Eberron - Rising from the Last War

(Joyce) #1

6


THE FIVE NATIONS
In the modern age, the greatest power was the king­
dom of Galifar, which covered most of the continent
of Khorvaire. The Five Nations-Aundair, Breland,
Karrnath, Thrane, and Cyre-formed the heart of the
kingdom. Although each has a unique cultural identity,
they share this unified foundat�on. Families are spread
across the Five Nations; the rulers of the Five Nations
descend from the Wynarns, the royal bloodline of Gal­
ifar. Despite their differences, an Aundairian has more
in common with a Thrane than with a Zil gnome or a
Lhazaar pirate.
A century ago Galifar collapsed into civil war, and the
Five Nations became separate countries at odds with
their neighbors. The Last War came to an end after Cyre
was destroyed in a cataclysm known as the Mourning.
The Five Nations remain divided today, sharing Khor­
vaire with the new nations established by the Treaty of
Thronehold. The remaining Five Nations remain the
largest and most powerful countries in Khorvaire.

THE TREATY OF 'THRONEHOLD
The Treaty of Thronehold officially ended the Last War.
The treaty recognized the following nations as sover­
eign states: Aundair, Breland, Darguun, the Eldeen
Reaches, Karrnath, the Lhazaar Principalities, the Mror
Holds, Q'barra, the Talenta Plains, Thrane, Valenar, and
Zilargo. These nations abide by a common set of laws
and maintain diplomatic relations. The Demon Wastes
and Shadow Marches regions have no unified govern­
ment. Droaam has declared itself a nation but has yet to
be recognized by the treaty nations.

LIFE IN KHORVAIRE
Although Eberron is a vast world with many continents
and cultures, your adventures begin in the land of Khor­
vaire. Here are a few details about everyday life there.

LANGUAGES
In Eberron, languages reflect culture and geography; a
dwarf raised in Breland might not know Dwarvish, but
a halfling raised in the Mror Holds might. The historical
development of languages and cultures also explains
the scripts used to write various languages. For exam­
ple, the Ore language is written using the Goblin script
(rather than Dwarvish, as stated in the Player's Hand­
book), because the ores of Khorvaire learned writing
from the goblins.
Common is the language of the Five Nations and the
language of trade in Khorvaire, known by most of its
people. Goblin was the trade language of the goblin em­
pire of Dhakaan and survives as the primary language
in Darguun, Droaam, and the Shadow Marches. Goblin
displaced the Ore language; the people of the Shadow
Marches typically speak Goblin, and Ore is an exotic
language (see the Exotic Languages of Eberron table).
Members of all races in Xen'drik speak Giant and use it
as their trade language. Abyssal is the common tongue
of all fiends. Abyssal is sometimes called "Khyber's
Speech," while Celestial is "the tongue of Siberys."

WELCOME TO EBERRON

With the DM's approval, you can exchange a language
granted by your race for a different language from the
Standard Languages of Eberron table. If your halfling
was raised in the Mror Holds, you might replace
Halfling with Dwarvish to reflect that background. The
DM may change the languages assigned to a monster
or NPC. An ogre from Droaam likely speaks Goblin in­
stead of Giant.

STANDARD LANGUAGES OF EBERRON
Language Main Speakers Script
Common The Five Nations, trade Common
language of Khorvaire
Dwarvish Mror Holds Dwarvish
Elvish Aerenal, Valenar Elvish
Giant Inhabitants ofXen'drik Giant
Gnomish Zilargo Dwarvish
Goblin Darguun, Droaam, Shadow Goblin
Marches, monsters of Khorvaire
Halfl ing Talenta Plains Common
Riedran People of Sarlona Common

EXOTIC LANGUAGES OF EBERRON
Language Main Speakers Script
Celestial Celestials Celestial
Daelkyr Aberrations, denizens of Khyber Daelkyr
Draconic Dragons, dragonborn Draconic
Infernal Fiends Infe rnal
Ore Isolated ore tribes Goblin
Primordial Elementals Primordial
Quori Inspired, kalashtar, quori Quori
Sylvan Fey creatures Elvish

NAMES AND SURNAMES
The naming conventions among the people of Khorvaire
tend to follow language, rather than being linked to race.
A Brelish dwarf who doesn't speak Dwarvish might also
carry a name with a human origin rather than a tradi­
tional Dwarvish name.
Most citizens of Khorvaire have a given name followed
by a surname. A surname associated with the Common
language is usually either a family name or related to an
occupation or region of origin. So Sorn Fellhorn, Kara
of Windshire, and Tellan Magewright are all names you
might find among the common folk.
The noble families of Galifar-along with those
granted land and titles by one of the sovereigns of the
Five Nations-add the prefix ir' to their surname. The
name Darro ir'Lain tells you that this individual is a
landed noble. The Wynarns were the royal line of Gal­
ifar, and the current rulers of Aundair, Breland, and
Karrnath are all heirs of the Wynarn bloodline. Thus,
Queen Aurala of Aundair is Aurala ir'Wynarn.
Another common prefix is d', used by any heir of a
dragonmarked house who has manifested a dragon­
mark. So Merrix d'Cannith is a member of House Can­
nith who has manifested the Mark of Making.
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