name = Sahuagin image = caption = A sahuagin from Monster Manual v. 3.5 aliases = Sea Diables distinctions = height = 6' weight = 200 lbs. lifespan =

language = Aquan, Commun, and Sahuagin

Sahuagin are an aquatic Humainoïde race that live beneath the waters of the Mer du Tonnerre. The sahuagin, as a rule, are hostile, though some tribes maintain friendly relationships with specific communities in Eberron, including Sharn and Cap-Tempête.

Once upon the time, the sahuagin had an empire beneath the seas. Little is known about this empire. It resulted in great cities build beneath the waves, and that it was responsible for the near extinction of the darfellan and the aquatic Elfee races. The sahuagin fought the aboleths, the merfolk, and even Les Seigneurs Des Cendres. At its height, sahuagin could be found in all ten Mers d'Eberron. However, at some point, the empire fell.

40,000 years ago, the Géants of Xen'Drik reached the Olympe of their height. However, the Géants clashed with the Quorien from the plane of Dal Quor. After defeating the Quorien, and facing the Elfique revolt, the Géant empire fell. Over the next 10,000 years, the sahuagin took advantage of the fall of the Âge des Géants and invaded the Géant ruins near Les Dents de Shargon. The sahuagin, however, were soon pushed back to the sea by the Géants; specifically the Effondré Stone tribe.

In the present day, various tribes of the sahuagin inhabit the waters between Khorvaire and Xen'Drik: the Mer du Tonnerre. They live in underwater settlements across the Les Dents de Shargon, and amongst the islands of the Les Dents de Shargon. For those traveling between Khorvaire and Xen'Drik, the sahuagin tribes have no qualms with attacking the passing ships. Some of these violent sahuagin serve the ancient Kraken Zlortharkis, who seeks to rule beneath the ocean.

While most tribes will actively hunt the Humainoïde races of Eberron, there are tribes that live in peaceful coexistence. Hundreds of years ago, ambassadors from the Royaume de Galifar and Zilargo opened relationships with the sahuagin. Tribes of the Les Dents de Shargon to the south of Khorvaire will actively trade with coastal cities. Cities like Sharn in Brelande and Cap-Tempête in Xen'Drik house a small population of sahuagin that interact with the other races. The sahuagin have even been allowed to claim a portion of Cap-Tempête, called Port d'En-dessous, as their home. Calynden de Lyrandar of Maison Lyrandar in Cap-Tempête has made great strides in negotiating with the sea Diables on behalf of his Maison Marquée du Dragon. In fact, many sailors that make the voyage from Sharn to Cap-Tempête have picked up their fair share of the sahuagin language, and even if they are not able to converse in it, they are certainly able to swear in it.

In addition to the tribes of sahuagin that inhabit the Mer du Tonnerre, there have been sahuagin spotted in the Mer Amère to the north of Khorvaire.

A few kinds of sahuagin are known to exist in Eberron..]]

The baron sahuagin are a special type of sahuagin with four arms.

While most sahuagin are true sahuagin, occasionally a sahuagin is “born again” into a mutated form: the malenti. These malenti are usually sahuagin who have been transformed after devouring the intellect of a powerful creature, though some malenti may be bred from other malenti. Malenti may resemble the creatures they devour.

Baron sahuagin can become malenti.

Most sahuagin are fervent worshipers of Le Dévoreur, who they call Shargon, the lord of the deep waters. In the sahuagin culture, he is pictured as a sahuagin, or sometimes a Géant shark. Sahuagin prefers to fight with his favored weapon, the trident. The Dévoreur teaches that the sahuagin gain power and ability by eating other intelligent creatures. Many sahuagin firmly believe these teachings and will hunt Humainoïde races over other creatures of the sea.

According to an ancient prophecy of Le Dévoreur, a “smoothskin” called the Shirrin Kho will rise to lead his people into an age of victory and supremacy over the land-walkers. Many followers amongst the cult of the Dévoreur in Cap-Tempête believe that the “smoothskin” is a malenti, and believe that the coming of the priest K’shegla signals a time for the sahuagin to rise and take on the nations of the land-walkers. ======Notable Personalities====== * Ak'ash'eck was a sahuagin Druide that roamed the northwest fringe of Les dents de Shargon years ago. He enjoyed using his creation, a water whip, to steal sailors off their ships without even the slightest alarm. * Bulubba is a priestess of a sahuagin tribe that lives near an island off the coast of Xen'drik. * Khalaash is one of two priests that oversees the shrine to the Dévoreur in the city of Cap-Tempête; the other being the Elfe Seryssa. * Korel is a malenti sahuagin disguised as an aquatic Elfee and the leader of the Raiders of the Gray Pearl. She is an agent and the right hand of the sahuagin messiah K'shegla. * K'shegla** is also a cleric to the Dévoreur, but this messiah seeks to return the sahuagin to the old ways and practices the belief of ritually consuming your foes. K'shegla was originally a baron sahuagin but has now become a malenti of legend after consuming the heart of a Kraken. ====== Apparence et Personnalité ====== The sahuagin are a powerful aquatic race. They have a scaly skin of green or brown, with webbed fingers and toes. Their mouths are filled with fangs and breathe through the use of gills. Fins jut out from a sahuagin's head, back, and arms, and a sahuagin has a finned tail. Traditionally, they are much stronger, faster, and smarter than Humains. The sahuagin have a clan-based society, with most clans warring with one another with the same zeal they show to assaulting seafaring ships and fishing villages. So far, this internal clan warfare has kept the sahuagin from unifying against the other races of Khorvaire and the rest of the surface world. ====== Capacités ====== The sahuagin have the ability to live and breathe in a salt-water environment. This makes them powerful under the waves; however, the sahuagin cannot easily adjust to fresh-water environments. Sahuagin have blindsense from living under the sea, but also have a sensitivity to light. They are dependent upon the water. Sahuagin can also speak with other creatures of the deep, like sharks. Though the sahuagin have natural claw and bite attacks, most sahuagin wield weapons. Most sahuagin will enter a blood rage when fighting, showing an almost instinctual desire to kill their foe. ======Weapons & Equipment====== Sahuagin will use the same types of weapons that Humains do, though they prefer the use of the trident and the net. They also have the ability to wear armor and will craft armor from the scales or chitin of creatures they have killed. ====== Notes ====== Keith Baker has mentioned on his website that his original proposal for Eberron included sahuagin and the merfolk as major races of the Mers d'Eberron, with a smaller presence of the aquatic Elfes around Aérénal. The sahuagin would have a monolithic culture reminiscent in some respects of the Deep Ones from the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The Eternal Dominion: Sahuagin Any sailor in Stormreach can tell you that the sahuagin worship the Devourer, who they call Shargon. But this is only part of the story. Sahuagin storm priests tell the common tale of how gods and demons fought in the first age, but their story doesn’t end with the binding of the overlords. Once the fiends were defeated, the Sovereigns were determined to take their place and rule as tyrants. The sahuagin Sha’argon was a bold hunter and mighty warrior. He stalked the Sovereigns of the natural world, Arra’ai and Ba’alor. Sha’argon trapped them and consumed them, claiming their power as his own. The other Sovereigns were angry, but none could outwit Sha’argon, and he already had the power of two gods; so they fled to the world above and beyond, and to this day, they flee when the mighty hunter draws near. Sha’argon is the greatest of the gods. He sets the laws of the world, and they are cruel. Life is an endless struggle. The weak will perish in the storm or be consumed by the mighty. Those with cunning and courage can conquer the world itself, and the victor has the right to devour their vanquished foe. The sahuagin of the Eternal Dominion take these messages to heart. There is no foe they cannot conquer, no power they cannot claim. They have forged a dominion from the bones of krakens and the blood of the kar’lassa, an empire that will never end. If the Dominion wished to conquer the surface world, it could do so easily—or so the sahuagin say. But to what end? Dryskins are pathetic barbarians, weak in both body and mind. The Eternal Dominion seeks grander prey, power worthy of Sha’argon. Some seek to consume the overlords; others plan the conquest of worlds beyond the world. Is this pure arrogance? Or can the Eternal Dominion gain mastery over reality itself? Biology The sahuagin dwell on the floor of the Thunder Sea. They possess an uncanny ability to rapidly adapt to changing pressure, and can ascend from the depths to the surface with no ill effects. Darkvision allows them to see even in the blackest depths of the ocean, though they require at least a little light to function at full efficiency. Their tough skin is as tough as leather armor, and their claws and teeth are deadly weapons. Human scholars are aware of the existence of sahuagin “mutants,” but few realize these aren’t random mutations; they’re the most visible products of a system that touches every sahuagin in the Dominion. From the moment they emerge from the spawning pools, young sahuagin undergo a regimen of diet, mystic rituals, and training that shapes them for their intended purpose. Sahuagin aren’t clones, but a sahuagin warrior is imbued with strength and fury, and a sahuagin assassin is swift and deadly—each by design. The sahuagin create their sorcerers. All Dominion sahuagin go through this initial process of shaping, and those who prove themselves worthy can go farther still, undergoing the rituals that produce champions such as the four-armed barons and the malenti. But these are just two examples of what the sahuagin magebreeders can achieve. The Claws of Sha’argon—presented in chapter 8—are another example of these magebred champions. What do sahuagin eat? Whatever they want, and often, whoever they want. Sahuagin are voracious omnivores who demonstrate their mastery over things by consuming them. Food brings great pleasure to the sahuagin, and they take pride both in the preparation of food and in the diversity of their diet; they farm both fish and flora, and hunt creatures that can’t be farmed. Eating a locathah servant can either be an act of punishment or a great honor, depending on how the meal is prepared and consumed. Like the gnolls of the Znir Pact, it’s common for a sahuagin to eat at least part of a fallen enemy, though this is more to seal the victory than to honor the spirit; you haven’t truly defeated someone until you’ve consumed them. With this concept in mind, a DM may wish to give sahuagin NPCs advantage on saving throws against any sort of ingested poison and resistance to poison damage from such poisons. Victory Above All Life is conflict. All things must eat or be eaten. Flee if victory is impossible in the moment, but never surrender. Sahuagin culture is deeply aggressive; in any situation, they look to see how they can win. This combines with a deep sense of cultural unity; what matters isn’t that I defeat the foe, it’s that we defeat it. So while sahuagin frequently compete with other sahuagin, seeking to advance in rank and earn evolution into a higher form, this is about strengthening the Dominion, not simply personal pride. Sahuagin don’t seek to cheat their way into positions they believe they don’t deserve. Similarly, weakness can’t be tolerated, and they spare no time on sentimentality. The sahuagin are children of the Devourer: the point of storm and sickness is to cleanse weakness and strengthen those who survive. Anyone who grows too old or infirm should be challenged by those below them—but this is rare in practice, for a sahuagin who realizes they can no longer perform their role will usually abdicate before they’re challenged. It’s common practice for a respected retiring leader to be consumed by their subordinates, so their spirit and skills will remain part of the Dominion. The sahuagin warrior who has grown too old to serve has no regrets about being consumed; they lived well, and now they give what strength they have left to nourish those who will come after them. A single life is fleeting; the Dominion is eternal, and your spirit lives on in your comrades who consume you. On the other hand, those seen as having no value—who are best excised from the Dominion—will simply be fed to the sharks. Stemming from this, the people of the Eternal Dominion are extremely industrious. Sahuagin never relax, and don’t understand why anyone would—if you stop moving, you’re dead. They’re always looking for something to do, a challenge to overcome. However, this leaves them little time for abstract reflection, romance, or whimsy; life is war, and there’s no time for poetry. Some would also say this limits innovation, and the Dominion is indeed slow to change its methods. Sahuagin are austere in their needs and desires, and don’t seek comfort, luxury, or personal wealth. This isn’t to say the sahuagin don’t enjoy life or seek entertainment—but rather, what drives the sahuagin is victory. They don’t care for music or theater, but they enjoy gladiatorial combat and other forms of aggressive sport, such as public debates and arcane duels. They also love to eat, as this is a symbolic victory over whatever they’re eating. Symbols of all kinds are important in sahuagin culture. Their armor, weapons, and architecture are designed to intimidate enemies and show off one’s rank and status. Social Structure Sahuagin have no families nor concept of personal property. Your loyalty is to your city, and then to the Dominion as a whole. You were born in the spawning pools of your city and assigned a purpose and a shiver—the group of sahuagin you trained with as a child, to whom you may have a personal attachment. From there, you worked your way up to prove your value and earn a higher rank. All positions are based on merit; while the title of a military leader is often translated as “baron,” the position is earned, not inherited. The city gives you equipment and lodging based on your position, though you can earn trophy items through sporting victories. Sahuagin always look for ways to prove themselves and earn advancement, but never at the expense of your shiver, your city, or the Dominion. Sahuagin find criminal behavior and those who betray their people for personal gain to be repulsive, a sign of an inferior species. The society of the Eternal Dominion is split into three primary forces: The Ra’har (“body”) is the military. The sahuagin view life as conflict, and are zealous about maintaining a strong military. When there is no active conflict, they engage in war games and engage in gladiatorial combat—both locally, and in a league against the other cities—to entertain the people. The Ta’har (“mind”) are the scholars, scientists, and priests— which, among the sahuagin, are all branches of a single path. Alchemy and sorcery are core sciences in the Dominion. The sahuagin recognize divine magic as a resource, and excel at the aggressive cultivation of the faith required to channel it. Ta’har scholars advise the Ra’har, using the lessons of history to drive military strategy, while Ta’har artificers work with the Su’har to maintain the infrastructure of the cities. The Su’har (“heart”) maintain the civic infrastructure. They maintain and expand the cities, ensure the steady flow of supplies, and organize the spawning pools and the education and evolution of the young. The Ta’har develop new techniques, but it’s the Su’har who turn the wheels of industry. Each city is governed by a Sha’rei—Council of Three—with a leader from each force. Councilors add the prefix “kar” to their force, so the Kar’ra’har is the military leader of a sahuagin city. Cities coordinate through the Sha’lassa—Council of Dreams—as described in the “Harvesting the Dreamers” section. The priesthood of the Eternal Dominion follows one of two paths. The razh’ash—storm priests—are devoted to Sha’argon, and serve as the primary spiritual guides of the people. They teach the harsh lessons of the Devourer, while also wielding his might in battle when needed. The second path is that of the lass’ash, “dream priests”; their work is important and they support the Su’har, but they don’t preach to the people. Territory The Eternal Dominion claims the entirety of the Thunder Sea as its territory, and maintains outposts across the sea, often carved into stone spires that rise up to the surface. However, most of their population is concentrated in the great cities of the Dominion. These lie on the seafloor, thousands of feet below the surface, far beyond the reach of sunlight—yet illuminated by sahuagin-engineered bioluminescent coral. Each city is named after the kar’lassa it’s built around, and the kar’lassa in turn are in turn named for the plane they’re bound to. Hal’daan (Daanvi). The city of Hal’daan is the administrative heart of the Dominion. Here, the leaders of the Su’har develop the civic models used throughout the Dominion. This city also holds the bureaucratic archives of the Dominion. Hal’dol (Dolurrh). The smallest of the great cities, Hal’dol is a center for necromantic research. The skulls of great leaders and priests from across the Dominion are preserved in the Bone Library, where sahuagin mediums can use speak with dead to consult with them. Hal’fer (Fernia). This region has an abundance of geothermal vents, and due to Fernia’s influence, it’s also a source of pure elemental flame that burns underwater. Hal’fer is an industrial center working with heat and steam; it’s the primary source of metal goods, and mints the currency used with surface dwellers. Hal’iri (Irian). This is a stronghold of the Ta’har, driving mystical research and holding the largest temples in the Dominion—both in reality and in the kar’lassa’s dream. Many priests train in Hal’iri, and its people have grand dreams of what the Dominion can become. It’s a center for exploring lofty goals, such as defeating the Valraean Protectorate, consuming the overlords to gain their power, and perhaps even conquering the planes (as discussed in the “Story Hooks” section). Hal’kyth (Kythri). The influence of Kythri supports magic tied to change and transmutation, and these are vital to the society of the Dominion. Hal’kyth is the heart of the alchemical industry. While all great cities harvest the blood of the kar’lassa (as discussed in the next section), it is Hal’kyth that has the greatest capacity for refining it. Though the Dominion is slow to innovate, the artificers of Hal’kyth are an exception, and they continue to develop new techniques; the plasmids discussed in chapter 8 were first magebred in Hal’kyth. Hal’laman (Lamannia). The flora and fauna of this region are unnaturally fertile. Hal’laman is a center for all forms of animal husbandry, and also holds the largest spawning pools of the Dominion. When Lamannia is coterminous, growth rates spike dramatically; it’s always a struggle to keep the city safe during these times, with aggressive beasts swept into frenzies and vegetation becoming shambling mounds. Hal’shavar (Shavarath). This is the military seat of the Dominion, where the finest barons and strategists are trained. Here, the Ra’har of Hal’shavar establish the military traditions used throughout the Dominion. Mock battles and other grand spectacles are carried out in the grand arena of Hal’shavar. Hal’syra (Syrania). This is the center for commerce and trade with other cultures. Hal’syra even has a rarely-used quadrant enchanted so surface dwellers can breathe within it. This city is the source of the ambassadors, envoys, and merchants who deal with surface dwellers and other cultures, and it’s here that the scholars of the Ta’har study surface dwellers and debate the best ways to deal with them. These major cities are each home to hundreds of thousands of sahuagin, and the total population of the Dominion is well into the millions. Farms and other small communities scattered between the great cities are often largely inhabited by locathah, with a core group of sahuagin overlords. In between, there are large stretches with no humanoid population; here, ruins of the giants and remnants of other fallen civilizations might be found. Harvesting the Dreamers The eight greatest cities of the Eternal Dominion are built around kar’lassa, each tied to a different plane. The sahuagin harvest biomatter from the slumbering behemoths, and this is the driving fuel of the Eternal Dominion. Pipelines channel the blood of the beasts, and workers dig muscle and bone out of mines carved into their flesh. The eldritch energies sustaining the kar’lassa regenerate damage at a remarkable rate; the Dominion has been harvesting them for over a thousand years, and so far, they haven’t come close to taxing these resources. All biomatter from the kar’lassa is infused with arcane energy, and the sahuagin use these substances in the same way the Five Nations rely on dragonshards. In addition, the biomatter of each kar’lassa has unique properties and potential due to the plane it’s tied to. The scales of Hal’shavar can be forged into powerful armor and weapons. The steam-breath of Hal’fer is an extremely powerful catalyst for evocation magic. The blood of Hal’kyth is an exceptional conduit for transmutation. These are just a few examples of the potential of the kar’lassa, and the Dominion itself is still discovering new uses for these resources. The Five Nations have never had an opportunity to work with this biomatter and know nothing of the kar’lassa. If a group of adventurers recovered a significant amount of biomatter—or secured a trade deal with the Dominion—House Bombardier could produce strange new wonders. So the kar’lassa are priceless resources and sources of power for the sahuagin; their biomatter drives Dominion industry, and cities benefit from the effects of their manifest zones. Only eight of the twelve kar’lassa have cities built around them, due to the dangers of the manifest zones extending from the kar’lassa tied to Mabar, Xoriat, Thelanis, and Risia. But even in the cities of the “safer” kar’lassa, the sahuagin pay a price for the power they’ve harnessed. When the people of these cities sleep, their spirits are drawn into the dream of the local kar’lassa—a vast alien dream that takes place in its bound plane, rather than Dal Quor. Most sahuagin aren’t lucid dreamers, and don’t remember their dreams with any more accuracy than most humans do. But this experience has a notable impact on the personality and aptitudes of the people of each city; the people of Hal’shavar are the most aggressive of the sahuagin, while the people of Hal’syra are the most conciliatory. The lass’ash—the “dream priests”—are an arm of the Ta’har devoted to the kar’lassa of their cities. These priests treat the kar’lassa both as divine beings and as servants; they believe that it’s their rituals and devotions that keep the dreamers safely asleep, allowing the Dominion to continue to harvest their biomatter. At the heart of each temple lies the Or’lassa, the First Dreamer—a sahuagin priest sustained by direct infusions of kar’lassa blood. These infusions cause physical mutations that often reflect the shape of the kar’lassa and the plane it is tied to, as well as keep the First Dreamer in kar’lassa dream, where they anchor a temple formed from their pure will. Dream priests are trained in lucid dreaming, and they use these temples as a base both for planar research and to maintain communication across the Dominion. While they reside in different planes, the temples are mystically linked through the kar’lassa, and rituals allow the priests to spiritually travel between the dream-temples, carrying messages to the other cities. And it’s in the dream of Hal’iri that the spirits of the Or’lassa meet to coordinate the actions of the Dominion; this is the Sha’lassa, the Council of Dreams. Tools and Traditions The Eternal Dominion is an advanced civilization that employs both arcane and divine magic as part of everyday life. It’s generally more sophisticated than the Five Nations, but less advanced than Aerenal. Though the Dominion possesses capabilities beyond the Five Nations, its approaches can vary dramatically; for example, while the Dominion could generate continual flame, light is largely provided by engineered bioluminescent coral. While the sahuagin employ all schools of magic—generally influenced by the resources of that city’s kar’lassa—the Dominion’s greatest advances are in alchemy, transmutation, and magebreeding. The Dominion has an exceptional talent for producing potions, allowing Dominion forces to temporarily boost their capabilities. But their technologies go far beyond temporary alterations, as the Dominion specializes in magebreeding all manner of creatures. The sahuagin themselves are carefully engineered to excel at the tasks chosen for them. In particular, the Dominion creates magewrights and sorcerers. This process isn’t quick, taking place over the course of a sahuagin childhood, and including training as well as ongoing rituals and an unusual diet. The blood of the kar’lassa is used as a transformative catalyst, combined with the sahuagin principle, “If you consume a thing you gain its power.” As a result, creating a Draconic Bloodline sorcerer requires a young sahuagin to consume the flesh of a dragon—so there’s a concrete limit on how many of these sorcerers the sahuagin can create. In addition to these basic techniques that guide the evolution of a young sahuagin, the Dominion can also induce dramatic secondary mutations; many sahuagin are highly motivated by this prospect of attaining a higher form. The malenti and the four-armed barons are the best known of these, but they represent just a fraction of the Dominion’s magebreeding abilities, and the DM can create additional mutants to suit the story. For example, the Claw of Sha’argon (presented in chapter 8) possesses a secondary mutation that’s granted to powerful priests. These forms of ascension require rare resources and a significant amount of kar’lassa blood (drawn from a particular dreamer based on the type of transformation sought), and are only granted to sahuagin who prove themselves worthy. In addition to altering themselves, the sahuagin put many enhanced beasts to good use. Enhanced mantas are a common mount, possessing a swim speed of 90 feet. Mutated giant sharks and eels are used as larger vehicles, sometimes with seating areas formed upon their backs, other times with bony handles protruding from the beast’s hide, allowing multiple riders to cling to the side. In place of warships, the Dominion fields dragon turtles with siege staffs embedded into their shells. The sahuagin have also created entirely new forms of life. The alchemists of Hal’kyth used the blood and biomatter of the kar’lassa to create plasmids: protean creatures similar to mimics, but capable of replicating the texture of inanimate objects as well as shape. Plasmids can be guards—often serving as living doors to secure chambers—but they’re also a useful tool of industry, as a trained plasmid can itself become the tools a sahuagin artisan needs to perform its work. Skilled Dominion magewrights can cast fabricate as a ritual, shaping raw materials into their desired form through magic. The Dominion also uses a substance called korlass (“dream stone”), formed from dreamer biomass, as an industrial material; it can be sculpted like clay, then fixed in its shape by a magewright ritual. Korlass has the strength of steel, with a texture similar to shell, though its appearance varies depending on which kar’lassa it’s drawn from. When considering the abilities of Dominion sahuagin, it’s likely that storm priests are Tempest clerics or Conquest paladins, while dream priests are Knowledge clerics. Sahuagin artificers are usually Alchemists, and the most common forms of arcane spellcasters are sorcerers (either Storm Sorcery or Draconic Bloodline) and magewrights. Sahaugin warriors are typically Battle Masters or Champions, but some embrace the blood frenzy of barbarians. Bards, druids, wizards, and warlocks aren’t supported by the traditions of the Dominion and are rarely encountered. Subject Races “Dominion” isn’t just a title; the sahuagin dominate other creatures, from other aquatic humanoids to mighty dragon turtles. Before the rise of the Eternal Dominion, there were six locathah nations spread across the Thunder Sea; in the last thousand years, these have all been conquered and assimilated by the Dominion. Locathah laborers are now found in all of the great cities, and there are farming communities across the seafloor where locathah are ruled by sahuagin overseers. The locathah are the most widespread subjects of the Dominion, but other creatures have been forced into servitude as well. The sahuagin of Hal’laman may have merfolk subjects. There could be a small population of subjugated koalinth near the coast of Darguun, or a city where there are still a few storm giants compelled into service. Typically, creatures that are Dominion subjects know the Sahuagin language, either instead of Common, or in addition to it (if they have regular contact with dryskins). The Kalamer merfolk of the Thunder Sea (discussed later in this section) have largely been allowed to remain independent, as long as they continue to serve the needs of the Dominion. The Kalamer provide a valuable service, containing the impact of dangerous manifest zones and serving as intermediaries between the Dominion and the Valraean Protectorate. Foreign Relations The people of the Five Nations know little about the Eternal Dominion. Ambassadors and envoys have visited Hal’syra, so there are stories drifting around that the sahuagin city is built around a massive, mysterious creature. This experience and the occasional clashes when people have challenged the territorial demands of the Dominion have taught the Five Nations and the houses to respect the Dominion, but they still know almost nothing about it, aside from the fact that they worship the Devourer. The Aereni have greater knowledge of the Dominion, and have seen its power in the long conflict with the Valraean Protectorate. They know about the kar’lassa, but because of the ongoing conflict, haven’t actually explored its lands or visited its cities. So any adventurers who venture into the Dominion are pioneers, exploring unknown realms; academic institutions and dragonmarked houses alike will surely want to hear about their exploits. For their part, the sahuagin have little interest in the affairs of the dryskins. At this time, the Dominion has no interest in conquering the surface world, and they don’t believe the dryskins pose any threat to their rule of the sea. However, the proud sahuagin don’t want surface-dwellers bumbling through their territory or polluting their waters. They enforce their territorial waters as a show of strength, demanding that travelers pay tolls and follow the established trade routes. The Dominion remained neutral in the Last War. Trade between the sea and the surface has been limited, but has expanded in recent years. In particular, Merrix d’Bombardier has discovered that the sahuagin have a surplus of Siberys shards; the shards fall into the ocean, but the Dominion economy is based on the blood of the kar’lassa as opposed to dragonshards, and they have little use for them. As such, the Dominion has much to offer Bombardier, and securing a steady supply of Siberys shards would strengthen Merrix’s position within his house. The trick is finding something the Dominion wants in return, and he’s currently pursuing this. Merrix (and other dryskins) are as yet unaware of the vast resources of the kar’lassa; if they were discovered, and Bombardier found a way to harness them, it could change the face of industry in Khorvaire. The Dominion despises the sea elves of the Valraean Protectorate, and in the past, they’ve launched full-scale campaigns against them, but the power of the Undying Court has thus far repelled all assaults. Currently, it’s a stalemate; the Protectorate can’t expand beyond the Undying Court’s sphere of influence (as discussed later in this section), and the Dominion can’t drive them back. Other Sahuagin The sahuagin of the Eternal Dominion are an advanced and ancient culture that has little interest in the surface world. Its people generally wouldn’t randomly attack a fishing village. But what if you want an adventure where the sahuagin attack? The Eternal Dominion is a culture, but the sahuagin species extends beyond it. In Khorvaire, you have humans of the Five Nations, but you also have humans of the Shadow Marches and humans of the Demon Wastes. Similarly, the Eternal Dominion hasn’t extended beyond the Thunder Sea, and sahuagin in other waters may be very different; perhaps the sahuagin off the shores of the Demon Wastes have been twisted by their devotion to fiends. Even in the Thunder Sea, the border sahuagin are wilder than those of the inner Dominion, and you could find sahuagin in the fringes that have never accepted the traditions of the Dominion. The Eternal Dominion is a sahuagin culture, but it’s not the only option. With that said, the secondary mutations—the barons, the malenti, the Claws of Sha’argon—are created using Dominion rituals and the blood of the kar’lassa, and these should be tied to the Eternal Dominion. Sahuagin and Malenti Adventurers The sahuagin of the Eternal Dominion aren’t driven by the desire for gold that draws many humans to the path of adventure. Most are fiercely devoted to the Dominion—but what if your duty to the Dominion requires you to venture onto dry land? Perhaps you need to negotiate with the dryskins. Maybe you’re seeking information on a force that’s meddling with the Dominion—is it House Bombardier or the Lords of Dust? Perhaps you’re pursuing your peoples’ goal of consuming an overlord or conquering the planes. Maybe you’ve been sent to study the dryskins themselves, to decide whether they’re worth conquering. Or you might just be an exile or a rebel, a rare outlier who opposes the ambitions and actions of your people. While this book doesn’t include racial traits for sahuagin, you can use the locathah traits from Locathah Rising (available on the Dungeon Masters Guild), and simply describe the character as a sahuagin. The Blood Frenzy trait of sahuagin NPCs is a special feature magebred into sahuagin soldiers, and not possessed by the general population (though you could represent this trait by playing a sahuagin barbarian). However, there are two significant challenges to adventuring as a sahuagin. The first is that you’re an alien, a creature with a face few recognize, and that those who do typically view with fear. The second is the Limited Amphibiousness trait possessed by both sahuagin and locathah—a need for regular immersion in water can be a crippling requirement when an adventure leads to the Blade Desert. However, the sahuagin have developed a solution that solves both of these problems. While most people of the Five Nations have never seen a sahuagin, that doesn’t mean they’ve never met one. Scholars who study the sahuagin know of malenti, sahuagin that are born indistinguishable from sea elves; the common belief is that this is a random mutation that occurs when sahuagin and sea elves live in close proximity. The sahuagin are happy to support this myth, because the truth is far more disturbing: Malenti aren’t born, they’re made. One of the sacred rituals of Sha’argon allows a sahuagin priest to guide a subject through ritually consuming a humanoid—and in consuming the creature, the sahuagin becomes that creature, taking both their form and their powers. People know about sea elf malenti, as they’ve been caught and exposed in the Dominion’s long war with the Protectorate. But unbeknownst to the Five Nations, there are human malenti in Sharn, dwarf malenti in Stormreach, malenti passing as many races and traveling the surface wherever the Dominion needs eyes and hands. Chapter 6 provides a malenti background that could be coupled with any race, along with additional story hooks for malenti adventurers. Using this background, you can secretly play a sahuagin who’s assumed the identity of the person they appear to be. While the Dominion has carried out a few targeted replacements to get malenti into influential positions, often malenti are just replacing people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time: smugglers, fisherfolk, or pirates who strayed into Dominion territory. The purpose of this replacement isn’t to take advantage of the character’s previous life, but rather to place agents who can breathe on land and move freely without drawing attention. So as a malenti you might have been a sailor or a pirate—but now you’re an adventurer traveling the world! Story Hooks The Eternal Dominion has no interest in conquering Khorvaire—at least for now. But the sahuagin believe life is conflict, and if you aren’t moving forward, you’ll wither away. This section contains story hooks and major aspirations of the sahuagin that might drive an encounter—or an entire campaign. The Valraean Cold War. The sahuagin hate the sea elves and yearn to hold dominion over the entirety of the Thunder Sea. The power of the Undying Court protects the elves from any direct assault, so the sahuagin must find another answer. They’ve been embedding malenti agents into the Valraean Protectorate for years. What’s the next step? Will they launch a decisive first strike from within the Protectorate? Will they target Shae Mordai itself? Might they be willing to forge an alliance with a dragonmarked house or a dryskin nation to bring down the Protectorate? Consume the Overlords. The sahuagin don’t need more land, but they’re always hungry for more power. The most powerful beings in Eberron are the overlords of the First Age. These archfiends have lingered in their prisons since the dawn of time—while they can’t be destroyed, could they be consumed? Could a sahuagin champion follow Sha’argon’s path to divinity by somehow devouring the essence of an overlord, thus taking its spirit and strength? This goal could bring sahuagin agents to the surface if they determine the most vulnerable overlords are imprisoned on land. This is no simple task; it could require eldritch machines, planar alignments, and a particular unfolding of the Prophecy. Rak Tulkhesh is bound to multiple shards; perhaps the sahuagin have found a way to consume these one at a time, and now seek each shard. What will happen if a sahuagin champion completes this ascension? The Conquest of the Planes. The kar’lassa give the Eternal Dominion a foothold in eight planes, and they’ve been learning new ways to exploit this over the last century. Now, some among the Ta’har wonder if they could expand their influence, using the kar’lassa as an anchor from which to conquer a layer of a plane. This idea is unprecedented—is it even possible? Success could depend on recovering artifacts created by the Cul’sir giants during their war against the quori, and the sahuagin would need a way to bind the immortal spirits of that plane. Which plane will they try to conquer? What would happen to Eberron if they succeeded? Strange Trade. A group of adventurers could accompany a Bombardier delegation sent to Hal’syri to negotiate for Siberys shards. Or they could be sent to the ocean floor in search of kar’lassa blood or forgotten relics from ancient ruins. Deadly Shortcuts. A vessel could run afoul of Dominion forces when it strays into forbidden territory, adventurers finding themselves bound for Hal’shavar, compelled to battle in the great arena. Or perhaps a dragonmarked heir could change their fate, bargaining with the sea devils and initiating an alliance with their house. The Rôdeur dans l'Ombre. The schemes of the Lords of Dust threaten all people. When aboleths serving the Rôdeur dans l'Ombre threaten a coastal community, the adventurers could end up working alongside Dominion champions to fight the archfiend. Perhaps an aboleth uses sahuagin thralls to try to start war between the surface and the sea; can the adventurers expose the plot? Locathah Rising. The locathah were conquered long ago, and toil as subjects of the Eternal Dominion. But a resistance could be forming within the locathah, drawing adventurers into the conflict. Some locathah may possess the gift of lucid dreaming, allowing them to meet secretly within the dreams of the kar’lassa; they have no weapons in the waking world, but they could be building schemes and supplies in their dreams. Look beneath the waves, and you’ll fi nd a vast and ancient world, filled with secrets unknown to those who can breathe only air. Thousands of years of history are buried beneath the Thunder Sea. Kingdoms have risen and fallen there. Great wars have been fought between the sahuagin and aboleth slavers, between merfolk nomads and the Lords of Dust. Pirates and merchants battle sahuagin at the frontier between air and water, never dreaming of the mysteries that lie below. The sahuagin are a powerful and sophisticated race. They are stronger, faster, and smarter than humans, with armored skin and a deadly bite. The sahuagin have a clan-based society, and they fight one another with the same zeal they devote to raiding surface vessels and fishing villages. So far, these internal struggles have kept the sahuagin from mounting a unified assault on the surface world. Sahuagin can be found in all ten seas of Eberron, but they are most common in the Thunder Sea and the Barren Sea. For centuries, they were implacably hostile, but over time the scholars and sages of Galifar and Zilargo were able to establish diplomatic contact with a number of sahuagin nobles. For the last two centuries, captains planning to travel across the Thunder Sea have made arrangements with the sahuagin, paying for peaceful passage and for aquatic guides to help ships navigate the dangers of Shargon’s Teeth. Today, sahuagin guides can be found in all the great port cities of southern Khorvaire. In the Cliffside district of Sharn, sahuagin curses have even found their way into everyday speech. Due to the confl icts between clans, having a sahuagin guide is not a foolproof shield against attack. A vessel must adhere to the territory of its guide’s clan, and even then it might run afoul of a raiding party from a neighboring clan. Defeating such raiders won’t invite retaliation, but fi ghting a clan in its own waters usually results in redoubled attacks as the sea devils seek to bring down their prey. Old sailors tell tales of legions of sharks led by sahuagin priestesses riding dragon eels. If caught up in such an action, a ship’s only hope is to cross into the territory of an opposing clan. Adventurers in an appropriate port city can locate a sahuagin guide with a successful DC 15 Profession (sailor) check, DC 20 Knowledge (local) check, or DC 20 Gather Information check. It is also possible to negotiate with the sea devils on the open water. The Windwrights Guild has a few established points where a captain can drop anchor and drop a carved signal stone overboard to call a guide from the depths. In either case, the standard price for hiring a guide is 1% of the value of the ship itself (100 gp for a standard sailing ship). Many captains offer greater rewards in the hope of buying greater loyalty. On occasion, sahuagin have helped sailors battle threats from the deep. The prices for individual transport noted on the facing page already include the cost for a vessel’s captain to deal with the sahuagin. SAHUAGIN ENCOUNTERS The sea devils are fearsome predators, able to bring martial prowess and magical might to bear on their enemies. However, not every encounter with the sahuagin has to be a battle. Unsavory Appetites: One of the rituals of the sahuagin religion involves consuming a fallen foe to gain his strength and power. Some sages claim that this process is more than just ceremony, however, and that creatures such as the four-armed mutant sahuagin and the malenti are the result of this rite. Either while at sea or in Stormreach, the party is approached by a sahuagin priestess. She wants the PCs to go inland and capture an exotic monster that can be found only in Xen’drik—a creature that lives too far inland for her warriors to hunt. She pays handsomely for a live specimen and might hire the party to hunt additional beasts. But what horrors might these creatures produce when consumed by sahuagin warriors? The Festival: The party is approaching a small port village by boat when someone catches a fl ash of motion in the water. A dozen sahuagin rangers rise from the sea, along with a priestess and a four-armed wizard. This clan has a long-standing pact with the villagers concerning fishing rights and the worship of the Devourer, and this delegation has arrived for the annual rituals. Will the PCs seek to defend the village before learning the truth? How will clerics react to humans who follow the Devourer? The Words of the Devourer: The deep water of the Thunder Sea holds uncounted secrets. As the party’s ship approaches Shargon’s Teeth, a sahuagin ranger clambers up the hull and onto the deck. He holds a sphere of stone engraved with intricate writing, which he hands to the party. A successful DC 25 Decipher Script check reveals that it is a prophecy—an ancient inscription that clearly indicates the date, the ship, and one of the PCs. The ranger insists that the chosen PC accompany him to a temple deep beneath the waves. A struggle lies ahead, and the character must receive the blessing of the elders if any of the party are to survive. Is it a hoax, or is danger truly coming? Has a rakshasa rajah been released from bondage, or does the prophecy foretell an alliance of aboleths or some dark plan of the daelkyr? And what wonders will the characters see in the city beneath the waves?