Page 36 - Eberron -Rising from the Last War_Neat
P. 36

E
            TI F L I N G S                                    LIVING  STEEL  N      D   STONE
                                                                                A
                                                              Warforged are formed from a blend of organic and inor­
             "THE  CHIEFTAIN WHO LEADS THEM," THUEL ASKED,
                                                              ganic materials. Root-like cords infused with alchemical
             "what do we know o f  him?"
                                                              fluids serve as their muscles, wrapped around a frame­
              "His name is Kathrik Mel. He inspires tremendous loyalty   work of steel, darkwood, or stone. Armored plates form
             in the barbarians, an almost religious  e rvor."   a protective outer shell and reinforce joints. Warforged
                                         f
                                                              share a common facial design, with a hinged jaw and
              "He's a demon?"
                                                              crystal eyes embedded beneath a reinforced brow ridge.
              "I don't think so. The Ghaash'kala call him a sak'vanar­  Beyond these common elements of warforged design,
            rak-it translates as something like }lend-touched.' A Karrn   the precise materials and build of a warforged vary
                                                              based on the purpose for which it was designed.
            scholar coined the word tiejling. I think he's some mixture o f
                                                                Although they were manufactured, warforged are
            fiend and mortal, more like a savior than a god."
                                                              living humanoids. Resting, healing magic, and the Medi­
              Thuelfrowned. "Their savior, our damnation."    cine skill all provide the same benefits to warforged that
                                   - J ames Wyatt, Dragon Forge   they do to other humanoids.
                                                              W  A RFORGED P E R S O NALITY
            Tieflings rarely appear in the cities and towns of Khor­
            vaire, with most dwelling at the fringes of civilization.   The warforged were built to serve and to fight. For most
              Many tieflings are born to the Carrion Tribes, the   of their existence, warforged had a clearly defined func­
            barbarians who live in the Demon Wastes. Such tief­  tion and were encouraged to focus purely on that role.
            lings are touched by the fiendish forces bound beneath   The Treaty of Thronehold gave them freedom, but many
            the Wastes, and the tribes consider them to be blessed.   still struggle both to find a place in the post-war world
            If you're playing such a tiefling, why have you left the   and to relate to the creatures who created them.
            Wastes? It could be that you were destined for some evil   The typical warforged shows little emotion. Many
            purpose-perhaps even serving as an avatar for an im­  warforged embrace a concrete purpose-such as
            prisoned Overlord-and you are fleeing that destiny.   protecting allies, completing a contract, or exploring
              Other tieflings are shaped not by fiendish powers,   a land-and embrace this task as they once did war.
            but by the influence of the fiend-tainted planes. Such   However, there are warforged who delight in exploring
            tieflings might be born in manifest zones, where a plane   their feelings, their freedom, and their relationships
            exerts influence over a region. Planar tieflings are oddi­  with others. Most warforged have no interest in reli­
            ties, often seen as strange but not necessarily evil.   gion, but some embrace faith and mysticism, seeking
              Finally, the Venomous Demesne-a city-state hidden   higher purpose and deeper meaning.
            on the far side of Droaam-is populated by tieflings.   The typical warforged has a sexless body shape.
            These tieflings descend from Sarlonan mages who   Some warforged ignore the concept of gender entirely,
            bargained with dark powers, with the Demesne's lords   while others adopt a gender identity.
            being powerful warlocks and wizards. The Venomous   The more a warforged develops its individuality, the
            Demesne has had no significant contact with the Five   more likely it is to modify its body, seeking out an artifi­
            Nations and few know it exists. Your character could be   cer to customize the look of its face, limbs, and plating.
            an envoy or exile from it, or simply an adventurer driven
            by a desire to see what lies beyond your homeland.   U  I RKS
                                                              Warforged often display an odd personality trait or two,
            W  A R F O RGED                                   given how new they are to the world. The Warforged
                                                              Quirks table contains example quirks.
            "PIERCE WAS BUILT BY DESIGN, WHILE YOU WERE  BUILT
            by   accident," Lakashtai said.  "The soul is what matters, not   WA F O R G E D   Q U I R K S
                                                                 R
            the shape o f  the vessel."                         d 8    Quirk
              "What makes you think he has a soul?" Gerrion said.   You analyze-out loud-the potential threat posed
              "What makes you thinkyou do?"                         by every creature you meet.
                              -Keith Baker, The Shattered Land   2   You often misread emotional cues.
                                                                3   You are fiercely protective of your friends.
            The warforged were built to fight in the Last War. While   4   You try to apply wartime discipline to every situation.
            the first warforged were mindless automatons, House   5   You don't know how to filter your feelings and are
            Cannith devoted vast resources to improving these steel   prone to dramatic emotional outbursts.
            soldiers. An unexpected breakthrough produced sapient   6   You don't understand clothing beyond its  utility and
            soldiers, giving rise to what some have only grudgingly
            accepted as a new species. Warforged are made from      assume it denotes a person's function.
            wood and metal, but they can feel pain and emotion.   7   You are obsessed with your appearance and con­
            Built as weapons, they must now find a purpose beyond   stantly polish and buff yourself.
            war. A warforged can be a steadfast ally, a cold-hearted   8   War is the only thing that makes sense to you, and
            killer, or a visionary in search of meaning.            you're always looking for a fight.


                                                                               CHAPTER 1  I  CHARACTER CREATION
                                                                                                                35
   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41