Religions of Eberron
In the Eberron campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, most people identify with churches rather than a specific patron deity, as is the custom in other D&D settings. Religions in Eberron are not in general specific to a race, although both the elven Undying Court and the kalashtar Path of Light are not commonly worshipped by other races. Furthermore, unlike other settings, the gods neither walk the earth, nor can be visited by means of planar travel. If they even exist at all is a question open for debate. Divine magic, however, clearly exists and most people believe it originates from the gods.
Alignment and the gods
The idea that good people can do evil is a central concept in Eberron. As a result, clerics have no alignment restrictions whatsoever. A cleric may be punished by the church for violating the tenets of the faith, but alignment doesn't affect any class abilities. Thus, a cleric of the Silver Flame might be greedy or corrupt, or perhaps loyal to the church but willing to torture and kill in the interest of the "greater good". One well-known example of such a cleric is the de facto ruler of Thrane, High Cardinal Krozen, who is lawful evil.
Paladins, on the other hand, are held to a higher standard in D&D 3rd edition. A paladin embodies good, and must therefore be pure of heart and never stray from the path of righteousness. In other words, as in other settings, a paladin in Eberron must be lawful good. In D&D 4th edition, paladins are only required to have the same alignment as their deity, and thus evil or unaligned paladins are permitted.
Churches
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Silver Flame
The Silver Flame is a disembodied lawful good force associated with a former mortal woman and paladin of Dol Arrah named Tira Miron, who merged with a silvery pillar of fire and a Couatl approximately 700 years ago. Miron, now an immortal known as the Voice of the Silver Flame, serves as the intermediary between the Silver Flame and mortals.
The Church of the Silver Flame is dedicated to protecting people against the supernatural forces of evil. The Silver Flame itself resides within the impressive Cathedral of the Silver Flame, around which the city of Flamekeep is built and from which both the church and the nation of Thrane is governed. The head of the church is the Keeper of the Flame, a position currently held by eleven-year-old Jaela Daran. Below her is, in theory, the Council of Cardinals. In practice, the Keeper of the Flame concerns herself mostly with spiritual matters, while the cardinals handle the workings of the church and government, sometimes in conflict with the wishes of the Keeper. Below the cardinals, archbishops rule the provinces and cities of Thrane.
The church is divided into three orders: the ministers, the templars and the friars. The ministers provide spiritual guidance to the faithful in every part of the world where the church has a presence. The templars are the warriors and exorcists, in charge of protecting the church by means of arms and spells. The friars, finally, are zealous missionaries trying to spread the faith to areas where the church does not yet exist. Many paladins belong to the faith and archery is a traditionally important discipline. The domains of the deity are Exorcism, Good, Law and Protection, and its favored weapon is the longbow.
Sovereign Host
The Sovereign Host is the most commonly worshipped pantheon of deities in Khorvaire. Most followers worship the Host as a whole, offering prayers to different deities in different situations. Clerics are often devoted to the entire pantheon instead of a specific patron deity. The pantheon as a whole is neutral good. The Host's favored weapon is the longsword.
- Arawai is the neutral good deity of fertility, plant life and abundance. She is the sister of Balinor and the Devourer, and the mother of the Fury. Her domains are Good, Life, Plant and Weather, and her favored weapon is the morningstar.
- Aureon is the lawful neutral deity of lore and magic. He is the brother of Onatar, the husband of Boldrei and the origin of the Shadow. His domains are Knowledge, Law and Magic, and his favored weapon is the quarterstaff.
- Balinor is the neutral deity of hunting and animal life. He is the brother of Arawai and the Devourer. His domains are Air, Animal and Earth, and his favored weapon is the battleaxe.
- Boldrei is the lawful good deity of community. She is the wife of Aureon. Her domains are Community, Good, Law and Protection, and her favored weapon is the spear.
- Dol Arrah is the lawful good deity of honorable combat, self-sacrifice and sunlight. She is the sister of Dol Dorn and the Mockery. Her domains are Good, Law, Sun and War, and her favored weapon is the halberd.
- Dol Dorn is the chaotic good deity of bodily strength and martial training. He is the brother of Dol Arrah and the Mockery. His domains are Chaos, Good, Strength and War, and his favored weapon is the longsword.
- Kol Korran is the neutral deity of trade and money. He is the son of Olladra and Onatar, and the twin brother of the Keeper. His domains are Charm, Commerce and Travel, and his favored weapon is the mace.
- Olladra is the neutral good deity of luck and plenty. She is the wife of Onatar and the mother of Kol Korran and the Keeper. Her domains are Feast, Good, Healing and Luck, and her favored weapon is the sickle.
- Onatar is the neutral good deity of crafts, industry and fire. He is the brother of Aureon, the husband of Olladra and the father of Kol Korran and the Keeper. His domains are Artifice, Fire and Good, and his favored weapon is the warhammer.
Dark Six
The Dark Six are deities cast out of the Sovereign Host because of their evil ways. Like most gods of Eberron, the Dark Six do not have any direct influence in the world, and there is no conclusive evidence that they even exist. The Dark Six are worshipped by criminals, outcasts, and various monsters. However, many good-aligned characters pay tribute to them—a sailor might make an offering to appease the Devourer, to ensure his next voyage will not be hindered by the sea god. The Dark Six scheme against the Sovereign Host, each for differing reasons, and their followers likewise scheme against followers of the Sovereign Host.
- The Devourer is the neutral evil deity of the destructive power of nature. He is the brother of Arawai and the father of the Fury. His domains are Destruction, Evil, Water and Weather, and his favored weapon is the trident.
- The Fury is the neutral evil deity of passion driven to madness. She is the daughter of Arawai and the Devourer. Her domains are Evil, Madness and Passion, and her favored weapon is the rapier.
- The Keeper is the neutral evil deity of death and decay. He is the son of Olladra and Onatar, and the twin brother of Kol Korran. His domains are Death, Decay and Evil, and his favored weapon is the scythe.
- The Mockery is the neutral evil deity of treachery over honor. He is the brother of Dol Arrah and Dol Dorn. His domains are Destruction, Evil, Trickery and War, and his favored weapon is the kama.
- The Shadow is the chaotic evil deity of dark magic and the corruption of nature. He is the literal shadow of Aureon. His domains are Chaos, Evil, Magic and Shadow, and his favored weapon is the quarterstaff.
- The Traveler is the chaotic neutral deity of cunning and deception. He seems to have no connection to other deities. His domains are Artifice, Chaos, Travel and Trickery, and his favored weapon is the scimitar.
Blood of Vol
The Blood of Vol is a lawful evil cult that reveres the ancient traditions of the elven line of Vol. A subsect of the group, the Order of the Emerald Claw, is devoted to serving Erandis Vol, the Queen of the Dead and last scion of House Vol. Cultists exist on Khorvaire, Aerenal, and Xen'drik. They see blood as a path to divinity, and are fascinated by the literal and figurative meanings of blood. They invoke negative energy and manipulate bloodlines to achieve their goals. Despite the cult's overall evil alignment, there are many good-aligned members, who revere the undead as self-sacrificing champions in the war against death. The cult's domains are Death, Evil, Law and Necromancy, and the favored weapon is the dagger.
Lady Vol
Lady Vol, or Erandis Vol, is the last member of House Vol, and carries the thirteenth dragonmark: the Mark of Death. She is the daughter of an elf mother—the matriarch of House Vol—and a green dragon father. When her existence became known, both elves and dragons came together to destroy the half-dragon abomination and the House of Vol. To save her daughter—and the family bloodline—The matriarch turned Erandis into a lich just before she was killed herself. However, becoming a Lich caused Vol to lose access to the power of her dragonmark, which she seeks to restore. It is often considered improper to refer to her as d'Vol, since the convention of using the honorific d' was not established until after House Vol was destroyed.
Cults of the Dragon Below
The Cults of the Dragon Below are a diverse group of generally neutral evil sects that revere the power of Khyber, the underground world. Some seek to raise the dragon Khyber or release the daelkyr, while others commune with fiends summoned from the underworld. A few seek a promised land below the surface. The cults' favored weapon is the heavy pick.
Path of Light
The Path of Light is a lawful neutral religion followed by the kalashtar of Adar. Followers revere a positive energy they call il-Yannah ("the Great Light"). They seek to, through spiritual meditation and other subtle means, bring about the Turn of the Wheel of Dal Quor, which would result in the destruction of the current Dal Quor and its evil Quori denizens. Most followers are psions and psychic warriors, seeking to perfect themselves through meditation and communing with the light. They are in particular conflict with the Inspired of Riedra. Their favored weapon is the unarmed strike.
The Path of Light was first developed by the de facto "mother" of the kalashtar, known as Taratai. Like all modern Quori, Taratai sprang from the Dream of the Age, known as il-Lashtavar (roughly translated as "the darkness that dreams"). However, Taratai was inherently good, unlike her brethren, and felt at odds with the age into which she was created. After a period of research, Taratai discovered that the current Dream of the Age would eventually expire, and the one that will replace it will be one of joy and light. The Path of Light was developed as a series of actions that, she believed, would accelerate this process.
After the good Quori were driven from Dal Quor into the bodies of the monks of Adar, Taratai and her followers continued to practice the Path of Light. However, all of Taratai's descendants sacrificed themselves to create the Shroud, a great magical creation that protects Adar from the Inspired and agents of the Dreaming Dark; it is unknown if she still exists, and if so, in what form.
Path of Inspiration
As the kalashtar follow the Path of Light, the people of Riedra follow the Path of Inspiration. Invented by the il-Lashtavar as a way to control their population, the Path of Inspiration is propagated by the Inspired and is integrated into every element of Riedran society. The Path posits that there are good spirits in the world, steering Riedra in the right direction, and there are bad spirits trying to corrupt them as well. With enough good acts and obedience, a person can ascend to join these spirits.
The Path of Inspiration is lawful neutral, as its practitioners and goals are not inherently evil. Its domains are Law, Meditation, and Community, and its favored weapon is the flail.
Undying Court
The Undying Court is a neutral good pantheon of ancient deathless elves animated by positive energy. The elves of Aerenal seek their counsel and petition their favor. The court's favored weapon is the scimitar.
Keepers of the Past
The Keepers of the Past are bards and clerics who determine which ancestor will guide a newborn Tairnadal elf through life. In Tairnadal religion, each elf is duty-bound to honor and emulate his or her patron ancestor. The Tairnadal believe that these warrior ancestors, known as Spirits of the Past, can live again in the present if their deeds are recreated. Elves who share a common ancestor will compete with each other to become the perfect embodiment of their patron. The Spirits of the Past are neutral. The favored weapon of the Keepers is the double scimitar.
Vulkoor
Though not a formalized church, almost all Vulkoori drow in Xen'drik worship Vulkoor, the scorpion god. He is usually portrayed as a drow/scorpion hybrid; a scorpion body, with its head replaced with the upper body of an adult male drow. Vulkoor shares some traits with Lolth, encouraging trickery and destruction among his devotees and having a special affinity for arachnids. In the Eberron setting, he is also said to be the drow version of the Mockery.
References
Additional reading
- Baker, Keith; Slavicsek, Bill; Wyatt, James (2004). Eberron Campaign Setting. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4
- Religion in Eberron at Wizards.com website
- Church of the Silver Flame, Part 1
- Church of the Silver Flame, Part 2