CHAPTER 3 | DWARVES 75life entirely in the moment, with no care for your
family or your legacy. Nonetheless, you may
have outlived many human friends; how does
\PI\IٺMK\aW]',QLaW]SVW_\PMXIZMV[WZ
OZIVLXIZMV[WNIVW\PMZUMUJMZWN\PMXIZ\a°
and if so, might you be trying to repay a debt to
that long-dead friend? Do you remember a time
JMNWZM\PM4I[\?IZ',QLaW]ÅOP\QV\PM_IZ
and if so, for which side?
THE DROW OF EBERRON
During the ancient war between giants of
Xen’drik and their elf slaves, the magebreeders
of the giants bound the essence of shadows into
\PMTWaITMT^M[<PM[MMZM\PMÅZ[\LZWI[[I[[QV
JZML\WÅOP\XZMaWV\PMQZ[]VTQ\SQV<PMLZW_
were made to kill elves, and while thousands
of years have passed, a deep enmity remains
between them.
The drow remained on Xen’drik and were
caught in the collapse of its civilizations. Today
they linger in the shadows of Xen’drik and
are all but unknown on Khorvaire. There are
three distinct drow cultures. The Vulkoori
are tribal hunters who worship totem spirits,
especially the scorpion Vulkoor. They hunt
giants and may threaten anyone who travels in
the shattered land. The Sulatar live in obsidian
KQ\QM[IVL_QMTLXW_MZN]TÅZMUIOQK#\PMa[MMS
\WWVMLIa]VTMI[PÅZMIKZW[[\PM_WZTL)VL
the Umbragen live in the underworld below
Xen’drik, wielding sophisticated shadow magics
as they battle against aberrations and the daelkyr.
Most of the people of Khorvaire have never
seen a drow, and you likely know little about the
Five Nations. As a drow PC, are you a Vulkoori
hunter who somehow made your way to
3PWZ^IQZM ̧IXZQUQ\Q^M_IZZQWZÅVLQVOaW]Z_Ia
in this strange new world? Are you an Umbragen
shadow-wielder seeking powers that can help
your people in their endless war? Or a Sulatar
ÅZMJQVLMZX]Z[]QVOIXMZ[WVITXI\P\WOTWZa'
Do you despise elves you encounter and seek out
KWVÆQK\WZIZMaW]_QTTQVO\WNWZOM\\PMIVKQMV\
war between your people?
ÊÙ½½ÊÄÄ>ʽã«
7KHHOYHVRI(EHUURQZHUHQ·WFUHDWHGE\WKH
gods you may know from other settings. In
Eberron, the Sulat Giants created the drow
DVDZHDSRQWRÀJKWWKHUHEHOOLRXVHOYHV
there is a lingering enmity between drow
DQGHOIEXWLW·VQRWGULYHQE\WKHLQÁXHQFH
of Lolth. Meanwhile, the elves revere their
ancestors—many of whom still linger and
guide them—as opposed to distant gods.
This is an opportunity to explore these
traditional races in a new light. However, if
you want to incorporate Corellon and Lolth,
WKHUH·VDIHZZD\VWRGRLW2QHSRVVLELOLW\
is that Eberron was created as a copy of
the distant realms of the multiverse, hidden
DZD\WRSUHYHQWWKHJRGVIURPLQÁXHQFLQJ
it. As such, while the drow of Eberron have
no knowledge of Lolth, if she found her way
through the Ring of Siberys and into Eberron,
she might be able to poison their hearts and
turn them to her service.
Alternately, you could present both
Corellon and Lolth as legendary champions
from the past. Corellon could be one of the
great heroes and patron ancestors of the
Valenar, or one of the leaders of the Undying
&RXUW ZKLOH/ROWKFRXOGEHWKHOHJHQGDU\ÀUVW
commander of the drow, whose spirit lingers
and hungers for revenge.
8OWLPDWHO\LW·VDTXHVWLRQRIWKHVWRU\\RX
want to tell. Do you want to preserve the
unique cultures of Eberron? Incorporate
Corellon and Lolth into those cultures
organically? Or explore the idea of these
powers just discovering Eberron and
awakening hidden memories in the blood of
elf and drow?ELVES AND DRAGONMARKS
The elven houses of Phiarlan and Thuranni carry
the Mark of Shadow. They control the business
of espionage throughout Khorvaire, but they
also operate more legitimate businesses related to
art and entertainment. Once they were a single
house, but they split during the Last War; now
they are ruthless competitors in both espionage
and entertainment.