Eston était une petite ville de Cyre, autrefois l'une de ses principales villes sur les rives du Lac Arul à la frontière nord-ouest, et maintenant une ruine au bord des Terres des Lamentations. Elle abritait autrefois la base d'opérations de la Maison Bombardier, mais lorsque Cyre a été détruite, le patriarche de Bombardier et de nombreux des membres les plus éminents de la maison ont été perdus dans la catastrophe. Depuis lors, la direction de la maison a été répartie entre trois membres restants de la famille de haut rang.

Au Jour du Deuil en 994 AR, les collines à l'extérieur d'Eston se sont enfoncer dans le sol et les nombreux puits et tunnels se sont effondrés, enterrant les mineurs vivants. La terre en mouvement a déclenché des tremblements de terre et Eston a été dévasté par la catastrophe. Quelques personnes se sont échappées grâce à leur magie, mais la plupart étaient furent perdu. Beaucoup des membres les plus éminents de la Maison Bombardier, y compris son patriarche, y furent perdu.

Eston se trouve à environ 70 miles (110 kilomètres) à l'est du lac Arul et de la Rivière Brey, ce qui en faisait la seule agglomération importante Cyrienne qui n'était pas située sur une voie navigable. Au lieu de cela, le village de Totens reliait Eston a la Brey. Eston côtoyait autrefois un groupe de collines qui s'élevait des plaines, mais ces collines sont descendues dans les plaines pendant le Deuil. La Brey s'est rapproché de 30 miles (48 kilomètres) d'Eston, alors que le bassin du lac Arul s'est élargi et a inondé deux fois sa taille. Des tremblements continue à se faire sentir en 998 AR.

Eston est plus lourdement détruite que Metrol, la capitale. Des immeubles effondrés se trouvent à chaque coin de rue et des quartiers entiers sont enterrés dans les décombres.

Avant le deuil, Eston était le centre des opérations de la Maison Bombardier et trois impressionnantes Forge Créatrice y étaient installées.

À partir des riches mines à flanc de colline, Eston produisait beaucoup de fer et d'adamantine, qui étaient des matériaux essentiels à la production des puissants Guerriers de Fer.

Tout autour des ruines d'Eston, des Sort Vivant errent et toutes sortes de monstres mutants s'attaquent à tout ce qu'ils peuvent trouver. L’approche du mur de brume par le lac Arul n’est pas une voie bien meilleure, car des créatures mutantes ont élu domicile dans l’eau et patrouillent sur la côte pour trouver des proies. Ces obstacles rendent très difficile l'accès à l'Eston par voie terrestre ou maritime.

Malgré ces risques, des pilleurs et des chasseurs de trésors essaye de se rendre à Eston pour tenter de récupérer toutes les merveilles qu'ils pouvaient trouver dans les ruines et les décombres. La richesse perdu, les minerais inexploités et les Forges Créatrices Bombardier ont fait d'Eston un prix alléchant, mais les tremblements et les monstres les empêchent d'obtenir un butin plus régulier.

Eston a joué un rôle majeur dans la Dernière Guerre. La ville est l'endroit où Mishann_du Wynarn a mis le cap vers Fort-du-Trône et son trône.

Eston était le principal port de Cyre et fut l'endroit où Cyre a lancé un bon nombre de ses batailles navales. La ville avait beaucoup de richesses minérales et pour cette raison elle a été attaquée plusieurs fois et assiégée trois fois, mais grâce à la Maison Bombardier, la ville n'est jamais tombée.

Magic is the foundation of modern civilization, and Eston is where that foundation stands. From the everbright lanterns that light your streets to the lightning rail that carries you home, Eston is the place where magic comes to life. —Starrin d’Cannith, Patriarch of the House

House Cannith was born in the city of Eston. Over centuries, this alliance of tinkers became a powerful guild of artificers and magewrights. Their ancestral city was a place of wonders. Clockwork birds sang in trees of steel and leather. Skycoaches carried smiths from forge to forge, and an iridescent dome deflected storms and harsh wind. The sounds of battle rose from the proving grounds, where cadres of newborn warforged prepared for active duty. Then came the Mourning. Every mortal in Eston died that day . . . and the magic truly came to life.

State of the City

Founded on iron and adamantine, Eston initially took advantage of some of the richest veins found outside the Mror Holds. Some say that on the Day of Mourning, though, the soil turned to smoke. Eston collapsed into the mines on that day, and now much of the city remains buried in mud and wreckage. Some sections are preserved in the depths, while others remain suspended on high buttes. The Brey River has flooded the lowest regions, and the dead-gray mist of the Mournland hangs above its waters. Eston was a heavily fortified city, and its buttressed towers and ramparts remain largely intact. The challenge is in reaching them. Whether buried in the depths or hidden in the mists, many places in Eston haven’t been touched since the Day of Mourning. Beginning less than a week after the Day of Mourning, looters and salvagers scrambled to get into the fallen city and see what they could recover. The stories told by those who have come back, such as Ikar the Black’s salvage operation, evoke both fear and wonder in their listeners. A few of the features that make the ruined city so perilous are outlined here.

The Clockwork Menagerie

Eston was a center for the creation of constructs long before the first warforged was formed. Artificers sought to prove themselves by adding their own designs to the outpouring of technology that became known as the Clockwork Menagerie of Eston. The most famous of these is Alaran’s mighty gorgon, both a symbol of House Cannith and the guardian of its vaults. Lesser works include artificial songbirds, walking armor, a carousel of griffons, and more. Despite the name of the menagerie, the constructs come from a variety of traditions; some are alchemical, some golems, and others living constructs. At the time of the Mourning, the enclave was home to ten centuries’ worth of automatons, some purely decorative and others ready for battle. In the wake of the Mourning, the Clockwork Menagerie has become a threat. Alaran’s gorgon is still active in the ruins, but it is strangely warped, its breath filled with corrupting power. Ikar the Black has reported encountering a swarm of metal beetles that consumed armor, but there is no record of anyone having designed such a construct. Based on reports from those who have entered the area, the creatures of the menagerie are evolving. It remains to be seen if they are working toward some grander purpose, or if these changes are driven simply by the instinct for survival.

The Steel Gardens Warforged are living things. They can physically evolve over time; a warforged juggernaut grows heavier armor plating. The Steel Gardens of Eston were one of the first breakthroughs in the long process of creating living constructs. Imagine trees with steel bark and silver leaves covering the same leathery tendrils that form the muscles of the warforged. Starrin d’Cannith had high expectations for the Steel Gardens and hoped that one day adamantine and other ores could be extracted and refined using the strange constructs. Reports from Ikar’s Salvage crew indicate that the garden has grown wild and spread across the ruins. Webs of metallic vines block passages to the mines and enshroud the remains of buildings. One Cannith sage has theorized that the roots of the garden might have reached one of Eston’s three creation forges, and that the garden is a single sentient entity fueled by the mystic power of the forge. The Fury of Shavarath The Last War precipitated a constant demand for weapons and armor. While artificers worked on enchantments fit for kings and generals, Eston’s forges produced a multitude of mundane weaponry and simple magic. The Mourning imbued these tools of war with eerie life. Swarms of blades whirl through the ruins, reminiscent of the razor storms of Shavarath. Powerful weapons often have sentience, and an explorer who wants to emerge from Eston holding a new magic sword might have to defeat it first. Living Spells Eston is crawling with magic—literally. When the Mourning struck, the essence of spells broke free from the objects holding them or burrowed out of the flesh of wizards and magewrights. Most living spells are in the form of oozes, whereas others have elemental forms. Many of these embodiments of magic are harmless. For example, living continual flames crawl along the streets or cling to lampposts, but the fires surrounding these tiny slimes are cold, and the oozes flee from strangers. A scrying spell shifts and shimmers, showing distant scenes on its amorphous skin. Other living spells are dangerous, to say the least. A fireball consumes anything that will burn, and a wall of ice surrounds its victims before chilling and crushing them. In addition to these oozes and elemental forms, Eston has other forms of living spells—magic that remains in its original place but has transformed over time. Glyphs of warding have taken on shapes never imagined by wizards. Warped wands have unpredictable (and exceptionally powerful) effects. Such things can be dangerous threats or fabulous treasures. For a wizard who can unlock their secrets, these types of living magic can lead to spells or rituals that can’t be found elsewhere in Khorvaire.

Adventuring in Eston The Throne of Cannith is an interesting location, but it poses a number of questions for the Dungeon Master. How do the bizarre elements of Eston translate into mechanical concepts that are suitable for an adventure? How can you use an artificer’s factory without showering the heroes with treasure? Consider the following. Monsters of Eston: The Eberron® Campaign Setting and Eberron® Campaign Guide include examples of living spells. Any sort of construct can be adapted to the area, and plant creatures could become part of the Steel Gardens with a few minor modifications. The beetle swarm that Ikar encountered might be similar to a young rust monster swarm, with construct traits and the ability to regenerate after a successful attack on a rusting item. Limited Treasures: Eston is a city in pieces. Many of its greatest vaults might be buried, heavily warded, or otherwise out of reach. In addition, the Mourning effectively destroyed many of the city’s treasures. Explorers might find a rack that holds fifty wands—too bad the power has flowed out of them to form a living spell. Even gold and residuum might have been transformed by the Mourning or cannibalized by the evolving constructs that guard the city.

Eston’s Forges At the time of the Mourning, Eston had three creation forges and a large number of lesser manufacturing tools. Before that fateful day, everyone knew that a creation forge functioned by amplifying the powers of the Mark of Making; as such, a forge could be operated only by a Cannith heir. When the Mourning transformed the magic of Eston, what could have happened to its forges? Consider these possibilities. The Free Forge Not only is this forge intact, but its greatest limitation has been overcome: The Mark of Making is no longer required. Operating a creation forge is usually a complex process that involves a team of trained magewrights and artificers, but with this forge, any artificer can produce new warforged. The forge would be a boon to any nation. If House Cannith hears of the free forge, it will want it destroyed. On the other hand, many warforged—notably the Lord of Blades—will see it as a possible tool to save their race. Will the adventurers try to keep the free forge a secret and learn how to use it themselves, or will they hand it over to some other agency? Perhaps the forge has changed in more ways than one: It no longer requires the Mark of Making because it’s not actually producing warforged— instead, it’s creating vessels for fiends from the outer planes. Depending on your campaign, these invaders could be devils from Baator, quori from Dal Quor, or something entirely new. War Games Two or more of the forges have become sentient, and they are at war. One of the forges controls the constructs of the Clockwork Menagerie. The other controls the living spells and is breeding more arcane slimes in the ruined mines. The spells and the constructs are fighting each other, and adventurers might find a way to use this conflict to their advantage. At the same time, it won’t be easy; both sides see the adventurers as interlopers and will ally against these common enemies. The Becoming God The Godforged are a warforged cult working to create a vessel for their god to inhabit. Unknown to anyone outside Eston, they have found one of the forges and are tending it. The Steel Gardens are rooted in this forge and function as a nervous system that spreads throughout the ruins. The forge can perceive events that occur around its roots, and it directs the movements of the garden. The Godforged are certain that this forge is the heart of the Becoming God and that their lord will take form in Eston. Whether the forge is truly divine or merely a construct, the Godforged will fight to the death to protect it from outsiders. Other Adventure Ideas It’s not hard to find reasons to go to Eston. The treasures of House Cannith should be a sufficient lure for adventurers. Wealth aside, the potential for recovering Cannith research or an unlocked creation forge is a draw for the dragonmarked houses and for organizations such as the King’s Dark Lanterns and the Aurum. Adventurers might be tasked to explore the ruins or to prevent enemies from looting the city. In addition to those general hooks, here are a few more exotic reasons for visiting the ruins of Eston. F A sage at Morgrave University is convinced that the living spells in Eston include new rituals not conceived by the mortal mind. This wizard asks the adventurers to capture a number of living spells and return them to Sharn. If they succeed, the spellcasters in the party can learn these new spells. This plot hook can be a good way to introduce spells from a new game supplement. F The adventurers find a Cannith ledger revealing that three of the house’s most powerful artifacts were stored in an Eston vault. Can the party reach this hidden safe? Are the artifacts still inside, or have they come to life? F Thrane has been beset by a series of incursions from a band of unusual constructs, and the trail leads to Eston. One of the forges is discovered to be active, and evidence suggests that the strange warforged it produces are angelic servants of the Sovereign Host incarnated in steel and stone. These warforged want to bring the Silver Flame under the control of the Host. Can the heroes broker a truce, or do they support the divine merger? To add complexity, perhaps the “angels” are really devils from Baator, seeking to seize the power of the Flame for Asmodeus.