Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

July Questions Thread (Patreon)

Published:
2023-07-02 02:53:48
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Greetings, Patrons! I've just wrapped up the June questions with this article on the Archduke of Atur, and now it's time to start anew. In July I'll be doing another live AMA and running session 20 of my Quickstone campaign (thanks to Matthew Johnson for the new portrait of Tari!) and hopefully getting to the long delayed Dragonmark article. Meanwhile, it's time for new questions! 

As always, I will not be able to answer every question; simple questions are the best questions. If I can answer a question in five minutes here, I'll probably answer it. If it would take significant research or an hour of work to answer a question, I probably can't. Feel free to ask questions that didn't get answered in a previous month, just know that I won't be able to get to them all... and if there's a question I've skipped over a few times it means that I need focus to answer it and I haven't had that focus. In addition, I will only answer one question per patron. You can ASK more than one, because one may be easier for me to answer than another, but I'll only answer one.

Thanks for your support!

Files

Comments

Matthew Booth

From the AMA: As one of my favourite out-of-the-way aspects of the setting, were aukaraks (reality storms) in the initial docs, and if you could would you use them in another part of the world like the Mournland?

SamJaz

What would be the most immediate repercussions on Khorvaire if Il-Lashtavar were defeated by a group of heroes, the moon of Cyra returned to the sky, Dal-Quor returned to a coterminous state and the Solar Tyrala reincarnated as a new angel of dreams? I have a four-year campaign concluding soon.

Dennis Olesen

What kind of calendar system did the Dhakaani Empire use? Was it like the moden system or very different.

Jeanne

A twofold question from May: How do you picture the Gatherhold-Metrol (trade) relations before the Mourning and how do you think the Talenta tribes react to the catastrophe, besides Holy Uldra gaining followers? Alternatively, I recently noticed that there are two Old Sharns: Breggor's Sharn, destroyed by the Aberrant Champions, and Malleon's, destroyed by Breggor, and I don't think there's much info on the latter - could you expand on what it was like and what might be left of it under Sharn?

Spike Hemphill

1. Quori only prey on negative emotions but can some Drifters empower postive emotions? 2. There are six identified Karalaq with clear roles, what could be duties of other seven? Could one be studying Q'barra or Xen'Drik? 3. Any thoughts about rust monsters in Eberron?

Inquisitor Thomas

A lot of time has been spent discussing the Sharn, Atur, (and to a smaller extent Flamekeep) Manifest Zones, what other major cities in the Khorvaire have an interesting Manifest Zone you want to talk about? Edit: And secondary question in case you don't get around to my main question: What is Gyrnar Shult up to in your Eberron? I know Shult is """dead""", but simple storytelling logic dictates that you wouldn't consistently mention Shult across several articles if the dude was actually dead.

Sims

1. I think this may have been a typo, but I noticed in the latest article that Atur was referred to as an Archduchy rather than a Grand Duchy, with a Grand Duke being a Palatinate and an Archduke being the consort to a Prince or Princess Governor. Could the title and role of Archduke have expanded with the conversion of these sub-kingdoms to full blown kingdoms? 2. Are there any more interesting noble titles and fiefdoms that you may be more interested in delving into? Perhaps an Aundairan duchy or a Shield in Western Breland bordering Droaam? 3. With nobility in New Galifar being more loosey goosey as the frontier nation still gets it legs, how do the higher nobles work? Most "Dukes" and "Counts" own land, but reside in Adderport and Newthrone, but what about those who have actually set out to cultivate their fiefdom and build up their own center of power?

Eric Smith

I would like to follow up on the Frozen/Elsa question where you suggested: "Note that there are inland principalities as well as islands! Elsa could lead a Principality that's just northeast of the Mror Holds." Assuming that their resources are variations on Ice and Cold magic as well as normal things like crafts and crops, which Dwarf clan do you think would make the best ally or enemy?

Dan Smith

In you recent article on the Grand Duke of Atur you mention the Queen of Karrnath. Who was she and what was her relationship (if any) to Karrn the Conqueror? Alternatively, what additional information can you give about Karrn the Conqueror? I've always found Pre-Galifar Khorvaire to be interesting and would love to know some more about the figure who is (seemingly) responsible for the early formation of the nations that evolved into the Five nations of modern Khorvaire.

Micah Peltier

Hi Keith, I have a couple questions this month, if you’d like to take your pick :) [also sorry for the length of the questions, I'm incapable of not providing a ridiculous amount of detail] A specific-to-my-campaign question: we’re solidly into Tier 3 gameplay, and I’m starting to talk with my players about long-term endgame sorts of things, where they see their characters at/beyond level 20 (for example, one of my characters is an elf with the mark of death, and we’ve been talking about her becoming Queen of the Dead, sort of like that suggestion for Lady Illmarrow). One of my characters is a bard/warlock, with the Forest Queen as his patron, and we’ve talked about him possibly becoming an Archfey. This seems appropriate, given that PCs are remarkable and have remarkable stories, he has ties to Thelanis already, and it’s the scale I’m looking for (I’d like for these PCs to still be around in future games, but not necessarily just having level 20 characters sitting around to solve problems when the world is ending; that’s for the PCs of next campaign). However, I’m struggling to figure out /how/ it’ll happen. What the final transformation will look like. What sorts of plot points to seed in now so that the transition goes smoothly. Do you have any suggestions? A question that I should’ve brought up in the AMA but forgot to: what was the reasoning behind making Galifar a kingdom and not an empire? I’m not a historian or anything, but empires seem, more commonly, to be made up of a number of conquered kingdoms, each of which retains a level of cultural or legal independence from one another, each ruled by their own monarch who answer to the emperor/empress. Kingdoms seem to generally be more uniform, with less cultural distinction between whatever governing subdivisions exist, and overall smaller. I know it’s mostly a semantic difference, but Galifar seems more like an empire than a kingdom. Is there any particular reason for it not being an empire? And a random, hopefully simpler question: are there other kinds of ‘special shards,’ i.e., akin to dawn and dusk shards, but with energy from a different plane? What might some of their effects look like (i.e., why would you need/want to use a ‘flameshard’ instead of a regular dragonshard)?

The Indie Fox

If a Daelkyr were to hypothetically corrupt enough of an Overlord's minions to warp an Overlord themselves, which Daelkyr/Overlord combo would you find the most interesting and how would you use them? Army Ant Rak Tulkesh with Valaara? Mold/Decaying Plant Katashka with Avaash? Spinner of Shadows could be a fun one with Valaara as well.

Jamie Gardiner

With a complete lack of Player interaction, What major events would play out in your Eberron in the 5 years following 998yk?

Not Mordakhesh

Have you seen the vestiges of divergence from the Tal’dorei reborn, and the Wildemount book? I was wondering if you you could think of a place or time for them to originate from in Eberron or your new setting? Or an item like that. I love ancient weapons that need to be found so we can stop the big badguy. SoX had the destiny arms. Those were pretty cool. Anything else from other ages?

Patrick Reupert

Similar to what you did with the Nilbogs, can you possibly elaborate on the Barghest a little? They have been presented as servants of Mabar and the Wild Heart before, but what other ways, maybe even as Barghests from other races, could you use to incorporate them?

Diarmuid McCourt

Are the Blood of Vol inspired by real world Satanists or are the Doctrinal and Aesthetic similarities coincidental?

Synergist-Grell

Building off of your suggestions for spelljammer + Eberron from last year: Let's assume there are other worlds in the Material Plane aside from Eberron and its moons, what are your initial thoughts on how this could affect the Khyber and the Overlords. Could Khyber demiplanes show up on other worlds? Could different worlds have the same Overlords of Eberron, or maybe their own unique native evils?

Jesse Riggins

I have come back once more, to give you more than 12 hours to think about the question: What are the rules of Conqueror, and how does it differ from chess?

dirDav3

Hi Keith! Got a couple more questions to choose between. 1) The silver flame is the combined force of couatl soul energy, basically. Let's say Illmarrow helped do the Mourning. Her job was to produce an effect that kills everyone it touches by wrenching the soul free of the body. Let's then say she collected each and every soul killed by the mist in this manner. I'm at a loss for exactly what happens next. I know her 3 primary goals are to regain her mark, become the new queen of death over Dolurrh, and take vengeance on aeranal and the dragons. I don't have a specific question, I just... don't know where to go next with this hook but I think it's pretty good so far. 2) Would Chamber Dragons and Lords of Dust work together to stop other Lords of Dust? For example, working with Hektula to create the Day of Mourning to stop Rak Tulkhesh from breaking free? Or is that a line the dragons just wouldn't cross? I liked your take on the Mosaic Committee from last month's question thread where you suggested the Committee could be how the two groups negotiate with each other. 3) If gnomes originated from Thelanis from Pylas Pyrial as called out in Chronicles, wouldn't they not dream either, like elves and warforged?

OHeyItsRick

Hello! If I may, I've two questions for you to choose from... 1) In your Kanon, how would you describe the overall aesthetic of the Aereni nobility? Specifically, in my case, the Mendyrian. In EE you say, "The Mendyrian Aereni take particular pride in their appearance, favoring ornate patterns and decoration in clothing, elaborate hairstyles, and masks of metal or leather.", but I was wondering if there were any real world cultural fashions you would draw upon? The reason I ask, I have a character who is off the line of Mendyrian (a Court Aasimar) and I've been trying to conceptualize his outfit but find myself struggling. 2) How would you describe the relationship between the Shifter druids of Sharn and the Gatekeepers there? What druid circles could you see such a Shifter, who was perhaps aligned with the Gatekeepers and actively working with them, having?

Will Buck

The Grand Duke of Atur article is fantastic and I'm going to be looking for opportunities to use Karla in the future! Carrying over from previous months: 1) Chivalric orders of the Five Nations. 2) Any thoughts or details about Starilaskur. 3) Additional information about Karrnath's Ministry of the Dead. 4) Additional information about the Nine Brothers of Night, or any other of the archfey of the Moonlit Vale. Thank you!

Zac Luchette

If a party of tier 3/4 adventurers were trying to form an alliance between the major nations, Houses, and other factions to form a united front against a world-ending threat, what would be some of the obstacles they would face? Which groups do you see as more or less willing to contribute to a united war effort? Assuming the party aren't expert diplomats, what assurances would need to be made, or what incentives would be required? I'm struggling to imagine a situation in which the Twelve and the Arcane Congress, or Aundair and Thrane, could be earnestly convinced to put aside stubborn grievances and work hand in hand.

Rodrigo Kuerten

How old is the average adventurer in Eberron? Are most of them in early adulthood, or they usually get to adventure later in life? Or these kind of details depend on the place of upbringing of such characters?

Jamie Bernstein

A general question - what's your favourite bit of worldbuilding or narrative design from another setting or piece of media?

Micah Peltier

I know I've had a question answered this month already, but I'm posting again anyway to remind me to pluck it for next month. Inspired by your recent article about campaigns set in the near future, do you have any thoughts on what timeframe and where you'd set a game in the near past? ("Near" being a very loose term, I'd be interested in hearing about a campaign in the Age of Demons if you have ideas for that.) I've had a bug in my brain about trying to run a more traditional sort of game in Eberron, sort of "classic fantasy" old-school sort of thing. But (in my mind, at least) that sort of game doesn't have a network of lightning rails, airship docks, or many of the other arcano-technological advancements of modern Eberron. Setting a game sometime in the past seems like it would help alleviate some of that, but there's a lot of history; what time seems like the most interesting to run a game in to you?

Iris

Okay. I have a question of immense significance What is up with Eberrons ebb and flow. In our normal world we have a somewhat 'predictable' cycle of it, albeit an particularily vicious one in some areas. But Eberron has 11 additional moons as compared to Earth. Whats the result from that? Is it normalized to a point that Eberron doesnt have a notable cycle of ebb and flow? Is it the opposite where it may feel like fully random at times? And if the latter, how did that affect the nautical trades. Might it even be that one of the reasons why so many of Eberrons oceans are so particularily vicious and dangerous is because of the amount of moons that all affect the seas at the same time?

Joana

Was there an age between the seal of Eberron around Khyber and the age of demons?

Lewis Pascoe

Where would the dvati (Dragon Compendium, one soul/two body race) best fit into Eberron? Is there a faction that would be most interested in creating dvati, an area where they would most likely arise, or a power that would best suit their one soul/two body connection? They would be the opposite of kalashtar, in a way.

Michael Hughes

What does transgender care look like in Eberron?

Richard Flynn

Hypothetical, what would be the impact of Sul Khatesh’s release on Arcanix, Aundair and Khorvaire?

Mariamow

I was wondering if the Cannith factions were to split into three houses, what would you potentially call these houses (e.g. the names of the human lines like the elven lines Thuranni, Phiarlan and Paelion.)

Reighndragon

Does Droaam use any heraldic symbols. If so do they have a national flag they use, or do the warlords use all different symbols. For instance if the adventurers encounter a Droaamish ship from Shaarat Kol what flag or flags would it fly?

Dark Jedi Princess

I hope I’m not too late, but I was wondering if you view any of the nations/cultures of Eberron as being analogous to the Ancient Egyptians or the Ancient Norse (my two favourite IRL ancient civilisations)? Or if you at least took any inspiration from either to help build any of the cultures/nations?

Trying my best

Preemptive TL;DR: would you mind talking a but more in depth about the Forge of War? You've mentioned before that you dislike the Forge of War. Aside from its treatment of the church, the pre-war borders, and the lack of attention to the way technology/magic changed through the war, do you have other things you disagree with in that book? Are there things you like about it? In your Eberron, does the Last War go completely differently?

EllieSF

So, it's easy to assume that standard Elements like Hydrogen and Carbon exist in fantasy, Eberron included. Something I've always wondered... Is there stuff like Uranium? Are there radioactive elements just out there? And have any of them been discovered in nature? I'm not sure how much you can tell me about real life physics applied to Eberron, but are there any elements found only in other planes?

Shogunbirds

Hi Kieth! Im currently at an ice cream festival with over 75 different flavors, and it got me wondering if there might be Ghallanda ran festivals or business like LimeBerry with some healthy flavorless foods or drinks with prestidigitation spells to make them taste like different things?

Trying my best

Since my last question was was too broad, I'll ask another if I may: when you play/GM Eberron today, what's your favorite system to use and why? I feel like 3.5 is what Eberron was built around, and is still the best fit - but I've heard you mention advantages of 5E a lot, and I remember Manifest Zone going into Savage Worlds a lot.

Charley Meink

What was the relationship of the Couatls and Dragons? Did they respect each other as equals, did they have conflicts? Just was something I haven't found information on yet. Thank you for all that you do.

Joseph Meehan

What's the deal with Queen Diani? Does she have a family? Her canon timeline is a bit all over the place, how would you use her? At least #IME I moved Shadukar up from 958-961 to 986-989 just to make sure it made any sense for her to have a sense of responsibility, and I have her in her mid-late 40s.

Inquisitor Thomas

Question that I feel is important for the majority of Eberron Campaigns: Most Eberron campaigns tend to revolve around conspiracies and mysteries that have been built up for potentially several centuries or even millennia, and they’re orchestrated by supernaturally intelligent masterminds, who have been very methodically concealing their presence this entire time. How do you manage to get PCs invested in these mastermind super Wizard/Psionic knows all the tricks of covering their tracks and thus won’t reveal themselves until the final act? For example if you’re running an Emerald Claw campaign how do you make the Players care about Erandis who spends 99% of the campaign in the background more than whatever Emerald Claw minion or lieutenant that does most of the heavy lifting?

Jessie Harris

I’ve been considering the Overlords and I noticed it seems 3 of the five nations has a kind of “resident” overlord. (The Rage of War for Karrnath, The Keeper of Secrets for Aundair, and The Shadow in the Flame for Thrane) I was wondering if there are any Overlords like this (canon or otherwise) for Breland and/or Cyre?

Brandon Castellanos

So my players are going to be visiting Ashtakala soon and one of them has access to truesight. Ashtakala is is said to mostly be an "illusion" so how does the city interact with truesight? Would the player be able to tell that most of the citizens or the new clothing the city puts on them is illusory? Or would it work differently?

Marcus

Any thoughts on how the Heirs of Dhakaan, particularly the Kech Nasaar, operate within Droaam? How successful have they been at avoiding detection from the Three Daughters?

Chris

How would you build Hektula as a warlock patron? Fiend? Old One? And how might you introduce her as a patron, but keep her identity a secret from the warlock?

Jesse Williams

1.I am reading through your old articles and I saw one that mentioned the Hammerfest Dwarves in the Demon Wastes. They sound very fascinating, would you ever elaborate on them like you did with some of the various gnome societies? 2. I see a lot of fans in there games running a campaign where a brand new dragonmark emerges and it got me wondering, if you HAD to create a brand new dragonmark, what ideas would you have? 3. I like Kalashtars but I'm a bit intimidated by how their behavior and body language is "strange and alien". what tips would you give on roleplaying one? 4. Ok, this will be a long one. In the past/in books, you mentioned how someone could "hack" the silver flame to use its power without faith. Also, if I remember correctly, the "faith" component of the silver flame is that you must believe what you're doing is for the greater good of humanity. Finally, regardless if the common people of Eberron know it today or not, the silver flame starts with a non- divine being (the couatl), with all of this information, could someone, maybe even a seeker of the blood of vol, use the silver flame? they'd definitely be a social pariah on both sides, but they'd believe they're serving the greater good ( unlocking the divinity within) , yet would only be using the flame as a tool, thus not be relying on a deity. would any of this crazy idea of mine work? a blending of two completely different divine powers. 5. Since Quori are fiends, and Kalashtar are the merging of these fiends and humans, does that mean Kalashtar are basically teiflings?

DesnaPilled

The Venemous Demesne is obviously run by tieflings, and tieflings make up the upper class there. How strictly is that enforced? Are there physical or social boundaries preventing say, Lady Pyranica of House Dreygu from taking Nilah the human as a wife?

Daelkyr Devon

Don't know if you've answered this, but I had a question regarding your thoughts on Greatwyrms from Fizbans, ie their "power level". CR in 5e obviously is a loose concept (and youve spoken already about your opinions on Overlord CR) but considering a Greatwyrms CR is comparable to that of an Overlord aspect, would (Fizbans) Greatwyrms hold a special significance in your eberron?

Joseph Meehan

Warforged Colossi: How would you use them? Any places you'd work them backwards into canon? (fanon has picked up on the idea of Karrnslayer being part of the FoW-canon assault on Atur in 993)

WebbRosson

What are the endworld mountain orcs like?

craigrkennedy

Would you see pretty much every Znir Pact gnoll wield a myrnaxe as part of their standard kit? Or is the right to wield one something that a gnoll earns or a sign of rank etc.? (I vaguely remember some myrnaxe lore in Thorn of Breland series, but can't recall specifics)

GhostOwlGirl

Prince Jurian’s exile is in an odd (yet intentional) limbo state, but how politically official/unofficial is it in practice? If something were to to happen to Crown Prince Wrogar, would the title go to Princess Corrine, or would it still go to Jurian? I imagine, if it did go to Jurian, it would require some clever political maneuvers to salvage his reputation, but people always do love a story of reformation (even when they don’t know it’s manufactured).