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AURUM CAMPAIGN THEMES
It's easy to introduce the Aurum to the characters early
in a campaign. Its members are public figures, some
times eccentric but not necessarily evil. A Concordian
could hire the adventurers to solve a mystery or to ac
quire a harmless curio. A Concordian could be tied to
the party's group patron (see ch.apter 1)-the owner of
the newspaper, a major donor to the university, or the
power behind a criminal syndicate.
Alternatively, an Aurum Concordian can be a be
hind-the-scenes villain: low-level adventurers could
clash with the Concordian's hired goons as they pur
sue the same treasure, or the adventurers could be
trying to solve a mystery the thugs are covering up. As
the campaign progresses, the characters might face
higher-ranking members of the Aurum, or recurring
mercenaries who are increasing in power and status at
the same rate they are.
Whether they interact with the Aurum as ally or en
emy, at some point the adventurers might well realize
that the Concordians aren't just greedy plutocrats, but
participants in an international conspiracy. The Aurum's
arc in the campaign might climax with the characters
learning of the Shadow Cabinet and thwarting one of its
grand schemes.AURUM MISSIONS
The Aurum Missions table suggests a variety of assign
ments that adventurers might be asked to undertake on
behalf of the Au rum or one of its members, whether or
not they're aware of their patron's affiliation.AURUM MISSIONS
d6 Mission
Retrieve a journal from a ship that sailed to Xen'drik
and never returned.
2 Locate the grave of a certain dragonmarked scion,
and retrieve the signet buried with them.
3 Make friends with a scholar at the local university and
learn their vices.
4 Recover a trove of art, artifacts, or recorded
knowledge that was thought lost in a battle during the
Last War.
S Capture an officer from a rival nation's army, or con
vince the officer to defect, to gain access to their spe
cialized knowledge.
6 Sabotage the negotiations between a dragonmarked
house and the local government on a plan that will
undermine the Aurum's status.CHAPTER 4 I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURESCults of the Dragon Below
The Cults of the Dragon Below are made up of people fa
natically devoted to the daelkyr or the fiendish overlords
(both described in chapter 6). Though some choose
this path, most are drawn to it by strange visions and
corrupting madness. Like weeds breaking through the
foundation of Khorvaire, Cults of the Dragon Below can
spring up anywhere, at any time.
Unlike other organizations with global reach, the
cults have no organizing structure or principle. They
are an infection inflicted on the world without reason.
"Cult of the Dragon Below" is a term that outsiders
use to describe any sect devoted to the daelkyr or the
overlords. Each cult pursues its own mad schemes, tied
to its dark patron. Even cults associated with the same
master might not recognize one another as allies. You
can roll on the Cult of the Dragon Below table to get a
quick description of a cult, or you can create something
entirely new. Whatever purpose cultists find or create
for themselves from their twisted devotions, they pursue
it with fanaticism. Even the most urbane and cultured
cult leaders are unwavering in their convictions, entirely
sure that their beliefs are good, true, and just.CULTS OF THE DRAGON BELOW
d8 Cult
A cult of Belashyrra murders innocents and steals
their eyes, magically preserving the image of the last
thing the eyes beheld. The cultists collect the eyes in
a deep vault, while new eyes grow in strange places
on their own bodies.
2 A cult of Dyrrn the Corrupter seeks to transcend hu
manity by bonding with aberrations and symbionts.
3 A cult of Kyrzin, the daelkyr Prince of Slime, keeps a
gibbering mouther in the basement and feeds their
elders to this creature, believing their voices can still
be heard in the whispers of the beast.
4 A cult of Rak Tulkhesh believes that this life is only a
stepping stone, and members earn a path to paradise
by spilling blood and spreading strife.
S A cult of Belashyrra serves a beholder messiah, be
lieving that only the eye tyrant has the vision to lead
them to a golden age.(^6) A cult of Dyrrn led by a mind flayer kidnaps people
with dragonmarks, seeking to decipher the marks and
transfer them to others.
7 An arcane think tank has become a cult of Sul
Khatesh; the members believe they can heal the dam
age of the Mourning, but the eldritch machine they
are building will surely cause more horror.
8 A cult of Rak Tulkhesh has sprung up among a local
militia. Its members are convinced that refugees from
the war are secretly inhuman monsters, and must be
destroyed.