Eberron - Rising from the Last War

THE KORRANBERG

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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