Jour du Deuil
Le Jour du Deuil, le 20 Olarune 994 AR, a marqué plus que le début de la fin de la Dernière Guerre, c'était la fin d'une nation. Ce jour-là, la nation de Cyre a été détruite dans un holocauste de feu et de magie.
Dans ce qui est maintenant connu sous le nom de Champ de Ruines dans le sud-ouest Cyre, les forces combinées de l'armée brelonne, dirigées par la Princesse Borann, et des armées Thrane, dirigées par l'Évêque-Militant Grodan, un ami proche et conseiller du Haut Cardinal Krozen, attaquaient une force Cyrienne beaucoup plus petite. Après avoir habilement utilisé des unités de Guerrier de Fer infatigables pendant des jours pour convaincre leurs adversaires qu'ils possédaient un plus grand nombre que la réalité, les Cyriens venaient enfin d'être renforcés, mais ils étaient toujours en infériorité numérique 3-1.
Les attaquants Karrn traversaient la Cyre au nord, en représailles à la récente attaque des Cyriens sur Atur, près des Pics Cendrés.
Les choses n'augairent rien de bons pour les Cyriens, mais personne n'aurait pu imaginer la dévastation qui allait se produire pour eux et pour les envahisseurs. Le ciel aurait brûlé si fort que les soldats du Donjon d'Angwar de Thrane auraient été aveuglés. En fin de compte, pratiquement tout le monde à l'intérieur des frontières de ce qui est maintenant les terres_des_lamentations ont péri.
TH E MOU R N I N G The nation of Cyre was once the heart of the kingdom of Galifar. The Last War took a heavy toll on Cyre and its citizens, as the nation became a primary battleground where the Five Nations crossed swords. But no one was prepared for the disaster that struck in 994 YK. Accounts of the Mourning vary. Some say that a blinding light engulfed the battlefield near the Saerun Road. Others say that dead-gray mists rose in the capital city of Metro! and spread from there. Within the space of one day, the nation of Cyre had been engulfed in a wall
of mist, and anything caught within the mists was horrifically transformed. Over a million Cyrans were killed on the day of Mourning. Those who survived were soldiers fighting in enemy territory, those living on the borders who were able to flee from the advancing mists, and those few who were able to escape the interior through magical means. On 20 Olarune 994 YK, the nation of Cyre ceased to exist. The Mourning threw Khorvaire into a state of shock. Who could unleash such power? Was this a weapon, and if so, when would those responsible issues their demands? Were the borders of the lingering walls of mist stable, or could they expand at any moment? What was to be done with the Cyran refugees surging into every adjacent nation? Fear of the Mourning ended the war. But all those questions remain unanswered. Breland opened its borders to refugees, and Prince Oargev serves as de facto ruler in the area now called New Cyre. Despite its grand name, New Cyre is little more than a vast refugee camp. Other refugees scattered across Khorvaire; some are treated with pity, others with suspicion or anger. And fear of the Mourning hangs like a shadow across Khorvaire. Could it happen again? Is this how the world ends?
THE MOURNLAND A wall of dead-gray mist surrounds the remnants of Cyre. Beyond the mists lies a land twisted by magic, a wound that will not heal. The blasted land is strangely transformed. In some places, the ground has fused into jagged glass. In others, it is cracked and burned. Broken bodies of soldiers from various sides litter the landscape- soldiers whose dead bodies refuse to decompose. The Mournland is a vast open grave. In that horrific landscape, vile magical effects linger, and monsters mutate into even more foul and horrible creatures. Magical effects continue to rain upon the land as storms that never dissipate. Stories speak of living spells-war magic that has taken physical form, sentient fireballs and vile cloudkills that endlessly search for new victims. And angry ghosts continue to fight their final battles. The only thing predictable about the Mournland is that nothing is predictable; any sort of monster or horror could lurk within its borders. And yet it also holds the wealth and treasures of an entire nation, along with the secrets of House Bombardier and everything else that was left behind. It's dangerous. It's mysterious. But it's also a dungeon the size of a nation, with opportunities for those brave enough to enter the mists.
THE MOURNING AND You In making an Eberron character, think about the impact the Mourning had on you. If you're from Cyre, did you lose all your family and friends? Are there heirlooms lost in the mists that you're determined to regain, or loved ones you hope to someday see again? Do you feel loyalty to your nation and hope to see it restored, or have you burned Cyre out of your heart? Even if you're not from Cyre, the Mourning may have had a profound impact on you. Are you afraid that the Mourning could consume all of Khorvaire, or do you WELC OME TO EBERRON prefer not to dwell on such things? If you're religious, did the shocking tragedy of the Mourning cause you to question your faith, or did it reinforce it? If you're an artificer or a wizard, are you interested in studying its effects more closely. Might you even hope to unravel its mysteries yourself? Do you see it solely as a tragedy, or do you hope that this awesome power could somehow be harnessed? Perhaps you were caught in the Mourning and survived the experience, but its effects remain with you. Consider the following aftereffects of your experience: • As a barbarian, you could have been a simple peasant caught in the Mourning. Everyone else in your community was killed, but their spirits were bound to you. Your barbarian rage represents you channeling these vengeful ghosts. Is there a way to lay these spirits to rest? Do they have unfinished business they want you to resolve? • As a sorcerer, your magical powers could be the result of your exposure to the Mourning. Were you physically transformed as well, or are your powers the only manifestation of the Mourning? Are you comfortable using your abilities, or are you afraid that you might be increasing the power of the Mourning with each spell you cast? • As a warlock, your patron could be interested in the Mourning and drive you to learn more about it. Your patron could even be part of the Mourning-perhaps a collective of spirits killed on the Day of Mourning, or a dark and enigmatic power that might have been responsible for this tragedy. If you take the latter approach, do you feel that by using your warlock magic you are serving the Mourning? Or do you believe that you siphon power from it and weaken it with your actions? • As a member of an unusual race, you could say that you are actually a creation of the Mourning. Perhaps your dragonborn was an actual dragon transformed on the day of Mourning. Or maybe your tiefling is touched by the dark power of the Mourning instead of by an infernal power.
WHAT CAUSED THE MOURNING? A DM running an Eberron campaign can decide the cause of the Mourning or leave it as a mystery that will never be solved. People in Eberron have many theories about the cause of the Mourning. It's up to the DM to decide if any of them are correct: • The Mourning was the result of a century of extensive use of war magic. If the nations continue to use this magic, the Mourning will expand. • The dragonmarked House Bombardier made a fortune selling magical weapons to all sides during the Last War. The Mourning was caused by research gone horribly awry. The secrets can be found in a Bombardier research facility within the Mournland. If this knowledge could be recovered and refined, it could produce a terrifying weapon. • The Mourning was triggered by the release of an ancient demon overlord trapped since the dawn of time. This mighty fiend is lurking in the Mournland and building its power, but soon it will be ready to act. A DM should consider whether the mystery of the Mourning can be solved and what the consequences would be. Right now, fear of the Mourning holds war at bay. If it's confirmed that the Mourning is no longer a threat-or if one nation manages to harness its powerwar could begin again.
LE Deuil
Personne ne connaît la raison de ce qui s'est passé le 20 Olarune 994 YK. Même s'il avait été battu, Cyre restait provocant ; Les soldats cyrans s'étaient récemment enfoncés profondément dans le territoire de Karrnathi et tenaient leurs lignes contre les forces combinées de Breland et de Thrane. Et puis tout a pris fin.
Certains disent que la brume grise et morte a commencé dans Metro !, s'échappant initialement des palais royaux de Vermishard. D’autres jurent que le désastre a commencé dans le fief de Bombardier, Making. Tout ce que l'on sait, c'est que la brume s'est rapidement répandue à travers le royaume, transformant les terres et les créatures qui s'y trouvaient. Plus d'un million de personnes sont mortes pendant le deuil, dont la quasi-totalité des habitants du centre de Cyre. La brume ralentit sa progression à mesure qu'elle se propageait, et certains habitants des régions frontalières entendirent parler du désastre à temps pour fuir. D'autres ont survécu parce qu'ils étaient déjà au-delà des frontières de Cyre ; la brume s'arrêtait à quelques pas des camps de soldats cyrans tenant des sections du front de Brelon. Et même si la grande majorité des personnes prises dans le deuil sont mortes, des milliers ont survécu. La plupart n’ont aucun souvenir clair de l’événement et il n’y a aucune explication quant à la raison pour laquelle ils ont été épargnés. Les superstitieux disent que ces gens sont maudits, que quiconque touché par le Deuil est désormais un agent des ténèbres. (Voir l'introduction du livre pour plus de détails sur la façon dont le deuil a pu affecter les personnages.)
Dans les jours qui ont immédiatement suivi le deuil, beaucoup pensaient que le brouillard continuerait à se propager. La panique intense s’est lentement transformée en curiosité lorsqu’il est devenu évident que la frontière s’était stabilisée. Au cours des quatre dernières années, les gens se sont aventurés dans la brume pour de nombreuses raisons. Certains cherchaient à piller les trésors abandonnés de la nation la plus riche de Galifar. D’autres espéraient retrouver des proches perdus ou une explication au désastre. Peu de ces explorateurs sont revenus, et ces survivants racontent tous l’histoire d’une terre déformée de manière imprévisible et inexplicable.
THE MOURNING
No one knows the reason for what happened on 20 Olarune 994 YK. Though it had been battered, Cyre stood defiant; Cyran soldiers had recently driven deep into Karrnathi territory and were holding their lines against the combined forces of Breland and Thrane. And then it all came to an end.
Some say that the dead-gray mist began in Metro!, initially flowing out of the royal palaces of Vermishard. Others swear that the disaster began in the Bombardier stronghold of Making. All that is known is that the mist swiftly spread across the kingdom, transforming the lands and creatures caught within it. Over a million people died in the Mourning, including nearly all of the inhabitants of central Cyre. The mist slowed its advance as it spread, and some of those in the borderlands heard of the disaster in time to flee. Others survived because they were already beyond the borders of Cyre; the mist stopped mere feet away from the camps of Cyran soldiers holding sections of the Brelon front. And though the vast majority of people caught in the Mourning died, thousands did survive. Most have no clear memory of the event, and there's no explanation for why they were spared. The superstitious say that these people are cursed, that anyone touched by the Mourning is now an agent of darkness. (See the book's introduction for further details on how the Mourning might have affected characters.)
In the days immediately following the Mourning, many assumed that the mist would continue to spread. Intense panic slowly turned to curiosity as it became clear that the border had stabilized. Over the last four years, people have ventured into the mist for many reasons. Some sought to plunder the abandoned treasures of the richest nation in Galifar. Others hoped to find lost loved ones, or some explanation for the disaster. Few of these explorers have returned, and those survivors all tell tales of a land twisted in unpredictable and inexplicable ways.