Eberron - Rising from the Last War

Humans

DWARVES ARE STOIC. ELVES ARE WISE. GNOMES ARE

cunning. And humans? They can't make up their mind, so

they try to be all of these things at once.

-Kessler, bard of Sham

The first human settlers came to Khorvaire about
3,000 years ago, landing in the area now known as the
Lhazaar Principalities. From there, they began a slow
but inexorable spread across the continent, disrupting
the placid elven empire of Aerenal and leaving further
ruined remnants of fallen Dhakaani goblin kingdoms
in their wake. During this migration, they fo unded the
settlements that would grow into the Five Nations. Even
today humans make up the majority of the population
in these countries. Despite their relatively short lifes­
pans-or perhaps because of them-humans are inno­
vative, adaptable, and aggressive, always pushing their
limits and pursuing new ideas.
Humans prove extremely diverse; a barbarian from
the Demon Wastes has little in common with a Brelish
rogue. When creating a human character, consider
where you're from and how that's reflected in your class
and background. Chapter 2 presents an overview of
the nations of Khorvaire and ideas for characters tied
to those lands. Aundair is a logical place of origin for a
wizard character, but your wizard could be a down-and­
out arcanist from the alleys of Sham or a Lhazaar pirate
with a knack for the mystic arts.
If you want to jump-start your ideas for a human char­
acter's origins, you can roll on the Human Origins table.

HUMAN ORIGINS

dlO Origin

An impoverished wizard from Aundair, striving to

prove you're as intelligent as any other Aundairian

2 A streetwise rogue from Breland who wants nothing

more than to escape the bustle of Sham forever

3 A displaced Cyran fighter who was engaged in war

outside Cyre at the time of the Mourning and is now

stranded with no home

4 A barbarian from the Demon Wastes who repented

from a life of cruelty and hopes to atone for past evils

5 A kindly druid from the Eldeen Reaches who wants

to learn about the flora and fa una of the rest of Khor­

vaire and beyond

(^6) A cleric from Karrnath who aspires to learn the arts of
necromancy-for the noblest aims, of course
7 A piratical bard from the Lhazaar Principalities who
loves sea shanties but also wants to immortalize the
deeds of great heroes in song
8 A ranger trained to hunt the jungles of Q'barra who
harbors a grudge against dragons
9 A warlock from the Shadow Marches, teetering on the
edge of sanity while contemplating the daelkyr
(^10) A Thrane paladin of the Silver Flame who's looking for
something to prove the truth underpinning belief
HUMANS AND DRAGONMARKS
Five different dragonmarks appear among humans,
reflecting their dominant status among the races of
Khorvaire:

• The Mark of Making is fo und in House Cannith,
  which has used it to become one of the most powerful
  houses, creating an abundance of both magical and
  technological wonders.


• The Mark of Passage aids the humans of House Orien
  in operating the lightning rail and trade caravans run­
  ning across the continent.


• The Mark of Sentinel makes the bodyguards, mer­
  cenaries, and Sentinel Marshals of House Deneith
  widely respected across Khorvaire.


• The Mark of Handling appears in House Vada­
  lis, which uses it to breed fine mounts and other
  creatures.
  Humans also number among House Tharashk and
  manifest the Mark of Finding with their half-ore kin.

KALASHTAR

I AM KALASHTAR, BORN OF TWO WORLDS. OVER A

thousand yea rs ago, my ancestor bound her bloodline to

the spirit Kashtai, and I am a child of that union. Kashtai

moves within me. Her memories come to me in dreams,

and at times her voice whispers in the silence of my mind.

As long as at least one of my sisters is alive, Kashtai will sur­

vive-and as long as she lives, she will fight il-Lashtavar.

-Lakashtai, servant of the light

The kalashtar are a compound people, created from the

union of humanity and renegade spirits from the plane

of dreams-spirits called quori. Kalashtar are often

seen as wise, spiritual people with great compassion

for others. There is an unmistakable alien quality to the

kalashtar, though, as they are haunted by the conflicts of

their otherworldly spirits.

BOUND TO SPIRITS

Every kalashtar has a connection to a spirit of light, a

bond shared by other members of their bloodline. Ka­

lashtar appear human, but their spiritual connection af­

fects them in a variety of ways. Kalashtar have symmet­

rical, slightly angular features, and their eyes often glow

when they are focused or expressing strong emotions.

Kalashtar can't directly communicate with their quori

spirits. Rather, they might experience this relationship

as a sense of instinct and inspiration, drawing on the

memories of the spirit when they dream. This connec­

tion grants kalashtar minor psionic abilities, as well

as protection from psychic attacks. All of these quori

dream-spirits are virtuous, but some are warriors and

others are more contemplative. Work together with the

DM to determine the nature of your linked spirit. Ty p­

ically, a kalashtar knows the name and nature of their

spirit, but some may know nothing of their spirit or the

source of their psychic gifts, such as an orphan kalashtar

raised among strangers.

CHAPTER 1 I CHARACTER CREATION

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