IFAQ Round-Up: Archfey, Astral Questions, and Saints

Every month, my Patreon supporters have an opportunity to ask a question. Some of these questions become the basis of full articles, such as my recent article on the Grim Lords of Farlnen. Others just get short answers. Here’s a roundup of a few such questions that came up in January!

Have you any thoughts on how to tie the Lady in Shadow (an archfey from Exploring Eberron) to the Emerald Claw or Lady Illmarrow? In particular, how would an Archfey warlock of the Lady in Shadow relate to Illmarrow?

From a story perspective, Illmarrow already sort of IS the Lady in Shadow. She’s an infamous mage who dwells in the inhospitable wilds, which is the basic story of the Lady in Shadow. We’ve said before that the Archfey enjoy seeing their stories played out. Of course, that WAS Illmarrow’s story… until she raised an army of extremists (the Emerald Claw). “Cult leader” is a very different story from “sinister enigmatic hermit.” So one easy option is that the Lady in Shadow is actually sympathetic to Illmarrow but wants to shut down the Emerald Claw… because she wants Illmarrow back as the mysterious witch in the wilds, not being an active cult leader.

Another option is that Illmarrow made a bargain with the Lady herself at some point in the past. Illmarrow’s been around for thousands of years, and she’s been pursuing all manner of arcane options; she easily could have tried bargaining with archfey to get her mark back, only to have it fail. If you go that way, then the Lady in Shadow has a vendetta. It could be that Illmarrow simply broke a promise and needs to be punished. Or it could be that Illmarrow stole an artifact belonging to the Lady, something that holds a significant amount of her power… and that the Lady CAN’T act against Illmarrow until that artifact is recovered or destroyed. So the LiS would help her warlock generally oppose Illmarrow, working up to the moment when the vendetta can be settled.

A final optional twist would be that the Lady in Shadow wants her warlock to BECOME Lady Illmarrow. This would be a super long-term goal, but it goes back to the idea that the LiS likes there being a Lady Illmarrow who serves as a real-world analogue of the Lady in Shadow… but that Erandis is no longer filling that role. So she wants the warlock to bring down Erandis and then keep being Illmarrow.

The Second Son (or ‘Count of the Barren Marches’) is an archfey mentioned in Exploring Eberron, but there’s little information beyond him being a jealous would-be usurper whose schemes almost always fail. What are the “Barren Marches” he rules like? Who are the “siblings” who his lands are always inferior to—other archfey, or just characters in HIS story? What real-world stories did you have in mind writing him?

Much like the Lady in Shadow, the Second Son is a nebulous figure whose details are less important than his overriding concept. His covetous nature is the key, but the exact details aren’t as important. In fact, every time you go to the Barren Marches, he could be lusting after something new. Within the Moonlit Court, HIS OLDER SIBLING MIGHT CHANGE from season to season; the point is just that he always HAS an elder sibling who’s widely beloved and has what the Second Son desires. Looking to inspiration, you could go anywhere from Claudius in Hamlet, villainous depictions of King John, all the way to the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Technically that last one isn’t about INHERITANCE, but it fits the TONE of the Second Son to a T; a miserable man in a miserable cave hates his happy prosperous neighbors and schemes to end their joy through theft. In terms of his schemes failing, I think the more accurate point is that they END BADLY. Claudius does succeed at claiming his brother’s crown, but the story still ends (spoiler alert) with Claudius dead and the kingdom fallen. The Second Son never ends up with what he desires for long… and even if he does, he’ll realize it’s not enough.

As for what the Barren Marches are like, the key point is that THEY’RE NOT AS NICE AS HE’D LIKE THEM TO BE. They could be rocky moors, a desert, the Grinch’s barren peak. Again, I think it’s quite reasonable that what they border CHANGES EVERY SEASON to reflect whatever story he’s playing out in this particular moment.

If the previous instances of Eberron, like the famous Githberron, were all instances of the material plane (as Gith have survived by hiding in other planes), does that mean that inhabitants of the planes remember this previous Eberrons? Besides both Gith cultures, where would the best places be to understand/learn about this?

Does that mean that inhabitants of the planes remember this previous Eberrons?” The immortals don’t. Remember that immortals are essentially part of the machinery of reality. Think of the planes as hardware that’s running Eberron 2.0.2.1. When it gets upgraded to Eberron 2.0.2.2, the hardware remains in place, but the software gets updated… and in this analogy, immortals are software, and their memories are updated to be in line with the new reality. Last week we were at war with Eastasia and had always been at war with Eastasia. Then we upgraded to Eberron 2.0.2.2, and now we’ve always been at war with Eurasia instead.

The big question is what happens to extraplanar mortals. We know that creatures in the Astral Plane can survive updates, but the Githzerai have chosen to dwell in Kythri. The question is whether there’s been another update since Githberron—if they were able to ride out the change with the same force of will that lets them maintain order in Kythri—or if there is a real possibility that when another update occurs, the Githzerai will be “overwritten” and erased. If it hasn’t happened yet, the Githzerai themselves don’t know the answer. The main place to find out more about previous realities would be in Xoriat or the Astral Plane, both of which don’t get changed in these updates.

Given the timeless nature of the astral plane, are all the gith “leftover” from previous incarnations of Eberron? And if not, how does gith society reproduce on a “timeless” plane — if you don’t age, do they have to take their children somewhere else to grow them into adulthood?

Note the sentence from the article: “This has led to a faction in Tu’narath advocating for an invasion of the Material Plane—asserting that a foothold in the material would both ALLOW THEIR POPULATION TO GROW and to give them an anchor in time.” Children can’t be born or grow in the Astral Plane. The Githyanki population is thus largely made up of survivors. However, there’s is a faction that is working to increase the population, maintaining a few Creche ships that anchor in isolated parts of the Material plane where children can grow. An interesting question is how these newborns are treated by the veterans. Some may celebrate them as proof that the Gith will overcome all hardships and thrive; others may feel that because they never saw the “True World” they can’t truly understand what it means to be Githyanki.

Could there be remnants of Quori armies in the Astral Plane from before Dal Quor was torn from the material plane, or would being cut off from the Dreaming Dark be fatal? And in a similar vein, Quori from il Lashtavar’s prior incarnations?

If going to the Astral Plane was a safe way to avoid the Turning of the Age, I’d expect the quori to have done it en masse long ago instead of messing around with the material plane. So the question is WHY it’s not safe. Personally, I think that while immortals can travel through the Astral Plane, it’s dangerous for them to stay there for extended amounts of time. Immortals are fundamentally extensions of their planes, and the Astral is outside creation. If they spend too much time there (and I’m saying months or years, not minutes) I think their identity would degrade; they wouldn’t DIE, but they’d become something DIFFERENT. So you could have some survivors of a previous age, but they WOULDN’T BE QUORI ANYMORE and they wouldn’t have clear memories of their age.

You’ve said in the past that Thrane has more wide divine magic than the other countries – How does that look in practice? Is it more, “The bones of Belladonna Martyrs will break curses or cure diseases of worthy pilgrims” or more, “Through our understanding of the holy power of the flame, we’re able to set up a Zone of Truth courthouse”?

More the latter. Remember that the Silver Flame is a power source that empowers the worthy. As a paladin of the Flame you aren’t calling on saints, you’re just drawing on the Flame itself. With that said, even adepts need faith. The Flame is a gift that allows people to protect the innocent, and this will be called out. In the Courthouse, the truthteller would say “Let no falsehood be uttered in the light of the Flame!” as they draw the zone of truth. A healer would say “Let the power of the Flame flow through you, driving out the foul disease.” There is a REVERENCE and appreciation for this gift; but it is about drawing directly on the power of the Flame. With that said, tools that help focus and channel the power of the Flame could take the form of reliquaries or similar things. The bones of the Belladonna Martyrs don’t have inherent power, but it’s possible that they can help an adept channel the Flame more effectively; that the faith of the martyrs remains in the bones, and strengthens the faith of the adept who holds them. We’ve never talked about common channeling tools of the CotSF, and it’s an interesting question—but a larger one than I can answer right now.

I was wondering if the various faiths of Eberron have saints or Saint-like figures as common knowledge? Or are the religions too decentralized? I know the Blood of Vol has undead martyrs in a more physical sense and the Church of the Silver Flame has Keepers and cardinals of the past still sometimes revered, but is it widespread in those faiths or the Sovereign Host or even the druidic faiths?

It depends how you define “saint.” The Church of the Silver Flame most definitely has martyrs and champions who are honored. Tira Miron is the most obvious of these, but Sharn includes a shrine to Fathen the Martyr; I’d assume Fathen is just one example of many. The key point is that people don’t believe that (aside from Tira) these saints still exist and can intercede on their behalf; people HONOR Fathen and preserve his memory, but they don’t PRAY to him.

The Sovereign Host largely focuses on the Sovereigns, who are after all always with you. With that said, it’s called out as having LIVING saints—people who are recognized as being especially close to the Sovereigns. I’ve called out that you might have a village where people see the blacksmith as being close to Onatar and ask for his blessing, while in Sharn we have the concrete (literally!) example of Daca; on page 83 of Sharn: City of Towers she’s specifically identified as a saint in her stat block. But the main point is that these Vassal saints are largely honored for their holiness in life, but don’t continue to be venerated after death. I could imagine a particular Vassal sect that embraces the concept and creates reliquaries, but it’s not standard practice.

I feel that the druidic faiths largely accept the idea that death is death and wouldn’t be likely to ask the dead to intercede on their behalf. On the other hand, I think it could be very interesting to explore the idea of Tree Saints—great druids who have transfered their souls into trees when they were close to death, and who can continue to advise people, much like Aereni spirit idols. I WOULDN’T suggest this as an origin for Oalian, and I’d be inclined to limit the power of these saint trees to offering advice, perhaps affecting the weather in their region, etc rather than making them actual spellcasters like Oalian. But I think there could be some fun flavor with druids going to the Whispering Grove to ask the elders for advice.

That’s all I have time for now. I’m happy to clarify these answers, but I won’t be answering entirely new questions in the comments. However, I am about to launch another call for questions on Patreon, so if you have an interesting Eberron question that’s the place to ask it!

54 thoughts on “IFAQ Round-Up: Archfey, Astral Questions, and Saints

  1. In terms of the Astral Plane corrupting immortals after long stretches of time, do you image that would be a permanent loss of immortal energy for the plane, or do you imagine returning the immortal to their plane of origin would fix them? Would they even be able to return?

    Also, how do you imagine Irian and Mabar interact with the Astral? Unlike the rest of the planes, Irian and Mabar get TONS of cross planar interaction in the form of the planar seeds and the hinterlands.

  2. In 4e Dungeon Magazine #196, you say that Shan Syraen and the Prince of Frost are two very different beings. In 5e Exploring Eberron, you say that Taer Syraen is, in fact, the seat of the Prince of Frost. Are Shan Syraen and the Prince of Frost the same being, then? Are the two articles in 4e Dragon Magazine #374 and 4e Dungeon Magazine #196 supposed to be merged together to present the up-to-date Shan Syraen/Prince of Frost?

    In your original writeup of the Prince of Frost in 4e Dragon Magazine #374, Hayne Kasar and Sharaea petitioned the Raven Queen to cast their souls forward in time. However, “The Prince of Frost knows it was the Raven Queen who helped Sharaea escape, and for this he might have held the goddess in contempt. Strange fate, however, has gained the Pale Prince a measure of respect in the Raven Queen’s eyes. The prince is a harbinger of sorrow and deliverer of death, so he and the Raven Queen are alike in some ways. She watches him closely, wondering if he might make a fine exarch or even a consort. The prince takes secret delight in usurping some of the Raven Queen’s power with his wintry might. If he knew of her admiration, would he turn his heart from its bitterness? If he did, would the Prince of Frost revert again to the Sun Prince?”

    Who takes the place of the Raven Queen in this case? The Dolurrhi Queen of the Dead sounds like a poor fit, since she has little reason to admire the Prince of Forst as “a harbinger of sorrow and deliverer of death.” Would Minara Vol/the Queen of All Tears be a better substitute? Hayne Kasar and Sharaea might have lived during the time of Minara Vol, and petitioned her to cast their souls forward in time. The embittered Queen of All Tears would then have a reason to admire the Prince of Frost, and getting them together might redeem both.

    • This sounds like you’re asking Keith to resolve hooks for you again, which you should really be doing at your own table.

      • Archfey are one of the three main topics of this IFAQ. I am asking questions about one archfey as he relates to two 4e articles that were directly written by Keith Baker, in addition to 5e Exploring Eberron. I think it is a fair line of questioning.

        • Simplest answers from a “resolving canon” lens:

          “Are the two articles in 4e Dragon Magazine #374 and 4e Dungeon Magazine #196 supposed to be merged together to present the up-to-date Shan Syraen/Prince of Frost”

          Yes

          “Who takes the place of the Raven Queen in this case?”

          As Matthew Booth said, this is a matter for the DM to decide to tell the story they want to tell. Perhaps the Queen of the Dead (who has previously been the direct translation for the Raven Queen) is the best candidate for reasons YOU decide as DM for your story, or perhaps it’s Queen of All Tears for the reasons you’ve laid out. What works for YOU in your story is what matters

    • I did indeed reconcile Shan Syraen and the Prince of Frost as a single entity in Exploring Eberron. Now that Eladrin aren’t a core player race, the role of the feyspires is somewhat different and I am simplifying the landscape rather than having two separate-but-similar princes of frost.

      Personally I wouldn’t involve the Queen of the Dead or the Queen of All Tears in the story of the Prince of Frost. This idea is a central part of his story, which to me means it should be contained within Thelanis. ExE says “The escaping lovers cast their spirits forward in time”. Personally, I’d say that they did it by bargaining with the Lady in Shadow or by using a time machine created by the Mother of Invention—keeping the story confined to Thelanis—rather than involving powerful beings from other planes. However, as others have said, if YOU want to use Minara Vol in YOUR campaign, don’t let my preferences stop you.

      • It is sensible enough that the Prince of Frost’s story is supposed to be relatively contained to Thelanis and the mortal world.

        I am a little confused about how the archfey of Thelanis are “supposed” to change, though. Presumably, the Sun Prince was “supposed” to change into the Prince of Frost, because that is part of his story under Thelanian metaphysics. But is the Prince of Frost “supposed” to eventually find someone that warms his heart, like the Lady in Shadow or the Mother of Invention (presuming the Raven Queen analog applies here), or is this an outcome of the story that Thelanis itself would metaphysically resist?

        • It’s definitely a valid metaphysical question as to whether there was a concrete point in time at which the Prince of Frost was, actually, the Prince of Summer. One possibility is that the story is literally true and that if you go back in time ten thousand years and dropped by Thelanis, you could meet him as the Prince of Summer — and that if you go forward ten thousand years in the future you could find that he’s happy again. That’s one option. The other option is that his story is only a story. The Archfey of Thelanis TALK about his broken heart as if it’s a thing that happened a little while ago—because from their story-driven perspective it did—but that if you go back in time, they’ll STILL be talking about it as if it happened just a little while ago, but the actual fact is that THERE NEVER WAS A TIME when he actually was the Prince of Summer; it’s just part of a story.

          I think it all turns on one key question: WHAT IS HIS STORY? Because there’s two clear options. The first is that his story is the story of THE PRINCE OF FROST. It’s a tragic story in which he was Summer but froze when his heart was broken and now forever chases vengeance. If that’s the case, he never actually WAS the Prince of Summer and he never will be again; that’s just set dressing for his story.

          On the other hand, his story could be THE PRINCE OF SUMMER AND FROST… A CYCLE in which he starts as the Prince of Summer, endures a loss, becomes the Prince of Frost, and remains bitter Frost until he eventually regains love and warms back to Summer… only to eventually lose it again and become Frost more. It’s a solid classic story people could use to explain the turning of the seasons; when Summer fades, people would say “Looks like the Prince has lost his love.” If this is the case, then at any given point in time the Prince is EITHER the Prince of Summer or the Prince of Frost, depending which part of the story he’s currently acting out.

          I LIKE the cyclical story—it allows player characters to be part of it and to break the current cycle of Frost, while still keeping the idea that he is ultimately trapped in his story. However, if I follow that path, then it’s important to keep in mind that his feyspire would likewise cycle between being the Winter Citadel and the Summer Spire, changing as he changes.

          • You point out in 5e Exploring Eberron that “This is a crucial aspect of the Moonlit Vale: things change,” so I think it would be interesting if all of the feyspires and archfey of the Moonlit Vale had changes and cycles built into their story.

            Maybe the sacking of Shae Tirias Tolai disrupted one of these cycles of the Moonlit Vale. (Or did it?)

            If the 4e Eberron Campaign Guide storyline of the feyspires being trapped in the mortal world is being used, perhaps that could have disrupted some of those cycles. (Or did it?)

  3. I think it’s in Five Nations that has “feral quori” running around a lake in Breland. Would it be safe to say that in-universe scholars might mistake figments, drifters, and other ‘lesser’ creatures of Dal Quor for actual quori?

    • I’d honestly question if scholars would know the difference! Barring some kalashtar and chosen clearing up facts, not even the quor-toa or the ruins of the giants would necessarily provide accurate information for scholars to go off to identify these things

  4. What about the Path of Light? Are there honoured martyrs of that faith? And what would these monks use as channeling focuses?

    • There’s at least one, Taratai’s line, who sacrificed themselves to create the palling that shields Adar. Pretty sure every citizen of Adar wakes up in the morning thankful for Taratai’s line. At least going off the information we have in Secrets of Sarlona, which is all we have until people vote for Keith to do an Adar article . . . 🙂

      • I would like to ask Keith Baker if Taratai was supposed to be mystically/psionically stronger than all the other kalaraq quori rebels, or if she was “merely” culturally significant for having been the leader of the rebels.

        • I think the general theme of Eberron is the most powerful character is not always the most politically significant. Taratai was a philosopher and leader as the most significant aspect of her, might not be powerful

        • Kalaraq are the most powerful and rare of the quori. While we’ve suggested it’s possible that there were other kalaraq among the rebel quori and that you could thus have a modern kalaraq kalashtar, given how rare they are, I’d be inclined to say that there’s only one or at most two. So in that way, Taratai was certainly one of the most powerful of the rebel quori. However, I don’t think she was exceptionally powerful for a kalaraq; what made her stand out were her ideas and philosophies, not her combat abilities.

          • That makes sense.

            Pages 67 of 3.5 Races of Eberron says, “Taratai was the first and greatest of the rebel quori. She was mother of the kalashtar and the founder of the Path of Light, and her power and wisdom were legendary. But she was also the most terrible casualty in the war against the quori. In the early days of Riedra, before the kalashtar had learned to respect the power of the Inspired, the agents of the Dreaming Dark launched a concentrated attack and managed to eliminate all of Taratai’s hosts. No one knows what became of her soul—whether it was destroyed, or if it is still floating in some nether realm. But the kalashtar mourn her loss to this day.” Unless I am mistaken, you wrote this.

            Page 24 of 3.5 Secrets of Sarlona presents a different take on Taratai’s story, concluding in “In the last month of winter, the few remaining members of Taratai’s line came to each of Adar’s citadels. All disappeared in silver light as the shroud resonators began to function. The line of Taratai was no more, but Adar’s borders became nearly impossible to cross from that day forward.” This is the more recent source. I do not know whether or not you wrote this.

            Which of these two versions was the one that actually happened, in your current conception?

            • I worked on Secrets of Sarlona but did not write the Adar section. I did write the Races of Eberron section you’ve quoted and that remains my personal interpretation of events. Personally I prefer the idea that the line of Taratai was DESTROYED—proving that it is something that can be done and something the Dreaming Dark can continue to pursue—than that the line sacrificed itself in an enigmatic way. As noted in the RoE storyline, we don’t know what happens to the quori when all kalashtar of a line are eliminated, but we know the line ends.

              So I’m fine if Tarati’s line helped with the shroud generators, but I prefer that her last hosts were ELIMINATED, not that they mysteriously vanished.

  5. Would the same logic of Illmarrow being LoS story, apply for Zenobaal? If the Sphinx is fey maybe that’s how they meet?

    Could the lady of shadow take the form of hermit sage monks? Teaching secret martial arts to a novice. And would lady of shadow fit with
    Dragons hoarding knowledge?

    And final ponder on LoS, would members of the wizard circle of moonlight and whispers have members that live like hermits to emulate the story?

    • From Exe: “The Lady in Shadow is the witch who stands outside society, possessing dangerous knowledge and power. She curses those who offend her or steal her things, but her knowledge can be quite valuable—if she is approached with care.”

      There’s no particular reason that the “dangerous knowledge” she possesses couldn’t be martial instead of magical. But the key point is that it’s seen as dangerous and that she is ostracized by society. A dragon hoarding knowledge doesn’t fill this role in relation to a human, because it’s outside human society to begin with. The LiS is the creepy hermit who everyone tells you to stay away from. With this in mind, Zenobaal could potentially fill this role in DRAGON society. However, also keep in mind, there’s no concrete benefit to emulating an archfey, which reflects the fact that both Illmarrow and Sora Katra were filling the archetypal role of the Lady in Shadow and both STOPPED DOING IT, Illmarrow to run the Order of the Emerald Claw and Katra to found Droaam. It’s not like they were TRYING to be like the Lady in Shadow or that they lost anything when they stopped, it just happened that in living their lives they were fitting that story role. I suggest that archfey LIKE it when their story gets played out, but normally there’s no absolute, concrete benefit for doing that—unless you’re a warlock with a direct bargain with them. So looking to Moonlight and Shadows, a warlock might do it as part of their pact. But it seems a bit extreme for a wizard to live outside of society and cultivate the fear of the people around them just to be like a character in a story. Again, if they have a direct line to the Lady and are receiving some concrete compensation for doing it, that’s different; but generally, the point is that people end up emulating archfey accidentally—because the stories of archfey are common archetypes—rather than that it’s common practice for people to do it intentionally.

      With that said, you could certainly have a fun story about a cabal of warlocks who actively do seek to emulate their patrons. But the point is that typically that emulation occurs unintentionally, not that it’s common practice for people to actively do it.

  6. Hi Keith!
    1) is it possible that Gith BELIEVE that they come from a different incarnation of Everton, but they are actually fooled by someone else for a very long term plan?
    2) is it possible that in fact they come from the previous incarnation of Dal Qor?
    3) i am finally reading Exploring Eborron and I am loving your take on Fernia. Did you ever used it in game? As far as I remember there was a giant civilization of cultists of Fernia, did you ever write anything more in deep on that topic?

    • 1-2). These are the sorts of questions where I’m always going to say “Do you WANT it to be possible? It’s your story.” So… Do you WANT it to be possible?
      3.) I think what you’re looking for are the Sulatar Drow, discussed in more detail (though to be fair, not MUCH detail) in Secrets of Xen’drik.

  7. How much do the Archfey know of each other? The rulers of the feyspires are known, as likely would be the rulers of the courts of the Palace of the Moon, but when Second Son visits the Summer Gala, do other archfey know of his story? If Margana Lain did ascend to an archfey is her story commonly known amongst her new peers?

    • How much do the Archfey know of each other? The rulers of the feyspires are known, as likely would be the rulers of the courts of the Palace of the Moon, but when Second Son visits the Summer Gala, do other archfey know of his story?
      ABSOLUTELY. From ExE: “Many archfey dwell in the Moonlit Vale. Some rule over feyspires, while others dwell in the Palace of the Moon; the intrigues of the Court are their defining stories. Archfey that rule layers are known as anchor barons, as each is the anchor that defines the barony. They come to the Palace of the Moon for revels or conclaves” later adding “The four seasons are factions among the fey of the Moon Court, and those who dwell within the palace live within the tree of their season. The palace is full of endless intrigues, and envoys negotiate alliances with the feyspires and the anchor barons.”

  8. ” Think of the planes as hardware that’s running Eberron 2.0.2.1. When it gets upgraded to Eberron 2.0.2.2, the hardware remains in place, but the software gets updated… and in this analogy, immortals are software, and their memories are updated to be in line with the new reality. Last week we were at war with Eastasia and had always been at war with Eastasia. Then we upgraded to Eberron 2.0.2.2, and now we’ve always been at war with Eurasia instead.”

    Under this, are the Kalashtar spirits “just” Quori who avoided the update, or something else entirely?

    • Wouldn’t the kalashtar quori be rogue current programs? They’re still quori of the current iteration of Dal Quor after all.

      • Wouldn’t the kalashtar quori be rogue current programs? They’re still quori of the current iteration of Dal Quor after all.
        Correct. The kalashtar quori are tied to the current age of Dal Quor in the current iteration of reality. They’re rebels, but they’ve from a different version of things.

    • Under this, are the Kalashtar spirits “just” Quori who avoided the update, or something else entirely?
      None of the above. There’s two very different concepts here. First is the idea of the Maze of Reality, presented in the Xoriat chapter of Exploring Eberron. This presents the idea that there may be “software updates” that update reality as we know it—dramatically changing the prime material plane, with minor adjustments to the outer planes to adapt to the change to the prime material. As a general rule, no one notices this or is aware of it. The only people who KNOW there was an Eberron 2.0.2.1 are the handful of people who happened to be in the Astral plane when it occurred. So the GITH know there was another reality because they’re from it, but no one else is aware of it.

      SEPARATELY, we also have the idea that Dal Quor goes through its own cycles, and that when it does, it changes all quori to adapt to the new Quor Tarai. That’s entirely unrelated to the greater changes to reality. So the quori tied to the kalashtar haven’t avoided anything. They are part of the latest version of reality (2.0.2.2) AND they are products of the current age of Dal Quor. Beyond this, they are actively seeking to trigger Dal Quor’s shift into its next age, even though this may effectively destroy their quori spirits (causing them to be overwritten by the new Quor Tarai). Meanwhile, the Dreaming Dark seeks to prevent the turning of the age.

      The point is that the quori KNOW about the turning of the age in Dal Quor. They are aware it’s happened before and they believe they could do something to affect it. They aren’t actually aware of the greater shifting of the Maze of Reality.

      • From your previous blog post on obyriths, why would obyriths be aware of the change, if they were immortals from a previous iteration of reality?

        • This is explained in the article: “An exotic option for the obyriths would be to say that they are fiends from a previous iteration of Khyber… That somehow they escaped into Xoriat and ultimately came to the current incarnation of reality, most likely finding shelter in a shadow demiplane.” Xoriat and the Astral Plane are the two places that stand apart from the change; the daelkyr, for example, are aware of all previous realities.

          • Is everyone in Xoriat aware of previous realities, then? Is escaping into Xoriat a proven method of surviving a reality reset?

            • Is everyone in Xoriat aware of previous realities, then?
              No, not at all. If you consider the “native aberrations” table in Exploring Eberron, I see no reason the majority of these entities would have any awareness of Eberron at all. The daelkyr are aware of previous realities because they were involved in their transformation. The [[scent of onion]] knows nothing of Eberron and would find many things about it as alien and incomprehensible as people of Eberron find Xoriat.

              Is escaping into Xoriat a proven method of surviving a reality reset?
              Sure, but that’s kind of like saying “Is jumping into a bonfire a proven method of surviving hypothermia?” Yes, being in Xoriat will allow you to survive a reality reset, but now you’ll have to SURVIVE XORIAT. Even if you manage to do that, you’ll likely be transformed by the experience. The Obyrith article says “This preserves the idea that they are ALIEN—fiends from another version of reality, further altered by their time in Xoriat.” Xoriat isn’t a safe place for other creatures, be they mortals or immortals. So it’s a possible haven, but it’s definitely jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

          • Are even the “basic”/”generic”/”minor” daelkyr, the CR 20 ones from the original 3.5 Eberron Campaign Setting, entitled to this same awareness of all major realities?

            (My apologies if I am getting the CR conversion incorrectly, since 3.5 and 5e do not use the same CR scales. So it is difficult to compare the basic CR 20 daelkyr in 3.5 to the CR 23 and 24 Dyrrn in 5e when the CR scales are different.)

            • Are even the “basic”/”generic”/”minor” daelkyr, the CR 20 ones from the original 3.5 Eberron Campaign Setting, entitled to this same awareness of all major realities?
              Did the daelkyr in question actively participate in the destruction of the reality in question? If so, it will remember it. It’s not some sort of cosmic awareness of all realities, it’s that they retain their personal memories of prior realities. It’s also the case that daelkyr aren’t bound by a linear perception of time, as discussed in this article.

              • I’m sure it could make for a much larger article but do you see the reset of reality that happened to Githberron as being something The Daelkyr did as the only option they had left to keep the Gith from “winning” and a few Gith escaped the reset or did the Gith figure out a way to cause the reset as a last ditch effort to prevent the daelkyr from “winning”?

                Or I guess it also could just be the daelkyr got bored with that reality and used the maze to go back and start at square one? Guess this leads to the question can the maze/Xoriat access alternate timelines of Eberron like the TVA in Loki or is it just limited to the current eberron timeline and it’s possible realities? Sorry that was a lot more questions than I intended to ask.

              • NO ONE ACTUALLY KNOWS what causes a reset. Exploring Eberron has this to say:
                (The daelkyr) stand above the maze, but they can also descend into it. They experiment on the rat, changing it. What happens if they make too many changes? It’s possible the rat might crawl into a corner to die and a new rat be released: perhaps the old Prime is lost and a new world moves forward. This is what the gith believe happened with their world, as described in the section on Kythri.
                The Gith don’t KNOW what triggered the reality reset. They fled their world to escape destruction at the hands of the daelkyr; ExE says “…When defeat was inevitable, the great leader Gith led a planar exodus.” They didn’t KNOW a reality reset was on the table, and it was surely a horrific surprise when they discovered their world had been erased. That’s the only reality reset we have absolute proof of, barring other discoveries in the astral plane. What the Gith believe is that reality has an automatic failsafe—that when the daelkyr bend things too far out of shape, it triggers this automatic reset. So if this theory is correct the daelkyr aren’t TRYING to cause a reset, they’re just practicing their art; but at some point they tip the scales and everything changes.

                A key point here is that we have no measuring stick that warns us how close we are to a reset. Even the Gith weren’t on their world when the reset was triggered, so they don’t know just how far things went. It’s possible the Dhakaani were right on the verge of a reset when they bound the daelkyr, or it’s possible they were nowhere near the sufficient number of changes to reset; ultimately, that’s one of those “What do you want the answer to be for your story” questions.

                But the main point is that the only people who have any real idea of what it takes to trigger a reset are the daelkyr, and they themselves don’t especially want to trigger resets, they want to perform their art/experiments; it just happens that the reset is an eventual consequence of their doing that.

                I’ve answered elsewhere what it would be like if you could reach a discarded reality in Xoriat. The short form is that it shouldn’t be and that such a reality, critically, won’t be attached to the planes which will have a host of supernatural side effects; it also essentially doesn’t progress from the point at which it was severed. So it’s possible that you could somehow reach Githberron today through Xoriat, but it would be a supernaturally crippled, broken world—a severe apocalypse situation.

  9. Most archfey are solitary entities, even Second Son is defined by an unknown sibling that may not need to actually exist. The only archfey in a grouping that come to mind are the Nine Brothers of Night. Is there anything we could know about the other 7 brothers beyond the Huntsman and the Woodsman? (Or if that is beyond the scope of this iFaq, I understand entirely)

    • That’s beyond the scope, I’m afraid. As I say at the end of the article, my intent was only to clarify the answers given, not to answer entirely new questions—even if they are questions related to archfey or saints. I ended up bending with some of the previous comments, but this really falls into being a new question that I would want to address in a deeper article about few, not a mailbag roundup.

    • Though I’d also note that most ANCHOR BARONS are solitary entities. ExE says: “Many archfey dwell in the Moonlit Vale. Some rule over feyspires, while others dwell in the Palace of the Moon; the intrigues of the Court are their defining stories.” So the archfey of the Moonlit Vale are more intertwined. But again, that’s a topic for a proper article.

  10. So would the Elves of Farlen treat Lord Varonaen as we treat a “living” saint? and the Line of Vol as a Family of Martyr Saints? Or are all the members of the Grim a form of Pseudo-Saints?

    Are the Undying of Arenel Pseudo-Saints?

    In Dungeon #185 (4e) they introduced Selephra, The Bramble Queen. She is easily one of my favorite Archfey, in theory nothing much needs done to adapt her to the lore of Eberron; However I have no clue what connections she might have. Would she work well as a younger sibling of the Second Son? Given her extreme hatred of Mortals would she find any allies who share that level of hatred? Would that hatred make her a “crusade” target by any of the Major religions?

      • I use a lot of Selephra’s lore for the Rose Queen, the kanon ruler of Shae Loralyndar.
        This seems like a good approach to me.

      • Where is the ruler of Shae Loralyndar referred to as the Rose Queen? I’m only seeing “Lord Eversun”.

        • Yeah, I’m not sure where Lord Eversun came from. It must be that I didn’t write the Eldeen chapter in the 4E ECG, because in MY headcannon, Shae Loralyndar has always been ruled by the Queen of Rose and Thorns.

    • So would the Elves of Farlen treat Lord Varonaen as we treat a “living” saint? and the Line of Vol as a Family of Martyr Saints? Or are all the members of the Grim a form of Pseudo-Saints?
      Not so much. The Bloodsails are described as being “more pragmatic” than the Blood of Vol. They don’t subscribe to grand ideas of “defeating death” or unlocking the Divinity Within. Given that, I wouldn’t say they see the Grim as “saints”. They just see them as the most respected members of their civilization—honored elders who happen to be undead.

      Are the Undying of Arenel Pseudo-Saints?
      Possibly? However, the Undying Court wields divine power as a gestalt force. So you may go to speak to your specific ancestor when you need advice, but clerics who invoke the power of the Court invoke the power of the COURT; it’s not that they specifically ask Great-Great-Great-Grampa Jhaelian to intervene in the fight they’re in.

  11. So I’ve been reading over this stuff, and currently I’m at the last page of your things filed under ‘Eberron FAQ’. It’s weird as heck, going back ten years like this, but I like reading what you say, so I’m fine with that.
    HOWEVER. A bunch of times you’ve linked Dragonshards or Eye On Eberron articles; and those no longer exist, or at least not under the url you had for them. Is there anywhere I can read that stuff, that you know of?

  12. Page 171 of 5e Exploring Eberron says: “When defeat was inevitable, the great leader Gith led a planar exodus, fleeing into Kythri. The Churning Chaos hid the refugees from pursuit, and through absolute discipline, they imposed stability upon chaos.”

    Does fleeing into Kythri shield creatures from a reality reset, much as fleeing into the Astral Plane or Xoriat does?

    • Maybe it does, or perhaps they fled through Xoriat and then branched off after, and Khythri is simply like the Astral in weathering that

    • Does fleeing into Kythri shield creatures from a reality reset, much as fleeing into the Astral Plane or Xoriat does?
      No, I don’t think it would. The Astral Plane is outside reality and Xoriat stands above it; Kythri is part of the metaphysical machinery of reality. The line particularly says that it “hid them from pursuit“. In the article, I say “We know that creatures in the Astral Plane can survive updates, but the Githzerai have chosen to dwell in Kythri. The question is whether there’s been another update since Githberron—if they were able to ride out the change with the same force of will that lets them maintain order in Kythri—or if there is a real possibility that when another update occurs, the Githzerai will be “overwritten” and erased. If it hasn’t happened yet, the Githzerai themselves don’t know the answer.

      So there’s two easy possibilities. One possibility is that the united Gith escaped into Kythri to evade pursuit and from Kythri travelled into the astral plane, potentially establishing themselves on what would become Tu’narath. Later—after the reality reset—they split, with the Githzerai returning to Kythri and the Githyanki remaining in the Astral. If this is the case, we don’t know what will happen to the Githzerai if there’s another reset. On the other hand, it could be that the Gith division occurred in Kythri; if this is the case, the Githyanki survived because they were in the Astral plane, while the Githzerai survived the transition “with the same force of will that lets them maintain order in Kythri.” It’s not that KYTHRI protected them from the transition, it’s that the same system they’d devised to protect themselves from the chaos of Kythri had the unexpected side effect of preserving them in the update.

  13. Would ir’Korran of korranberg be seen as the patron saint of the library? And could there be other more niche saints like Lyran and Selavash of Lyrandar to be a patron saints of the family? Given the nature of vassals there is bound to be variety in how they treat the dead.

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