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March Q&A Mailbag (Patreon)

Published:
2026-03-02 19:26:30
Edited:
2026-03-30 19:18:01
Imported:
2026-03

Content

Hello, Everyone!

It's March and HOUSE PHIARLAN is on the way! We’ll have two live streams this month:

Wednesday, March 11th at 6 PM Pacific—Deep Dive: Subject TBD

Saturday, March 28th at 10 AM Pacific—Mailbag Miscellany

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

Inquisitor Thomas

How much do the people of Eberron know about the formation of Native Fey and do they occasionally take steps to either ensure or prevent their formation? Like for example let’s say that kids in Sharn begin coming up with the equivalent of Bloody Mary, would an authority figure intervene because Bloody Mary isn’t real YET, but if they keep this rumor up then there’s going to be a Dusk Hag in the Girl’s Bathroom and Ythanna Morr is going to charge an arm and a leg to exorcise it?

Dragonback Lancer

What happens when the thing an oathbound mummy is bound to ceases to exist (church burns down, village is razed to the ground, military unit is dissolved, etc.)? Do they just die? Can they swear new oaths to something else?

The Bard Himself

ExE touches on how The Keepers of the Sword have more recently developed the ability to construct steel defenders, presumably as a means to justify a Dhakaan Battle Smith. How would you describe these Constructs, and how do they compare and contrast to the homunculi created by House Cannith or the other Artificers of the Five Nations?

Ben

Hey Keith, question related to the Phiarlan and Thuranni articles, and the religious practice of the shadowmarked elves. We don't know a ton about the shadowmarked elves' religious traditions beyond them being generally nonreligious; I was curious how literally we're meant to interpret phiarlans "spirit keepers" as the spirits of the elves generally or in a more literal sense. That is, do their heirloom performances fulfill a similar function that the rituals the Tairnadal and Aereni do to honor their ancestors and keep their spirits around, or is this a nonreligious practice more like the personas of the changelings?

Zachary Butler

Following up to my question from the Religion Q&A last month about the Church of the Silver Flame: can you describe how the non-theocratic political heirarchy of the faith works? Part of my confusion is that I thought of the organization of the capital C Church as flowing out from the Keeper in Flamekeep, so that Brelish bishops have a chain of command that connects back to cardinals in Thrane. I know you don't like comparing the Silver Flame to real world religions, but is Flamekeep more Vatican City (the center of a multinational heirarchy) or Jerusalem (significant mainly in its history)? What does that mean for any random church in any random city? Sorry for the long, multi-part question. I appreciated the answer last month, but it has unfortunately only made me more curious.

Micaerys

Hi, Keith! This question is from one of my best friends, the one who introduced me to Eberron: Given House Cannith's involvement in the creation of gorgons, do you think at any point them or others with access to their resources would consider using petrification as a mean to "time travel"? Like, pausing themselves as statues for centuries waiting to be unpetrified eventually? Thank you in advance, I hope you have a nice week!

Giuseppe Taverniti

What do we know about the religious practices of the ancient Sol Udar civilization

Rat Queen

In one of the articles on your blog, you explain that the Blood of Vol religion developed (at least in part) as an answer to the question of why good people suffer in a world overseen by the Sovereign Host (because the Sovereigns are either cruel or nonexistent). But don't the Dark Six already explain why suffering happens to good people? The Devourer sends storms. the Keeper sends plagues, the Shadow turns rulers into monsters, the Traveler sows chaos, etc. Why was a whole new religion needed to answer that question?

Nedgehog

Which of the Thronehold leaders would win in a rap battle and what curse would Sora Katra put on everyone for not letting her compete? (We all know she'd win otherwise)

Eric Smith

To continue the old Elsa on the Lhazzar mainland tiny kingdom thought, what houses would look to have stations in a small, out of the way place with a magically powerful ruler?

Hudnofski Blue

Elementals are commonly used in lots of DnD settings, but you've incorporated them into Eberron in a manner that feels very natural to the workings of the world. Thinking about elementals in the setting made me curious if you think there are many native elementals in Eberron. The only ones I can think of are gargoyles; do you think there are others?

Felix Shafir

Your November 2013 Dragonmarks blog post “Lost Lands and Obscure Places” suggested that Galethspyre was a major port town in Breland, founded by Khaleshite explorers (guided by a Shulassakar priest), where the populace practices their own personal vision of the Silver Flame, preserving the Khaleshite faith. How do the people of Breland, who are typically Vassals, feel about the fact one of their larger towns is a bastion of Silver Flame worship? Has the mainstream Pyrinean faith in Thrane tried to take action against Galethspyre?

Earth Seraph Edna

I have done my best to read your article on the Children of Winter over in 4e Dragon issue #418, and in your various writings. The Children of Winter still do not make too much sense to me. Even if the Children of Winter are correct about Eberron being sick and tired of all this arcane and divine magic, and all these fiends (blood of Khyber) and dragons (blood of Siberys), and wanting to purge the world of such things... that seems more Ashbound than Children of Winter. There is no real indication that Eberron, as a primordial entity, is invested in the idea of propagating diseases to strengthen the survivors. If Eberron, as a primordial entity, is more aligned with the Ashbound philosophy than with that of the Children of Winter, then why are the Children seemingly so obsessed with spreading diseases? Are these actually super-special, magical diseases that strengthen the primal magic potential (e.g. becoming druids, shamans, wardens, and such) of the survivors? On a smaller note, it is noted in both 3.5 and 4e sources that the Children of Winter are a smaller, more "elite" druidic circle. What happens if a weaker druid (maybe just shy of their normal standards) decides to join the Children of Winter? Is this hypothetical druid rejected for being insufficiently powerful?

Axelle McNarrow

Hello, I'm not sure if it was already asked somewhere, I couldn't find an article on the subject. What are the kind of music that are popular across the various region of Eberron and in cases where it doesn't sound like something that exists irl, what would it sound like ? (Bonus point if you have some idea for Eberron-specific instruments. ^^) Thank you.

Leann Davis

Hi Keith! In my campaign with Prince Oargev, my players are about to attend his birthday celebration and I'd like to thrown in some small details to give it more depth. What sort of activities might be going on in the town to celebrate it and what sort of gifts could you see suitors/Houses/other court people giving him? Assuming gift-giving is a tradition in Cyre.

Sims

1. More of a comment than a question, but reading the Road to Death series and I like how it portrays the Silver Flame knights. Yes, they want to protect innocents from evil, but they are also human themselves and Thrane nationals and so the area between their Silver Flame duties and national ties is murky. 2.) I think this got lost behind the massive changes to Changelings and Khalastar in Forge, but Shifters in 5.5e mechanically no longer choose a sub race, but rather choose the attributes when they shift. I don’t think this affects the lore really at all since shifting traits aren’t hereditary (two wildhunts can have a beasthide child), but it does break down the barrier that there are wildhunt shifters. How does this affect their lore? Is it simply the Totems described in Exploring at a more intimate level? 3.) Not your novel series, but in Don Bassingthwaite’s Dragon Below/Legacy of Dhakaan books, there is a Khoravar foundling of Storm named Benti who is revealed to a King’s Dark Lantern who intercepts a criminal gang by using her Mark to help them steal and pilot an airship. In the second trilogy, she is revealed to be a changeling. While her/their/his ability to see in the dark can be explained by the changeling metamorphosis in EE, they still had a functioning Dragonmark. Could Breland create a functioning “fake mark” or was this Benti a fake Benti who used the original’s identity to gain trust with the original group who knew Benti 1? While the books are non-canon/kanon, I’ve found they help to fill in the world and the question about this mark is interesting to the industry of Breland or how far changelings might go with personas. 4.) Rhesh seems to be a bastardized version of the goblinoid Llesh, for warlord. How did the Minotaurs come about using this version of the word and not a direct version? 5.) Dragonmarked Houses are known to marry unmarked individuals with the desired skill set into their lines. The Mark of Detection only affects Khoravar, though, unlike the Mark of Finding which affects human/orcs/jhorgun’taal. Would Medani intermarry with elves and humans of considerable deductive skills? I assume Lyrandar would not even consider based on their Khoravar supremacy stance

MikeZ

I have a question about the Inspired. When an Inspired sleeps, what happens to their quori? Are they still possessing them and present in their dream bubble? Is that a good time for a quori to leave and possess someone else elsewhere in the world or confer with other quori? Or is the connection between an Inspired and their quori constant and unbroken, even during sleep? In short, does sleep have any special metaphysical significance in the quori–Inspired bond?

hyperewok1

How do the various pro-war nationalist groups like the Swords of Liberty actually convince common people that their nations would have won it all given the very clear fact that one hundred year of war ended with only minimal territorial change? I get that nationalism sure isn't rational, but it still feels like a hard sell.

OHeyItsRick

Hey Keith! Long time, no question. Here's one for you: What more can you tell us about the archfey The Mother of Invention and how might she be used as a plot device? Especially when involving characters from a lesser family of the Juran line. Thanks as always!

Minori Kaemon

In my group's Eberron, Sharn is enacting a prohibition on alcohol. While this is nominally due to too many drunkards falling, there are likely various groups that supported its passage. What impacts would you expect this to have on society in Sharn? Which gangs would be most involved in bootlegging? Could you see Ghallanda running speakeasies?

Matt Dance

I thoroughly enjoyed the recent deep dive on religion! I found the discussion of the principles for living as a Vassal especially interesting. So my question is related to that: Where is the current seat of Vassal religious scholarship in Khorvaire? Centuries ago, it would have been Daskaran, as called out in other canon and kanon material. But since the Year of Blood and Fire it has never fully recovered its religious status, and I assume now the Thranish theocracy wouldn’t embrace such a site within its borders. After Daskaran’s fall from glory, I could see Metrol and the Cathedral of the Sovereign Host emerging as the center of Vassal learning. But of course, Metrol isn’t exactly a hotbed of religious learning these days! So where exactly would a devout young Vassal go to study with the historians and theologians of her faith?

Beoric

Hi Keith, I'm following up on someone's question in the January Q&A. You said Crackbone pass was "under the "A" in "Graywall". My question is, which "A" and which map?

Andy Zhu

Hey Keith! Big fan, based on your previous podcasts, you have covered how new DnD subclass might integrate into Eberron as a Setting. I would like to ask how would you fit some of the new subclasses from the 2024 PHB into Eberron? These include the barbarian’s path of the world tree, the Bard’s college of dance, and the Druid’s circle of the Sea?

Jimberish

Hey Keith! There is a character mentioned in a few books named Kurt Karr'Aashta, who runs an inquisitive agency in Deathsgate, Sharn. It's mentioned that he's a cultist of the Dragon Below. I'm just curious what cult/overlord/daelkyr/other YOU personally think he serves! Thanks so very much

Patrick Reupert

Hey Keith, possibly a too long one, but I'll try anyways. When the Empire of Dhakaan fell, it splintered and the belief in god's vegan to spring into them, with worship of the Dark Six among them. With this I basically have 2 questions. 1) how did the agnostic and logical minds of the dar semi-suddenly become open for divine ideas and 2) which of the sovereigns, not just dark Six, would you see as most logical and suiting for the denizens of the former empire? I could see the Dol and Aureon being rather popular

Spike Hemphill

So according to 3.5 Player Guide to Eberron the Sea of Lost Souls is said to possibly be the deepest ocean "-some legends speak of a trench extending miles beneath the surface, a region so dark that the darkness itself is alive." If the legends are true what could possibly exist there? In our world the deep oceans host very alien creatures, so I'm curious what could be possible in Eberron version. Living darkness sounds evocative too.

Dan Smith

Hi Keith. Hope you're doing well this month. I have a couple questions so take your pick. 1. What are some common religious texts in Eberron that one might find in the households of religious people? 2. What are some common "pop culture" apocalypses in Eberron that people know of in the setting? What I mean by that is in our world we have concepts like the zombie apocalypse, global nuclear warfare, even religious stuff like the Book of Revelation. What are the common ideas regard apocalypses in Khorvaire outside of the Overlords (and Daelkyr)? 3. With illusion magic being woven into the fashion and art scene of Khorvaire, do you believe it's made its made way into heraldic traditions and if so how? Obviously, in D&D there are a plethora of new charges from all the iconic monsters and (magic) items, but I'm wondering specifically in animated charges/heraldry would be a common thing? Would it be common enough to effect the field of Blazonry (heraldic language), with things like "actions" being added as another facet of describing the heraldic iconography of the nobility? 4. Are/were there any major or notable oceanic or coastal giant civilizations? If so how did they differ from the other giant civilizations we already know about? 5. In D&D (and thus Eberron) potions and alchemy are fairly commonplace. Additionally in Eberron drugs are a part of the setting due to the setting's noir elements. How do you (and more importantly people in-world) differentiate alchemical creations like potions from drugs like dragon's blood or dream-lily? Is it simply a matter of addictiveness or is there more to it? I personally find addictiveness a necessary, but not a solely sufficient point of differentiation. What are your thoughts on the matter?

Jesse

Hey Keith, hope all is well with you with the recent announcement of a new Ravenloft book, and getting close to finishing up Dread Metrol for one of my groups, it got me thinking. I know in the past you've recommended using Karrn the Conquerer in place of Strahd if converting the adventure to Eberron, but the adventure as written is not very friendly to newer DMs even without the addition of converting things to a different setting. Would you ever consider doing a "Curse of Karrn" DMs Guild adventure inspired by Curse of Strahd? Not a 1:1 of the published adventure, but more your own take on the sort of story. Using Karrn in place of Strahd could drastically change the story as is simply because they're very different characters. Just something I've been thinking about the last few days.

小绵羊海兔

In 5.5e,Rakshasas' appearances combine humanlike bodies with the features of animals and monsters rather than only feline features.Will Rakshasas in Eberron have more various monstrous features？Or they will be more similar to the overlord they serve？

Teddy

In your eberron, who was the Titan Haskar who granted patronage to the Elf Ellorenthi?

Samuel Putnam

Hey Keith, thanks for all the insights you share. I did have a question about the greater timeline of eberron. Specifically Sarlona. Where do the human kingdoms of Aventus and Uoraala fall when comparing them to the rise and fall of the goblin empire or the undying court? What major historical events would they have been around for before falling? (As a sorta tag on to the question) Has Riedra and the inspired intentionally obfuscated the past?

MertKu4

Hi, I'm making a campaign where all pcs are dragonmarked heir from different houses, gathered as a special team to investigate serial murders against dragonmarked houses. I have some questions for this campaign, I'll be glad if you answered one of them. 1- One of the pcs are a Dhampir Hexblade of Bone King, coming from House Medani. He has the sword of Odakyr, which he is mistaken for Bone Kings. In ExE it says Bone King doesnt ask much from their warlocks unless they want a soul of particular individual in their kingdom but I like patron interactions between warlocks and patrons. How could I make these interactions with bone king? Slaying liches, vampires and fellow warlocks are not that common and insteresting in a mystery intrigue campaign. 2- Again one of my pcs are a Dark Lantern coming from Phiarlan. They never got into Serpentine Table so he isnt an ex-spy but he were a rising star before a scandal and going into war as a Phiarlan Bard. After losing a leg in war, house had already lost hopes on him but dark lanterns saw an opportunity. What would Phiarlan's response be to one of their fallen stars joining Kings Citadel, Dark Lanterns in particular? 3- What kind of person would be able to control Middle Wards of Sharn? Higher wards are for sure wealthy peoples place and lower wards are criminals home but what kind of person could be in charge of middle sharn? Of course not as a front figure but like pulling the strings. I first thought a priest but Breys are not that religious. 4- Is name of Cyra ir'Tain just a coincidence with lost moon Cyra or does people know lost moons name and its a conscious choice to name your child after the lost moon?

Chris Stephens

I'm just curious - do you know if the 2024 update of Exploring Eberron will be available on DM's Guild any time soon? I hate D&D Beyonds organization, but I'd love to buy the new one.

David Mitchell

Hi loving the Phiarlan stuff at the moment Keith. It’s got me thinking about the early Elvish history and Aerenal specifically. What was on Aerenal before the elves arrived. Obviously an area with large mabaran and Iranian manifest zones. Any native residents before the arrival of the elves? Feu spires? I’m guessing as the deal on soarwood potentially lammanian or syrranian zones too. How easy was the inhabitants of the spire and are their other places fugitives from Xendrik fled. Any non drow left on Xendrik. Any elves make it to Khorvaire before the eradication of the line of Vol. loving how these dragon marked articles are also fleshing out the major species history as well as the house history thanks!

David Mitchell

Another area fascinated by is the difference between the Sulat league, the Cul’sir dominion and the Group of 11. Were there any other groups or is it largely small polities or individual titans carving out fiefdoms. Why did the sulatar stow take the name from the Sulat league? I’m guessing the last real places to look for any remnants you would like to bring back into your campaign will be titans in the astral chamber plane and maybe Siberspace. Planar or Khyber demiplanes maybe? Risia seems a good start/

EllieSF

What is the Miron family up to in Thrane? Did they gain any significance after Tira Miron rose up? She was a paladin before even becoming a hero, and to me that screams nobility, or some family of note. Not just anyone is called upon to undertake such oaths, not without showing incredible talent.

Herbert Helzer

Prior to the first elemental airships, what had been the state of the art for flying vehicles (outside of places like Sharn)? Are we talking airborne “chariots” pulled by flying creatures, scaled-up magic items (bigger versions of magic brooms or carpets of flying), planar summonings, or what?

Ender Darkos

Hello Keith! I was wondering, what nations claimed legacy from Uoraala among the Twelve Kingdoms? I know about Nulakesh but did any other claim heritage from if? Either through land or culture!

Trinity Vaughan

Hi keith! So I'm reading about the Formians of Daanvi as the most common people you'll see there, but not much on what they do or how they act. What purpose do they serve in Daanvi, or what do they do there aside from just exist?

MikeZ

I have a question: What are the origins of nagas in Eberron? Do they share a single origin, or are there multiple versions of them? For example, are they spirits tied to Khyber or Siberys, manifestations of Eberron itself, magical creations or perhaps transformed sorcerers from ancient times?

Vencyl's Vigils

Is there a specific Dark Power in Mabar that connects to the Qbalrin strain of vampirism? The vampire article discussed the Barrowbones of the Bone King, which are quite distinct from what we see the Qbalrin and those who later followed their techniques (Vol, Seekers, Bloodsails) use, as well as Chronicles describing the dhampir being "Mabar Planetouched". Is there a "hemomancy" Dark Power that ties to these, or is it purely Mabar's influence?

Zuruve

What is Fortune's Fool like, personality-wise? I'm wondering what it would be like for a PC to have her as their patron.

Jared L

I am a running a campaign that is very heavy tied into the Quori, the Unity, and their plans. Since Taer Lian Doresh was banished to Dal Quor for thousands of years by the Giants I would like to tie this into my campaign. It is mentioned in an old dungeon article that there are represntatives of the Dreaming Dark in the fortress would the fortress be aligned with their goals or more of an alliance of convience? What is the relationship between the two factions? What might be an example of how their interests could align? Could the ruler be convinced to help the PCs with information on the Quori?

Carlton Anderson

You've mentioned in the past that the Undying Court's ability to deploy their more god-like powers is generally limited to doing so on Aerenal. In the unlikely event that one of the oldest Councilors were to leave Aerenal, even temporarily, how much personal power do you think they could reasonably bring to bear on another continent? Does this change significantly if they're able to secure worshipers and/or find an Irian manifest zone with which to sustain themselves?

SH H

I'm curious about the Quori language. For example, what does the il- in il-Yannah and il-Lashtavar mean? Would there be a dictionary of other languages of Eberron besides the Goblin language?

Dantels

To briefly dig back up the Dueling question, do you think Rekkenmark might practice Prussian-style Mensur? Dueling for scars seems to fit them fairly well. A circle with Delay Death for the two combatants could even help protect whatever the protective gear fails to in the event of an unfortunate high-roll crit.

dirDav3

Hi Keith, hope you're doing well. Kind of late to the party here but i can re-post this to April's post if needed. I have an interesting question for you. I'm still running my game set in the Bitter Shield as per your hellfire weapons article from 2024. In my game, some devils of Rak Tulkhesh can of course make infernal contracts with each other or the player party members. Got me thinking. If you had a servant of another overlord inside the Bitter Shield (or vise versa), say a dragon serving the Daughter of Khyber for example, what would the power of infernal contract making look like from one devil/servant to another devil of a different overlord? There's not really any rules for infernal contracts in the actual d&d mechanical rules, so i'm curious what you think. (I would first suggest infernal contracts can be made on behalf of sleeping overlords, otherwise the whole topic is moot). Maybe there's no special interaction and this can just occur, but that feels too easy.

OHeyItsRick

Hello! Just wondering when the VOD will be out for this. Thanks! :)