The Sovereign Host is a group of nine deities collectively representing the entire world, but focusing on aspects of civilization—community, the protection of the weak, the slaying of wild beasts, fertility, construction, and the like. The Sovereign Host is the most widely worshiped body in Khorvaire. Nearly everyone offers prayers to the Host as a whole and to individual deities for specific actions. For example, a farmer might whisper a prayer of thanks to Arawai when his baby is born healthy, and a blacksmith might sing the songs of Onatar when working at her forge.
The Sovereign Host finds worshipers among all races and from all walks of life—peasants, kings, and adventurers. The faithful worship the pantheon as a whole, rather than devoting themselves to specific deities. Worshipers of the Sovereign Host are called Vassals.
As a group, the Host exhorts its followers to:
Place your trust in the community. The group is stronger by far than the individual. The great light of a city is composed of the thousands of flames of its citizens. You must ensure that your flame is as bright as you can make it.
Treat others as they deserve to be treated. If they haven't harmed you or yours, treat them kindly.
Bring the light of civilization to the darkness of the wilds.
The Dark Six
Complementing the Sovereign Host and its focus on the light of civilization, the Dark Six represent the darkness of the wilds. The two pantheons were once combined, but a great schism separated them. The Dark Six now oppose the Host on all fronts. Where the Sovereign Host is generally good, the Dark Six are by and large evil. Where the Sovereign Host values community and government, the Dark Six value individuality and anarchy. The Dark Six are cruel, passionate, brutal, and wild.
Although worship of the Dark Six is not common, the people of Khorvaire haven't forgotten that these deities have power over aspects of the world. Although the average peasant reveres the Sovereign Host, few people are so assured that they refuse to offer a prayer to the Dark Six when appropriate. Everyone knows that the neighbors do the same, although none ever speak of it.
With the exception of the mysterious Traveler, the Dark Six are evil deities, and thus inappropriate sources of veneration for PCs. For that reason, only the Traveler is discussed below.
The Traveler
The great trickster, the Traveler is a deity of cunning, deception, and change. The Traveler is a consummate shapechanger and master of disguises, and thus the being's true nature is unknown—texts variously refer to the Traveler as "it" rather than "he" or "she." Many doppelgangers, shifters, lycanthropes, thieves, and rogues revere the Traveler, as do a few artificers who focus on the deity's innovation and cleverness.
The Traveler is sometimes called the Giver of Gifts, but proverbs warn that one must be wary of its gifts. Ostensibly a member of the Dark Six, the Traveler seems to have no connection, familial or otherwise, to its fellows.
The Traveler's commandments must often be inferred, for its holy texts are few. Its tenets are:
Revealing your true self is weakness. Shroud yourself in misdirection and disguise so that even you do not know what dwells in your core.
Nothing is permanent. Ensure that change improves your lot and damages your enemies.
The best weapons are cunning plans and intricate deceptions. Mortal minds are predictable and easily manipulated.
The Pantheons and Deities of Eberron
(These do not match with any Pathfinder Domains, yet)
The Sovereign Host - Good - All the world, focused primarily on aspects of civilized life
Arawai - Good - Agriculture, fertility, the wilderness as natural resources
Aureon - Unaligned - Knowledge, law, arcane lore and magic
Balinor - Unaligned - Beasts, the hunt, the cycle of life
Boldrei - Good - Community, home, hearth
Dol Arrah - Lawful good - Light (physical and metaphorical, the goodness of the soul), honor, selflessness, military strategy, war
Dol Dorn - Unaligned - Courage, duty, physical prowess, soldiers and warriors, war
Kol Korran - Unaligned - Wealth, trade, commerce
Olladra - Good - Fortune, luck, success
Onatar - Unaligned - Forges, crafts, industry, fire
The Dark Six - Evil - All the world, especially the primal wilderness and nature's destructive forces
The Devourer - Chaotic evil - Storm, flood, famine, other aspects of nature's wrath; also, the sea
The Fury - Chaotic evil - Wrath, passion, vengeance
The Keeper - Evil - Gluttony, greed, necromancy
The Mockery - Evil - Violence, betrayal, dishonorable victory, love of carnage, war
The Shadow - Chaotic evil - Ambition, dark magic, corruption
The Traveler - Unaligned - Change, cunning, innovation, deception
The Silver Flame - Lawful good - Protection, generosity, destruction of evil and the unnatural
The Blood of Vol - Unaligned - Divine power of the blood, immortality, undeath
The Path of Light - Lawful good - Light, progress, self-improvement, freedom
Elf Religion - Unaligned - The elf people and society of Aerenal
The Undying Court - Unaligned - Immortality, elven society, history
The Spirits of the Past - Unaligned - Glory, elven history and heroes
What makes the world of Eberron unique? Here are ten key pieces of information about the world to bear in mind.
1. If it exists in the D&D world, then it has a place in Eberron. Eberron is all about using the core elements of the D&D world in new ways and interesting combinations, with some unique elements thrown in. It's still a D&D setting, so any information for players that appears in another D&D core rulebook or supplement—from the classes and races in a Player's Handbook to the new powers and other features in a book such as Divine Power—should fit right in to your Dungeon Master's Eberron campaign. (Of course, your DM always has the final word about what parts of the D&D game are allowed and not allowed in the campaign.) For us, this means Pathfinder Rules, since we are playing Pathfinder and not D&D.
2. Tone and attitude. Eberron takes all the cinematic action and swashbuckling adventure of traditional D&D games and adds in a strong dose of mystery and scheming. In this campaign, stories don't always end well, and there isn't always a right answer to every problem. The Last War turned old allies into bitter enemies and destroyed an entire nation, leaving terrible scars behind. Crime and corruption lurk in the largest cities. Your character's allies might become his or her enemies in the blink of an eye, and well-known agents of evil might provide assistance when it's least expected. Hidden dragons shape the course of history. Sinister fiends influence the dreams of the unwary. An army of horrors lingers just beyond the edge of reality, struggling to break through. Nothing is exactly what it seems.
3. A world of magic. The setting supposes a world that developed not through the advancement of science, but by the mastery of magic. Magic allows for conveniences and services undreamed of in traditional medieval fantasy. Bound elemental creatures power elemental airships, rail transport, and high-speed ocean vessels. A working class of minor mages uses ritual magic to provide energy and other necessities in towns and cities. Advances in magic item creation have led to everything from self-propelled farming implements to sentient, free-willed constructs.
4. A world of adventure. From the steaming jungles of Aerenal to the colossal ruins of Xen'drik, from the towering keeps of Sharn to the blasted hills and valleys of the Demon Wastes, Eberron is a world of action and adventure. Adventures can draw your character and your allies from one exotic location to another across nations, continents, and the entire world. The quest for the Mirror of the Seventh Moon might take you from a hidden desert shrine to a ruined castle in the Shadow Marches and finally to a dungeon below the Library of Korranberg. Through the use of magical transportation, your heroes can reach a wider range of environments during an adventure, and thus deal with a diverse assortment of monsters and challenges.
5. The Last War has ended—sort of. The Last War, which plunged the continent of Khorvaire into civil war more than a century ago, ended with the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold and the establishment of twelve recognized nations occupying what was once the kingdom of Galifar. At least overtly, the peace has held for just over a year as the campaign begins. The conflicts, the anger, and the bitter pain of the long war remain, however, and the new nations seek every advantage as they prepare for the next war that they believe will inevitably eventually break out on the continent.
6. The Draconic Prophecy. The dragons, long-lived and patient in all things, seek meaning in the patterns found in the world and the heavens. These patterns play out in the Prophecy, a record of things to come that has been emerging since the creation of the world. The Draconic Prophecy is as complex and unfathomable as the dragons themselves. It hints at events of doom and dread as often as it helps push the world toward exalted events. It seems to point toward transformation rather than destruction, but to most people, the Prophecy remains as alien as the dragons themselves.
7. The Five Nations. The human-dominated civilizations on the continent of Khorvaire trace a lineage to the ancient kingdom of Galifar, which was made up of five distinct regions, or nations. These were Aundair, Breland, Cyre, Karrnath, and Thrane. Four of these nations survive to the present day as independent countries; Cyre was destroyed before the start of the campaign. The devastated territory it once occupied is now known as the Mournland. A common oath or exclamation among the people of Khorvaire is “By the Five Nations,†or some version thereof. The Five Nations refers to the ancient kingdom of Galifar and evokes a legendary time of peace and prosperity.
8. A world of intrigue. The war is over, and the nations of Khorvaire now try to build a new age of peace and prosperity. Ancient threats linger, however, and the world desperately needs heroes to take up the cause. Nations compete on many levels—economic might, political influence, territory, magical power—each looking to maintain or improve its current status by any means short of all-out war. Espionage and sabotage services create big business in certain circles. The dragonmarked houses, temples both pure and corrupt, crime lords, monster gangs, psionic spies, arcane universities, royal orders of knights and wizards, secret societies, sinister masterminds, dragons, and a multitude of organizations and factions jockey for position in the afterglow of the Last War. Eberron teems with conflict and intrigue.
9. Dragonmark dynasties. The great dragonmarked families are the barons of industry and commerce throughout Khorvaire and beyond. Their influence transcends political boundaries, and they remained mostly neutral during the Last War. The heads of each house, not technically citizens of any nation, live in splendor within their enclaves and emporiums located throughout Khorvaire. These dynastic houses of commerce derive their power from the dragonmarks—unique, hereditary arcane sigils—that manifest on certain individuals within the family, granting them limited but very useful magical abilities associated with the trade guilds the family controls. Dragonmarks are said to be the Prophecy written on mortal flesh—a supposition that incenses the dragons.
10. Dragonshards. Ancient legends and creation myths describe Eberron as a world in three parts: the ring above, the subterranean realm below, and the land between. Each of these world sections is tied to a great dragon of legend—Siberys, Khyber, and Eberron, respectively. Each section of the world produces dragonshards, stones and crystals imbued with arcane power. With the aid of dragonshards, dragonmarks become more powerful, elementals are controlled and harnessed, and magic items of all sorts are crafted and shaped. These shards, however, are rare and difficult to come by, making them expensive and often the goals of great quests and adventures.
Last edited by Vardaen on Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
The sky of Eberron is full of wonders. The Ring of Siberys stretches over the equator, its glittering stones standing out even in the light of day. Sages trace images of celestial dragon patterns of the stars. And twelve moons circle the planet, filling the night sky with color and light. This multitude of moons affects Eberron in many ways. While Zarantyr has the greatest influence over the tides of Eberron, each moon has its own impact on wind and water, and lunar conjunctions can have dramatic effects that can spawn adventures. A confluence of moons can pull back the waters, revealing ancient ruins along the shores of Xen'drik. Sailors speak of maelstroms that arise when Zarantyr eclipses Aryth -- vast whirlpools that can draw a ship into the elemental oceans of Lamannia or the endless frozen sea of Risia. The sage Galeoin, who lived among the Serens, claimed that the moons influenced the tides of magic as well as water and that his barbaric hosts had learned to weave lunar power into their arcane rituals; however, the magi of the Arcane Congress have yet to find any solid evidence supporting Galeoin's claims. A Dungeon Master could certainly decide that a particular ritual, magic item, or eldritch machine can be completed only during a particular conjunction of moons, or that a full moon can enhance the effects of a particular manifest zone.
Each moon has an "ascendant phase" -- a 28-day period during which it is unusually bright. To date, scholars have found no natural explanation for this phenomenon, and it remains one of the mysteries of the skies. This cycle of radiance is the basis for the lunar calendar, and each month is named for the moon that is in its ascendant phase. Some stargazers claim that the ascendant moon has a profound impact on the skills and spirit of children born beneath it; a child born in the month of Zarantyr will be wild and mercurial, while a child of Therendor will be gentle and kind. Druids and rangers also believe that the ascendant moon can be a source of strength -- that a child of Dravago has a special gift for calming animals when this moon is full in the sky. A Dungeon Master who wants to embrace this idea can provide a character with a single action point on a night when his ascendant moon is full; this can be used only for an action tied to the theme of his moon. When the dragonmarks appeared, sages were quick to note the similarities between the powers of the marks and the mythic qualities of the moons. According to popular legend, each dragonmark first manifested during the month of its associated moon. One common belief is that a child born in the month of his mark has a greater chance of developing a powerful dragonmark, and superstitious dragonmarked couples often time pregnancies to end in the appropriate month. As there were once thirteen dragonmarks, some sages believe that there is a thirteenth moon that has either vanished or simply cannot be seen with the naked eye, and the existence of such a moon has been hinted at by dragons and carvings found in ruined Xen'drik. If this moon was once visible in the sky, it vanished long before the rise of human civilization, and the common races do not know its name or place in the heavens.
The Twelve Moons
Zarantyr, the Storm Moon
Color: Pearly white
Associated Dragonmark: Storm
Approximate Diameter: 1,250 miles
Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 14,300 miles
Zarantyr is the closest moon to Eberron, and it has the greatest effect on the planet's tides. Superstition holds that there is a far greater chance of being struck by lightning when Zarantyr is full and that bolts can fall from a clear sky. According to the druids, those born in the month of Zarantyr have a wild and tempestuous nature. Sometimes this translates to aggression, but it can also manifest as pure, unbridled energy; barbarians, fighters, sorcerers, and evokers may all feel a bond with the Storm Moon.
Olarune, The Sentinel
Color: Pale orange
Associated Dragonmark: Sentinel
Approximate Diameter: 950 miles
Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 22,500 miles
To the naked eye, the orange disk of Olarune seems to have a slight fringe that vaguely resembles the rim of a shield. The druids say that those born when Olarune is ascendant have a strong bond to community and to order, and a natural desire to protect others; superstition holds that more paladins are born in this month than any other. Scattered lycanthropes, especially weretigers, revere Olarune as a sort of demigoddess-protector.
Therendor, The Healer's Moon
Color: Pale gray
Associated Dragonmark: Healing
Approximate Diameter: 1,100 miles
Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 39,000 miles
Therendor is the "brother moon" of Barrakas, sharing a similar but narrower orbit with the Lantern Moon. The Serens and druids maintain that natural medicines concocted when Therendor is full and Barrakas is new are more potent than normal. Those born in the month of Therendor are thought to be gentle and empathetic; priests, mediators, and healers often have Therendor as their ascendant moon.
Eyre, the Anvil
Color: Silver-gray
Associated Dragonmark: Making
Approximate Diameter: 1,200 miles
Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 52,000 miles
When Eyre is full, a keen-eyed observer can pick out on its surface a shadowy shape that vaguely resembles an anvil. According to druidic belief, those born under Eyre inherit a solid, practical nature and a gift for nature crafts. Some smiths will wait until Eyre is full to work on especially difficult projects, and House Cannith enclaves often hold celebrations when the Anvil is full in the sky.
Dravago, the Herder's Moon
Color: Pale lavender
Associated Dragonmark: Handling
Approximate Diameter: 2,000 miles
Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 77,500 miles
Large and lavender, Dravago is a striking image in the sky. Its orbit typically keeps it at a distance from other moons, and old legends say that it is herding the rest and keeping them in motion. Children of Dravago are said to be more comfortable with animals and plants than with people -- gifted herders, handlers, and farmers, but often awkward in social situations. Some say that stones from Dravago occasionally fall to Eberron, and alchemists have long claimed that this "purple dust of Dravago" holds remarkable magical properties.
Nymm, the Crown or King Nymm
Color: Pale yellow
Associated Dragonmark: Hospitality
Approximate Diameter: 900 miles
Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 95,000 miles
The golden disk of Nymm is most typically associated with royalty. Those born when Nymm is ascendant are said to be sociable and charismatic, gifted orators and con artists. The halflings of House Ghallanda frequently offer discounted rates at their hostelries on nights when "King Nymm" is in its full moon phase.
Lharvion, the Eye
Color: Dull white with black slit
Associated Dragonmark: Detection
Approximate Diameter: 1,350 miles
Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 125,000 miles
This moon features a 750-mile-long black chasm, and, when viewed from Eberron, the full disk of Lharvion resembles a slitted eye. Many superstitions exist about the baleful influence of this moon, and strange occurrences and calamities seem to happen when the Eye of Lharvion is full in the sky. The druids believe that children of Lharvion possess unnatural insights, and gifted diviners and
researchers are often born in this month.
Barrakas, the Lantern
Color: Pale gray
Associated Dragonmark: Finding
Approximate Diameter: 1,500 miles
Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 144,000 miles
Barrakas is the brightest of Eberron's moons, and hunters value its light when stalking prey at night. This "sister moon" of Therendor shares a similar (if wider) orbit and occasionally seems to hide behind her closer brother. On nights when Therendor eclipses Barrakas -- "when Barrakas is shy" -- sailors worry about getting lost at sea. Those born when Barrakas is ascendant are thought to be gifted hunters, but many also believe they have a knack for clarifying things that others find confusing. The son of Lharvion sees what others cannot see, while the daughter of Barrakas sheds light on that which is already in the open.
Rhaan, the Book
Color: Pale blue
Associated Dragonmark: Scribing
Approximate Diameter: 800 miles
Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 168,000 miles
The smallest of Eberron's moons, Rhaan looks more like a bright star. When viewed with a spyglass, one may see a series of ridges that vaguely resemble scribblings on a page. The druids say that Rhaan empowers creative thought, and they believe that dancers, musicians, poets, and artists of all stripes draw inspiration from the Book.
Sypheros, the Shadow
Color: Smoky gray
Associated Dragonmark: Shadow
Approximate Diameter: 1,200 miles
Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 193,000 miles
Sypheros is a dim moon, and people often find it difficult to spot in the night sky. Recent observations using powerful spyglasses have confirmed that a jagged crack runs down the center of the moon, as if the moon is splitting in two. Many believe that children born in the month of Sypheros inherit a shifty, untrustworthy nature, and parents often seek to time pregnancies to avoid this month. However, the druids say that the children of Sypheros are not evil; rather, they are comfortable with the shadows and can face them without fear.
Aryth, the Gateway
Color: Orange-red
Associated Dragonmark: Passage
Approximate Diameter: 1,000 miles
Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 221,000 miles
The black dragon Vvarrak told the first druids that Aryth has a similar effect on manifest zones as Zarantyr has on tides, and that particularly weak manifest zones appear only when Aryth is in its full moon phase. Some say that those born under this moon are restless folk, driven to travel and explore; Lhazaar, who led the first great migration from Sarlona to Khorvaire, is said to have been a child of Aryth.
Vult, the Warding Moon
Color: Gray and pockmarked
Associated Dragonmark: Warding
Approximate Diameter: 1,800 miles
Approximate Mean Distance from Eberron: 252,000 miles
Vult is the farthest moon from Eberron, and some legends say that it holds back forces that lurk out within the stars. The druids say that children of Vult are practical, careful folk who generally plan ahead and prepare for the worst; when disaster strikes, the children of Vult hold civilization together. In his study of the Serens, the sage Galeoin reported that the barbarians believe that Vult "devours" the spirits of deceased great wyrms that fail to attain godhood.
Lycanthropes and the Moons of Eberron
The full moon has a powerful effect on lycanthropes -- and on Eberron, a shapeshifter may have to contend with the influence of multiple moons on a single night. A creature afflicted with lycanthropy changes involuntarily into animal form whenever one of the twelve moons is full. An afflicted creature can resist the involuntary transformation with a successful Control Shape check (see Monster Manual); however, for each additional full moon after the first, apply a -2 penalty to the check. This means that an afflicted lycanthrope has to contend with the effects of the curse an average of nineteen nights of the month. Thus, rarely does an afflicted lycanthrope last a week before the curse takes hold and permanently alters her alignment.
The following Lunar Traits can be taken by any Eberron Character just like other traits. These Lunar Traits are considered Campaign Traits and as such ack as a bonus.
Zarantyr ascendant [Lunar]
Prerequisite: Natural birth
Benefit: Those born while Zarantyr is ascendant gain +2 trait bonus to Intimidate, rising to +4 during the month of Zarantyr.
If a character born under an ascendant moon later develops the Dragonmark that is associated with the ascendant moon, the spell-like abilities of that Dragonmark are cast at +1 caster level.
Olarune ascendant [Lunar]
Prerequisite: Natural birth
Benefit: Those born while Olarune is ascendant gain +2 trait bonus to Diplomacy, rising to +4 during the month of Olarune.
If a character born under an ascendant moon later develops the Dragonmark that is associated with the ascendant moon, the spell-like abilities of that Dragonmark are cast at +1 caster level.
Therendor ascendant [Lunar]
Prerequisite: Natural birth
Benefit: Those born while Therendor is ascendant gain +2 trait bonus to Heal, rising to +4 during the month of Therendor.
If a character born under an ascendant moon later develops the Dragonmark that is associated with the ascendant moon, the spell-like abilities of that Dragonmark are cast at +1 caster level.
Eyre ascendant [Lunar]
Prerequisite: Natural birth
Benefit: Those born while Eyre is ascendant gain +2 trait bonus to one Craft skill, rising to +4 during the month of Eyre.
If a character born under an ascendant moon later develops the Dragonmark that is associated with the ascendant moon, the spell-like abilities of that Dragonmark are cast at +1 caster level.
Dravago ascendant [Lunar]
Prerequisite: Natural birth
Benefit: Those born while Dravago is ascendant gain +2 trait bonus to Handle Animal, rising to +4 during the month of Dravago.
If a character born under an ascendant moon later develops the Dragonmark that is associated with the ascendant moon, the spell-like abilities of that Dragonmark are cast at +1 caster level.
Nymm ascendant [Lunar]
Prerequisite: Natural birth
Benefit: Those born while Nymm is ascendant gain +1 trait bonus to Leadership score to recruit followers or cohorts, this bonus rises to +2 during the month of Nymm. Characters with Nymm Ascendant can take the Leadership Feat at 2nd level.
If a character born under an ascendant moon later develops the Dragonmark that is associated with the ascendant moon, the spell-like abilities of that Dragonmark are cast at +1 caster level.
Lharvion ascendant [Lunar]
Prerequisite: Natural birth
Benefit: Those born while Lharvion is ascendant gain +2 trait bonus to Perception, rising to +4 during the month of Lharvion.
If a character born under an ascendant moon later develops the Dragonmark that is associated with the ascendant moon, the spell-like abilities of that Dragonmark are cast at +1 caster level.
Barrakas ascendant [Lunar]
Prerequisite: Natural birth
Benefit: Those born while Barrakas is ascendant gain +2 trait bonus to Sense Motive, rising to +4 during the month of Barrakas.
If a character born under an ascendant moon later develops the Dragonmark that is associated with the ascendant moon, the spell-like abilities of that Dragonmark are cast at +1 caster level.
Rhaan ascendant [Lunar]
Prerequisite: Natural birth
Benefit: Those born while Rhaan is ascendant gain +2 trait bonus to one Perform skill, rising to +4 during the month of Rhaan.
If a character born under an ascendant moon later develops the Dragonmark that is associated with the ascendant moon, the spell-like abilities of that Dragonmark are cast at +1 caster level.
Sypheros ascendant [Lunar]
Prerequisite: Natural birth
Benefit: Those born while Sypheros is ascendant gain +2trait bonus to Bluff, rising to +4 during the month of Sypheros.
If a character born under an ascendant moon later develops the Dragonmark that is associated with the ascendant moon, the spell-like abilities of that Dragonmark are cast at +1 caster level.
Aryth ascendant [Lunar]
Prerequisite: Natural birth
Benefit: Those born while Aryth is ascendant gain +2 trait bonus to Survival, rising to +4 during the month of Aryth.
If a character born under an ascendant moon later develops the Dragonmark that is associated with the ascendant moon, the spell-like abilities of that Dragonmark are cast at +1 caster level.
Vult ascendant [Lunar]
Prerequisite: Natural birth
Benefit: Those born while Vult is ascendant gain +2 trait bonus to one Knowledge skill, rising to +4 during the
month of Vult.
If a character born under an ascendant moon later develops the Dragonmark that is associated with the ascendant moon, the spell-like abilities of that Dragonmark are cast at +1 caster level.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
In a typical PF campaign, magical healing is readily available, even if it requires heading back to a town or city to get a spell the party cleric or druid is too inexperienced to cast. In Eberron, minor magic is more common while mid- to high-level magic is relatively rare because few characters have PC classes, and NPC classes are slower to achieve anything but the weakest spells. This means that anything other than the most basic healing is out of the reach of most NPCs, and PCs can have difficulties finding available spellcasters to help them out with healing magic (whether it's just a simple remove disease, or something more serious like raise dead or heal).
Even given the slight increase in the number of adepts compared to a typical PF campaign (1% instead of 0.5%), an adept's slower spell progression means that few of them ever achieve 2nd-level spellcasting. Furthermore, most of the spells an adventurer needs from an NPC spellcaster aren't on the adept list (lesser restoration is noticeably absent, for example) or require a very high-level adept because of the slow spellcasting progression in that class. This means that except for simple healing like cure light wounds, PCs can't depend on NPC spellcasting to help them recover from adventuring afflictions. (It also means that people in Eberron may consider low-level arcane magic somewhat routine, while divine healing is still somewhat surprising.)
Fortunately, magic isn't the only solution. The Heal skill can treat immediate injury, give long-term care, deal with poison, and thwart disease. Though these take far longer than what the typical adventurer demands, they're more than sufficient to take care of the normal people of the world. After all, the regular folk of Eberron don't deal with situations where they need to recover 50 hit points in a hurry (most people have less than 20 hit points), and while the fantasy equivalents of dysentery and cholera are certainly dangerous, they're relatively safe and slowacting compared to DC 16 mummy rot. Since the common people rarely can afford magical healing methods (a remove disease spell costs 150 gp, which is the equivalent of about five years' wages for an unskilled laborer), nonmagical methods are their only hope.
Because of these factors, most temple healers are experts rather than spellcasters, and even a 1st-level expert dedicated to healing -- 4 ranks in Heal, +2 from Self-Sufficient or +3 from Skill Focus (Heal) for a total bonus of +6 or +7 without counting ability score bonuses -- can be the difference between life or death for someone injured, poisoned, or diseased, so normal people don't dismiss the help of nonmagical healing just because it's not magic. Of course, a 1st-level PC cleric probably has a Heal skill modifier as good or better than that, so yet again NPC healers aren't much help to a typical adventurer.
Serve the Faithful First
As mentioned above, skilled spellcasters in Eberron are uncommon, and a temple with a spellcaster capable of performing serious healing magic isn't likely to hire that person out to anyone with enough gold. While in a typical PF campaign you can trust the church of Erastil or the Dawnflower to provide healing (for a fee or donation) to anyone in need, in Eberron even benign churches such as the Silver Flame or the Sovereign Host aren't willing to expend their precious divine spells on nonbelievers (as Keith Baker mentioned in his Dragonshards article on religion in Eberron. Not even dirty unwashed adventurers are exempt from this; if a person can't prove that she is a believer, she is not going to get any valuable magic cast on her behalf.
Temples fortunate enough to have spellcasting priests (whether advanced adepts or crusading clerics), normally expect payment from adventurers in services rather than money (while any merchant or noble can cough up gold or simple favors, adventurers are exceptional people capable of exceptional deeds, and the churches want to take advantage of these extraordinary talents). This gives an Eberron DM an easy hook for adventures, particularly if one or more of the PCs has strong ties to a particular religion -- whether that adventurer is a cleric, druid, paladin (or even a devout member of another class).
As Keith Baker pointed out in his article, corrupt clerics are the exception to the "no paying for spellcasting" rule; such individuals are far more likely to use their god-given powers to acquire riches as long as they believe in the long run it benefits the church in some way. Such behavior may warrant expelling the corrupt cleric from the temple, and these characters make interesting cohorts or hirelings for PCs -- a ready source of healing magic, though sure to cause controversy when the PCs need to meet with uncorrupted members of that faith. Corrupt clerics-in-exile might even set up camps near known adventuring sites (such as on a road to the Mournland, a safe distance outside the mist) where they can charge high prices for their desperately needed services. Of course, PCs can turn the general lack of spellcasting to their advantage by trading their rare gifts for other benefits. For example, after saving a town from hobgoblin raiders, the PC cleric leader can talk the locals into renovating the local temple of her faith, then promise to return once a year to use magic to heal the townsfolk. This benefits the local expert-priest (who has a better living space and a stronger focus point for religious services in town), the church (which gets an improved temple and local goodwill), and the PC (who gains fame for her generosity and pledge of support). Over time the town might grow from this attention, and when the PC decides to retire she may find a temple or even a secular position waiting for her there.
House Jorasco
One bit of chaos in the above assumptions is House Jorasco. Unlike temples, they do provide healing services (mundane and magical) for anyone and they do it for money. Since even a 1st-level character can possess a least dragonmark, House Jorasco has a large number of magical healers at their disposal despite having no access to the gods. Jorasco's talented healers and mercantile mindset make them the points of contact for anyone needing healing, particularly those who cannot or will not associate with the local temples. It is important to note that while the "typical" healer of House Jorasco described in the Eberron Campaign Setting is a 3rd-level adept, Keith Baker offers an alternate healer (the Jorasco Apothecary) in his Dragonshards article about magewrights; the apothecary also makes potions, and in Eberron the members of House Jorasco are the best source of healing potions.
As noted in the Eberron Campaign Setting, the code of the House requires they heal any who need it as long as they can pay, which means they sometimes deal with unsavory characters. This means that the House may need the help of adventurers from time to time to sort out hostilities between groups they help (such as two Healing prominent noble houses intent on making sure only their family survives an ongoing violent feud) or to fend off unwanted political pressure when it is undiplomatic to call upon the guild headquarters for intervention.
Last edited by Vardaen on Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
In a standard campaign, racial interaction among the Player's Handbook races is pretty simple. Humans get along with everyone, dwarves think elves are flighty, nobody trusts half-orcs, and so on. Despite these feelings, the typical PF campaign has a fairly cosmopolitan feel, with all races living in peace in larger cities with no serious racial conflicts. In the Eberron setting, things are much more complicated, mainly in that there are different groups of each race, and people may have bad feelings toward one and not the other; racism's roots in Eberron, as in the real world, tend to be based on culture rather than actual race. (As the Eberron Campaign Setting says on page 24, "A character from an Eberron campaign is never just a human or a dwarf: He is a human from Thrane or a dwarf from the Mror Holds.") For example, the elves of House Phiarlan are an old dragonmarked house with a centuries-long history of entertainment and artistry; most common folk praise them and their work. In contrast to that house, the elves of the new nation of Valenar are seen as land thieves and a threat to the peace established by the Treaty of Thronehold. Will the acts of the Valenar elves paint those of House Phiarlan with the same stigma? Will the people of Khorvaire grow to dislike elves as a whole but tolerate House Phiarlan because "they're the good ones"?
Humans, as rulers of much of Khorvaire for nearly a thousand years, have a reputation for nation building. Sharn is arguably the greatest city on the continent, and its residents see themselves as the most civilized people on the continent. By contrast, the humans of the Shadow Marches are illiterate unwashed swamp-dwellers who consort with orcs. Even though a human from Sharn may look exactly like a human from the Shadow Marches, the Brelander is comfortable looking down on the Marcher as something less human. Likewise, the refugees from Cyre, regardless of race, are looked down upon as the biggest losers in the war that hurt everyone, and some folk think disaster struck the Cyrans because they somehow deserved it, and so they heap additional abuse on them for their assumed crimes. Culture, not physical race, is seen as justifiable cause for prejudice. Half-orcs, often the scapegoat for anything unpleasant, most commonly hail from Droaam, the Eldeen Reaches, or the Shadow Marches, and some form part of House Tharashk. People see Droaam half-orcs as dangerous monsters and Shadow Marches half-orcs as primitives; citizens of Aundair see Reaches half-orcs (and anyone else from there) as separatists and nation-betrayers while those outside Aundair don't think about them at all. In contrast to all of this, most consider House Thrarashk's half-orcs and humans to be very talented scouts with a Race Relations and Prejudice critical skill for finding valuable resources. Again, culture and nationality is more important than actual race.
Old Races and New Races
Many typical D&D campaigns use the standard races and may include one unusual race, such as lizard-folk, aasimar, and so on. By contrast, the Eberron campaign has four new races in common play (changeling, kalashtar, shifter, and warforged). Each of these "new" races is something unusual and their role in the campaign can make many "normal" people nervous, and that can lead to racism in the strictest sense. Any member of these races is likely to run into intolerance on a regular basis, whether in urban or rural environments, from any of the older races.
Changelings are descended from humans and doppelgangers, and their natural ability to hide their true appearance means that few people ever fully trust them -- how can you confide in someone who might take on your face and use your secrets against you? Anyone who sees one in its natural form understands that it isn't really human and therefore its motives are suspect. The changeling tendency to consort with criminals only reinforces this prejudice, and in turn it means that the only place a changeling can find some acceptance is in the very criminal organizations that turn law-abiding people against them.
Kalashtar may appear physically attractive in a human sense, but their alien mind sets them apart, and while your typical adventurer is more accepting of strangeness, an average farmer or city-dweller doesn't take well to a "pretty-looking, funny-talking" kalashtar any more than someone in the modern world takes to a slick politician or book-minded ecologist telling them what's right and wrong. The kalashtar's tendency toward sincere goodness ameliorates some of their suspicion, but many people are always reminded of their ties to the Region of Dreams and the horrible quori that rule that place -- a fact that makes ignorant people fear them.
In some ways, shifters have the worst situation of all the new races. They can't pass as fully human like the changelings, they aren't beautiful and inherently good like the kalashtar, and they weren't built to be loyal soldiers like the warforged. Shifters are descended from lycanthropes, which many people consider to be monsters (and the shifters only a step above that). Crude, feral, and obviously not human, the shifters are feared by many common folk, and most shifters find themselves shunned for their appearance and mannerisms, particularly in places where the Church of the Silver Flame's crusade against lycanthropes was taken to heart.
To most people, warforged are an unfortunate reminder of the Last War. Built for combat and not for peace, the warforged race's clumsy attempts to blend in with normal society do not endear anyone to them. It doesn't help that the most famous member of their race, the Lord of Blades, has declared that the warforged shall rule Eberron, which renders all warforged as possible collaborators in this construct plot. Unlike veterans of other races, warforged can't blend in; the Last War resides in every fiber of their being. In some lands people treat them as property, and in most other places many still see them more as living weapons than as true people. Your average person is glad that no more warforged are being built (since the secret forging isn't publicly known) so that eventually this "race" will die out.
One thing to remember, though, is that the people of Eberron have a strong national identity because of decades of war, and that colors their racial perceptions; a Brelander may think that shifters are savage and changelings are untrustworthy, but a shifter or changeling from Breland is still better than anyone from Valenar or old Cyre. In many cases, nationalist bigotry is more common and accepted than racial bigotry.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
PC Classes Are Rare
In a standard campaign, characters with PC classes are uncommon but frequent enough to not be extraordinary. For example, on page 139 of the Dungeon Master's Guide (3.5), a typical 200-person hamlet has 13 characters with PC classes, including 3 clerics and 3 fighters. While that number seems small (it's less than 10% of the hamlet's population), it means that a party of four PCs in a hamlet are outnumbered by the number of PC-class NPCs.
By comparison, most of the people of Eberron never have the potential to take levels in PC classes. Adepts and experts run the temples, while the rare cleric is a true knight of the church. A typical veteran of the Last War is a 2nd-level warrior, while fighters are specialists and officers. Common cutpurses are merely experts, and guildmasters and master thieves are rogues. Spellcasters who create common magic items are magewrights, and only the true wizards wield the mightiest spells and forge the items of legend. People with character classes are larger than life, even early in their career. PC-class characters are the Amelia Earharts, Wyatt Earps, and Thomas Edisons of their day -- famous and capable of things no normal man or woman could accomplish. Ask anyone who knew one of these people in their younger years and they'll tell you they were destined for something great. Of course, most people believed they were crazy, too, so being a person who is "special" in this way is a mixed blessing. Nonetheless, PC-class characters are the rare exception to the unwashed masses. In Eberron, a true cleric or wizard is someone to respect or even fear, and a paladin isn't someone you take for granted.
The same standards apply to evil characters; even at an early age, they stand out. Townsfolk remember the young man who tortured and dissected animals, and when it turns out years later that he joined the Cults of the Dragon Below, they nod as if they expected it. Fellow students of the woman now known as Demise (see the Eberron Campaign Setting, page 252) remember her as strange and obsessed, and they always suspected she was up to no good. In modern terms, the average person who does evil is the one with neighbors who say, "He was a quiet fellow -- never caused any trouble," whereas neighbors remember the exceptional person as, "He always seemed strange, gave me the creeps, didn't like having him around." During play, players should see that normal people recognize them as unusual, just as they should sense when an NPC is similarly unusual. This is not to say that every memorable villain NPC has to have a PC class or that characters with NPC classes can't make interesting villains. It means that a sense of parity exists between heroic PCs and villainous PCs. When Indiana Jones vied with Belloq in Raiders of a Lost Ark, it was a contest of equals. Heroic PCs should face off against their equals from time to time, too -- even in Eberron where PC-class characters are rare.
High-Level Characters Are Rare
The Dungeon Master's Guide assumes that in a typical campaign, a significant number of NPCs of all non-epic levels exist in the world. Your typical small city has at least one 7th-level NPC of each of the Player's Handbook classes, or at least 10th-level in a large city and at least 13th-level in a metropolis (with additional characters at half that level, more at one-fourth that level, and so on). In Eberron, the numbers are much lower. Just as their PC classes set PCs apart from normal people, their heroic dventures lead to increased class levels unavailable to common folk. As author Keith Baker points out in one of his Dragonshard articles, it's perfectly acceptable for a 20-year veteran soldier to still be 2nd level because most NPCs do not gain experience in the way that PCs do. That same article has variant tables that show how Eberron settlements have fewer high-level characters than a standard campaign. This means that in a few short months of adventuring, a young PC can outstrip the abilities of everyone in his home town and even those of experienced NPC characters in large cities. In Eberron, a "high level" character may be less than 10th level (for example, the Lord of Blades is 12th level, and he's feared for his own power in addition to the army of warforged he leads).
What does this mean in terms of gameplay? It means that established adventurers are forces to be reckoned with. A typical large city might have only five fighters at 4th level or higher, so the arrival of a party of four 6thlevel heroes will draw some attention. Commoners and younger warriors wonder aloud if the visitors could beat the local champions in a fight. Magewrights gossip about a visiting wizard and whether or not she plans to dump any of her unwanted magic items on "their" market. Corrupt adepts and greedy expert-priests worry that the new cleric of the faith in town will upset business in their temple. Pickpockets and thugs wonder if the famous trapfinder is looking to take over the local thieves' guild. Though 6th-level characters are B-list celebrities, they're still celebrities. Any 10th-level characters are the stars, and NPCs will treat them as such.
One way to think of this celebrity is in terms of television shows or weekly movie serials. For the first few episodes of a show or serial, the viewers don't have any strong attachment to the characters because they haven't learned much about them. After the sixth or seventh episode, the viewers have learned to like or dislike the characters and know what sort of behavior to expect. After a full season, the viewers either love or hate the characters. Each significant adventure by the PCs is like an episode. At first they're unknown and untested. After several adventures, word gets out and the PCs are known well enough to have a following -- even to the point of making some casual enemies. After a year of adventuring, the PCs have a well-known reputation among regular people and several mortal enemies who'd like to see them dead. People in need approach heroic PCs for help and avoid those known to cause trouble, while villains avoid the heroes and try to recruit the troublemakers. PCs don't need to hang out in taverns to find work; people approach them on the street and local officials track them down at home.
Their abilities and power level make PCs a cut above most people in the world. With Eberron's advanced travel and communication methods, information travels quickly and a PC's notoriety spreads beyond the immediate area of their deeds. In Eberron, PCs are heroes, and they have a hard time trying to keep a low profile. Fortunately, when the PCs are famous, it just makes it easier for the DM to introduce excitement, danger, and cliffhanger action!
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
Sadrian scowled as he watched the archierophant conduct the Ritual of Cleansing. He could sense the
darkness in her soul; like so many of the priests in Sharn, she was filled with ambition and greed. But the
Council of Cardinals had invested Ythana Morr with her position, and he had seen her perform miracles
with the power of the Flame; it was not the place of a lowly Templar to challenge her faith.
Religion plays an important role in Eberron, and future posts we will take a closer look at each of the
major religions found in the world. First it is necessary to understand the role of religion and divine magic in
the setting, and the ways that the churches and clerics of Eberron differ from their counterparts in other
published worlds.
The Nature of the Gods
In many settings, deities are beings that player characters can interact with directly. There is no question whether the gods exist; if you're an experienced planar traveler, you can drop by Asgard and beat up Thor. Fundamentally, deities are just very powerful characters. This is not the case in Eberron. While many of the deities are portrayed with anthropomorphic icons, they do not walk the mortal world or even the known planes. If they exist at all, deities inhabit a higher plane of existence -- a realm that cannot be reached with planar travel. Some believe that the souls of heroes travel to this realm after passing through the darkness of Dolurrh; while this is a comforting belief, it has never been proven.
If the gods may not even exist, who do you commune with? Why do planar allies answer your call? Divine magic exists, and most believe that it is a gift from the gods. Something provides answers to commune, and a priest believes it to be his deity. A skeptic may counter that it is the collective unconscious or merely a powerful outsider. As for planar allies, reverence for the gods is not limited to mortals. Celestials and fiends also worship deities. An archon dedicated to Dol Arrah may never have seen the face of the goddess but it believes in her implicitly, and it will aid those mortals who fight in her name. Ultimately, belief in a deity is a matter of faith. Each deity represents an ideal and espouses a certain code and approach to life. When you embrace the path of a god, you become part of a community in the mortal world. Perhaps, if you are deeply spiritual, you will gain the power to perform miracles of divine magic. This is what people expect of the gods of Eberron: they affect the world by guiding and empowering their followers, not by manifesting and taking direct action.
Alignment versus Belief
One of the major changes in the EberronCampaign Setting is that a cleric's alignment does not have to match that of his deity. A lawful evil cleric can worship a chaotic good god, and he will still receive spells and granted powers. The main question is what this divergent alignment means. It may be that the priest is betraying the ideals of his church. It is equally possible that the priest fervently believes in the principles of his religion but approaches them in an unusual manner. For example, an inquisitor of the Silver Flame may be lawful evil. He is willing to torture and kill in the interest of what he views as "the greater good," and he truly believes that he is carrying out the wishes of the Flame when he does so. Good-aligned members of the church may find his methods abhorrent, but the question is whether his results serve the goals of the church. In the minds of the people, questions of good and evil are far broader than "what can be detected by detect evil?" When the Silver Flame began its crusade against lycanthropy, the soldiers knew that there were individual lycanthropes that were not evil. But lycanthropy itself -- a curse that could corrupt the body and soul of anyone it touched -- was seen as evil, and the sacrifice of innocents was necessary to purge the greater darkness.
Pantheistic Clerics and the Cleric with No God
One of the predominant religions of Eberron is the worship of the Sovereign Host, along with its shadow, the Dark Six. Most people worship the entire host and address their prayers to whichever deity suits the needs of the moment. A traveler may offer a prayer to Kol Korran when boarding a ship, give thanks to Olladra after an excellent meal, and make a sacrifice to Dol Dorn when a pirate ship appears on the horizon. Priests typically serve a particular sovereign, but a cleric can choose to worship the pantheon as a whole.
As described on page 35 of the Eberron Campaign Setting, it is possible for a cleric to have no god and still perform divine magic. This is not, however, the same as having no beliefs; it still requires a strong commitment to an ideal or a philosophy. The cleric needs to devise his own system of belief and explain how it justifies the domains he has selected, and the DM always has the authority to disallow a combination of domains. The goal is to allow a broad range of personal faiths -- like the warforged developing their own religions -- not to encourage players to pick domains based solely on granted abilities.
Divine Magic in the World
Arcane magic is seen as a science. It is a force that can be controlled through formula and incantation. Divine magic is quite different: it is a miracle of faith. True clerics are rare. They are the crusaders of the church, skilled in battle and capable of channeling the power of their deity. The vast majority of priests are experts who possess no spellcasting ability whatsoever. An average religious expert might possess Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (History), Heal, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive, and use these skills to provide spiritual guidance to her community. Most divine spellcasters are adepts, just as most arcane spellcasters are magewrights. A cleric of any level is a remarkable figure. A side effect of this is that most temples do not sell divine spells. To begin with, many temples don't have a divine spellcaster. Those that do will not sell the gifts of their god for mere gold. If the petitioner is a loyal member of the faith, an adept may aid him at no cost, or the adept may set a price based on the abilities of the adventurer, calling upon him to make a sacrifice to prove his faith or perform a service in the name of the church. The more powerful the spell, the more significant the sacrifice or service. If a nonbeliever serves the cause of the church, it's possible a priest will provide assistance, but a temple is not a marketplace. No one can demand a miracle as if purchasing a spell from a wizard's guild. Needless to say, this makes a character's choice of religion an important decision. A cleric of the Blood of Vol will never consider helping a follower of the Silver Flame, and you'd be soiling your faith even to ask. There is a notable exception to this rule: corrupt clerics. Especially in Breland, there are priests who are more interested in lining their pockets than serving the faithful. If you can find such a cleric, you can purchase any spell he can cast, at standard prices.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
"I can see the greed swirling in your soul," Handor said. "Do you water down your ale? Charge three crowns when the price is two? Or worse?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," the man stammered. His eyes flickered down to Handor's blade.
"I am a paladin of the Silver Flame. I am sworn to fight evil in all its forms. My sword is for the fiends and monsters that deserve neither reason nor mercy. But you are no monster, and you can still find redemption." Handor put his hand on the hosteller's shoulder. "Consider your actions. Think about those you have harmed. Seek out a minister and cleanse your soul. The true darkness is rising, and if we are to survive we must all find a path to the light. If you cannot . . . then perhaps you are a monster, after all."
Core Beliefs
The Silver Flame has existed since the dawn of time. When Eberron was overrun by darkness and the demon spawn of Khyber, the Flame arose to bring light to the world and to bind the fiends in the depths of the Dragon Below. But the Flame was too pure for flawed humanity, and the people of Khorvaire could not hear its call -- until Tira Miron set upon her righteous path. This noble warrior had devoted her life to the cause of honor and sacrifice, and in her the Flame found a worthy vessel. Guided by a glorious feathered serpent, Tira gave her life to end the reign of a demon lord that had escaped its bond. Though she fell in battle, Tira's soul joined with the Silver Flame, and in so doing, she became a conduit -- a voice that humanity could hear. Across Thrane, the pure of heart heard her call; and ever since then, the Church of the Silver Flame has stood against evil, whatever form it might take.
The Silver Flame is not an anthropomorphic deity. It is a celestial force comprised of a vast multitude of noble spirits. It neither requires sacrifices of gold or spices, nor does it want praise in the form of prayer. Instead, it needs bold warriors and pure ministers who will embrace the light and use that inspiration to banish evil from the world. A typical worshiper of the Sovereign Host offers prayers in the hopes that the deities will help him; a true follower of the Silver Flame is interested only in how she can serve the cause of the flame.
The Afterlife
Some say that when a true follower of the Flame passes on, his spirit joins with the Silver Flame, strengthening the light. While some people may see this as a mediocre reward, the priests of the Flame say that they can achieve no greater bliss and that glory beyond anything that can be experienced in life awaits -- not to mention that this far surpasses the experience of wasting away in Dolurrh. For this reason, clerics of the Silver Flame are loathe to raise the dead; when a true hero dies, his spirit has gone to a better place, and he continues to fight from the other side. Gold rarely influences a true priest of the Flame; the cleric brings the hero back only if she believes he has a noble purpose to serve in this life, and this often involves a quest or vow.
Human Evil
The goal of the Church is to cleanse the world of evil. In the minds of most outsiders, this conjures up images of templars and exorcists fighting with sword and spell. But the vast majority of the members of the Church are not warriors. More people are in the ministry and the Order of Friars than in the Order of Templars, and they seek to battle evil by nurturing good. A Thrane farmer who is faithful to the Flame does not fight demons. But he seeks to live his life by the ideals of the Church: to help those in need, to encourage virtuous behavior, and to be a force of light in the world. Gradations of evil exist, and while no mercy can be granted to the demon, hope remains that the greedy merchant or the arrogant king may follow a different path if shown how.
The minister -- and the paladin -- leads by example and demonstrates to others the errors of their ways. With this said, puritans of the Flame may be less forgiving and more apt to use violence as a tool to eliminate social evils as well as supernatural forces.
Other Faiths
While the Church of the Silver Flame seeks to abolish the worship of the Blood of Vol, the Cults of the Dragon Below, and the Dark Six, it can be tolerant of other religions. Warriors of the Flame have much in common with the followers of Dol Arrah, and the teachings of Aureon and Boldrei echo those of the Church. With that said, followers of the Sovereign Host are often somewhat lackadaisical in their faith, and this often draws disdain from the faithful of the Church. A loyal member of the Church can associate freely with followers of the Sovereign Host or the Path of Light, but a zealous friar will still try to lure them to the true faith.
The Fury of the Flame
The ministry of the Silver Flame performs countless good works throughout the Five Nations, but the actions of the templars often overshadow these efforts. The most dramatic instance of this occurred when the inquisition destroyed the lycanthropes. To outsiders, this wholesale slaughter may seem shocking and unforgivable. However, a few factors can help people understand how such an event could occur -- and what the Church might do in the future.
* The Church of the Silver Flame operates under a strict hierarchy. The Church expects the faithful to trust the wisdom of those who stand above them, since those higher in the hierarchy stand closer to the Flame. Thus, most templars act without questioning their orders: If a cardinal authorizes an action, it must be in the best interests of the world. This is especially true of the puritans.
* The ultimate goal of the Church is to cleanse Eberron itself. For many members of the Church, this noble goal justifies any means required to reach it. This manner of thinking serves as one of the sources of evilaligned priests within Thrane. Such a priest may be good in almost all ways, but she has a willingness to employ evil tools -- such as torture -- when necessary to achieve a goal that furthers the Church's cause.
* When the Church targets a problem, it seeks to completely eliminate it. The templars act with ruthless efficiency. In the case of lycanthropy, any lycanthrope can afflict a victim with a curse that alters behavior and alignment, and this makes the victim a threat to others and a new carrier for the curse. In 832 YK, the Keeper of the Silver Flame declared that lycanthropy afflicted the soul as well as the body, since it could turn the noblest soul to a tool of darkness. Even those lycanthropic strains that were not inherently evil still force a change of behavior on the subject, and were thus suspect; the Keeper declared that these still imperiled the soul. If a single lycanthrope remained alive, it could pass the curse to others, and they could pass the curse to others, and within a generation the problem could arise anew. Thus all lycanthropes -- even those seemingly innocent and young -- must be destroyed.
A handful of paladins found alternatives. Some helped werebears escape to Lamannia, while others sought to cure the afflicted. Unfortunately, the process of breaking the curse is long and involved, and the Keeper of the Flame said that once the curse was set (via changing alignment), nothing could save thevictim's soul. And so the templars relied on their silvered swords, cutting out the cancer and praying for forgiveness when innocents fell at their hands.
The Church is fighting a war, and it intends to win. Casualties are certain. Sacrifices must be made, and allies may fall to friendly fire. But the Church will always act swiftly, decisively, and in a manner that serves the greater good -- at least, as the cardinals see it.
The idea that good people can do evil and that evil people can serve the cause of good is a central theme of Eberron. The Church of the Silver Flame embraces this paradox. It has a noble cause. The majority of its followers champion the ways of the light. And yet, with the best of intentions, they can become your enemies --or you may be asked to do questionable things in the service of the Church.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
Ministers and Priests
The Church of the Silver Flame is highly structured. Someone who seeks to enter the order of friars or ministers first serves as an apprentice within his local community, learning the basic teachings of the Flame. When he receives the blessing of the local minister, he can enter one of the seminaries of the Flame. Most initiates progress as experts, learning mundane skills that will help them serve their communities. Knowledge (religion), Heal, and Diplomacy are vital skills, and Knowledge (the planes) and Sense Motive are encouraged. In addition, most initiates have ranks in Craft or Profession. Various challenges test an initiate's potential to channel divine magic; those who possess this talent are called to the Great Seminary of Flamekeep, where the wisest adepts of the church teach them. The cardinals occasionally visit the Great Seminary, and on rare occasions the Keeper herself will speak to the young adepts. A character's backstory could incorporate this, giving a PC a pre-existing connection with a high-ranking patron in the church. But is the cardinal in question faithful to the Flame, or is she a corrupt schemer? At the end of this training, a minister usually possesses two NPC levels (expert, adept, or one of each) or one level of cleric.
Paladins and Templars
The templars learn their trade in one of the fortress monasteries scattered across Khorvaire. While monasteries exist throughout Thrane, Breland, and Aundair, the three largest fortresses are located in Thrane: the massive monastery of Kloijnir, which watches over Flamekeep; Tira's Watch, on the southeastern border of Thrane and Breland; and Morningcrest to the west. Templars live an austere life, and they dedicate themselves to combat training and religious studies. The majority of templars become warriors, while the most gifted become fighters or monks. A cleric typically travels to a fortress monastery after completing spiritual training in Flamekeep, and here he learns the use of weapons and armor. These monasteries also serve as garrisons, and most templars remain at the monastery even after completing their training. Occasionally a templar accompanies a friar or serves as a pilgrim; this calling is a matter between the templar and the abbot.
Paladins are a special case. You cannot train to be a paladin: it is a spiritual calling. Many paladins learn basic skills outside of the Church, since the Voice of the Flame guides them. Ministers and friars who discover a potential paladin send her to a monastery for full training, though some paladins have risen to significant levels before officially joining the church. A paladin must undergo tests at Flamekeep before she can act as an official representative of the Church. Some then take up residence at the templar monasteries, but many serve as pilgrims or serve in secular organizations, such as the Knights of Thrane or the King's Citadel; their calling draws them out to the world, and they find monastic life stifling.
Eberron is a place where alignments are blurred, but the paladin is held to a higher standard. A paladin embodies good, and the Flame itself calls her to serve as a champion of the light. A paladin's powers are the result of her faith, her purity, and her destiny. If a player wants to be a corrupt warrior with divine powers or a holy warrior who doubts her cause, she shouldn't be a paladin -- she should play a fighter/cleric, or something similar. With that said, the moral ambiguity of Eberron makes life challenging for the paladin who expects everything to be black and white. In a crowd of ten commoners, odds are good that three will be evil. But that doesn't mean they are monsters or even killers -- each is just a greedy, selfish person who willingly watches others suffer. The sword is no answer here; the paladin is charged to protect these people. Oratory, virtue, and inspiration are the weapons of the paladin -- though intimidation may have its place. A paladin who meets this challenge and lives up to the ideals of the Flame should be treated with respect by the faithful; a paladin in good standing should find shelter and support among any community of the Flame.
Friars and Pilgrims
Ministers and templars are assigned to specific regions. Friars and pilgrims take the light of the Flame into dark places. A friar goes through the same training as a minister, but instead of settling in a single community, he is charged with the task of missionary work. A friar travels across Khorvaire preaching the virtues of the Silver Flame and attempting to win converts to the church. Friars also serve as the eyes of the Church; a friar will search every new village for signs of possession, cult activity, or other foulness, and then he can report his findings back to the nearest Church official. The majority of friars are experts; a few remarkable individuals possess adept levels.
The role of the pilgrim is less strictly defined. A pilgrim wanders the world. She is not required to perform missionary work, but she is expected to lead by example wherever she goes, to oppose evil in all its forms. This is the lowest rank in the hierarchy of the church, but it still represents a commitment -- a vow to serve and protect. Pilgrims are not as well received as paladins, but the faithful will still support a passing pilgrim in exchange for a sermon or tales of her bold deeds. This is the most likely role for a PC cleric to fill: As a pilgrim, she is free to go on any adventure she sees fit.
Corruption
In Eberron, the alignment of a priest does not have to match that of his deity. As a result, corruption is a major concern in the Church of the Silver Flame. However, corruption can take many forms, and each can have a vastly different impact on a campaign. The most common form of corruption is when zealous devotion causes a priest to set aside mercy and compassion. Such a priest may be a pillar of his community and an admirable man who has absolute dedication to the Church. But if he must sacrifice the innocent in pursuit of the greater good, he will. He will torture and kill without remorse. He will not glorify these actions, and will not torture needlessly -- but he will not shirk from using dark methods to win the battle against evil.
A second form of corruption is greed. The clerics and adepts of the Silver Flame are not supposed to sell divine spells; these miracles are to be saved for the protection of the faithful. But some clerics use their spells to gain gold or influence. Some just want to live lives of luxury, but others believe that there are many ways to fight evil -- and that political power is a more effective weapon than a paladin's sword. While these priests have an evil alignment, they may still be working in the interests of the greater good -- at least, as they see it. These two types of priests both have their redeeming features. They do not see themselves as evil and may aid the cause of good. But then there is the third category -- the priest who knowingly embraces the darkness. A second voice whispers in the Silver Flame -- that of the terrible demon that Tira bound in battle. Occasionally a good priest is led astray by this false flame. However, a few seek out this quiet voice and serve the interests of the Lords of Dust from the heart of the church. Some believe they will gain immortality or fiendish power in exchange for their devotion. Others have been driven mad by the horrors of the Last War and believe that the light has forsaken the world. Either way, these heretics are cunning and dangerous. Unfortunately, dealing with corruption is a tricky business. The Church does not define evil as "that which can be detected with detect evil"; as noted earlier, someone with an evil alignment may serve the greater good. Furthermore, a cleric of a good deity always possesses a good aura, regardless of her personal alignment. Rank within the church hierarchy is another complication: a pilgrim can't kill a cardinal and expect to get away with it because "he was evil." She will need proof of actions that went against church doctrine and harmed the innocent. Thus, a paladin's ability to detect evil allows her to judge the character of those around her -- but it's in no way a license to kill. When dealing with this sort of situation, a DM should bear in mind that a significant difference exists between rank and character level. A cardinal may be a high-level cleric. He could also be a low-level expert. A highranking church official may not be able to physically challenge a high-level PC -- but he has the many resources of the church and the Templars behind him, and lower-ranking members of the Church are expected to defer to his judgment or face sanction and excommunication.
Quests
The Silver Flame has a simple goal: Abolish evil. There are hundreds of options: venturing into Droaam to strike against an enclave of monsters; sneaking into Karrnath to destroy a temple of the Blood of Vol; battling lurking fiends or possessing demons in the cities of Khorvaire; recovering a cursed object and then traveling to the Demon Wastes to destroy it; and so on.
Prayers
Appeals to the Silver Flame are short and direct; this religion is born of war, and prayers must be called out in the midst of battle. References to light and flame are extremely common. "Light of the Flame, guide my arm."
Temples
Temples of the Silver Flame always are heavily fortified and capable of providing shelter to the innocent. Furnishings are typically austere, but elaborate carvings displaying intertwining flames and heroes of the church often cover the walls. A brazier filled with silver continual flame is set before the altar.
Rites
Priests of the Silver Flame perform many services. While some of these are practical -- ranging from marriage to military training (specifically, archery) -- the tasks of the priest also include offering guidance and inspiration to the community. Daily services provide the faithful with the chance to hear the words of the priest and to present their troubles.
Heralds and Allies
Tira Miron is the voice of the Silver Flame, and her spirit responds to commune, augury, or similar entreaties -- or so it appears. Tira has never manifested physically since her sacrifice, and in all likelihood she cannot; she is a conduit that allows the Flame to speak to the common races, not an avatar to fight its battles. Its primary allies are the couatl, but over the millennia a number of noble celestials have heard the call of the Flame and chosen to serve its cause. Thus, a cleric's call for aid could be answered by an archon, an angel, or something stranger and more exotic.
Favored Weapon
The favored weapon of the Church of the Silver Flame is the longbow. Many believe that this dates back to the battle against the rakshasas, who are most vulnerable to piercing weapons. Furthermore, a quiver of arrows can include shafts with a wide range of enchantments or arrowhead materials, allowing a templar to operate at peak efficiency against all manner of beasts and fiends. Priests also encourage archery as a form of meditation, and in many communities the faithful can come to train at the local church of the Flame. This can result in an unusually high number of 1st-level warriors or commoners with Martial Weapon Proficiency (longbow) in areas devoted to the Flame.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
