Eberron - Rising from the Last War

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.