Our world was born in strife. The three Progenitor Dragons crafted the planes at the dawn of time, and rested in the space that lies between them. It was then that cruel Khyber turned on the others, killing noble Siberys and scattering the pieces of his body. Eberron fought Khyber, but couldn’t defeat the dark wyrm. And so Eberron wound Khyber in her coils and transformed, becoming a living prison that could forever hold the darkness within. And this is the foundation of our reality. Eberron is the Dragon Between, the world on which we stand. Khyber is the Dragon Below, source of demons and foul things. And the ring around our world is the broken body of Siberys, the Dragon Above, whose blood is the source of all magic.
This cosmic struggle was merely the first of many wars that shaped our world. The fiendish children of Khyber spilled out from the underworld and spread chaos across the land. We know little of this time, save that the mighty dragons — the first children of Eberron and Siberys — fought against these demon overlords. In the end, an act of sacrifice kindled the Silver Flame that binds these demons to this day. But they hunger to escape from their bonds and wreak havoc, and we must always be vigilant.
Civilizations rose and fell. The giants of Xen’drik worked great magics, even destroying one of the moons. This rash action led the reclusive dragons to utterly destroy the giant nations, and the continent of Xen’drik remains ravaged by the epic spells unleashed in this battle. In Khorvaire, the empire of the goblins was brought down by a conflict with the vile daelkyr. These flesh-warping lords of madness were eventually trapped in Khyber by wise orcish druids, but ruins are all that remain of that great empire.
Modern civilization is built on the bones of the past, and these ancient mysteries may have a dreadful impact on the future. Many of the modern cities of Khorvaire are built on the foundations of ancient goblin cities and fortresses, and these may still hold aberrant threats from the war that destroyed their civilization. Older still are the ruins once inhabited by rakshasa and other fiends, and these may hold artifacts and other treasures far beyond the capabilities of any modern artificer. But there is more to the past than treasures waiting to be found. Stories say that demons and dragons are fighting a long, cold war in the shadows. These tales speak of a Draconic Prophecy… hidden revelations that grant the power to shape the future. Hidden dragons, undead elves, immortal fiends; all may be fighting to determine the path of the Prophecy, and player characters may be pawns in this great game. As one of the heroes of the age, you surely have a role in the Draconic Prophecy. Will you be a tool of one of these ancient forces, or will you master the game and determine your own destiny?
Dark Forces
Dragons and demons are just a few of the dangerous forces at work in the world. The daelkyr came to Eberron from the Plane of Madness. They came with armies of aberrations — forces commanded by mind flayers and bolstered by beholders. They shattered civilizations and spread horrors across Khorvaire. The daelkyr were ultimately bound in Khyber by druidic magic. They linger in the darkness — the Lord of Eyes, the Prince of Slime, Dyrrn the Corruptor — creating new aberrations and waiting for the day they can unleash their full power on the world above.
While the daelkyr themselves can’t return to the surface, their minions can. This leads to the Cults of the Dragon Below, mad mortals who work with mind flayers and lesser aberrations. A cult of the Dragon Below can spring up anywhere, as a seed of madness takes root in a community or court … and spreads.
As if dragons and demons aren’t trouble enough, stories say there are fiends lurking in mortal dreams. According to these tales, the Dreaming Dark is an alliance of nightmare spirits from the plane of Dal Quor, fiends that feed on mortal fear and manipulate through dreams. Some stories say the Dreaming Dark can possess people through their dreams, while others claim they have psychic agents hidden across Khorvaire.
Beyond the enigmatic daelkyr and the Dreaming Dark, other threats have arisen in the past century, spinning out of the strife of the Last War. The Lord of Blades is a warforged insurgent, a deadly warrior and artificer who seeks vengeance against the humans who created his people as weapons for their war. The Aurum is a cabal drawn from the wealthy elite who seek to turn gold into greater power. The Emerald Claw was an elite military unit that served Karrnath during the Last War. Disavowed by their king, the Emerald Claw engages in guerrilla strikes across Khorvaire, and includes necromancers, vampires, and undead bound to their service. Some say the Emerald Claw serve an ancient lich known as the Queen of Death, that their true goal is to place her on the throne of Karrnath and the Five Nations.
These are just some of the dark forces working in the shadows of Eberron. There are hungry lycanthropes, clever doppelgangers, and cults devoted to the Dark Six. There are stories of a cabal of assassins with aberrant dragonmarks and elves twisted into creatures of nightmare. And that’s not to mention the mundane crime and corruption that can be found in any major city. It’s a dangerous world — hopefully you can handle it!