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July Q&A Mailbag! (Patreon)

Published:
2025-07-03 16:28:46
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Hi everyone!

July is for GenCon and House Vadalis, and I'll be posting Vadalis articles throughout the month. There will be two live Q&As:

Deep Dive—Wednesday July 9th at 6 PM Pacific: Subject TBD. We'll be voting on the subject soon!

Wednesday June 18 at 6 PM Pacific: Mailbag Miscellany. As usual, this will be where I'll answer questions on any topic from you.

POST QUESTIONS HERE. You can ask questions about anything: Eberron, my other games, game design in general, what I'm reading at the moment, or anything else. If I can answer a question in a few minutes, I might answer it here. Otherwise, I’ll answer the most interesting questions when I do the Mailbag Miscellany Q&A. As a general rule, I will only answer a maximum of one question per patron per month, so if you ask a lot of questions I'll only answer one of them, but you can always pose unanswered questions again next month!

Thanks for your support!

Files

Comments

Joseph Meehan

Who are the main providers of insurance in Khorvaire? How do "Act of God" clauses work in a world with divine magic?

Earth Seraph Edna

Suppose I want to run an encounter wherein a kalaraq quori (and not just any kalaraq quori, but Tirashana herself) wants to mind seed or otherwise possess a PC. The PCs have not planned for this in any way, but they may or may not have some MacGuffins on hand that can (unwittingly) provide aid. How do I even remotely justify a combat wherein the PCs can all jump into the same dream and fight Tirashana? Would she even manifest as a kalaraq quori even in the dreamscape, or do quori appear as other creatures?

Jarrod Taylor

How is the Material Plane described to (mortal) inhabitants of the other planes? Fernia the plane of fire and industry, Dal Quor the plane of dreams, what is the moniker or legend surrounding Eberron from an outsider perspective?

Zachary Butler

Do any of the Thronehold Nations have anything like National Parks? Are there Eberron locations that, in your imagination, stand out for their natural beauty?

The Bard Himself

Hi Keith, amazing work on the Lyrandar articles. What species would you believe make up the werecreatures of The Great Pack? Its been suggested that the curse of lycanthropy was weakened during the period between the purge and modern day, and the werecreatures we know of seem to be originally from West Aundair / Eldeen Reaches. Would it be safe to say most of the great pack consists of Elves, Humans and Khorovar? Or have other werecreatures from different locations joined the pack since

hyperewok1

What's the origin of the Aereni having their monarchy split between the two symbolic siblings?

man-of-bvz1n3ss

What’s the story behind the Badgers? They've popped up in most of the books you've written, but are there any details about them?

Giuseppe Taverniti

What forgotten relics could be found in an ancient Sol Udar lost city?

Micaerys

Hi, Keith! One of my favorite parts of Chronicles of Eberron is how you describe different historical figures, like Galifar II the Dark, with his ominous birth, and how, after a particular incident, Cyre decided to keep the child with him at all times. My question is: was Galifar Cyre's own son, or a nephew that was favored because of his circumstances? Or maybe a mysterious third option? I know it is ultimately irrelevant for anything in modern Eberron, 1000 years later, but I'm curious about your take on this

Eric Smith

Returning to the old Elsa from Frozen question you put in Lhazaar for me years ago. I assume that she is some kind of Frost Sorceress with her sister as her advisor and intelligence chief. As Sorcerers' powers are innate, what things would you think such a minor power would send spies out to find?

Jaxson Lueb

Love the Dragonmarked articles so far but I do have one question about the families section. Are the traits you provide for each family Nurture based, as in the family has this culture that rubs off on their children or Nature influenced by the Dragonmarked itself, for example a Solon Lyrandar Scion, if orphaned and left without influence, would naturally become more thoughtful and stoic than Strongwind child of the same fate due to the specific nature of their marks?

Matt Dance

I’ve really enjoyed the articles on the Khoravar dragonmarks the past couple months! With that in mind, I’m wondering about regional differences among the Khoravar of the Five Nations, based on ancestral migrations of elves. Do the Khoravar of Karrnath and the East come mainly from exiled allies of the Line of Vol? Do those of Breland and (formerly) Cyre mostly trace their elven roots to the flight of Aerenal’s phiarlans? Do those of Thrane and Aundair (and the Reaches?) descend primarily from feyspire emigres? Just curious. Thanks for all your incredible work!

Tahina Andale

How often do Lyrandar of different Families intermarry? And what happens if they do? I suspect, they will both still belong to their respective family? Or does one of them become part of their partners family? To which family would the children belong? Is it up to the family, the parents, the kids? Could siblings belong to different families, depending on which "family business" fits better with their talents?

Lily

How do you feel about Living Spells being changed from Oozes to Constructs? How do you like to run Living Spells in your games?

Nedgehog

Do extraplanar entities such as angels have had different features matching the material plane's prevalent cultures? For example, does the Angel of Swords look the same now as they did during the Dhakaani Empire or the Age of Giants? Or is it a case of each person seeing what they expect to see?

Jessie Harris

Are there any spirits or entities, opposite to the feyspire psychopomps, that bring babies (like storks)? Either in reality or in stories?

Patrick Reupert

The Dhakaani are described and identified as being very matter of fact, no nonsense. Architecture and weaponry made for functionality and without much frill Even their art and dance was described to be used in preparation of combat and to teach about history. Where do you think there is an outlier? Like an aspect where the dar of old have been extravagant and embellishing. Maybe some form of cuisine, I could imagine with the thought of "goblin sweet tooth" there could be a desert cuisine and fancy going on

SancCar128

ok first, helllo there, then i have some doubts i hope you can ilucidate. First; what was your inspiration for the Lhazaar Principalties as a whole? Second, in Frontiers of Eberron you gave us a general for Oorlask, the gargoyle Diorite and several more gargoyles made stone, my questions is the other gargoyles are have names or are we going to get in hte future more generals/subrank bellow the Daelkyrs lords. Third besides the Mention on the Dragons of Eberron and part of the gatekeepers, I am alot of curiouse about Vvaarak the Ebony Mother. ( i tired to insert her when dm the campain heart of stone, but i would like more info about her)

Inquisitor Thomas

House Phiarlan are noted as houses of entertainers and artists. Hypothetically if Shakespeare or Mozart were an Elf, they could still be alive today. What would a career like that even be like?

Felix Shafir

The Five Nations book mentions that the people of Moonwatch presented King Boranel with a magebred warhorse when he visited them. Does this mean that Moonwatch maintains a major horse ranch in Moonwatch? If so, would Brelish nobility maintain competing horse ranches in Moonwatch, selling the best Brelish non-magebred steeds (perhaps with a hint of fey ancestry, since Moonwatch sits on the edge of the Tilorn Expanse, where fey live)?

Dragonback Lancer

Do newspapers in Eberron often include pictures? If so, how? Do they use something like woodblock prints or is there some kind of magical photography equivalent?

Doug Davis

Possibly an odd question, but I'll throw it out there. We're looking for our next campaign and half the group wants me to run Eberron, while the other half wants something Asian themed (Oriental Adventures, L5R, etc). Then some wise acre suggested 'why not both?'. My question is, where would be an appropriate place for an Asian themed setting in Eberron? Any insights?

Erik Just Erik

"Emerald Claw armor ... is that fellow wearing it ironically or is he actually a terrorist? Should we report it to the Sharn Watch or is there a costume contest up in Skyway? Those dents and bloodstains look a little too real ... " Fact: Bad guy armor looks cool. Good guys loot armor from bad guys all the time. I've been gaming for years, and I deal with it on a case by case mostly, but what about Eberron: the Streaming Show? How would they handle it? I crave verisimilitude!! Question: In a well-informed but war-weary (war-wary?) society, how have you (or, to those DMs among us, we) excused/avoided/confronted the PCs (or NPCs) wearing the colors of the villains? (Re-posted here, where I meant to put it. Sorry for the double-post folks, I'll delete the original comment in the Deep Dive Topic Poll...)

Ender Darkos

How does the Dawn Gorer work as an aspect of Tol Kharash? Is it an actual refusal of tyranny by the Dawn Harvest? A kind of tyranny they deem better? How would they see Tol Kharash? The Dawn Gorer seems pretty much to contradict the domains of the Horned King, yet is said to be an aspect of it!

Beoric

Hi Keith. Do you have any thoughts on who made dolghasts and deathgaunts? Is there a daelkyr who's schtick is death or undeath?

keithbaker

These questions were asked on different threads... Q: "What was the status of the city of Taer Valaestas before it came under the control of the Tairnadal, and House Lyrandar unofficially?" A: Taer Valaestas was previously known as Metrolas, and it was the largest city in Eastern Cyre. It was built on ancient foundations laid by the Tairnadal in their original foray into Khorvaire. The city is located in a manifest zone tied to Lamannia, which makes it more hospitable than the surrounding region. However, the elves did more than change the name. They reactivated ancient enchantments that had been dormant for thousands of years, raising up the wall of bronzewood thorns that protects it. Q: And I find it astonishing that all members of House Lyrandar are described as honest. Aren’t there any Lyrandars who don’t hesitate to engage in piracy or smuggling? A: There's a number of factors here. First of all, reputation is extremely important to the Dragonmarked Houses. Part of what allows them to maintain the near-monopolies they have is the absolute trust of the public, the belief that the House services are more reliable than any other option, that they are trustworthy and politically neutral. Second you have the fact that Lyrandar holds a near-monopoly on legitimate shipping. So first of all, they don't NEED to engage in piracy or smuggling to make a profit; they're already profitable. Second, because they hold a near-monopoly, the primary targets for pirates are LYRANDAR SHIPS, and no, the house won't support attacks on their own ships. Basically, the advantage of having a near monopoly is that they don't need to engage in criminal activities to make profit; they are the system criminals rebel against. Having said that, Lyrandar DOES have smugglers; they are just smugglers that work FOR the house. The Stormwalkers are described in the "Structure of the House" section... "The Stormwalkers are a small corps of elite operatives that serve House Lyrandar. Members are drawn from all of the branches and guilds, and they typically maintain cover identities; a Stormwalker might be a licensed Sea captain, a wandering Raincaller, or a missionary of Sela’s Path. Stormwalkers are employed when the House has objectives that violate the laws of Galifar or the neutrality of House Lyrandar; if they are exposed during these missions, they will be disavowed and condemned by the Matriarch. During the Last War, the Stormwalkers often engaged in smuggling missions—taking arms shipments past blockades, helping fugitives and spies escape from enemy territory, and similar actions." And that brings us to the last point. *Bound vessels* will not engage in piracy or smuggling. *LICENSED* captains can do whatever they wish, and if an independent Lyrandar captain wants to engage in smuggling or piracy, their ship is their ship. But that violates the conditions of their license, and if they are exposed they will be "disavowed and condemned by the Matriarch"—as well as being held subject to the standard punishment for their crimes. Beyond this, purely from a story perspective, this leaves room for independent operatives such as the Boromar Clan and Lhazaar. If Lyrandar handled legitimate shipping AND smuggling AND piracy—if it had a monopoly on both legal and illegal shipping—what would the Lhazaar do?

Benjamin Tucker Marcus

What is House Thuranni's standing with the rest of the Twelve behind closed doors? Beyond the obvious tensions with Phiarlin, and their camaraderie with Tharaask as the two youngest houses, who would you see being positioned more for or against them?

OHeyItsRick

Hello! Weird question, following on from one I asked during last night’s live stream: if you were to do a “Erandis Vol, with House Vadalis’ help, has cloned herself and the clone is now out in the wild” narrative plot, how would you approach it?

Trinity Vaughan

We know the Houses marry in their own to maintain the Dragonmarked Lines, was wondering how much incest is a taboo amidst them and how do they operate the line (what is the line) between maintaining the people of matching marks while avoiding more questionable things like sibling x sibling?

Herbert Helzer

In Frontiers of Eberron it’s said the Znir Pact Gnolls coalesced into twelve tribes named for and somewhat inspired by the twelve Moons. Given the myriad of “Baker’s Dozen” instances in the world, shouldn’t there perhaps be a 13th Gnoll tribe dedicated to lost Crya (and indirectly to the Mark of Death)?

Micah Peltier

This may be a question more suited to a month in which you're writing about Jorasco, but I'm curious as to how Divination magic has affected medicine in Eberron? I recently read Everything Is Tuberculosis, and there was a section on how, in the early 1800s, we had *very* few ways to "see" into the living human body; not even the stethoscope had been invented until 1816 or so, and as we started to develop more ways to learn what was going on--microscopes, X-rays, CT scans, and more--medicine started drastically improving. What spells have Jorasco developed to illuminate the mysteries of the body? Tangentially related, are the major differences in how other ancestries' biology compares to humans? Would a doctor have to drastically change their approach to treating a halfling vs. a human?

Kcajkcaj99: Monsters of the Week

Besides its proximity to the border with Breland, what other resources, effects, or opportunities make Golinar a good place to have a town? More broadly I guess, what sets it apart from other border communities?

Carlton Anderson

I've touched on this before, but IME, a funeral for King Kaius of Karrnath will soon be held on Thronehold, and will be attended by representatives (including the PCs) from the various dragonmarked Houses as well as most, if not all, of the Thronehold signatory nations. Aside from the Throne Wardens themselves, what sort of security might one realistically expect at such an event, and how do you think the various Houses and signatory nations would react to a devastating terrorist attack that claimed the lives of one or more attendees, including King Boranel of Breland?

Ben

One thing I’m still unsure of, how do Adaran humans fit in with kalashtar and their shadow war with the Dreaming Dark? Each Adaran human, outside of Adar itself with the Shroud, could be subject to quori dream manipulation, which seems to make them a big potential threat to kalashtar as a form of insider threat. Is there a large scale means to waive off quori dream manipulation outside of Adar that I’m forgetting? Do the Adaran humans know to look out for signs of the Dreaming Dark’s influence and consult their local light speaker if concerned? Is there something about the practices of the Path of Light that shrouds them from the quori for a time (perhaps, a form of protection from evil and good)?

Michael Hughes

I’m reading through the planes section in Rising, and the table in the Dolurrh Manifest Zone section has an effect that can upcast Necromancy spells by one level. This got me thinking, how would Lady Illmarrow go about bringing herself back to life to be able to access her Dragonmark?

James McConnell IV

Hey Keith, thanks as always for the opportunity to ask questions. In Eberron there are many different antagonists to choose from and they range from fellow mortals to these ancient and/or otherworldly beings. My question is when you are running campaigns do you prefer for the "endboss" to be a high CR NPC or a lower CR person that has put a high powered plot in motion? Or do you like to mix them up?

Jesse Williams

Hello, I might be running Curse of Strahd for my friends in the future. I remember in a Ravenloft post on your blog, you mentioned how one might place Barovia in a remote area of karrnath and that you would make Strahd, Karrn the Conqueror. I love this idea, but have some questions about this. 1. What happened to karrn after he lost the war? It said he ruled over Karrnath, but did the other nations just let him get away with everything? Was he forced to step down? I've found no lore on what happens to Karrn when he loses. 2. What or who would turn Karrn into a vampire? I feel like karrnath wouldn't be big enough for two crazy powerful vampires; How does he and Kaius III (assuming he's actually Kaius I) get along, or how does Karrn hide from him. 3. What's keeping a now powerfully vampiric Karrn from trying to conqueror galifar again?

Spike Hemphill

What do think of mortals in Eberron willing transforming into elementals? In 2025 MM Some Lizardfolk forge powerful bonds with the Elemental Plane of Earth, granting them magical connections to the cycle of growth and rebirth thus becoming elementals. While Eberron has no Elemental Plane of Earth or Lizardfolk civilizations like this( as far I know) , I was wondering with this might possible for other Eberron culture with strong ties with nature or other planes. It reminds me of your origin of Eberron Lamias with mortal falling deeply love with idea of overlord but instead with a concept of nature.

Zuruve

Khyber's heart and shadow demiplanes seem to have always existed. Conversely, prison demiplanes hold beings that were trapped relatively recently and that originated outside Khyber. All of which suggests prison demiplanes are at least partially artificial. What are their origins? And what happens to them if their prisoner is freed?

Legatha

I'm running a campaign in which I plan to have Merrix d'Cannith be a major part, and this got me thinking - what about his father? He's a massive figure in the world but I don't think there's much info out there about him. What's Aaren's personality like? And what does Merrix Jr think of him?

Sims

Late this month: 1.) what is an overlord concept you hadn’t thought of before but would be interested in? 2.) since the Sovereign Host is almost a byproduct of the Age of Demons, were there any non-Overlord religions prior to the Age of Demons? 3.) Monster of the week question: unsure if this is still something, but how might the Allie work in Eberron? Products of the Court of Shadow? Or even more ancient Age of Demons denizens.