# Eberron Setting Primer
Welcome to *Eberron*, a world of pulp intrigue, magic-as-technology, and uncertain gods. Coming from Faerûn you'll find the tone, stakes, and setting expectations here are different. This guide is your primer to understanding what makes Eberron unique, and how to start building a character and backstory that fits.
## Juxtapositions
| Faerûn | Eberron |
| --------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| Medieval fantasy | Magicpunk noir |
| Magic is rare and sacred | Magic is industrial, commercial, and everywhere |
| Gods are real and active | Gods are distant or unproven—faith is belief, not evidence |
| Clear Good vs Evil | Gray morality: Law vs Chaos, Ambition vs Duty |
| Adventurers are powerful outliers | Adventurers are skilled professionals in a fractured world |
**Tone:** Think Indiana Jones meets Blade Runner with a splash of Lovecraft. It's a setting of airships, intrigue, latent power, and scars from a century of war.
## Shared lore
### The Last War
- Lasted over a century. Shattered the Kingdom of Galifar.
- Fought between the Five Nations: **Aundair, Breland, Cyre, Karrnath, Thrane**.
- Ended with an uneasy peace following a cataclysm known as **The Mourning**.
### The Mourning
- A magical disaster that obliterated Cyre in a single day.
- Its cause remains unknown: experimental weapon, planar interference, divine judgment?
- The area is now the **Mournland**: a fog-covered wasteland with persistent death magic.
>[!question]+ Implications for PCs
>- Did you fight in the war? For whom?
>- Are you a veteran, a refugee, a profiteer?
>- What scars—physical or emotional—did the war leave on you?
## [The world today](https://eberronmap.johnarcadian.com/)
### [[Sharn]]: The City of Towers
Your home base. A vertical city built on magic, crime, commerce, and secrets.
- Upper levels are high society; lower levels teem with darkness and desperation.
- You'll work from **Clifftop Adventurers' Guild**, taking missions with real political and metaphysical stakes.
### Institutions of Power
#### Nations of Khorvaire
| Nation | Description | Status Post-War |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Aundair** | Magical kingdom, known for arcane universities and ambition. | Strained peace with Thrane and Breland |
| **Breland** | Industrial, cosmopolitan, and pragmatic. Home of Sharn. | Open and influential, but politically unstable |
| **Cyre** | Destroyed in the Mourning. Former center of culture and refinement. | Now the Mournland; its refugees are everywhere |
| **Karrnath** | Militaristic and disciplined. Embraced necromancy during the war. | Struggling with undead legacy and nationalist factions |
| **Thrane** | Ruled by the Church of the Silver Flame. Theocratic and zealous. | Stable, but inflexible and suspicious of arcane power |
| **Zilargo** | Gnome nation of scholars, spies, and elemental binding. | Peaceful, but manipulative and secretive |
| **Darguun** | Goblinoid kingdom formed during the war. Martial and proud. | Seeking legitimacy and stability |
| **Droaam** | Nation of monsters and warlords. Led by the Daughters of Sora Kell. | Unrecognized, but increasingly powerful |
| **Eldeen Reaches** | Druids, shifters, and rangers. Broke from Aundair. | Naturalistic and independent |
| **Mror Holds** | Dwarven banking nation. Home to Kundarak. | Economically powerful and haunted by ancient threats |
| **Q'barra** | Jungle frontier founded by Cyran refugees. | Under threat from lizardfolk and external agents |
| **Talenta Plains** | Halfling nomads on dinosaur mounts. | Independent and fiercely traditional |
| **Valenar** | Elven warrior-nation. Claims to protect ancient lands. | Tense relationships with neighbors |
| **Lhazaar Principalities** | Loose confederation of pirate kings and merchant fleets. | Chaotic and diverse; some seek greater power |
#### Dragonmarked Houses
These twelve great houses control trade, industry, and magical services through inherited **dragonmarks**. They are not nations, but their power rivals them.
| House | Mark | Race | Headquarters |
| --------- | ----------- | ----------------- | ------------------------- |
| Cannith | Making | Humans | Sharn / Fairhaven / Korth |
| Deneith | Sentinel | Humans | Karrlakton |
| Ghallanda | Hospitality | Halflings | Gatherhold |
| Jorasco | Healing | Halflings | Vedykar |
| Kundarak | Warding | Dwarves | Korunda Gate |
| Lyrandar | Storm | Half-elves | Stormhome |
| Medani | Detection | Half-elves | Wroat |
| Orien | Passage | Humans | Passage |
| Phiarlan | Shadow | Elves | Sharn |
| Sivis | Scribing | Gnomes | Korranberg |
| Tharashk | Finding | Humans, Half-Orcs | Zarash'ak |
| Thuranni | Shadow | Elves | Regalport |
#### Factions of Influence
| Faction | Description | Agenda |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| **Clifftop Adventurers’ Guild** | Your employer. Adventurers with a code. | Fame, fortune, professional integrity |
| **The Aurum** | Secretive oligarchs of wealth and power. | Manipulate events from behind the scenes |
| **The Emerald Claw** | Karrnathi extremists turned undead cult. | Undermine peace and empower the Blood of Vol |
| **The Church of the Silver Flame** | Zealous moralists who fight supernatural evil. | Protect the innocent; purge corruption |
| **The Blood of Vol** | Religion valuing undeath and personal divinity. | Question divine authority; embrace necromancy |
| **The Gatekeepers** | Druids who guard against planar incursions. | Seal away extraplanar threats (e.g. Xoriat) |
| **House Tarkanan** | Assassins and aberrant-marked outlaws. | Survive, profit, and protect their own |
| **The Twelve** | Arcane think tank of the dragonmarked houses. | Research, regulation, and house power balancing |
| **Dark Lanterns** | Brelish intelligence agency. | National security through espionage |
| **The Trust** | Zilargo’s secret police. | Absolute control and silent removal of threats |
| **Morgrave University** | Sharn-based academic hub. | Discover and exploit ancient magic and relics |
### Planar Cosmology
The 13 Planes orbit the Material Plane, sometimes exerting influence through **Manifest Zones**.
| Plane | Influence |
| --------- | --------------------------- |
| Daanvi | Law, bureaucracy |
| Dal Quor | Dreams and nightmares |
| Dolurrh | Death and memory |
| Fernia | Fire and passion |
| Irian | Light and life |
| Kythri | Chaos and change |
| Lamannia | Nature and beasts |
| Mabar | Death, entropy, and undeath |
| Risia | Cold and stasis |
| Shavarath | War and conflict |
| Syrania | Peace, air, and levitation |
| Thelanis | Story, myth, and fae |
| Xoriat | Madness and corruption |
> Planes can be **waxing**, **waning**, **coterminous**, or **remote**.
#### Extraplanar Factions
| Faction | Origin Plane | Description | Agenda |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **The Dreaming Dark** | Dal Quor | Psionic agents manipulating dreams. | Subvert mortal consciousness and control destiny |
| **The Inspired / Riedra** | Dal Quor / Material | Vessels for Quori spirits ruling Sarlona. | Export their dream-based control to Khorvaire |
| **The Daelkyr** | Xoriat | Lords of madness imprisoned in Khyber. | Destabilize reality and unleash aberrations |
| **The Lords of Dust** | Khyber / Infernal | Fiendish prophets manipulating events. | Release their overlords and reshape the world |
| **The Undying Court** | Irian / Aerenal | Elven ancestors sustained by positive energy. | Protect Aereni traditions and elven legacies |
| **The Celestials of Syrania** | Syrania | Archons and angels of peace and order. | Subtly influence good and stability across planes |
| **Mabar Manifestations** | Mabar | Entities of entropy and undeath. | Leech energy from the world and grow stronger |
### Faiths and Deities
#### The Sovereign Host
The dominant religion across Khorvaire. Worshiped as a pantheon or as individual deities. Believers see the Host as guiding everyday life through their domains.
| Deity | Domain | Portfolio |
| -------------- | -------------- | --------------------------------- |
| **Aureon** | Knowledge, Law | Magic, law, knowledge, order |
| **Balinor** | Nature, War | Beasts, hunting, strength |
| **Boldrei** | Life | Community, hearth, marriage |
| **Dol Arrah** | War, Light | Honor, justice, selflessness |
| **Dol Dorn** | War, Strength | Physical prowess, courage, battle |
| **Kol Korran** | Trickery | Trade, wealth, negotiation |
| **Olladra** | Trickery, Life | Luck, feasts, hospitality |
| **Onatar** | Forge | Artifice, craft, fire |
| **Arawai** | Life, Nature | Agriculture, fertility, abundance |
#### The Dark Six
Exiled counterparts to the Sovereign Host. Their worship is often hidden or suppressed, but they are still revered (or feared) in many circles.
| Deity | Domain | Portfolio |
| ---------------- | ----------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| **The Devourer** | Tempest | Nature’s fury, destruction |
| **The Fury** | Emotion, Chaos | Passion, madness, revenge |
| **The Keeper** | Death, Trickery | Greed, death, preservation of soul |
| **The Mockery** | War, Trickery | Dishonor, treachery, brutality |
| **The Shadow** | Knowledge, Arcana | Forbidden magic, ambition |
| **The Traveler** | Trickery | Change, chaos, invention |
#### Other Major Religions
| Faith | Core Belief | Traits |
| ---------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **The Church of the Silver Flame** | Purify the world of evil through divine flame. | Zealous, moralistic, protectors against supernatural threats |
| **The Blood of Vol** | Divinity lies within; death is not the end. | Accepts undeath, self-empowerment, controversial but legal |
| **The Path of Light** | Overcome darkness through inner focus and psionic harmony. | Pacifist, philosophical, mostly Kalashtar followers |
| **The Undying Court** | Honor immortal elven ancestors who guide the living. | Positive energy undead, worshiped mainly in Aerenal |
| **Cults of the Dragon Below** | Worship strange powers: daelkyr, Khyber entities, or madness itself. | Varied, often secretive or heretical |
> In Eberron, gods do not intervene directly. Faith is a matter of culture and conviction—divine power is real, but its source is always debatable.
### Moons and Months
Eberron has 12 moons, each tied to a month. The full year has 12 months of 4 weeks.
| Month | Moon |
| --------- | ------------------------ |
| Zarantyr | Pearly white |
| Olarune | Pale orange |
| Therendor | Pale gray |
| Eyre | Silver gray |
| Dravago | Pale lavender |
| Nymm | Pale yellow |
| Lharvion | Dull white w/ black slit |
| Barrakas | Pale gray |
| Rhaan | Pale blue |
| Sypheros | Smoky gray |
| Aryth | Orange-red |
| Vult | Gray and pockmarked |
> Weekdays: Mol, Zol, Wir, Zor, Far, Sar, Sul