Eberron - Rising from the Last War

(Joyce) #1
THE KORRANBERG

CM�ON�CL(


DESCENT INTO


DROAAM: MY


TRAIL TO TERROR


We're all going to die. That thought echoed through my
mind as the wagon carried us toward the Great Crag.
The diplomats around me intended to speak with the
Daughters of Sora Kell. All I could think about was the
stories my grandmother used to tell me. Sora Maenya can
crush a giant with her bare hands. She can eat the whole creature
and still be hungry. If you're bad, she'll come in the night and
carry you away. She'll make a lantern of your skull and torment
you until the end of time. And she's the least frightening
member of the Daughters of Sora Kell!
When I could set aside my sheer terror, I was learning
a great deal about this strange nation. The Daughters in­
vested power in warlords, each of whom rules a territory
in their name. It's sort of like Karmath, except each of
the warlords of Droaam is a horrifying monster. We were
traveling through the territory of the Prince of Bones,
an ancient troll said to be too evil to die. We'd already
passed through the domain of Queen Sheska the me­
dusa, where even the trees are turning to stone. Harpies.
Gargoyles. There's even a king of the kobolds. Our car­
avan was being protected by gnolls. Not protected from
gnolls, protected by gnolls. I thought things couldn't get
any stranger. I couldn't have been more wrong. ...

ELDEEN REACHES

Capital: Greenheart
Hallmarks: Agriculture, animal husbandry,
druidic magic
A stretch of fertile farmlands borders a vast, untamed
forest. Farmers tend the fields, while tribes of shifters
and circles of druids and rangers roam through the
woods. These are the Eldeen Reaches.
Druids and shifters dwelled in the Towering Wood
for thousands of years, but the eastern farmlands of the
Reaches were part of Aundair until the Last War. The
lords of Aundair focused their resources on the war ef­
fort, ignoring banditry and other problems faced by the
farmers of the east. The Wardens of the Wood-largest
of the druid sects-came to the aid of these farmers.
Fifty years ago, the people of eastern Aundair seceded
and formed the Eldeen Reaches. The Treaty of Throne­
hold recognized the Reaches as a nation, but its citizens
fear Aundair will try to reclaim the region.
Druidic magic is central to life in the Eldeen Reaches.
Its people seek to live in harmony with the natural
world, and each community has a druidic advisor
who helps with planning and planting. The Towering
Wood is also home to tribes of shifters, who maintain


a nomadic existence. The Wardens of the Wood uphold
order and settle disputes, and the Great Druid Oal­
ian-an awakened greatpine-is the spiritual leader of
the Reaches.

INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THE
ELDEEN REACHES


  • The Towering Wood is vast and untamed. The
    Wardens of the Wood seek to protect travelers, but
    swathes of forest remain entirely untouched by human
    or shifter. Such areas could hold giant beasts never
    seen in the outside world, or relics from a previous
    age-artifacts or ruins created by demons or the terri­
    fying daelkyr.

  • The fey have a strong presence in the Towering Wood.
    Even outside the fey stronghold of the Twilight De­
    mesne, manifest zones tied to Thelanis (see chapter 4)
    allow passage between worlds. The Eldeen Reaches
    are a logical origin for a character with ties to the fey.

  • Druidic magic is a vital tool in the Eldeen Reaches.
    Residents use animal messengers to carry commu­
    nications between villages, and beasts perform vital
    services. Good berry wine takes the place of House
    Vadalis healing. Communities include awakened ani­
    mals and plants as members.


ELDEEN CHARACTERS
When creating an Eldeen character or NPC, consider
the following:
Farm or Forest? Did you grow up on one of the farms of
the eastern Reaches, or did you spend your childhood
in the Towering Wood? Are you comfortable in build­
ings, or do you prefer the open air? As a child of the
forest, you might take the outlander background, or
perhaps you became a folk hero by defending farmers
from bandits and beasts.
Natural Magic. Druidic traditions play an important
role in Eldeen society. If you're a druid or ranger, are
you a stoic Warden of the Wood or a grim Child of
Winter? Even if you're not a spellcaster, the Magic Ini­
tiate feat can provide you with a few spells to reflect a
basic initiation into the druidic mysteries.
A Land with No Lords. The Reachers are fiercely inde­
pendent. They broke with Aundair, and they bow to
no monarch. The folk of the Reaches value talent over
titles. The Eldeen people respect the guidance of the
druids, but they all work together to solve their prob­
lems; no one gives orders to a Reacher.

CHAPTER (^2) I KHORVAIRE GAZE'ITEER IIS

Free download pdf