Droaam is a nation ruled by monsters, established by the Filles De Sora Kell in 986 AR. Few of the civilized races dare to test its borders. Their connection with the rest of Khorvaire is limited to a single Maison Orléans roadway that passes through Muraille-Grise and into le_grand_rocher, and a beneficial business relationship with Maison Tharashk, who set up mercenary contracts between the inhabitants of Droaam and the outside world. Recently, the House has acquired permission to mine in Droaam, and they have begun exploitation of the nation's vast Byeshk mines and Eberron Dragonshard fields.

Droaam shares a tenuous border with Les Frontières de l'Ombre to the west and more solid natural borders in the form of the Montagnes de Byeshk to the north, the Les Murailles Grises to the east and the Mer du Tonnerre to the south. The area is inhospitable and mostly barren plains, which is part of the reason it was never formally settled. Sparse copse of trees break up the plains here and there, and as one approaches the mountains the land turns slowly more rocky. As low as Droaam is in arable land, it is high in mineral resources: rich veins of byeshk run through the northern mountains, and fields of eberron Fragments de Dragon are Commun.

The Filles De Sora Kell have begun to changel the nature of Droaam; using their wits, magic and the strength of their troll and ogre forces to forge the region into a semblance of a nation. Roads have been constructed to link the major communities, and a tenuous spirit of cooperation has taken hold between the varied monstrous inhabitants. You can find Harpies, ogres, Orcs and more wandering the same streets, going about their own business, at least in the major cities. Outside of the cities life is still largely split along racial lines. Most of Droaam is divided between warlords loyal to the sisters, and in these places the strong rule the weak. Due to the relatively low intelligence of a lot of physically imposing races, this keeps much of the nation fairly primitive. The Sorcières intervene only against major threats such as battles between monsters communities, raids on caravans, or anything else that would jeopardize their attempts to be formally recognized by the other nations, result in significant property damage or multiple deaths. Lesser crimes are mostly ignored, unless a warlord takes personal offense. A rare few, mostly the followers of the Queen of Stone, look at law with a more sophisticated view. Within their personally governed domain the Sorcières enforce stricter rules, ensuring even the weaker citizens (such as Kobolds and Gobelins) lead relatively good lives. The government is a form of despotic feudalism: the most powerful warlords give tribute to the Filles De Sora Kell and in return they rule sections of Droaam. The tribute is paid in gold, goods, soldiers or laborers.

Most warlords see that the Sorcières are shaping Droaam into a greater power than any of them could have done alone, so they begrudgingly accept their rule. The nation remains volatile however, as the Sorcières do little to stop minor feuds, assassinations and coups from taking place.

Due to Droaam's exclusion from the Traité de Fort-du-Throne few of the laws recognized in the east are recognized here. As a result, various Droaam settlements (most notably Muraille-Grise) have become havens for criminals, smugglers and fugitives from the east.

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• The Filles De Sora Kell
• Drul Kantar
• Maison Garda
• Maison Tharashk
• Mordain le Tisseur de Chair
• Le Prince des Os

Le Droaam abrite une vaste gamme de créatures différentes. Beaucoup de ces races maintiennent des enclaves isolées : la ville Méduse de Cazhaak Draal, les Escadrilles d'Harpies des Montagnes de Byeshk, les clans dispersés des minotaures, la légendaire et mystérieuse ville changeling connue sous le nom de Perdue. Mais les ogres, orcs, trolls, géants des collines, gobelins et kobolds du Droaam n'ont jamais eu de cultures distinctes, ils ont toujours été mélangés. Bien qu'il existe des enclaves composées d'un seul type de créature, la plupart des communautés sont mixtes. Autrefois, bon nombre de ces groupes de créatures vivaient dans des communautés éphémères, dirigées par le plus puissant d'entre eux et constamment en conflit avec les forces voisines.

Lorsque les Filles De Sora Kell sont arrivées au pouvoir, elles ont utilisé la force et la persuasion pour mettre fin à cette violence. Elles ont reconnu les plus puissants seigneurs de guerre existants comme dirigeants de leurs domaines, et elles ont nommé des lieutenants onis ou autres créatures intelligentes pour gouverner les autres régions.

Au sein du Droaam, toute créature qui commande la loyauté d'une bande et qui a réussi à revendiquer et à conserver un territoire peut s'appeler un seigneur de guerre, mais seul un petit nombre de ces chefs exercent un pouvoir significatif. Quelques-uns des seigneurs de guerre et des factions les plus notables sont décrits ci-dessous.

• Cairngorm : Une Gargouille remarquablement intelligente, Cairngorm est le seigneur du Fort de Sombre Pierre. Elle dirige le plus grand nombre de gargouilles du Droaam, et Sombre Pierre abrite également des orcs et autres créatures.
• La Meute Noire : Cette alliance de lycanthropes, de worgs et autres créatures bestiales est dirigée par un elfe loup-garou nommé Zaeurl. La meute nourrit une haine profonde envers les adeptes de la Flamme d'Argent.
• Gorodan Seigneur des Cendres : Ce géant de feu exilé de Xen'Drik a gagné la loyauté d'une puissante force d'ogres et de géants des collines.
• Les Escadrilles d'Harpies : Les harpies habitent depuis longtemps les Montagnes de Byeshk. Plusieurs escadrilles, dont les Cantatrices de l'Orage, les Ailes Pourrites et les Diva de l'apocalypse ont prêter allégeance aux Filles De Sora Kell. D'autres escadrilles restent isolés dans les montagnes, et la plus grande d'entre elle, les Hurleurs des Vents, méprise les sorcières.
• Kethelrax le rusé : Ce seigneur kobold a revendiqué Shaarat Kol dans le sud du Droaam et dirige une multitude de kobolds et gobelins créatures qui traditionnellement était asservis et opprimés par les plus grands habitants de la région. Bien que son épithète, “le rusé”, soit utilisée de manière moqueuse par d'autres seigneurs de guerre, Kethelrax a les faveurs de Sora Katra et s'est avéré être astucieux à sa manière. Les kobolds sont ravis d'avoir leur propre territoire et sont farouchement fidèles aux Filles, mais beaucoup aspirent à se venger de leurs anciens maîtres.
• Rhesh_Turakbar : Ce seigneur de guerre minotaure a uni les petits clans de son peuple en une force meurtrière. Sa forteresse se trouve à l'est du Droaam, et il mène souvent des raids dans la Brelande au nom de son patron diabolique, le Prince Cornu, également connu sous le nom de Rak Tulkhesh.
• La Reine de Pierre : Les méduses ont longtemps occupé l'ancienne citadelle de Cazhaak Draal. Bien qu'elles ne soient pas nombreuses, leur regard mortel et leurs basilic domestiques font des méduses une force avec laquelle il faut compter. Les prêtres Meduse des Sombres Six sont les chefs spirituels de nombreuses communautés droaamiennes. La reine Sheshka est une guerrière et une générale de talent, qui est fidèle aux Filles mais dévouée à son peuple.
• Tzaryan_Rrac : Un oni rusé avec une grande force d'ogres et d'orcs à sa disposition. Tzaryan Rrac n'a pas tardé à accepter le règne des sorcières, mais il aspire également à plus de pouvoir. Rrac est un alchimiste qualifié et un érudit des traditions arcaniques.
• Les Seigneurs du Venin : Ce groupe de tieflings dirige une communauté de démonistes, dont certains sont également des tieflings. Leur domaine, appelé le Domaine Empoisonné, est caché dans les marais infect au sud du lac à l'eau noire, protégé par une puissante magie. Le seigneur de guerre Bal Molesh est un puissant allié des Filles, et certains de ses confrères tieflings se retrouvent au service de Daask.
• Xor'chylic : Ce Flagelleur mental est le gouverneur de Muraille-Grise. On dit que les Filles ont trouvé Xor'chylic dans le Khyber, et qu'elles ont reçu sa loyauté en échange d'une promesse qu'elles lui donneraient une opportunité de se venger contre l'un des Daelkyr.
• Le Pacte de Znir : Les gnolls du Droaam, autrefois serviteurs de Rak Tulkhesh, ont rompu leurs liens avec les démons il y a longtemps et ont prêté serment de loyauté à leur meute. Depuis qu'ils se sont unis et furent liés par le Pacte de Znir, les gnolls n'ont jamais été subjugués par aucune autre force et n'ont jamais cherché à conquérir. Au lieu de cela, ils vendent leurs services en tant que chasseurs et soldats, au service de tous les seigneurs de la guerre. Les gnolls sont dignes de confiance à travers le Droaam.

Droaam has no national religion, and the Sorcières show no interest in enforcing one. The only constant seems to be that the monsters of Droaam universally revile the Église de la Flamme d'Argent for their crusades against the monstrous races. Individuals openly bearing a Flamme d'Argent religious icon in Droaam are certain to receive hostile reactions, and should fear for their lives.

Individual communities do have religious customs of their own, and worship of Le Narquois and L'Ombre is Communplace. Changelins tend to worship channel_divinity_the_traveler. The other members of the Sombres Six usually have some representation as well. Aside from this, there are a few Cultes du Dragon d'En-Dessous, and worship of fiends is not unCommun.

Some specific examples of worship include:

• Prince Cornu - Revered by the Minotaures of northern Droaam.
• Song of Passion and Rage- Venerated by the harpies of the dernier_chant_funebre, believed to be an aspect of the Furie.
• Stormsong- Revered by the Stormsinger harpies, believed to be an aspect of the Dévoreur.
• Znir idols- A form of ancestor worship, the gnolls raise piles of stones to reflect their ancestor's choice of freedom.
• Voices of L'Ombre- Among the most popular of Droaam's deities, the Ombre is especially worshipped by Méduses and oni.
• Skinners- Worship the Mockery.

Droaam was originally part of Breland. This was a polite fiction, as it has never been settled by Humains, Elfes, Nains or other civilized folk, instead remaining a land of savage monsters. Knights often entered Droaam to make a name for themselves by slaying monsters. Few returned. Despite this, the monsters never really worried the people to the east due to their lack of organization, and so the region was largely ignored and forgotten.

During La Dernière Guerre, bands of monsters raided across the border into Brelandeseeking spoils and slaves. These attacks were opportunistic and had no long-term effects, though sometimes enemy nations riled up or hired the monstrous races to attack Brelandein a slightly more coordinated fashion. Karrnath is said to have been particularly good at this. In 987 AR Roi Boranel pulled the few remaining Brelon settlers away from beyond the Les Murailles Grises and declared the region off-limits, and that same year the Filles De Sora Kell appeared out of Nulle Part with a monstrous army to declare the formation of a new nation. Droaam was never formally recognized by the other nations, as most Khorvairians believed that the alliance of monstrous Humanoïdes would crumble to in-fighting and treachery. The Filles De Sora Kell have managed to keep the warlords united under their banner despite all odds, and whether the Fort-du-trône nations will eventually be forced to give in to their request to be formally recognized remains to be seen.

CITIES AND SITES I n the past, particular creatures dominated the commu­ nities of Droaam. The Escadrilles d'Harpies lived in mountain peaks, while the Méduses remained isolated in the cita­ del of Cazhaak Draa!. Under the rule of the Daughters of Sora Kell, the Droaamites are creating cities where all manner of creatures live and work together.

Muraille-Grise Known as the Gateway to Droaam, this city sits on the border to Breland. Though dominated by monsters and ruled by a mind flayer, Muraille-Grise is both a center for trade and a haven for deserters and fugitives. The Maisons Marquées Du Dragon maintain outposts in Muraille-Grise, and Maison Tharashk governs the Calabas, the foreign quarter inhabited by Humains and other people from elsewhere in Khorvaire.

THE Grand Rocher Built atop ancient Gobelin ruins, the Crag is the seat of the Filles De Sora Kell. Few outsiders have seen this thriving city of monsters. Of the Marqué par le Dragon houses, only Maison Tharashk has a presence in the city.

THE Domaine Empoisonné This hidden city i s ruled by families o f tiefling warlocks who wield powerful magic and craft dark wonders. If you're playing a tiefling or a warlock, you could have ties to the Domaine Empoisonné.

• Mer Aride
• Montagnes de Byeshk
• cazhaak_draal
• Domaine Empoisonné
• Les Murailles Grises
• Scar River
• Suthar Draal
• The Watching Wood

The Sorcières unsuccessfully petitioned to be included in the Accords de Fort-du-trone, and as a result Droaam has not been officially recognized by any nation. As far as foreign Groupes Influents go, only Maison Tharashk has any real presence within the nation. Despite this, Droaam has a lot going for it. The strength of their monstrous laborers and mercenaries draws much attention; already ogre laborers and Minotaure bodyguards are employed in relatively high numbers throughout Breland, Aundair and Zilargo. Either out of patriotism or out of fear of their Sorcière queens, this monstrous workforce is proving more reliable than local workers, never offering complaint or dissent to their clients.

Thrane has vehemently refused all access to these monsters, and from their side Droaam's inhabitants despise the adherents of the Flamme d'Argent for the judgement against them that it represents. Maison Tharashk often serves as an intermediary between Droaam and other nations, especially between Droaam and Thrane.

RISING :

Droaam is a nation of monsters ruled by the Daughters of Sora Kell. Each of these three hags is a legend in her own right, the subjects of tales used to frighten children. Eleven years ago, they seized the lands west of the Gray­ wall Mountains and founded the nation of Droaam. Although Brelandelaid claim to these barren lands, Galifar had never tamed this wild region. Gnolls, ores, and Gobelins Communly sought haven here, as well as ogres, trolls, harpies, minotaurs, Méduses, tieflings, changelins, lycanthropes, and other races unwelcome in civilized lands. In the past, these creatures fought one another more often than they raided Humain settlements. Under the leadership of the Filles De Sora Kell, they have new purpose. The Daughters use an army of ogres and war trolls to maintain order. To date, the other nations of Khorvaire have refused to recognize Droaam, and the region was not acknowl­ edged in the Treaty of Fort-du-trône. Most people believe that the monstrous nation can't last-that even the Daughters can't hold the disparate alliance together­ but Droaam is currently thriving and stronger than ever. Droaam works closely with Maison Tharashk, selling the services of monstrous soldiers and laborers and byeshk ore, a form of metal with magical properties. Beyond that, it's a still-expanding frontier nation. The cities of Muraille-Grise and Grand Rocher grow larger and more organized every day, and the rest of Khorvaire is uneasy with the potential power of a fully realized Droaam. The monsters that inhabit Droaam retain their racial subcultures. Most worship the Sombres Six, but other religious traditions flourish as well.

INTERESTING TH INGS ABOUT DROAAM •

Droaam uses the supernatural abilities of its citizens as tools, just as other nations of Khorvaire use magic. The Filles De Sora Kell keep their people fed with troll sausage and use Harpie's song to quell brawls. When dealing with monsters in Droaam, consider the practical applications of their abilities. When the Église de la Flamme d'Argent purged lycan­ thropy from the Cinq Nations, a number of lycan­ thropes escaped into the region that later become Droaam. La Meute Noire alliance of lycanthropes, worgs, and other supernatural predators hunts south­ ern Droaam.

AFTERMATH OF THE La Dernière Guerre Droaam is barely a decade old. The treaty nations refuse to acknowledge its sovereignty; according to the terms of the Treaty of Fort-du-trône, it's a rebellious territory of Breland. As a renegade nation, it is a haven for war criminals and deserters, as well as brigands and mages pursuing forbidden paths of magic. The monsters of Droaam have no particular love for these bandits and fugitives, and outlanders have to watch their step. Tensions remain high on the border with Breland, re­ sulting in constant skirmishes and raids. Deeper within the nation, the Filles De Sora Kell build their power. Muraille-Grise and the Grand Rocher are constantly expanding, with Gobelins and ogres laboring through the night. War­ lords drill their troops, forcing all manner of monsters to work together. A predatory aspect permeates life in Droaam but also a sense of excitement, the belief that the Daughters will lead Droaam to greatness. For centu­ ries the people of Droaam have hidden in L'Ombres; now they stand in the light, and they are proud.

DROAAM Once, Droaam was a wild frontier that marked the edge of civilized Khorvaire. Today, it is home to one of the strangest nations on the continent. In the streets of the Great Crag, ogres and minotaurs rub shoulders with gnolls and goblins. Gargoyles and wyverns circle in the sky, while harpies call work crews to the quarries with their songs. Under the rule of the enigmatic Daughters of Sora Kell, this land grows stronger with each passing year. Thanks to the guidance of the hags, the diverse inhabitants of Droaam are learning to work together and finding ways to use their supernatural gifts to help build and sustain society. A medusa might use its petrifying gaze to preserve the life of an injured ally until medical attention can be obtained. Harpies in the taverns of Droaam use their hypnotic songs to entertain rather than to harm. When you bring creatures from Droaam into the campaign, consider how different monsters can work together in unusual ways and how their special abilities could be used outside combat. Droaam offers a way to introduce monsters into any adventure, and for characters to encounter these monsters in untraditional ways. Droaam demonstrates that even monstrous creatures want the same things that members of other races do, more or less. Droaamish monsters of a civilized bent could appear anywhere in Khorvaire. House Tharashk brokers the services of Droaamish monsters across the continent. Some of these monsters can appear in traditionally aggressive roles, as mercenary soldiers, a crime lord's bodyguards, or assassins in the shadows of Sharn. But Tharashk also provides less violent services. Ogre laborers put their strength to practical use in many of the continent's cities. Gargoyle couriers are in high demand. Though monstrous workers of these sorts are still rare in many nations, their numbers are growing. Conversely, a visit to Droaam gives adventurers a chance to explore a land untethered by the laws of the treaty nations, a realm where they are the outsiders and the monsters are at home. Adventurers might have to pursue a fugitive or a war criminal into Droaam, or go there in search of unusual services or information found only in the land of monsters.

Droaam

De toutes les nouvelles nations issues de la Dernière Guerre, le Droaam est à la fois la plus jeune et la plus exotique. C'est une alliance de créatures souvent considérées comme des monstres. Non reconnu par le Traité de Fort-du-Throne, le Droaam reste une énigme.

Depuis un millénaire, les enfants des Cinq Nations connaissent le sort qui attend ceux qui sont vilains : ils seront envoyés dans les Badlands, où des ogres les utiliseront comme repose-pieds jusqu'à ce que les trolls les mangent pour dîner.

Lorsque Galifar a été établie, la province de Brelande a obtenu les droits sur toutes les terres situé au sud des Montagnes de Byeshk et à l'ouest des Montagnes de la Digue, s'étendant jusqu'aux eaux de la Mer du Tonnerre. Cette revendication audacieuse étendait considérablement le territoire détenu par la précédente nation de Wroat, mais ce n'était rien de plus qu'une revendication. Les Brelons n'avaient pas besoin des terres à l'ouest, ils n'en voulaient pas non plus. Les Badlands, le nom que les Brelons donnaient pour tout ce qui se trouve à l'ouest des Murailles Grises, étaient connus leurs marécages immondes et leurs plaines arides, une région sauvage remplie de toutes sortes de monstres mortels. Les explorateurs du territoire nouvellement acquis ont rapidement confirmé ces récits. Les plaines étaient remplies de gobelins et de gnolls affamés. Les montagnes abritaient des harpies dont les chants pouvaient conduire les imprudents dans des gouffres profonds, où les trolls dormaient sur des tas d'ossements. Pour les Brelons, les Badlands n'avaient rien qui valait la peine de se battre, et ils ont donc été laissés seuls. De temps en temps, des chevaliers en quête de gloire ou des templiers audacieux traversaient les Murailles Grises pour combattre des géants et tuer des ogres, mais la région était largement ignorée.

Au fil des siècles, les Brelons se sont lentement étendu vers l'ouest en direction des Murailles Grises. Le Château d'Arakhain est devenu une résidence royale privilégiée au VIIIe siècle, apportant une nouvelle prospérité à Ardev et Shavalant. La vague de colons de l'Ouest qui a suivi a cependant été accueillie par de féroces pillards traversant l'écart entre les montagnes des Murailles Grises et le Lac Argenté. Ces colons ensanglantés ont rapporté des histoires de minotaures beuglants, d'orcs, d'ogres et de gobelins se cachant derrière chaque ombre. Une attaque contre le Château d'Arakhain a conduit à la brève guerre de l'ouest, la puissance de Galifar repoussant les pillards à travers les Murailles Grises et anéantissant de nombreuses bandes de maraudeurs. La forteresse de Carcassorc a été établie comme la porte entre le peuple de Brelande et les monstres des Badlands, et le roi a fondé les Cavaliers de l'Ouest pour patrouiller la frontière. Ces Cavaliers ont maintenu la frontière tout au long du IXe siècle, et les colons Brelons ont même effectuer des revendications territoriales le long des Murailles Grises. Cette période a culminé avec la fondation de la ville-forteresse de Tête-de-mule dans les contreforts (maintenant connue sous le nom de Mâchoire de Pierre). Puis la dernière guerre a tout changé.

La terre connue sous le nom de Badlands est bien plus ancienne que Galifar ou Wroat. Bien que moins fertile que les champs de la Brelande ou de l'Aundair, cette région recèle de riches gisements minéraux. Certains pensent que c'était la patrie d'origine des Gobelinoïdes, une théorie soutenue par le nombre important de ruines Dhakaani le long et en dessous des chaînes de montagnes, ainsi qu'en dessous du Le Grand Rocher lui-même. Dans les montagnes des Murailles Grises, un ensemble de statues de mille pieds commémore les Six Rois qui se sont réunis pour former l'ancien empire de Dhakaan. Mais alors que cette région a pu être autrefois importante pour les dar, elle a été complètement dévastée dans leur guerre contre les daelkyrs, aggravée par le retour de forces longtemps tenues à distance par l'empire. Des gnolls vicieux affluaient vers le sud depuis la Forêt Imposante. Des orcs féroces ont émergé des marais occidentaux. Des trolls et des ogres sont descendus des montagnes. Les dar qui restaient furent infectés par les malédictions des daelkyr, et au lieu de se tenir ensemble contre les envahisseurs, ils se sont retournés les uns contre les autres. Des siècles de chaos et d'effusion de sang s'en sont suivi. Au final, tout ce qui resta de Dhakaan ne fut que des ruines, les hobgobelins et les Gobelours de la région furent éradiqués, et les gobelins étaient dispersés et divisés.

La région fut désormais dominée par l'anarchie, soit dut aux instincts naturels des habitants de la région ou à l'influence persistante des Daelkyr. Il y avait quelques bastions de civilisation - le Domaine Empoisonné, le village caché de Lost - mais les gens de ces communautés n'avaient aucun intérêt à étendre leur culture ; ils étaient soit fortifiés, soit cachés du monde extérieur, soit les deux. Dans le reste des Badlands, l'histoire a été marquée par l'ascension et la chute d'innombrables chibs puissants. Chib est un terme gobelin parfois traduit par «chef», mais il signifie littéralement «patron» ou «grande personne» - et dans les Badlands, le chib n'était souvent que la plus grande créature des environs. En règle générale, un groupe se formait autour d'un ogre, d'un ettin ou d'un troll - une créature suffisamment puissante pour affirmer sa volonté sur les gobelins, les kobolds ou des créatures inférieures de leur espèce. Mais bien que puissantes, ces créatures manquaient d'ambition ou de volonté pour construire quoi que ce soit qui puisse durer. Parfois, un chef plus intelligent - un chef de guerre minotaure, un oni charismatique - construisait une plus grande force, peut-être même établissait une dynastie qui durerait une génération ou deux avant d'être submergé par la marée implacable et brutale.

The region was dominated by anarchy from then on—some believe this merely follows the natural instincts of the region’s inhabitants, while others point to the lingering influence of the daelkyr. There were a few bastions of civilization—the Domaine Empoisonné, the hidden village of Lost—but the people of these communities had no interest in expanding their culture; they were either fortified, hidden from the outside world, or both. Across the rest of the Badlands, history was marked by the rise and fall of countless mighty chibs. Chib is a Goblin term sometimes translated as “chieftain,” but it literally means “boss” or “big person”—and in the Badlands, the chib was often just the biggest creature around. Typically a band would form around an ogre, ettin, or troll—a creature powerful enough to assert their will over goblins, kobolds, or lesser creatures of their own kind. But while powerful, these creatures lacked the ambition or drive to build anything that could last. Occasionally a more intelligent leader—a minotaur warlord, a charismatic oni—would build a greater force, perhaps even establish a dynasty that would last a generation or two before being overwhelmed by the relentless, brutal tide.

Au début de la dernière guerre, les harpies tenaient les montagnes Byeshk, où leurs vols se querellaient sans fin. Cazhaak Draal était entre les mains des méduses qui l'ont revendiquée des siècles plus tôt. Les créatures sages savaient qu'il fallait éviter les Watching Woods, qui abritent des worgs et pire encore. Dans les plaines, le chef le plus fort était le seigneur de guerre minotaure Rhesh Toraa ; autour de son donjon, d'innombrables chibs mineurs se battaient plus fréquemment qu'ils ne frappaient les colons. Les premiers jours de la Dernière Guerre conduisent à une réduction des forces à l'ouest de la Brelande ; alors que c'était une région violente et instable, il y avait peu de colons à travers le Graywall ayant besoin de protection. Tous les Westwind Riders n'étaient pas Brelon, et avec le couronnement de Wroaan, les soldats sont revenus pour servir leur pays d'origine, et Wroaan avait besoin de toutes les troupes qu'elle pouvait rassembler. Elle a réduit les Westwind Riders à une force minimale - assez pour patrouiller entre les forteresses d'Orcbone et de Stubborn, mais un peu plus.

As the Last War began, the harpies held the Byeshk Mountains, where their flights endlessly feuded. Cazhaak Draal was in the hands of the medusas that claimed it centuries earlier. Wise creatures knew to avoid the Watching Woods, home to worgs and worse. In the plains, the strongest leader was the minotaur warlord Rhesh Toraa; around her keep, countless minor chibs fought one another more frequently than they struck the settlers. The first days of the Last War led to a reduction of forces in the west of Breland; while it was a violent, unstable region, there were few settlers across the Graywall needing protection. Not all of the Westwind Riders were Brelon, and with Wroaan’s coronation, soldiers returned to serve their home nations, and Wroaan needed all the troops she could muster. She reduced the Westwind Riders to a minimal force—enough to patrol between the fortresses of Orcbone and Stubborn, but little more.

Many Aundairians had been part of the Westwind Riders, and on receiving their reports, Spy Master ir’Galanatyr saw an opportunity. The Royal Eyes of Aundair worked with Rhesh Toraa and other chibs in the Badlands, providing equipment and training to support attacks against Graywall settlers and raids across the gap. With forces tied up to the east, it was up to the commanders of Orcbone and Stubborn to protect the west. But ultimately, the provocateurs from Aundair and Karrnath found the Badlands raiders undisciplined and impossible to unify, never posing the dire threat Breland’s enemies had hoped for.

De nombreux Aundairians avaient fait partie des Westwind Riders, et après avoir reçu leurs rapports, le maître espion du Galanatyr a vu une opportunité. Les Royal Eyes of Aundair ont travaillé avec Rhesh Toraa et d'autres chibs dans les Badlands, fournissant du matériel et une formation pour soutenir les attaques contre les colons de Graywall et les raids à travers la brèche. Avec des forces attachées à l'est, il appartenait aux commandants d'Orcbone et de Stubborn de protéger l'ouest. Mais finalement, les provocateurs d'Aundair et de Karrnath ont trouvé les pillards des Badlands indisciplinés et impossibles à unifier, ne représentant jamais la terrible menace que les ennemis de Breland avaient espérée.

La ville-forteresse de Stubborn a survécu à des décennies de raids et d'escarmouches, car les chibs des Badlands n'avaient aucune patience pour les sièges et aucune arme pour briser des murs solides. De nombreuses colonies et revendications de moindre importance ont été envahies et perdues, mais Stubborn a repoussé d'innombrables attaques de gobelins et de minotaures. Cependant, il n'était absolument pas préparé à la force qui l'a frappé au cours de la dernière décennie de la guerre. Un groupe typique de pillards peut inclure un seul troll ou une poignée d'ogres, mais en 986 YK, les soldats de Stubborn se sont retrouvés face à des phalanges de trolls en armure combattant avec une compétence mortelle et des escouades d'ogres agissant avec discipline et coordination. Les défenseurs de Têtu ont sauté des murs à la poursuite des chants des harpies, et les murs ont été brisés par des pierres lancées. Les survivants ont été parqués dans les plaines pour faire face aux chefs de l'armée; c'était la première rencontre enregistrée avec les Filles de Sora Kell rassemblées, trois sorcières énigmatiques discutées en profondeur plus loin dans ce chapitre. “Dites à vos dirigeants qu'il y a un nouveau pouvoir à l'ouest”, a déclaré Sora Katra aux habitants de Stubborn. “Ce que vous avez appelé les Badlands, nous l'appelons maintenant Droaam. La terre au-delà du Graywall et au-dessous du Byeshk appartient à notre peuple. Retirez le vôtre rapidement et respectez notre réclamation; la prochaine fois, il n'y aura pas de survivants. Une fois que la nouvelle de la chute de Stubborn a atteint Orcbone, les Westwind Riders ont voyagé vers l'ouest en force. Mais Sora Katra était fidèle à sa parole; il n'y avait aucun survivant, ni aucune trace de la dernière bataille des Westward Riders. Une frappe de représailles de Droaam - seulement une fraction des forces de Stubborn - a infligé de terribles dégâts à Orcbone lui-même. Le roi Boranel déploya rapidement tous les soldats qu'il pouvait épargner sur ce nouveau front, renforçant et fortifiant Orcbone. En 987 YK, il ordonna formellement à tous les citoyens de Brelon de se retirer des terres à l'ouest de Graywall, mais il refusa de reconnaître la souveraineté des Filles, et au cours de la décennie suivante, les affrontements se poursuivirent.

The fortress-town of Stubborn survived decades of raids and skirmishes, as the chibs of the Badlands had no patience for sieges and no weapons for breaking strong walls. Many lesser settlements and claims were overrun and lost, but Stubborn repelled countless attacks by goblins and minotaurs. However, it was utterly unprepared for the force that struck it in the last decade of the war. A typical band of raiders might include a single troll or a handful of ogres, but in 986 YK, the soldiers of Stubborn found themselves facing phalanxes of armored trolls fighting with deadly skill, and squads of ogres acting with discipline and coordination. Stubborn’s defenders leapt off the walls in pursuit of harpies’ songs, and the walls were shattered by hurled stones. Survivors were herded into the plains to face the leaders of the army; this was the first recorded encounter with the assembled Daughters of Sora Kell, three enigmatic hags discussed in depth later in this chapter. “Tell your rulers there’s a new power in the west,” Sora Katra told the people of Stubborn. “What you’ve called the Badlands, we now name Droaam. The land beyond the Graywall and below the Byeshk belongs to our people. Withdraw yours quickly and respect our claim; next time, there will be no survivors.” Once news of the fall of Stubborn reached Orcbone, the Westwind Riders traveled west in full force. But Sora Katra was true to her word; there were no survivors, nor any records of the last battle of the Westward Riders. A retaliatory strike from Droaam—merely a fraction of the forces at Stubborn—inflicted terrible damage on Orcbone itself. King Boranel swiftly deployed all the soldiers he could spare to this new front, reinforcing and fortifying Orcbone. In 987 YK, he formally ordered all Brelon citizens to withdraw from the lands west of Graywall, but he refused to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Daughters, and over the next decade, clashes continued.

Building A Nation To the people to the east of the Graywall Mountains, it seemed that the Daughters of Sora Kell appeared out of nowhere—and it felt much the same to the chibs of the Badlands. But evidence suggests that it was the culmination of years, or even decades, of planning. How long did it take to train the trolls and ogres now known as Maenya’s Fist? How did the Daughters acquire the armor and weapons wielded by this force? Some say that Sora Maenya assembled her troops in a forgotten Dhakaani fortress deep below the Byeshk Mountains, and that she oversaw the forging of their weapons in this ancient foundry. Sora Maenya calls the soldiers of Maenya’s Fist her children, and some scholars believe this might be literally true; both her war trolls and skullcrusher ogres are smarter and more capable than their common cousins. But how long would such an endeavor take? Melian Mit Davandi of the Library of Korranberg has advanced the theory that demiplanes may have been involved—that Maenya’s lair in Khyber could exist outside of the normal flow of time, allowing the schemes of the Daughters to be both a recent development and the work of generations. Sora Teraza approached the Queen of Stone and the lords of the Domaine Empoisonné in 985 YK, and the Daughters brokered the services of fully half of the Znir Pact mercenaries in this time. No one knows just how long the Daughters spent in preparation—but 986 YK is when they made their presence known. Leading up to the attack on Stubborn, the Daughters spoke with—and dominated—the greatest powers of the Badlands. The chibs of the plains only understood force, and the Daughters displayed it; the scattered bands of raiders were forced to submit, and those who refused to bow to the Daughters of Sora Kell were executed in gruesome ways. In 987 YK the Daughters of Sora Kell summoned the region’s most powerful leaders to the ruins now known as the Great Crag. There, Sora Katra presented the blueprint for the new nation, appointing warlords and specifying their responsibilities and regions. Work began on the greatest cities of this new nation: Graywall, the Great Crag, and the port city of Vralkek. The old fortress of Stubborn was repurposed and renamed Stonejaw. While some of the raider bands were left to follow their old ways, many were absorbed into the new nation. Thousands of goblins and kobolds were freed from their oppressive chibs and given opportunities in the new cities. This new order was maintained by gnoll peacekeepers of the Znir Pact. When that proved insufficient—when a chib refused to release their captive subjects or defied the Daughters—Maenya’s Fist would descend to destroy them. The message was simple: Change was coming. You could find your place in Droaam, or you could choose obliteration. The Daughters’ ambitious plans were strengthened by an alliance with House Tharashk. For Tharashk, this provided access to the rich mineral resources of Droaam and the services of monstrous mercenaries, which opened an entirely new path for the house. For the Daughters, it tied them to a force with a legitimate voice and influence in the East. Tharashk agents convinced the Twelve to open up trade to Droaam—at least to the new city of Graywall. The house helped to organize laborers and build the new cities. Through Tharashk, the denizens of Droaam began to appear throughout the Five Nations, though tensions continued in the vicinity of Orcbone. Gargoyles and harpy couriers found a niche in Sharn. Ogre laborers could be found in Fairhaven and Wroat. In Sharn, the Gargoyle replaced the Bat in the Race of Eight Winds. Today, many citizens of the Five Nations are still uncomfortable around these creatures, but their presence is slowly becoming less remarkable. The Present Situation The Daughters of Sora Kell sent representatives to Thronehold for the treaty negotiations, demanding to be recognized as a sovereign nation. This petition was denied. In practice, Droaam is a nation, and most recent maps include its name and mark its territory. But legally, the land is still part of Breland. It’s debatable whether the Droaamites are legally invaders or rebels defying the Brelon crown, but either way, they aren’t considered citizens of Breland and aren’t entitled to the protections of the Code of Galifar. However, their standing outside the law makes them a haven for war criminals, dissidents, deserters, and others who can find no place in the Five Nations. Most of the leaders of the Five Nations are convinced that Droaam won’t last—that it’s unstable, that these monsters will turn on each other any day now. They might be right; the Daughters have already had to crush a number of rebellious warlords and lesser chibs. But after eleven years, Droaam is stronger than ever. Its new cities are expanding. Dragonmarked houses are exploring their opportunities in the region. One important question still remains unanswered: What do the Daughters of Sora Kell want? Will they attack Breland in force if their demands aren’t soon met? Or is there some grander scheme, tied to the prophetic visions of Sora Teraza? What Defines Droaam? While all citizens of Droaam serve the Daughters of Sora Kell, each region is independently governed by a warlord in the name of the Daughters, and beneath them, chibs rule local communities. All citizens are expected to serve their nation when called upon, and to do whatever is asked of them. In exchange for loyalty and service, they receive sustenance, shelter, and pride—driven in part by the knowledge that they are defying the arrogant nations of the east. The people of Droaam are encouraged to believe that they are part of something glorious, something that has yet to be fully formed. “Today may be difficult, and tomorrow may be harder still. But look what we’ve done in one decade, and imagine what we’ll achieve in the next!” Within Droaam, some citizens have concrete, defined jobs—miners, masons, soldiers. Others are part of a general labor pool and may change jobs daily. This is especially true in the great cities, which are constantly expanding. However, Droaam isn’t yet a highly organized bureaucracy, and it’s easy to slip through the cracks if you choose to. Within the major cities, many citizens pursue their own businesses. Those who appear to be indolent or who cause trouble are swept up by a press gang, but people displaying industry and contributing to their city are largely ignored. Ultimately, Droaam is still a frontier; the nation is only ten years old, its cities are still being built, and there’s much change yet to come. While many outsiders may think Droaam’s system sounds oppressive, most of its citizens are sincerely committed to their new nation. Their lives before the Daughters were brutal and ugly. Now they have all the grist—ground meat made of troll flesh—that they can eat, a roof and a bed in the local hall, and most of all, a sense of purpose. A goblin may spend their day in the mines, but they know they’re building a great city, not just serving the crude whims of a crass ogre chief. Additionally, many citizens are truly in awe of the Daughters of Sora Kell, a careful balance between fear and wonder—the practical fear of Sora Maenya and her Fist, and the dreams inspired by the words of Sora Katra. The people of Droaam know that the Daughters of Sora Kell are legends, that they possess untold powers, and that Sora Teraza knows what the future holds. Most truly believe that Droaam has a grand destiny, that they’ll defy the expectations of the world, and that together, they’ll build something glorious. Language Droaam has several exotic languages, from the chattering of the Znir Pact gnolls to the medusas that communicate with each other through the hissing and weaving of their snakes. However, this region was once dominated by the Empire of Dhakaan and Goblin has long been the common language of trade. Almost every Droaamite speaks, or at least understands, Goblin. When using stat blocks for a Droaamish creature, you should generally substitute Goblin in place of Giant or Orc. The ogres and trolls of Droaam have no ties to Xen’drik, where the Giant language was spoken. The Orc language was largely eliminated from common use thousands of years ago, and it’s nearly extinct in Khorvaire today, though there could be a community of Gaa’ran orcs that still speak it. Common is used as a trade language, and in modern times, many creatures speak it in addition to Goblin. Even before the arrival of the Daughters, the people of the eastern Badlands often knew a little Common from interacting with Brelon settlers and the Westwind Riders. Today, the Daughters are encouraging the spread of Common, and have even begun providing regular classes in the language in Graywall and the Great Crag, as understanding Common is useful for commerce and for creatures who could serve as Tharashk mercenaries. Ultimately, it’s up to the DM to decide if a particular creature should speak Common—and if so, just how much it speaks. It’s possible that an NPC may only know a few specific phrases in Common, or that a player character will have to make a Charisma (Performance) check to convey their meaning to a creature that understands little of the language. Literacy is common in the more civilized regions of Droaam. Medusas, tieflings, and changelins are generally literate, as is anyone who works as a merchant or envoy. But at the moment, much of the general populace is illiterate, in contrast to the Five Nations, where education has long been considered a basic right. While Droaamites speak Goblin, they aren’t dar like the Dhakaani discussed later in this chapter; they have no interest in muut or atcha, and don’t use many other words integral to Dhakaani culture. Notably, they don’t use the terms chaat’oor or gath’dar to refer to humans and their kin. Instead, they use aravaat—easterner—to refer to people of the Five Nations, and more generally, to refer to humans, halflings, dwarves, elves, and similar species. Most Droaamites don’t bother to learn the names of the different nations of Khorvaire. The West is the Shadow Marches, home to Tharashk and the former home of Sora Katra. The North is the Towering Wood, former home of Sora Maenya. Everything else is the East, and that’s all most people really care to know about it. Political Structure The nation of Droaam, which has only existed for eleven years, has a general structure established, but it’s constantly evolving. The Daughters may implement new ideas or institute new offices tomorrow, and a rebellious warlord could be crushed and replaced on a moment’s notice. As it stands, Droaam has been split into lheshat—a Goblin term meaning “domain of a warlord.” Each lheshat is governed by a warlord who answers directly to the Daughters; each is charged with maintaining a military force that can serve the Daughters. For now, each warlord has the power to rule their domain and organize their own army as they see fit. There is no standardized system for either bureaucrats or soldiers; in the former Badlands, the most powerful local official is still called the chib, though they may no longer be the largest or most physically menacing creature in the community. In the cities where multiple species live side by side, the common populace is divided between soldiers, skilled laborers, and the general labor force; these are organized by and under the direct authority of the local chib. Such cities have a grist mill (discussed later in this section) and a series of barracks, providing food and shared shelter for all workers. You won’t own property unless you have valuable skills or an impressive position, but you can find free food and shelter in any city— though as the cities are still expanding to meet capacity, in many places, that shelter is a bedroll in a tent. Katra’s vision is that all creatures of Droaam would work together, part of the greater whole. Ideally, a laborer who works hard should have no fear of abuse—foremen shouldn’t beat (or eat) their crews on a whim, an improvement over life in the Badlands. Katra wants the workers to be respected for their efforts, much as the golin’dar are treated with respect among the Kech Dhakaan. But while the Daughters promote this ideal, it doesn’t always work out in practice; there are still lheshat that treat laborers cruelly. Even where workers are treated well, it’s balanced by the understanding that anyone who challenges the Daughters or the warlord will be crushed without mercy. In any given lheshat, the warlord governs their domain and the chibs beneath them lead each community. But there are three forces that operate outside this system, working directly for the Daughters and wielding authority throughout the land: The agents of Katra’s Voice are envoys and entertainers, diplomats and mediators. Their task is to maintain morale and lines of communication, and to help resolve disputes before they get out of hand. Most of the agents of Katra’s Voice are changelins, but medusas, tieflings, and even harpies can be found in this role. Many focus on their role as entertainers, sharing stories with the common folk and painting tales of the bright future that lies ahead. Others are focused more on mediation and the administration of justice, especially if there is unrest between the chib and laborers. A few elite soldiers of Maenya’s Fist usually accompany an emissary of Katra’s Voice; if the Voice can’t soothe troubles, the Fist will end them. These armored trolls and ogres are deadly and utterly devoted to the Daughters; a single war troll can crush a band of insubordinate minotaurs. The agents of Teraza’s Eye are sages, versed in the region’s history and diverse customs. They survey ancient ruins and identify manifest zones and planar conjunctions. They often offer unsolicited advice to local warlords. Though the smallest of the three branches, some believe that those Eyes that are seen are merely the tip of the ankheg—that Teraza is served by changelins and other hidden agents who carry news of all developments back to the Daughters. These names are the titles both of the organization and its officers; an agent acting on official business simply says, “I am Teraza’s Eye, and you will tell me what transpired here.” Law and Order Droaam isn’t bound by the Code of Galifar, and there is no uniform code of justice. Justice is thus entirely in the hands of the local chib, unless Katra’s Voice overrides them. Every chib maintains their own force of guards. In a small village, this might be a handful of Gaa’aram orcs, but in a large city like Graywall, the guards are a versatile and significant force: orcs, minotaurs, and ogres with support from harpies and gargoyles. Any major community also has a garrison of Znir gnolls. These mercenaries serve as peacekeepers when needed, but they serve the Daughters directly, not the chib; in part, they are present to deter a chib from turning against the Daughters. Ultimately, Droaam is a wild frontier. For the most part, the law is simple: don’t mess with the chib or anything that belongs to the Daughters. The guards don’t care about random street brawls or bar fights. They don’t care if someone stole your purse. They aren’t interested in what laws a fugitive may have broken in some other land. However, they do care about significant damage to buildings, or about any situation that could result in the death of multiple laborers—anything that threatens the overall productivity of the community. So player characters can get away with a great deal in Droaam, as long as they are careful. The local guards won’t interfere when a Sentinel Marshal arrests a war criminal hiding out in Graywall—but they also won’t interfere when three trolls the criminal hired attack the marshal in return. First and foremost, the guards protect the town and the chib; personal rights and property mean little in Droaam for lesser citizens. If you want justice, you usually have to enact it yourself. In most communities, a chib punishes serious crimes with immediate execution. For lesser crimes, a victim is branded and either severely beaten, maimed, or given trial by combat; most large cities have an arena that serves this purpose (though people can also be gladiators by choice). Those that survive their punishment are freed. There is one recourse for those who seek justice: Katra’s Voice includes magistrates who have the power to administer justice. Magistrates travel between smaller communities, while larger ones, like Graywall, have a resident magistrate. The current fashion is that magistrates are medusas. If a magistrate believes a case has merit, she orders the chib to deal with it—but if she considers the complaint to be frivolous, she petrifies the plaintiff. As a result, very few people take the risk of seeking justice—but it’s a comfort to the laborers to know that they could. Graywall has a sizable foreign quarter, the Calabas. Xor’chylic, the illithid warlord of Graywall, has granted Kundran Torrn of House Tharashk the right to prosecute crimes committed in the Calabas; this means that in that quarter, much of the Code of Galifar holds sway. This system could be applied to other communities that have a sizable eastern population. A few basic principles to keep in mind when considering law and order in Droaam: while the local guards generally don’t interfere in casual street fights, deadly violence isn’t as common as outsiders think. There’s an unspoken rule that larger creatures have the right of way; the goblins know to vacate the path of a troll. There are, of course, exceptions; everyone clears a path for a medusa. Beyond this, most of the Droaamites living in the large cities want to be part of Katra’s plan. The troll knows that the little goblins, annoying though they might be, are supposed to be her little brothers. She’ll give a little brother a smack if he pushes her—he needs to know better—but she won’t go out of her way to kill him, and she won’t eat him. If you antagonize a troll, it may slash you with a claw; but if you immediately show contrition, the conflict ends there. Conversely, if a group of easterners start picking fights, the Droaamites feel no such obligation to these outsiders; even if the guards don’t interfere, other citizens might, and a wise human keeps a low profile in a city of monsters.

Cruel World Mercy and compassion are alien concepts in Droaam, neither expected nor offered. There’s little difference between justice and revenge, and if you want either, you’ll likely have to seize it. The world is split into predators and prey—and it’s always better to be the predator. Surviving to the end of a day is a victory, and having shelter and food should be celebrated, not taken for granted. The people of Droaam are steadfast allies to those they count as friends, and fight to protect the things they love. But they care nothing about the fate of strangers: if protecting a friend means causing suffering to a stranger, so be it. Bear this in mind when creating characters from Droaam. If you are cruel to strangers, it’s because you believe the world to be a cruel place. You may pursue noble goals and be the most reliable friend anyone could wish for, but you were born in a harsh world, and it’s the only life you’ve known. This cruel world is changing. The Daughters dangle the dream of a better world; Katra urges Droaamites to think of all of their comrades as family. Serve the Daughters and you’ll have food and shelter. But that’s all balanced by the fact that if you challenge them, they will crush you without mercy. And to most Droaamites, that’s a perfectly reasonable arrangement. The Economy Droaam has no established currency; the standard reward for daily labor is sustenance and shelter. Most Droaamites rely on barter for goods, skilled labor, or luxuries. However, most merchants in major cities accept the coins of the East, as well as two secondary “currencies.” Miners often trade using slivers, small chunks of precious metal or gemstone shards. It’s also common to barter and gamble with bounty-marked teeth. The Daughters of Sora Kell (through the chibs) offer a bounty on certain dangerous animals, paid by the tooth. A Goblin symbol identifying the animal it’s from is carved on each tooth, but most merchants won’t accept teeth unless they personally recognize the tooth—so you can’t just carve “wyvern” on wolf teeth. While the DM could treat bounty-marked teeth as another form of coinage—”the old goblin offers three displacer beast teeth, worth 10 silver”—adventurers who kill a dangerous monstrosity might wonder what the bounty is for their teeth. The DM could roll on the Individual Treasure tables in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to determine the bounty offered for a creature of any CR. However, the tooth currency is based on the value the Daughters have placed on each bounty, and not every creature has a golden mouth. Some dangerous creatures might have a high value while others are worthless. The bounty is a way to encourage the elimination of threats, and if a creature doesn’t threaten the people of Droaam—or is perhaps even an ally—there won’t be a bounty on its teeth. While bartering can be more time-consuming than dealing in coins, it’s also an opportunity to introduce interesting adventure hooks. Perhaps a goblin merchant can’t make change for a platinum piece, but she offers a scrap of vellum in exchange; it looks like a piece of a map, and she says it came from below the city. Dhakaani relics, odd remnants of the daelkyr war, an object pawned by a Brelon deserter—any of these could be worth little to the one offering it, but priceless to those who receive it. Droaam’s main exports—brokered through House Tharashk—are byeshk and other ores from the mountains, Eberron shards from the plains, and the mercenary services of its people. But it’s also the source of unsavory goods that are often illegal in the Five Nations. Poison is a simple example, but there are other more exotic substances. Dragon’s blood is described in chapter 4 of Eberron: Rising from the Last War. Courage is a stimulant that grants a user advantage against saving throws to avoid being frightened; however, long-term use causes paranoia and can leave someone in a state of catatonic terror. Blood gin is a necrotic narcotic, distilled from berries from a Mabaran manifest zone that are fermented in the blood of someone who died by violence; it induces euphoria while replaying the final moments of the victim’s life, but frequent users can suffer dreadful nightmares. These are just a few examples, and Droaam is home to many unnatural goods that can’t be found anywhere else. It’s a source of organs and hides from exotic creatures, which may be critical components for creating a magic item; if you need the eyes of a luecrotta, the Graywall marketplace may be your best chance. The markets of Droaam also receive the spoils from bandits and odds and ends from deserters, war criminals, and renegades who come from the Five Nations. All in all, you never know what you might find in a goblin market! In describing goods from Droaam, consider the vast range of styles and quality that can be found throughout the region, some of which are described on the Droaamish Artisanship table. The Badlands raiders had no smiths and fought with simple weapons of wood and stone, or with equipment supplied by Aundair or Karrnath. However, the Daughters have been working to improve the situation, and gnoll and medusa artisans can be found working in many of the more diverse cities. And the Domaine Empoisonné is a mystically advanced society; while they lack the industrial capacity of House Bombardier, they’re skilled in producing magecrafted treasures beyond those of the Five Nations. Most magic items used by Droaamites come from the demesne. Droaamish Artisanship d8 Style 1 Badlands Primitive. The work of ogres and orcs, primitive and with no consistent style. Materials are stone, wood, and bone. 2 Znir Gnoll. Created by the artisans of the Znir Pact. Ugly to human eyes, but functional and very reliable. Excellent use of wood and leather; limited metalworking. 3 Cazhaak Draal. Made by skilled medusa artisans. More elegant than Znir or Badlands work, with smooth curves and engraved patterns. Reasonable metalwork, but they also work with stonewood, an exceptionally hard wood from the Stonelands. 4 Maenya’s Fist. Crafted for the elite soldiers of Sora Maenya. These include heavy armor and metal weapons. The metalwork is excellent; the style is brutalist in form, intended to intimidate. 5 Domaine Empoisonné. Magecrafted with superior arcane science. Fine metals and ceramics are common, and tools have colorful materials and enamels. Even simple items may have common magical properties. 6 Aravaat. Objects from the East—generally the Five Nations. These may be supplies given to Badlands raiders during the Last War, or brought in by traders or brigands in recent years. 7 Patchwork. Useful things scavenged and pieced together, a common practice among Droaamites—especially gnolls. A Dhakaani axe head could be on a haft of Znir design, or a suit of armor could be made from pieces of three different suits. 8 Ancient Dhakaan. Recovered from one of the Dhakaani ruins of the region. These goods are extremely ancient and may be well worn, but remain functional.

Religion Droaam is a tapestry of many cultures with diverse beliefs. The minotaurs revere a being known as the Horned Prince, but each clan has its own private name for their patron. The harpies say they sing with the Fury’s voice, but believe the Fury was Eberron’s cry of pain when she gave birth to the world. The changelins of Lost believe themselves to be the chosen people of the Traveler. The gnolls of the Znir Pact refuse to bow to any god or fiend, while the warlock lords of the Venomous Domain believe that there is no difference between gods or fiends; there are only powers that can be bound or bargained with. Despite this vast diversity, there is broad acknowledgment of the Dark Six throughout the region. While each different subculture has its own favored deities and personal twists, most people know the basic principles of the Cazhaak Creed—an interpretation of the Sovereigns and Six codified by the medusas of Cazhaak Draal. Every multicultural city in Droaam has a host of shrines and idols tied to the lesser paths, but the true temple is one of the Shadow, most likely tended by a medusa priest. The Cazhaak Creed acknowledges that the Sovereigns exist, but portrays them as tyrants who make demands of their worshipers while giving nothing. By contrast, the Dark Six support freedom and fair exchange. Under the creed, the Shadow is the patron of all those considered “monsters” by the people of the East. Aureon and the Nine hoarded their power, whereas the Shadow gave its children wondrous gifts: the medusa’s gaze, the troll’s regeneration, the ogre’s strength. As such, the Shadow is the deity most generally invoked by those seeking divine guidance or intervention. Overall, the Cazhaak Creed assigns the same values to the Dark Six as does the Pyrinean Creed of the Five Nations, but it sees these concepts as virtues. The Shadow is the Sovereign of ambition and helps you find your path to power, even if that means stepping on others on the way. The Fury is the Sovereign of instinct and if you embrace your emotions, she’ll guide you through them; she’s also the Sovereign of revenge, which is merely the other side of justice’s coin. The Mockery shows the path to victory in battle, even if that requires you to embrace treachery or fear; in Droaam, courage and honor take a back seat to victory and survival. The Devourer wields the power of the wilds; he winnows out the weak, but those who survive his tests grow strong. Priests of the Keeper perform funerary rites, which vary by species—from the medusas that petrify their infirm so they never die, to the trolls and ogres that eat their dead. The priests also act as healers, for disease and infection are tools of the Keeper, and a priest can remove them for a price. The Keeper is the Sovereign of wealth and greed, and his priests are always willing to help a petitioner propose a bargain. The Traveler is rarely worshiped directly by any but the changelins, but it is always acknowledged. All these are echoed in Droaam in many minor ways. For example, revels are ecstatic celebrations devoted to the Fury, where participants are encouraged to abandon all restraint and embrace their emotions. In battle, many Droaamites dedicate a kill to the Keeper, hoping to earn favor by adding souls to the Sovereign’s hoard; likewise, it’s customary to sacrifice part of an unexpected windfall to the Keeper so he doesn’t grow jealous. Droaamites are very indulgent of the beliefs of others, despite (or because of) the many different faiths and practices. The Znir gnolls despise demons, but don’t interfere with the practices of the minotaurs or tieflings. Harpies don’t argue with medusas over the nature of the Fury; they know the true answer, and that’s sufficient. Everybody generally honors the Shadow, even if that means different things to different people. This principle generally applies to easterners as well. Droaamites think worshiping the Sovereign Host is foolish, but aren’t upset if you invoke Aureon, and don’t care what kalashtar or elves believe. There’s one exception to the religious tolerance of Droaam—the Church of the Silver Flame. The Church considers it their mission to defend the innocent from supernatural threats, and many of the inhabitants of Droaam are considered “supernatural threats.” The Silver Flame has led many raids and quests into the Badlands, and the Dark Pack won’t soon forget the Lycanthropic Purge. Anyone who openly wears symbols of the Silver Flame receives, at best, a hostile reaction from most Droaamites, and it’s wise to never wander off alone.

Un des principaux facteurs qui a longtemps empêchés les habitants des Badlands de construire de grandes villes était l'incapacité de pouvoir nourrir une telle population. En effet, de nombreux habitants du Droaam sont carnivores, et ceux qui ne le sont pas manquait de discipline pour de l'agriculture à grande échelle. Ce simple problème de nourriture maintenait la population des Badlands sous contrôle.

Alors que les Filles De Sora Kell font respecter leur règne avec la voix de Katra et le poing de Maenya, elles achètent également la loyauté avec de la nourriture. Elles promirent que toute personne qui les servirait aurait un abri et de la nourriture, et elles ont tenu leur promesse en fournissant un approvisionnement apparemment sans fin en nourriture. L'aliment de base est une viande hachée appelée hot-troll, servie en ragoût, en tarte ou en saucisse. Le hot-troll est dur et aigre, mais il est nourrissant, et les “moulins à troll” en ont un approvisionnement apparemment infini.

Peu d'habitants du Droaam se soucient de l'origine du hot-troll, mais les visiteurs sont plus facilement dégoûté par le fait que comme sont nom le souligne, le hot-troll est de la viande de troll hachée et transformée pour la consommation. Les Filles De Sora Kell détiennent la formule secrète de la transformation de cette viande, qui n'est consommé nulle part ailleurs sur Khorvaire. En soi, la viande de troll est hautement toxique et cancérigène, mais les Filles ont mis au point un mélange magique de 11 herbes et épices à mélanger à la viande hachée pour la rendre comestible.

Chaque grande ville a un « moulin à trolls », une cafétéria publique servant du hot-troll. Ces moulins comprennent des écuries remplies de trolls; certains y sont gardés comme sentence, tandis que les autres ont été élevés pour cette fin. Leur chair est lentement coupée, laissant toujours le temps à la créature de se régénérer en toute sécurité. La douleur de ce processus reste toutefois atroce. Les visiteurs trouvant le hot-troll aigre et désagréable, la seule grâce salvatrice pour eux est que cette viande est gratuite. Alors, savourez un bol de ragoût de troll, il y en a beaucoup plus d'où il vient!

Pour ceux qui ont de l'argent ou des dents à échanger, il existe de nombreuses autres options plus appétissante. La viande est un aliment de base de la cuisine droaamienne, et la plupart l'aiment presque crue. En fait, bon nombre des géants préfèrent manger leurs repas encore vivant. Certains aliments peuvent être carrément dangereux pour les humains, par exemple, les trolls aiment mâcher des tentacules séchées de charognards rampants, qui ont un effet engourdissant dramatique sur la plupart des créatures. Certains plats sont servis avec de petit limon vivant, qui, selon les Droaamiens, facilite la digestion. Où que vous alliez, la cuisine reflète les bêtes exotiques de la région. Le Chuul cuit à la vapeur est très apprécié sur les côtes, tandis que de la bête éclipsante épicée est populaire à l'intérieur des terres.

The civilization of the Five Nations is based on the application of low-level arcane magic, which is deployed to solve the problems of society—communication, entertainment, warfare. In Droaam, however, the Daughters of Sora Kell are building a civilization based not on magic, but on monster, finding civic applications for the supernatural gifts of their diverse citizenry.

The medusa’s gaze is a terrifying weapon, but petrification can also be used to preserve the critically injured or sick until they can be properly cared for. Using gargoyles as couriers and harpies as town criers are fairly obvious applications of their natural gifts, while the creation of grist is a more exotic application of troll regeneration.

Harpy Song. The people of the East know of the harpy as a monster whose voice can lure innocents to their death. But a gifted “songbird” can produce a far wider range of effects than just the irresistible lure. The song of a talented harpy can inspire hope or despair, instill joy or bring tears to the eyes of listeners. Harpies call the start of each work shift, drawing workers to their tasks. Every grist mill has a songbird whose magical voice soothes weary workers at the end of a shift. As harpies can project with supernatural volume, songbirds also call out the hour and serve as town criers, relaying important news across a community.

Medicine. The chirugeons of Droaam employ methods that are more gruesome than those of House Brunet, but these techniques are nonetheless effective. Broodworms are a form of maggot whose secretions help to both anesthetize a patient and cleanse infected wounds; tiny gelatinous cubes are also used as an unusual anesthetic. While it’s not yet in wide use, the Daughters have been experimenting with troll’s blood, a salve with remarkable healing properties that may in fact be exactly what it proclaims to be. Droaam is a harsh land, and most of the time when people suffer the answer is “suck it up,” but the Daughters have pledged to make a better world in days to come. If they manage to perfect and mass-produce troll’s blood, it could revolutionize public health.

Brute Force. With its many ogres and giants, Droaam has raw strength in great supply. Many tasks that would require specialized equipment or beasts of burden in the Five Nations are simply performed by a large and powerful humanoid.

La population du Droaam est incroyablement diversifiée. En plus des créatures intelligentes qui font partie de cette culture, la région abrite un nombre remarquable de monstruosités et de bêtes exotiques. Cela est dû en partie à l'ancienne influence des Daelkyrs et aux expériences plus modernes de Mordain le Tisseur de Chair. Il existe également un nombre considérable de zones de manifestation et de passages vers le Khyber dans la région. Mais surtout, le Droaam a été pendant des milliers d'années une des frontières des régions centrales de Khorvaire et de leurs puissantes civilisations, qui ont travaillé activement pour éliminer les menaces dangereuses de leurs territoires. Certains monstres ont été exterminés, tandis que d'autres, comme les trolls et les manticores, ont été chassés vers le Droaam.

Bien qu'il existe des enclaves qui sont largement peuplées d'une seule espèce, telles que Cazhaak Draal et le Domaine Empoisonné, la plupart des grandes villes du Droaam sont des communautés diverses abritant toutes sortes de monstres. Il est important de reconnaître à quel point les habitants du Droaam peuvent être variés et que leurs biologie, psychologie et intelligence peut différer de manière significative. Par exemple, les ogres, trolls, géants des collines et ettins possèdent une grande puissance physique mais ne sont pas aussi intelligents que les humains, et les autres citoyens du Droaam savent comment s'exprimer pour se faire comprendre sans les contrarier.

• Changelins : Les changelins qui quittent leur cité de Perdue travaillent souvent directement pour les Filles. La plupart utilisent leurs compétences comme serviteur de la Voix de Katra, servant d'artistes, de médiateurs et de bardes. D'autres recueillent des informations en tant que Yeux de Teraza. À moins qu'ils aient une raison de ne pas le faire, les changelins portent leur vrai visage. Ils utilisent cependant leur métamorphose esthétiquement, créant des motifs exotiques ou en constante évolution sur leur peau. La dance-changelin est un art du changement qui allie mouvement physique et transformation, et cela peut être une expérience remarquable.

• Gargouilles : Depuis l'arrivée des Filles, des gargouilles ont été déployées à travers tout le Droaam, et ce sont les recrues favorites de la Maison Tharashk. Les citoyens gargouilles servent de messagers et de coursiers, tandis que la plupart des seigneurs de guerre ont également une unité de gargouilles prêtes au combat qui servent d'éclaireurs et de réponse rapide. En tant qu'élémentaires, les gargouilles ne mangent pas, ne dorment pas et ne boivent pas, et elles peuvent rester immobiles pendant des mois ou des années. Alors qu'elles ont traditionnellement été décrites comme des prédateurs cruels, le fait est qu'elles aiment le frisson de la chasse, recherchent les défis et adorent les énigmes et les puzzles.

• Géants : Les montagnes du Droaam abritent des ettins et des géants des collines, tous deux originaires de Khorvaire. Autrefois dans les Badlands, les géants descendaient des montagnes et dominaient des groupes de gobelins et de kobolds. Dans le Droaam moderne, ils sont principalement utilisés pour les travaux difficiles et comme force de frappe brute dans l'armée. Les géants ne sont pas particulièrement brillants, tant qu'ils sont bien nourris (ce qui nécessite beaucoup de nourriture !) et félicité pour leurs efforts, ils sont généralement heureux d'effectuer leur travail. Vralkek abrite également un petit contingent de géants de Xen'Drik qui ont trouvé refuge dans le pays des monstres. La plupart servent le géant de feu Gorodan Seigneur des Cendres, ou du moins le reconnaissent comme leur porte-parole auprès des Filles De Sora Kell.

• Gnolls : Chaque grande ville a une garnison de soldats gnolls, qui protègent les intérêts des Filles. Ces gnolls ne font pas partie du poing de Maenya et servent généralement de gardiens de la paix plutôt que d'être utilisés dans des actions punitives. Certains seigneurs de guerre embauchent des gnolls supplémentaires pour servir leurs propres objectifs personnels. Alors que presque tous les gnolls du Droaam servent de mercenaires avec le Pacte de Znir, il y a toujours ceux dont les services ne sont pas actuellement sous contrat. Ces gnolls inactifs travaillent souvent comme chasseurs, vendant du gibier frais sur les marchés locaux.

• Gobelins et Kobolds : Les gobelins et les kobolds étaient autrefois opprimées dans les Badlands, dominées par presque toutes les autres espèces. Au fil du temps, ils ont développé leur propre culture commune qui est entièrement différente des cultures de l'une ou l'autre des espèces ailleurs sur Khorvaire. Quand quelqu'un dit “gobelin” au Droaam, il est entendu qu'il veut dire “gobelins ou kobolds”. La plupart des gobelins et des kobolds ressentent une parenté étroite et veillent les uns sur les autres. Ils ont appris depuis longtemps à privilégier la ruse à la force. Ils sont patients et persistants, et il sont capable de tolérer des souffrances sans fin en attendant qu'une opportunité se présente. Les gobelins qui servent les Filles de Sora Kell mènent une vie bien meilleure que leurs ancêtres et ils sont parmi les habitants les plus nombreux des grandes villes et parmi les partisans les plus dévoués des Filles. La plupart sont particulièrement enthousiasmés par Kethelrax le rusé, le chef de guerre kobold. Ils croient que cela marque le début d'une nouvelle ère où les gobelins seront reconnus et récompensés pour leur travail. Cependant, il y a encore des gobelins qui vivent des vies misérables et courtes dans les domaines de certains seigneurs de guerre, notamment au Poing de Turakbar. Alors que la plupart des gobelins se contentent de se concentrer sur leur travail, certains cherchent à aider leurs proches opprimés ou à se venger mesquinement des ogres et des géants pour les immenses souffrances infligées à leur peuple.

• Harpies : Les harpies des Montagnes de Byeshk prétendent être les enfants de La Furie, et elles prennent plaisir à voler et à chanter. Elles sont sauvages et passionnés, embrassant l'amour et la haine avec un abandon téméraire. Ces harpies qui ont quitté les montagnes pour “chanter la chanson de Katra” ont adopté sa vision et sont ravies de construire une nation avec leurs voix. Elles ont un grand contrôle de leurs voix surnaturelles, étant capables d'inspirer une gamme d'émotions. Les harpies sonnent les heures et appellent les ouvriers. Elles aident également au contrôle des foules, servent de crieurs publics et divertissent les gens. Le chant n'est pas simplement un outil magique, c'est un acte joyeux, une communion avec la Furie et une œuvre d'art tissée ensemble. Qu'elles chantent pour endormir des gobelins fatigués ou qu'elles agissent comme coursiers à Sharn, les harpies embrassent la vie avec un zèle absolu. Mais les harpies détestent tout autant qu'elles aiment, et il y a des harpies qui détestent les Filles et l'idée même du Droaam. Les harpies provenant des Montagnes de Byeshk sont également des chasseuses compétentes réputés pour leurs talents d'archeries.

• Humains : La plupart des humains vivant à Droaam sont des habitants venant de l'Est, des brigands tentant d'échapper à la loi ou des marchands à la recherche d'opportunités. Cependant, quelques-uns sont des autochtones, servant le Droaam depuis le Domaine Empoisonné. Alors que les nobles du domaine sont des tieflings, les humains représentent une partie importante de sa population, et les humains mage-artisans du domaine peuvent se retrouver dans les autres villes. Ils n'ont que peu de choses en commun avec les gens de l'Est et n'éprouvent aucune parenté avec les Cinq Nations.

• Méduses : Il y a relativement peu de méduses au Droaam, mais leur intelligence et leur pouvoir magique en font un élément vital de cette nation en pleine croissance. Les architectes méduses dirigent la construction dans les grandes villes mixtes, jetant les bases de ce que deviendra la nation. Les méduses qui choisissent de servir de Voix de Katra sont souvent appelées à résoudre des différends et à faire respecter la justice, car qui ose contester le jugement d'une méduse? Cazhaak Draal est également le siège de la religion la plus organisée du Droaam, le culte des Sombres Six, et les prêtres les plus puissants des Six sont des méduses. Comparées à de nombreux habitants de la région, les méduses ont tendance à être calmes et rationnelles, cependant, elles s'attendent à être traités avec respect. Elles sont capables de percevoir à travers leur chevelure de serpent et peuvent ainsi fermer leurs yeux principaux pour éviter toute menace de pétrification. Les méduses mage-artisans utilisent le rituel du baiser de la méduse afin d'annuler les effets de leurs pétrifications, ce qui permet d'utiliser la pétrification de plusieurs façon utile, comme pour préserver la vie d'une créature sur le point de mourir. Les méduses ont développé un langage des signes simple appelé Serpentine qui utilise les mouvements des serpents pour transmettre des messages. D'autres espèces peuvent apprendre à comprendre le serpentine, mais il n'y a aucun moyen de la parler sans une crinière de serpents vivants.

• Minotaures : Les clans de minotaures du Droaam sont répartis dans les plaines. Ce sont de féroces barbares et guerriers qui dominaient les gobelins, kobolds, orcs et autres créatures à l'époque des Badlands, et à ce jour, ce sont ces clans qui mènent souvent des raids dans le Droaam. C'est cependant cette agression féroce qui a empêché les minotaures de devenir une puissance majeure, en raison des leurs longues querelles destructrices internes. Les minotaures croient qu'ils sont les élus d'un être du Prince Cornu, et ils perfectionnent leurs compétences au combat afin de pouvoir rejoindre le Prince après leur mort. Chaque clan a son propre nom pour le prince et ses propres croyances sur la conduite qu'il attend de ses disciples. Dans la plupart des cas, le Prince Cornu semble être un analogue de Rak Tulkhesh, ne désirant que des effusions de sang. Cependant, les “Sabots Rouges” adorent “Celui qui marche derrière”, qui ressemble beaucoup au Narquois. Ils se concentrent sur l'utilisation de la terreur et sur la tromperie de leurs ennemis. Les “Brise-lames” vénèrent le “Une-Corne', qui récompense la force et le courage un peu comme Dol Dorn. Les minotaures sont féroces et courageux, mais ils manquent généralement de patience et de discipline ; ce sont des raiders terrifiants, mais la plupart ont des problèmes avec les tactiques et les opérations à grande échelle.

• Ogres : Les ogres sont plus communs que leurs cousins ​​les géants avec qui ils partagent à peu près le même rôle dans la société. Physiquement puissants mais un peu idiots, ils recherchent les plaisirs simples : manger, boire et écraser les plus petits. Les seigneurs de la guerre les charment avec les chants de harpie et les remplissent de hot-trolls, puis les mettent au travail pour soulever des objets lourds et briser ce qui doivent être brisées. Ils sont souvent recrutés dans des “escouades de brutes” locales et servent de soldats de choc dans les armées du Droaam. Les Ogres sont en dessous des standards humains en capacité mentale, ils luttent avec la pensée rationnelle, ils sont impulsifs et relativement faibles en volonté, et à bien des égards peuvent être traités comme des enfants surpuissants. Malgré leur grande force, ils sont facilement influencés par de fortes personnalités et par des histoires captivantes. Ils sont très émotifs et aiment les histoires et les chansons, même si ces histoires doivent rester simples. Il n'est pas rare qu'un ogre développe un profond attachement à sa harpie préférée ou à son conteur changelin. Les ogres brise-crâne du Poing de Maenya sont une sous-espèce différente des ogres communs. Ils sont dévoués à leurs devoirs et ne socialisent pas avec les autres créatures. Ces “brise-crânes” portent des armures lourdes, sont bien entraînés et agissent avec une discipline militaire.

• Oni : Les origines des onis sont un mystère. Certaines personnes croient que les oni sont la progéniture de sorcières et de géants, et que certains sont les enfants ou les petits-enfants des Filles elles-mêmes. D'autres histoires prétendent qu'il y a un royaume d'oni au Khyber, probablement un demi-plan, et que les onis du monde de la surface sont des criminels bannis de ce royaume merveilleux. Bien que rares, leur intelligence et leur puissance les rendent précieux pour les Filles de Sora Kell. L'oni Tzaryan_Rrac est un chef de guerre de confiance, tandis que d'autres oni servent de commandants dans le poing de Maenya', d'inquisiteurs dans la voix de Katra ou d'administrateurs dans tout le royaume. Ils sont rusés et curieux. Certaines servent les Filles en échange de trésors, d'autres de connaissances arcaniques, tandis que d'autres se contentent simplement du pouvoir qu'ils détiennent en tant qu'agents des sorcières.

• Orcs : Au cours d'innombrables générations de vie dans les Badlands, les orcs de la région ont développé deux cultures distinctes. La plus grande des deux est les Gaa'aram, Enfants de la colère. Les Gaa'aram ont embrassé le style de vie chaotique et de pillage des Badlands. Là où les gobelins et les kobolds étaient souvent contraints au service par des créatures plus puissantes, les Gaa'aram se sont volontairement ralliés aux chefs les plus puissants et ont servi de féroces guerriers. Pour un orc du Gaa'aram, pour qui vous vous battez est moins important que le fait que vous vous battiez et que vous vous battiez bien. En tant que tels, les orcs Gaa'aram étaient souvent rencontrés en tant que pillards. Ils sont la raison du nom de la forteresse de Carcassorc qui garde le Col des Murailles-Grise. Les Gaa'aram peuvent être trouvés dans toutes les diverses villes, et ils sont généralement des partisans passionnés à la fois du Droaam et de leurs seigneurs de guerre locaux. Ils font partie de ces mercenaires monstrueux que la Maison Tharashk a recrutés au Droaam. La plus petite des deux cultures orcs, les Enfants du Mais (Gaa'ran), sont des pacifistes et des fermiers, l'une des seules cultures à cultiver dans les Badlands. Ils croient que la violence tache l'âme, que ceux dont l'âme est pure passent au-delà de Dolurrh,et que tuer détruit à jamais une partie de votre âme. Les Gaa'ran tiennent fermement à leurs croyances, même face à la torture et à la mort. Au fil du temps, il est devenu courant pour les raiders des Badlands de permettre aux colonies de Gaa'ran de subsister, en échange que les pillards locaux se présenteraient régulièrement et prendraient une partie de leur récolte. Cette période est révolu, et les Gaa'ran ont prospéré sous les Filles de Sora Kell. Bien que le hot-troll soit la principale source de subsistance au Droaam, les Filles reconnaissent la valeur de l'agriculture, et les tribus Gaa'ran ont reçu des ressources et ont été chargées d'un certain nombre de projets agricoles. Leur talent pour la magie primale suggère qu'ils étaient autrefois peut-être liés aux Gardiens des Frontières de l'ombre. * Ferals : Il y a un nombre important de férals parmi la population du Droaam. Dans les anciens Badlands, ils étaient largement mélangés aux orcs Gaa'aram, de la même manière que les gobelins et les kobolds de Droaam ont formé une culture collective. Ces orcs les appellent les taarka'va, les frères loups. Les couples entre férals et orc peuvent produire une progéniture, mais ces demi-orcs sont presque toujours stériles. Un autre groupe de férals se trouve dans les Watching Woods. Ils s'appellent eux-mêmes Ur'haakar, Panthères —First Panthers. Ces métamorphes ont fuient la civilisation et sont fiers de leur lien primitif. Experts en furtivité, ils possèdent à la fois des rangers Hunter et des moines Living Weapon. Quelques-uns des Ur'haakar ont rejoint la meute noire et ont quitté les bois pour servir les filles et Droaam, mais la plupart des panthères préfèrent leur isolement et considèrent les lycanthropes de la meute noire comme des métamorphes corrompus. Shifters. There are a significant number of shifters among the humanoid population of Droaam. In the former Badlands, shifters were largely mixed together with the Gaa’aram orcs, much the same way that the goblins and kobolds of Droaam have formed a collective culture. These orcs call shifters taarka’va—wolf brothers. Pairings between shifter and orc can produce offspring, but the resulting half-orcs are almost always sterile. Another group of shifters are found in the Watching Woods. They call themselves Ur’haakar—First Panthers. These shifters shun civilization and take pride in their primal connection. Experts at stealth, they possess both Hunter rangers and Living Weapon monks. A few of the Ur’haakar have joined the Dark Pack and left the woods to serve the Daughters and Droaam, but most of the panthers prefer their isolation and consider the lycanthropes of the Dark Pack to be corrupted shifters. * Tieflings : Le Domaine Empoisonné se situe à l'ouest du Droaam, caché par de puissantes illusions. Il a été fondé par des réfugiés tieflings de l'ancien royaume sarlonien d'Ohr Kaluun, et ses quatre familles dirigeantes possèdent de grandes connaissances et un vaste pouvoir arcanique. Des sorciers et démonistes tieflings peuvent être trouvés en tant que Voix de Katra ou Oeil de Teraza. Les habitants du Domaine Empoisonné incluant son importante population humaine, méprisent à la fois les habitants du Droaam et des Cinq Nations, mais ils apprécient leur alliance avec les Filles De Sora Kell et sont prêts à subir quelques outrages pour cette cause. * Trolls : Dans les Badlands, les trolls se sont souvent établis comme chef. Un troll intelligent rassemblait une bande d'orcs Gaa'aram et dominait (et mangeait occasionnellement) une meute de gobelins et de kobolds, dirigeant un petit fief avec force et peur. Cet arrangement persiste encore par endroits, en particulier autour du Poing de Turakbar. Ailleurs, des trolls ont été attirés dans la société du Droaam, servant dans l'armée ou effectuant de gros travaux. Les trolls qui refusent de coopérer sont “envoyés pour travailler” aux moulins à hot-troll, ce qui fait que la plupart ne sont pas trop perturbateurs pour la société. Cependant, les trolls s'attendent toujours à être traités avec respect par les créatures plus petites, si vous êtes tué après avoir insulté un troll, cela est considéré comme une forme inhabituelle de suicide et non un meurtre. Les trolls sont très fiers de leur force et aiment s'engager dans des épreuves de force entre eux ou contre des ogres, comme le tir à la corde ou le lever de poids. Alors qu'ils ignorent généralement les créatures plus petites, un troll sont impressionné par quiconque démonte une force remarquables, et ils répondent généralement mieux à l'intimidation qu'à la diplomatie. Il existe une sous-espèce de trolls issue d'élevage magique, les trolls de guerre, qui sont employés dans le poing de Maenya. Ces fanatiques dévoués à Sora Maenya et au Droaam sont une force d'élite effrayante équipé d'armures de plates. * Worgs et Lycanthropes : À la suite de la purge lycanthropique, de nombreux lycanthropes ont fui vers le Droaam. La plupart se sont rassemblés dans le Watching Wood sous la direction du loup-garou Zaeurl. Cependant, il existe quelques lycanthropes indépendants dispersés dans la région. À la fin de la Purge, le pouvoir de la malédiction de la lycanthropie a été affaibli, et la plupart de ces survivants ne pouvaient pas propager la malédiction à d'autres ; ils ne pouvaient le transmettre qu'à leur progéniture. Soucieux d'éviter toute possibilité de persécution supplémentaire, nombre de ces lycanthropes renégats ont passé leur vie uniquement sous forme animale. Même aujourd'hui, la plupart des membres du Dark Pack sont nés sous forme animale et le considèrent comme leur véritable forme. Les lycanthropes naturels de Droaam ont la capacité de parler sous forme de bête, comme le font les worgs, bien que ce don ne soit pas transmis aux créatures qu'ils affligent de lycanthropie. Avec le temps, Zaeurl a forgé une alliance entre les lycanthropes renégats et les worgs indigènes du Watching Wood, et ce lien - la meute noire - reste fort à ce jour. Cependant, tout comme il existe un petit nombre de lycanthropes sans lien avec la meute, il existe des meutes de worgs dispersées à travers Droaam. Les worgs s'alliaient souvent avec les chibs des Badlands, et les gnolls du clan Barrakas formaient souvent des liens avec des compagnons worgs. En général, les habitants de Droaam sont assez à l'aise avec la présence de grands prédateurs, et il est poli de dire ta kuur - Vous parlez ? - à une bête que vous n'avez jamais rencontrée auparavant. Ces dernières années, la puissance de la malédiction lycanthropique est revenue. Selon les règles de la cinquième édition, tous les lycanthropes peuvent propager la malédiction, mais les Filles et Zaeurl souhaitent tous deux éviter de propager la lycanthropie, du moins pour le moment. Le Dark Pack suit des instructions strictes : ne mordez pas sauf si vous avez l'intention de tuer. Comme pour les trolls, la plupart des gardes de la ville comprennent cette règle ; si votre ami se bat avec un loup-garou, désolé, il doit le tuer après l'avoir mordu ; ce n'est qu'une question de sécurité publique. Sora Katra étudie la malédiction de la lycanthropie et pourrait développer des moyens de prévenir la contagion accidentelle. . . ou plutôt, elle pourrait développer un programme d'infection soigneusement géré pour créer un nouveau corps de soldats lycanthropes. Worgs and Lycanthropes. In the wake of the Lycanthropic Purge, many lycanthropes fled to Droaam. Most congregated in the Watching Wood under the leadership of the werewolf Zaeurl. However, there are a few independent lycanthropes scattered across the region. At the end of the Purge, the power of the curse of lycanthropy was weakened, and most of these survivors couldn’t spread the curse to others; they could only pass it to their offspring. Keen to avoid any chance of further persecution, many of these renegade lycanthropes spent their lives solely in animal form. Even today, most members of the Dark Pack are born in animal form and consider it their true form. The natural lycanthropes of Droaam have the ability to speak in beast form, as worgs do, though this gift isn’t passed on to creatures they afflict with lycanthropy. In time, Zaeurl forged an alliance between the renegade lycanthropes and the native worgs of the Watching Wood, and this bond—the Dark Pack—remains strong to this day. However, just as there are a small number of lycanthropes with no ties to the Pack, there are worg packs scattered across Droaam. Worgs would often ally with Badlands chibs, and gnolls of the Barrakas clan often form bonds to worg companions. In general, the people of Droaam are quite comfortable with the presence of large predators, and it’s polite to say ta kuur—You speak?—to a beast you’ve never met before. In recent years, the potency of the lycanthropic curse has returned. Under the rules of fifth edition, all lycanthropes can spread the curse, but the Daughters and Zaeurl both wish to avoid spreading lycanthropy—at least for the moment. The Dark Pack follows strict instructions—don’t bite unless you intend to kill. As with trolls, most town guards understand this rule; if your friend picks a fight with a werewolf, sorry, it has to kill them after biting them; that’s just a matter of public safety. Sora Katra is studying the curse of lycanthropy and may develop ways to prevent accidental contagion . . . or instead, she might develop a program of carefully managed infection to create a new corps of lycanthrope soldiers. Others. These are the common species of Droaam, but there are many more that could appear. Mordain the Fleshweaver unleashes strange things into the world. Manifest zones can create monstrosities. And in general, the creatures of Droaam haven’t been subject to the expansion of a great nation and their subsequent extermination, unlike other regions. There may be a colony of yetis in the mountains. A lamia may rule over an ancient Dhakaani ruin. There may not be a large community of manticores, but you could easily find one living in Graywall. The Daughters of Sora Kell find a place for every creature. The Daughters of Sora Kell The destruction of Stubborn and the declaration of Droaam came as a terrible shock to the people of the Five Nations. This wasn’t the work of an upstart prince or an ogre chieftain. Both Sora Katra and Sora Maenya were known from countless tales—mostly terrifying ones in which things don’t end well for the heroes. To most people, the Daughters were legends, figures used to scare unruly children. The Daughters were the reason you were afraid of the darkness as a child; Sora Maenya could be lurking in the shadows, waiting to add your skull to her collection. Most people of the Five Nations know nothing of the daelkyr or of the Dreaming Dark, but they know the Daughters of Sora Kell. This is one reason the Five Nations have refused to acknowledge Droaam; at the end of the day, they can’t believe that it is real, and they hope that maybe they’ll wake up tomorrow and realize it was all just a bad dream. In principle, the Daughters of Sora Kell are hags. Sora Katra is a green hag, cunning and charismatic. Sora Maenya is an annis hag, possessed of tremendous strength and hunger. And Sora Teraza is a dusk hag, who sees the tapestry of the future laid out before her. However, calling Sora Katra a green hag is like calling a legendary bard a “human.” It’s a foundation—a basic archetype to begin with. But all of the Daughters possess powers far beyond what’s normal for hags of their type. Their mother was Sora Kell, one of thirteen immortal night hags said to have been created by Eberron and Khyber at the dawn of time. Each had a different father; in some stories these were fiends, in others, giants. Regardless, they possess inherited power, which has only increased over centuries of schemes and adventures. While the Daughters are usually spoken of together, each is a legend in her own right; they each have their own goals and distinct personality, and each one can offer different hooks for story or adventure. Les autres. Ce sont les espèces communes de Droaam, mais il y en a bien d'autres qui pourraient apparaître. Mordain le Fleshweaver libère des choses étranges dans le monde. Les zones manifestes peuvent créer des monstruosités. Et en général, les créatures de Droaam n'ont pas subi l'expansion d'une grande nation et leur extermination ultérieure, contrairement à d'autres régions. Il peut y avoir une colonie de yétis dans les montagnes. Une lamia peut régner sur une ancienne ruine de Dhakaani. Il n'y a peut-être pas une grande communauté de manticores, mais vous pouvez facilement en trouver un vivant à Graywall. Les Filles de Sora Kell trouvent une place pour chaque créature. Why Go to Droaam? Droaam is a wild frontier filled with monsters. It stands outside the laws of the Five Nations. The common races of the East are outsiders here, and unloved. Why would sensible adventurers ever go to this dangerous place? The simplest answer is that it provides opportunities for stories you can’t tell anywhere else, precisely because it is beyond the laws of the Five Nations. It’s a place where you can interact with creatures that are found nowhere else in Khorvaire, a chance to explore what these creatures can do with their supernatural gifts when they aren’t just eating adventurers or sitting on piles of gold. It’s an opportunity to make bargains you couldn’t make anywhere else, and to find adventures that don’t exist elsewhere. Patrons The Daughters of Sora Kell could serve as a group patron for a party of adventurers, as described in Eberron: Rising from the Last War. The party could be agents of Daask, which is considered a criminal organization outside of Droaam. But the Daughters are heads of state, and the characters could also be legitimate envoys of the nation—even if Droaam isn’t currently recognized as a legitimate nation. This is a great opportunity for players to create a team of monstrous characters. While some creatures don’t easily translate to low-level play—there’s no simple way to make a 1st-level war troll—it’s easy to play orcs, shifters, changelins, goblins, kobolds, and minotaurs. In addition, chapter 6 presents new racial traits for creating gnoll characters. In creating a monstrous character, consider if you’re from one of the new blended cities or from an old enclave; is your first loyalty to the Daughters of Sora Kell, or to your personal warlord? Do you aspire to become a warlord yourself? As agents of Droaam, adventurers could be sent on personal missions for the Daughters: perhaps investigating a mystery that threatens to cause an uprising, dealing with a rebellious warlord, or recovering an important artifact from a Dhakaani ruin. Or they could act as envoys in the wider world, whether negotiating with possible allies or simply acting as goodwill ambassadors showing people that the nation of monsters need not be feared. Peculiar Needs There are many unusual items that can only be found in Droaam—perhaps an artificer needs basilisk eyes to complete their latest invention. Droaam is also the only source of a number of strange alchemical concoctions, such as dragon’s blood and blood gin; it’s also possible that a character from the Five Nations is sent to Droaam not to obtain dragon’s blood, but to find out exactly who’s creating it and how. Droaam is also a place where you can openly interact with powerful priests of the Dark Six; if the adventurers need the help of a high-level cleric of the Keeper, Graywall may be the closest and quickest option. Peering Into The Past Droaam contains a significant number of Dhakaani ruins, as yet untouched by the greedy hands of Morgrave explorers. In some cases, these ruins remain unspoiled because they’re haunted, infested with twisted aberrations, or claimed by wild monstrosities or other monsters, such as the medusas living in Cazhaak Draal. Both Graywall and the Great Crag are built atop Dhakaani ruins, and whether adventurers are searching for lost artifacts of the dar or terrifying tools of the daelkyr, there could be legendary treasures hidden in the depths. The daelkyr Orlaask was active in this region, and there are passages to its demiplane prison beneath Cazhaak Draal and Suthar Draal. Dyrrn the Corruptor was also involved in ancient battles in this region. According to some accounts, it was here that Dyrrn released the contagious curse known as the Kapaa’vola (discussed later in this chapter), and this is why the region’s goblins are so different from the Darguuls and the Kech Dhakaan; could the key to undoing the curse be found here? Politics Breland is worried that Droaam is preparing for a major assault on its western border. Other nations—especially Aundair—might encourage such an action. The Daughters of Sora Kell could repeat their request for recognition; the Eberron novel The Queen of Stone covers such a summit. Meanwhile, all of the dragonmarked houses are interested in possible business opportunities in Droaam. Any of these interests could take a party of adventurers to Droaam, whether they are acting as spies or working openly as envoys. Pursuit Droaam—and Graywall in particular—is a common destination for dissidents, deserters, brigands, and war criminals. It’s a growing city that stands outside the laws of the Five Nations. While it’s is a city of monsters, it has a thriving foreign quarter, home to a major enclave of House Tharashk and a growing number of dragonmarked outposts. It’s the perfect place to hide out, and a group of adventurers could be hired to retrieve someone from Droaam, or have a more personal stake in things. A villain whose scheme goes afoul in Sharn could flee to Graywall; how badly do the characters want revenge? Or the adventurers could learn the location of someone who plays a role in the more distant past: an old enemy from the Last War, someone responsible for the death of comrades-in-arms or the destruction of their home village. Are they seeking an Aundairian war mage responsible for countless civilian deaths, or a Brelon noble who tried to assassinate King Boranel? Alternatively, the characters could find that an old friend is hiding out in Graywall, but they are being targeted by a powerful enemy; can the adventurers reach them in time to help? ====== Dragonmarks 6/6: Droaam and the Daughters of Sora Kell ====== I like thinking about the sort of things monsters could accomplish if they put their supernatural abilities to practical use (such as the troll-sausage Grist Mills that feed the masses of Droaam). Who, exactly, is Sora Kell? She is an exceptionally powerful night hag. Bear in mind that in Eberron, night hags are native outsiders that are peers of the Lords of Dust; the 3.5 ECS says “Night hags have been around since the Age of Demons, where they often served as ambassadors and messengers between the fiends and the dragons.” Sora Kell’s full powers and purpose are intentionally left unclear. However, she has been wandering the planes for tens of thousands of years, and is the best known of all of the night hags; she’s no one to be trifled with. Of course, she hasn’t been seen for at least a century. Is she trapped? Dead? Or sipping a cool drink in Risia? What is the role of the Daughters of Sora Kell in Eberron? How have you used them? As with many things in Eberron, the Daughters are intentionally mysterious. Why have they founded Droaam? There are many possible answers. The second question is the critical one: what role do you want them to play in your game? Do you want them to be villains or enigmatic allies? Because their motives will be whatever you need to fit that role. So let’s look at a few possible roles the Daughters can play. KATRA WANTS A CROWN Why did the Daughters create a nation? The same reason any ruler creates a nation – to gain power and influence over others. And Droaam is only the beginning. There are more monsters in the world than anyone knows. Creatures hidden in high mountains and deep caves, things that have been long forgotten. Even as Daask builds its power in the cities of the Five Nations, emissaries of the Daughters are finding the scattered monsters of Khorvaire. And when the time is right, they will rise to challenge humanity. If you go this route, there are a number of questions to consider. Does House Tharashk know about Katra’s ambitions, and do they support them? Is she a friend or enemy of the Daelkyr? We’ve already seen her allied with the anti-Daelkyr Xorchyllic, so she might be stealing other aberrant forces from Khyber. Does she want to conquer the Five Nations, or would she be content with a larger kingdom that claims the outer regions – uniting the Shadow Marches and Droaam into one entity, and seeking to absorb the Eldeen Reaches and Demon Wastes? This is a good route if you just want the Daughters to be an aggressive force in the world; on the other hand, there’s certainly a lot of those to choose from. AGENTS OF PROPHECY Sora Teraza brought the Daughters together. One possibility – as described later in this post – is that Teraza is following her own agenda. Another is that all of the Daughters are united behind her. She may still be half-mad or bound to her visions, but there is a purpose behind it… a goal that all three of the Daughters believe to be worthwhile. A few possibilities to consider: * They want to save the world. They know about the Lords of Dust, the Quori, the Daelkyr, and whatever other world-ending threats are out there in your campaign. Through Teraza’s knowledge of the Prophecy, they know that they personally can’t defeat the great threat. But they can HELP defeat it – by battling its lesser forces when the time is right, and again by honing or advising the heroes who CAN defeat it. This is a good approach if you want the Daughters to occasionally help the players, and for them to find Daask fighting the Cults of the Dragon below or Lords of Dust. Of course, a key point here is that the Daughters aren’t doing this to help HUMANS. They’re doing it to save THEIR people. Which brings us to the next idea… Droaam has a large giant population (ogres, ogre-magi, etc) and speakers of Giantish. Is this a legacy of the age of Giants? Personally, I consider Goblin to be the Common tongue of prehuman Khorvaire, spread across the continent by the Empire of Dhakaan. As a result, in my campaign I have orcs and most other monstrous species speak Goblin, reserving Giant for those with a direct connection to Xen’drik (like Gorodan Ashlord). Ogres and Ogre-Magi are technically immigrants from Sarlona. Of course, since that occurred many many centuries ago, I typically have them speaking Goblin, having abandoned their original languages over the course of generations; however, you could find those that speak Giant (looking back to distant distant ancestors) or more likely Riedran, the old Common tongue of eastern Sarlona. Have there ever been any other monstrous nations like modern-day Droaam? Considering that Khorvaire saw lots of empires before humans ever set foot on the continent, I think its only fair to assume that the Daughters of Sora Kell haven’t been the first monsters with ideas of a unified nation. It depends how you define “unified nation.” To name just a few, gnolls, orcs, goblins, medusas, and sahuagin all have civilizations that predate Droaam – some by centuries, some by millennia. In some cases these rose to great heights and fell completely. In others, they simply remained self-contained. Neither the medusas nor gnolls ever sought to dominate others; however, they are both pre-existing political entities who allied with the Daughters, but who could easily return to their old ways if the Daughters fell. And while we’re discussing monstrous civilizations, let’s not forget giants and dragons! With several demonic forces (i.e. Turakbar) in Droaam what is the status of druidic/primal society there? We’ve never discussed it. I see no reason not to have a primal faction among the Dark Pack, though I’d probably create an entirely new sect as opposed to drawing on one of the existing ones. There’s a significant orc population in Droaam, and some among them could follow the ways of the Gatekeepers or another sect. Heck, you could add a druidic sect to the medusas that communes with serpents and creatures of the deeps. With that said, when it comes to people-who-don’t-like-demons, the force I’d call out is the Znir Pact. They broke with their ancestors’ demon-worshipping ways long ago, and I could see them having a secret order that seeks to prevent fiendish forces from gaining a foothold in the region again. It would have to be a VERY secret order, as the Pact is renowned for its neutrality… but I personally like the idea of a secret order of gnoll demon-hunters policing the warlords from the shadows. Above and beyond the typical worship of the Six and the image of the Shadow as the Father of Monsters, are there any cults and sects of the Sovereigns and/or Six in Droaam? Do they have unique theological traditions (ala the masks of the Morin)? The Graywall Backdrop I linked to at the start of this post has a whole section on religion; here’s a brief quote. “…little religious solidarity exists in Graywall. A host of tiny shrines are scattered throughout Bloodstone and Little Graywall, and they represent the deities of different clans and races. The minotaurs of the north are united in worship of the Horned Prince, but each clan has their own representation of this demon overlord and believes all others to be flawed. The Last Dirge harpies revere the Song of Passion and Rage—an interpretation of the Fury—while the Stormsinger harpies venerate the Stormsong, an aspect of the Devourer. The asymmetric icons of the Traveler hold hidden messages for doppelgangers who pass through Graywall. The Znir gnolls worship no deity or demon, instead raising piles of stones to reflect the idols shattered by their ancestors.”
  The article goes into more detail about the role of the Shadow and the way that the people of Droaam view the religions of the east. The key point is that Droaam is made up of a range of very diverse cultures, and religion reflects that. Prior to The Last War and the creation of Droaam, would the aforementioned Gnoll and Medusa civilizations have had treaties with Galifar? Could some of them even have fought alongside Galifar himself in ages past? The medusas only laid claim to Cazhaak Draal in 778 AR; prior to that their civilization was entirely subterranean and had no meaningful contact with the surface world. So unlikely on that front. Gnolls could be a possibility, though I’m not sure I’d see anything so formal as a treaty. Legally speaking, Breland laid claim to the entire southwest, but it never had the people or need to actually occupy what is now Droaam or the Shadow Marches. Most likely there were some clashes between explorers and gnolls which resulted in a general recognition of “Don’t cross this line and we’ll ignore you.” I do think you might have had a Brelon prince with a personal guard of Znir gnolls – a little like the Byzantine emperors’ Varangian Guard. Does Droaam have any allies amongst those Nations recognized by the Treaty of Fort-du-Trône? By canon, no. Their strongest political ally is House Tharashk. Does House Létourneau have any major stakes in operations based in Droaam? Not by canon, but it seems like something that would be interesting to develop. Létourneau would surely be interesting in things like wyvern breeding stock and the like, not to mention a chance to work with Cazhaak Draal’s basilisk wranglers. It’s mainly a question of what Létourneau would offer in return and how Tharashk would feel about it, since Tharashk has been a loyal ally. You remind us that Night Hags deal in dreams. How would this effect the opinion of them amongst other creatures that are tied to Dal Quor, such as the Kalashar and the Inspired? Are the competitors for domination of dreams? Are they allies in establishing the power of dreams over mortals or in free dreams in the turning of the age? The Quori are the native spirits of Dal Quor. They reign over the stable heart of the plane, which is defined by il-Lashtavar. However, that stable heart is surrounded by an ever-shifting borderland comprised of mortal dreamscapes. The Quori are powerful in these regions, because Dal Quor is their home. But they aren’t omniscient or omnipotent. They can’t monitor EVERY dream. The renegade quori hid out in these border realms for quite some time before they ran out of boltholes and merged with the kalashtar. The Gates of Night introduced the draconic eidolon – a composite entity formed of the souls of dead dragons – as a powerful force that exists in the border regions of Dal Quor. So the short form? The night hags generally walk in the border realms. They are interested in the dreams of individuals but as currently defined don’t seek to use dreams to manipulate the world; they’re more likely to distill a particular nightmare to use as an ingredient in a potion than to try to start an uprising in Breland. The hags are old and powerful, and described as often serving as mediators between powerful forces of different planes; as such, I would suspect that most of them have established treaties with the quori. They won’t approach the heart of the realm. They won’t interfere with any dream the Quori have marked as being of great import. And in return, the Quori will stay out of their way in other dreams. One point: The night hags are among the only entities who know all about the previous ages of Dal Quor. That information could be quite valuable to both kalashtar and Quori, if the hags care to share it. So that would be a good explanation for why the Dark would imprison Sora Kell, if you decide they have. You mentioned that the Night Hags deal with Dreams and served as messengers and ambassadors during the Age of Fiends. Could the Hags have allies in Sarlona (Possibly in the Horned Shadow) and how exactly do they Dream/travel to Dal Quor? The Night Hags are native fiends of Eberron. The idea is that where the Couatl were the native celestials (good spirits) and the rakshasa were native fiends (evil), the Night Hags have always been essentially unaligned. I should call out the fact that in comparison to couatl and rakshasa, there are far, far fewer Night Hags; I might even limit them to a dozen… well, thirteen originally, but Sora Kell’s gone missing… In fact, if you did say there were only thirteen, I’d go so far as to say that each was recognized as a favored envoy to a particular plane; they all could travel to Dal Quor with special ease, but one among them has a particular strength in dreams. Perhaps that’s Sora Kell; or perhaps she’s got stronger ties to Thelanis, reflected in the faerie tale nature of her daughters. In any case: COULD a Night Hag have allies in Sarlona? Sure, if you want them to. But by canon, the idea is that the Night Hags aren’t schemers in the same way as the Lords of Dust or the Inspired. They are more interested in eldritch studies mortals can’t comprehend; in walking the planes and gathering wonders; or for that matter in studying the interplay between the great powers of the multiverse. Frankly, I could see a Night Hag still acting as a neutral envoy between the Devourer of Dreams and the Council of Ashtakala, or continuing to negotiate between dragon and fiend as she did at the dawn of time. The 3.5 ECS says this about Night Hags: “Today, they remain as the impartial mediators, and adventurers who wish to deal with outsiders or other realms may wish to seek out a night hag—although they can be quite difficult to find. The motivations of the night nags remain mysterious and unclear. They may simply enjoy their role as ambassadors, watching the tapestry of history unfold across the planes.” As for how a Night Hag gets to Dal Quor, she doesn’t dream as mortals do. When a mortal dreams, their spirit goes to Dal Quor. A Night Hag simply goes there physically, stepping between the planar wall. Note that the Night Hags of Eberron are generally more powerful than the default night hag in the Monster Manual, as they are ancient. Like all fiends, they are immortal; if one is killed it will be reincarnated. So if you want a weak night hag, you can simply say that it’s a recent reincarnation and hasn’t yet rebuilt its skills and power. What did/do the Dragons and Rakshasa think of the Hags during and after the Age of Demons? The Night Hags were a neutral force that carried messages between the dragons, couatl, and rakshasa. I don’t see that anyone would have a changed opinion about them as a species; I could see there being strong opinions about individuals, IE Sora Hekla is the one Night Hag who betrayed the trust place in her and is hated by all dragons.

  Régions et Nations de Khorvaire

  Aundair	Les Bastions de la Nation	Brelande	Les Confins d'Eldeen
  Darguun	Les Désolations Démoniaques	Droaam	Les Frontières de l'Ombre
  Karrnath	Les Plaines de Talenta	Les Principautés de Lhazaar	Q'Barra
  Les Terres des Lamentations	Thrane	Valénar	Zilargo

  2019/11/07 21:24 · maitregob

  [Géographie]

  [Khorvaire]

  [Droaam]

  [nations]

  [Anciennes Régions de Brelande]