Eberron - Rising from the Last War

(Jeff_L) #1
MAP 2.3: CONTINENT OF XEN'ORIK

Sovereigns, and in gratitude Aureon granted them do­
minion over the continent of Xen'drik. Aureon taught
giants the secrets of wizardry, and they grew powerful.
The giants built towers that touched the sky and seem­
ingly endless cities.
The mightiest among the giants was the titan Cul'sir.
His power was so great that he pulled the thirteenth
moon from the sky and crushed it in a fit of anger. The
giants ruled many lesser races, and eventually the elves
rose up against them. Cul'sir unleashed plagues upon
the rebellious elves. He made assassins of elven shad­
ows and turned them back against their owners. Still
the rebels persisted. In his anger, Cul'sir prepared to
pull down the rest of the moons to hurl them at his ene­
mies, even though he'd destroy the world in doing it. But
the giants had gone too far, and Aureon set the dragons
of Argonnessen upon them. The dragons destroyed the
vast cities and leveled the towers. Cul'sir was slain and
his people scattered.
The Sovereigns and Six each laid a curse upon the
land. Aureon decreed that the creatures of Xen'drik
would have no knowledge of law, and Boldrei pro­
claimed that no city would stand. The Traveler distorted
the land so that no path followed twice. The Devourer
unleashed fire and storm. And so Xen'drik remains a
land of mystery, a realm that cannot be mapped, a place
that holds secrets that could shatter the world.


This story bears at least some truth. The elves were
once slaves of the ancient giants, and the dragons did
eradicate the civilizations of Xen'drik. Great magic has
warped the land. The environments of Xen'drik are ex­
treme and unpredictable, and travelers might find a gla­
cial expanse in the midst of a vast desert. Tens of thou­
sands of years have passed, yet no civilization has risen
to the heights of the fallen giants; some believe that
Aureon's and Boldrei's curses ensure that any city that
grows too large collapses into madness. The Traveler's
Curse twists space, and explorers might follow the same
path twice only to end up in entirely different locations.
Xen'drik is a continent that defies control. Expeditions
have unearthed artifacts of immense power, as well as
fields of Siberys dragonshards (see chapter 5), but once
you leave a site, you might never find it again.
Giants still roam Xen'drik, but these creatures have
never regained the glory of their ancestors. Tribes of
drow-said to be the shadow-assassins created by the
Emperor Cul'sir-linger in the darkness. These repre­
sent just a few of the threats in this vast land.

NOTABLE LOCATIONS
Many ports dot the coast of Xen'drik. In addition to the
treasures of the giants, Xen'drik is a source of Siberys
dragonshards and other exotic resources. Scholars and
merchants come to Xen'drik on business, smugglers

CHAPTER 2 / KHORVAIRE GAZETTEER

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