Eberron Rising From the Last War

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

r24


The Shadow Marches aren't a nation. No one voice
speaks for the clans and tribes, and most of the tribes
have no interest in dealing with outsiders. House Tha­
rashk is the largest faction in the region, and their city of
Zarash'ak is the center for commerce.
House Tharashk is the main point of contact between
the Shadow Marches and the outside world. Tharashk
aside, the region remains a collection of tribes and cult­
ists following their ancient traditions in the shadows of
the swamps.

INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THE
SHADOW MARCHES


  • The untamed Shadow Marches are filled with mys­
    teries. Relics of the daelkyr rest undisturbed in the
    depths of the swamps, along with foul monsters and
    druidic shrines.
    The Marches are the birthplace of the druidic tradi­
    tion of the Gatekeepers. Long ago, this sect defeated
    the vile daelkyr; today, its last champions continue to
    protect Eberron from aberrations and other extrapla­
    nar threats.

  • Even in defeat, the daelkyr sowed seeds of madness in
    the Marches. Followers of the Cults of the Dragon Be­
    low remain scattered across the region. Some of these
    cults work with mind flayers and other aberrations.
    Others have no evil intent but are driven by dangerous
    delusions.


MARCHER CHARACTERS
As you develop a Marcher character or NPC, consider
the following:
The Mark of Finding. An alliance of Marcher clans
formed House Tharashk, but not all those who car­
ried the mark chose to join this house. As a half-ore
with the Mark of Finding, you could be a child of the
Marches with a strong tie to the house, or you could
be a scion of a small tribe of hunters, proud of your in­
dependence and suspicious of the houses. Your ties to
the Marches might be distant because you were born
to a family that left years ago. Do you want to redis­
cover your ancestral roots?
Madness and Mysticism. Most Marchers have a mysti­
cal view of the world, beliefs shaped by the traditions
of the Gatekeepers and the madness of the daelkyr.
Marchers typically feel that the people of the treaty
nations are blinded by their civilized ways. You have
heard the truth in the voices of croaking frogs and
seen it in the shadows shifting on the water. Whether
you're loyal to the Gatekeepers, the Sovereign Host, or
the Dragon Below, superstitions inform your path.
Clan or Tribe? The people of the Shadow Marches are
split into two distinct cultures. The clans blend the tra­
ditions of human and ore, building towns and working
with steel. If you were raised in one of the clans, the
ways of civilization aren't that strange to you; you've
seen the city of Zarash'ak and worked with House
Tharashk. By contrast, the Marcher tribes main-
tain traditions that predate humanity. As nomadic

CHAPTER 2 I KHORVAIRE GAZETTEER

hunter-gatherers, they don't work metals; they make
their tools from stone, hide, wood, and bone. If your
character is from one of the Marcher tribes, you might
be the first of your people to leave the swamps. Why
have you left your people, and how are you adapting to
this new world?

CITIES AND SITES
The clans of the Shadow Marches primarily live in small
towns and villages, their huts raised above the swamps
on stilts. The Shadow Marches contain many manifest
zones tied to Xoriat and Kythri (see chapter 4 for de­
scriptions of both), the planes of madness and chaos.
Time moves strangely in places in the deep swamps,
which twists mundane beasts and plants into strange
shapes. Daelkyr ruins linger in these areas, remnants of
the ancient war against the goblins and ores that once
dominated Khorvaire.

DRAGONSHARD FIELDS
The Shadow Marches hold deposits of Eberron dragon­
shards, the source of House Tharashk's wealth. These
fields aren't as rich as those in Q'barra, but there's gold
to be made by those willing to hunt for shards in the
dangerous swamps.

VVARAAK'S CAVE
The green dragon Vvaraak is said to have taught the
secrets of druidic magic to the first Gatekeepers thou­
sands of years ago. Though Vvaraak is long dead, ru­
mors say that her hidden lair holds secrets tied to the
Draconic Prophecy and the mysteries of druidic magic.

ZARASH'AK
Because overland travel through Droaam or the Eldeen
Reaches can be extremely dangerous, most people who
need to do business in the Marches travel by ship to the
port city of Zarash'ak. Built on stilts and known for its
cuisine and music, Zarash'ak offers the rare exports of
the land without the difficulty of navigating the swamps.
House Tharashk oversees the City of Stilts, but Marcher
clans and tribes come here to sell crafts and other goods
or to celebrate religious rituals.

AFTERMATH OF THE LAST WAR
The Shadow Marches aren't a nation, and the region
wasn't recognized by the Treaty of Thronehold. Most
Marchers have little interest in the outside world.
Marcher tribes don't know the names or number of the
nations beyond the swamps, let alone that they were
at war. However, as House Tharashk gains power and
influence in the world beyond the swamps, it has in­
creased its presence in its homeland. The house has
expanded Zarash'ak dramatically over the last decade
and is working on transforming other towns into cities.
This has caused tension with a number of tribes. And
House Tharashk's mining operations and its urban
expansion always run the risk of disrupting Gatekeeper
seals and unleashing ancient evils bound beneath
the Marches.
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