34 CHAPTER 2 | THE SHADOW MARCHES
The Shadow Marches ...............................................
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Noted for Eberron dragonshards, herbsWhen most people think of the Shadow
Marches, they imagine a fetid backwater where
illiterate humans mingle with orcs and other foul
creatures, practicing strange rites by the light of
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inaccurate. The Shadow Marches are a desolate
land of swamps and moors. The homeland of the
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and aberrations in the swamps, and sowed seeds
of madness that linger to this day. There are
indeed moonlit rituals in the Marches: some to
honor the daelkyr, others to maintain the wards
that keep them trapped in Khyber. Humans
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a war in the distant land of Sarlona. Over time
the two cultures merged, forming the Marches as
they exist today.
The Marches had little contact with Galifar or
the east until a few hundred years ago, when a
House Sivis expedition made two discoveries: the
region contained valuable dragonshards, and a
number of clans had manifested the Dragonmark
of Finding. This led to the foundation of House
Tharashk, as these clans joined together to
master the economic potential of their mark and
leverage their mineral wealth.
The Shadow Marches aren’t a nation. No one
voice speaks for the clans and tribes, and most
of the tribes have no interest in dealing with
outsiders. House Tharashk is the largest faction
in the region, and their city of Zarash’ak is the
center for commerce.
House Tharashk is the main point of contact
between the Shadow Marches and the outside
world. Tharashk aside, it remains a collection
of tribes and cultists following their ancient
traditions in the shadows of the swamps.INTERESTING THINGS
ABOUT THE MARCHES
- The Gatekeepers are a druidic tradition
that began in the Shadow Marches. The
defeated the daelkyr in the past, and
they are sworn to protect Eberron from
unnatural and extraplanar threats. - The Cults of the Dragon Below are wildly
diverse, and often driven by madness.
Many worship daelkyr or have ties to
aberrations.
MARCHER CHARACTERS
As a character from the Shadow Marches,
you could choose to carry the Mark of Finding
regardless of whether you have ties to House
Tharashk.
As a Marcher, a critical question is whether
you have ties to one of the orc tribes or the
integrated clans.
The Clans blend the traditions of human and
orc, building towns and working with steel. They
still rely on skilled hunters, and they have their
own unique traditions of art and music. Rangers,
rogues, and bards all have a place in the clans,
and there are gatekeeper druids among them.
Some in the clans worship a limited form of the
Sovereign Host focused on Balinor, Boldrei, and
Arawai; this is a sound path for a Nature cleric.
The Tribes maintain traditions that
predate humanity. They’re nomadic hunter-
gatherers, and don’t work metals; they make
their tools from stone, hide, wood, and bone.
Tribal Marchers are mostly orcs, but there
are a few humans and half-orcs among them.
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hunters with a close bond to the natural world;
barbarians, druids, and rangers all have a place
here. Outlander and hermit are both appropriate
backgrounds for a tribal Marcher.