a human character, consider   I AM KALASHTAR,  BORN  O  F    TWO WORLDS. OVER A
           where you're from and how that's reflected in your class   thousand yea rs ago, m y   ancestor bound her bloodline to
           and background. Chapter 2 presents an overview of
           the nations of Khorvaire and ideas for characters tied   the spirit Kashtai, and I am a child o f  that union. Kashtai
           to those lands. Aundair is a logical place of origin for a   moves within me. Her memories come to me in dreams,
           wizard character, but your wizard could be a down-and­  and at times her voice whispers in the silence o f  m y   mind.
           out arcanist from the alleys of Sham or a Lhazaar pirate   As long as at least one o f  m y   sisters is alive, Kashtai will sur­
           with a knack for the mystic arts.
             If you want to jump-start your ideas for a human char­  vive-and as long as she lives, she will fight il-Lashtavar.
           acter's origins, you can roll on the Human Origins table.            -Lakashtai, servant of the light

           H U M A N   ORI G I N S                           The kalashtar are a compound people, created from the
             dlO  Origin                                     union of humanity and renegade spirits from the plane
                                                             of dreams-spirits called quori. Kalashtar are often
                 An  m i  poverished wizard from Aundair, striving to
                                                             seen as wise, spiritual people with great compassion
                 prove you're as intelligent as any other Aundairian
                                                             for others. There is an unmistakable alien quality to the
             2   A streetwise rogue from  Breland who wants nothing   kalashtar, though, as they are haunted by the conflicts of
                 more than to escape the bustle of Sham forever   their otherworldly spirits.
             3   A displaced Cyran fighter who was engaged  in war
                 outside Cyre at the time of the Mourning and is now   BOUND TO  SPIRITS
                 stranded with no home                       Every kalashtar has a connection to a spirit of light, a
             4   A barbarian from the  Demon Wastes who  repented   bond shared by other members of their bloodline. Ka­
                 from a life of cruelty and  hopes to atone for past evils   lashtar appear human, but their spiritual connection af­
             5   A kindly druid from the Eldeen Reaches who wants   fects them in a variety of ways. Kalashtar have symmet­
                 to learn about the flora and fauna of the rest of Khor­  rical, slightly angular features, and their eyes often glow
                                                             when they are focused or expressing strong emotions.
                 vaire and beyond
                                                               Kalashtar can't directly communicate with their quori
             6   A cleric from  Karrnath who aspires to learn the arts of
                                                             spirits. Rather, they might experience this relationship
                 necromancy-for the noblest aims, of course   as a sense of instinct and inspiration, drawing on the
             7   A piratical bard from  the  Lhazaar Principalities who   memories of the spirit when they dream. This connec­
                 loves sea shanties but also wants to immortalize the   tion grants kalashtar minor psionic abilities, as well
                 deeds of great heroes in song               as protection from psychic attacks. All of these quori
             8   A ranger trained to hunt the jungles of Q'barra who   dream-spirits are virtuous, but some are warriors and
                 harbors a grudge against  r agons           others are more contemplative. Work together with the
                                   d
             9   A warlock from the Shadow Marches, teetering on the   DM to determine the nature of your linked spirit. T y p­
                 edge of sanity while contemplating the daelkyr   ically, a kalashtar knows the name and nature of their
                                                             spirit, but some may know nothing of their spirit or the
             1 0    A Thrane paladin  f  the Silver Flame who's looking  r    source of their psychic gifts, such as an orphan kalashtar
                             o
                                                     fo
                 something  o   prove the truth underpinning belief
                         t
                                                             raised among strangers.
                                                                              CHAPTER 1  I  CHARACTER  CREATION
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