The creation myths say that magic is the blood of the dragon Siberys, flowing down from the golden ring in the sky. Whether this is truth or mere myth, magic pervades the world.
Magic as a Tool.
In Eberron, arcane magic is a form of science. The spells and rituals of wizards and artificers have been developed and honed over centuries, and those principles have been incorporated into daily life. Magic is used for entertainment, transportation, communication, warfare, and much more. While magic is widespread, there are limits to is power. You can book passage on an airship or get an illness cured by lesser restoration, but resurrection, teleportation, and similar effects are hard to come by. True wizards are rare and remarkable; most common magic is performed by a working class of magewrights, professional spellcasters who master a small handful of rituals or cantrips. The magical services available in Khorvaire are discussed in more detail in chapter 2, along with the availability of magic items.
Dragonmarked Dynasties.
The magical economy is dominated by a handful of powerful families and the guilds they maintain. These are the dragonmarked houses, barons of industry whose influence rivals that of kings and queens. These dynastic houses derive their power from their dragonmarks: arcane sigils that are passed down through their bloodlines. A dragonmark grants limited but useful magical abilities, and over the course of centuries the houses have used these powers to establish powerful monopolies. House Jorasco dominates the medical trade with its Mark of Healing, while only someone with House Lyrandar’s Mark of Storms can pilot an airship. Chapter 3 provides more details about dragonmarks and the dragonmarked houses, along with rules for creating dragonmarked characters.
Everyday Magic
Here are a few examples of how magic is integrated into everyday life in Khorvaire.
- The lightning rail uses bound elementals to drive a train of carriages along a path of conductor stones. The rail links most major cities and is a simple way to travel long distances.
- An elemental airship uses a fire or air elemental, bound into a ring that holds the ship aloft and provides motive force. The airship is a recent innovation that is transforming the business of transportation.
- Everbright lanterns use continual flame to light the streets of Khorvaire. The flame never goes out, but metal shutters allow a lantern to be dimmed or shut down.
- Speaking stones allow communication between distant communities. A short message can be sent from one stone to another, functionally similar to a telegraph.
- Warforged are sentient humanoid golems. Developed during the Last War, warforged were created as weapons. The Treaty of Thronehold forbid the creation of new warforged, while granting freedom to the golems that survived the war. Rules for making warforged characters can be found in chapter 3.