Kalashtar place less value on material objects than on thoughts and movement. Singers among the kalashtar often weave emotions into their songs by way of psionic powers. They mix such abilities with all they do, including the path of shadows martial dance. To serve the versatile needs and ways of the kalashtar, many dances have combat applications.

Kalashtar artisans create works that shows an alien sensibility. Many pieces of kalashtar jewelry and clothing reflect the features of the quori, most commonly the insectile lower castes. Renowned in Adar is the kalashtar glasswork in many of the monastery-fortresses that is as much about how the glass moves light as the window or object itself.

Beautiful and kind, yet emotionally charged and mysterious, kalashtar look much like Chosen and Inspired do. Most kalashtar are active in roles that oppose the overlords of Riedra. Their numbers are too few, however, to truly oppose the might of the Inspired on the Material Plane. Still, they work ceaselessly to change the consciousness that makes Dal Quor what it is today—a nightmare.

Kalashtar Lands: Most kalashtar on Sarlona live within the high mountains and rich valleys of Adar. Among the ringing peaks, the kalashtar are protected from their mortal enemies who rule Riedra. Even so, they are few in number. Fewer still are the adventuresome kalashta r who can be found in remote parts of Sarlona, spreading the Path of Light and fighting the Inspired. No true kalashtar settlements exist in Sarlona outside Adar, but one could meet a kalashtar as close to Ada r as Syrkarn or as far away as a Qiku village in the tundra.

I am kalashtar, born of two worlds. Over a thousand years ago, my ancestor bound her bloodline to the spirit Kashtai, and I am a child of that union. Kashtai moves within me. Her memories come to me in dreams, and at times her voice whispers in the silence of my mind. As long as at least one of my sisters is alive, Kashtai will survive — and as long as she lives, she will fight il-Lashtavar.

— Lakashtai, servant of the light

The kalashtar are a compound people, created from the union of humanity and renegade spirits from the plane of dreams — spirits called quori. Kalashtar are often seen as wise, spiritual people with great compassion for others. There is an unmistakable alien quality to the kalashtar, though, as they are haunted by the conflicts of their otherworldly spirits.

Bound to Spirits

Every kalashtar has a connection to a spirit of light, a bond shared by other members of their bloodline. Kalashtar appear human, but their spiritual connection affects them in a variety of ways. Kalashtar have symmetrical, slightly angular features, and their eyes often glow when they are focused or expressing strong emotions.

Kalashtar can’t directly communicate with their quori spirits. Rather, they might experience this relationship as a sense of instinct and inspiration, drawing on the memories of the spirit when they dream. This connection grants kalashtar minor psionic abilities, as well as protection from psychic attacks. All of these quori dream-spirits are virtuous, but some are warriors and others are more contemplative. Work together with the DM to determine the nature of your linked spirit. Typically, a kalashtar knows the name and nature of their spirit, but some may know nothing of their spirit or the source of their psychic gifts, such as an orphan kalashtar raised among strangers.

The bond to the spirit can cause some kalashtar to display unusual quirks. Consider rolling or selecting a trait from the Kalashtar Quirks table.

Kalashtar Quirks

The virtuous spirits tied to the kalashtar fled from the dream-realm of Dal Quor to escape evil spirits that dominate it. The rebel quori believe that through meditation and devotion, they can change the fundamental nature of Dal Quor, shifting the balance from darkness to light. Most kalashtar communities focus on acts of devotion known as the Path of Light. But the dark powers of Dal Quor have their own plans for Eberron. Through the force known as the Dreaming Dark, these monsters manipulate the folk of Khorvaire to eliminate kalashtar whenever possible.

Many kalashtar defend themselves from the Dreaming Dark by focusing on devotion to the Path of Light. Others, though, seek out the agents of the Dreaming Dark and oppose their plans, or protect the innocent however they can. Still other kalashtar grow up isolated, knowing nothing about Dal Quor or the Dreaming Dark. Such orphans might use their abilities for personal gain or otherwise act against the virtuous instincts of their quori spirits; this can cause internal conflicts and violent mood swings.

A kalashtar name adds a personal prefix to the name of the quori spirit within the kalashtar. Such names have no relation to the kalashtar’s gender.

Kalashtar orphans are unlikely to know the name of their spirit and take names from another source.

Quori Names: Ashana, Ashtai, Ishara, Hareth, Khad, Kosh, Melk, Nari, Tana, Tari, Tash, Ulad, Vakri, Vash

Kalashtar Names: Coratash, Dalavash, Dolishara, Halakosh, Khoratari, Koratana, Lanhareth, Molavakri, Nevitash, Sorashana, Torashtai, Valakhad, Vishara

Kalashtar look similar to humans, but their outward appearance masks an inner demeanor that is at once serene and wild—cerebral and mad. The kalashtar fled Dal Quor, the region of dreams, eighteen centuries ago and came to Eberron. Today, they are strangers in Khorvaire, seeking refuge from agents of the Dreaming Dark in temple-keeps in the mountains of Adar.

Physical Qualities

Kalashtar, which in Quori means “wandering dreams,” first came to Eberron 1,800 years ago. They came as a renegade group from Dal Quor that sought to escape religious and philosophical persecution. Agents of Dal Quor known as the Dreaming Dark hunted them until finally the group’s leader, Taratai, found an audacious way to escape Dal Quor. She convinced Adaran monks to accept a permanent fusion of their own souls with those of the renegade quori. From that synthesis came kalashtar, and as a result, kalashtar today look similar to the monks who served as the first willing vessels.

The monastery where the sixty-seven humans became kalashtar was a place of refuge, so the humans who lived there were diverse. Kalashtar have thus retained a diversity of appearance, possessing the same variety of skin, hair, and eye colors found among humans. They are usually slimmer and taller than humans, although short or stocky kalashtar exist.

Kalashtar physically develop at the same rate as humans do and have similar life spans. A kalashtar child passes for human at first glance, but a few minutes of observation reveals the key difference. All kalashtar have a manner that is graceful, serene, and serious because of the fragment of quori soul bound within them. While human children run, laugh, and play, kalashtar children engage in the same meditative exercises, martial training, and telepathic conversations as adult kalashtar. For a kalashtar, growing up is a physical process, not a mental or emotional one.

Playing a Kalashtar

Most kalashtar remain in the temple-keeps of Adar, so any kalashtar traveling around Khorvaire probably has a good reason for doing so. A kalashtar might be driven by a desire to break the Riedran siege of Adar, or could be on the run from the Dreaming Dark.

The typical kalashtar is contemplative and serene. They are compassionate and friendly, but in a cerebral way. Perhaps due to the turmoil within their conjoined souls, kalashtar keep a tight rein on their emotions. A kalashtar demonstrates camaraderie with a wry grin and an offhand remark rather than with a backslap or a ribald joke.

The fragment of quori soul in a kalashtar recalls the escape from Dal Quor. Kalashtar on the run from the Dreaming Dark are wary, although they still try to maintain polite and kind behavior. Kalashtar struggle to integrate the thoughts and sensibilities of their human halves with the strange, intangible memories of their quori souls. Kalashtar flirt with madness. Occasionally, a kalashtar’s serene countenance drops to reveal crazed and baffling behavior that is inappropriate or even dangerous.

Kalashtar Characteristics: Balanced, commanding, compassionate, contemplative, disciplined, graceful, insightful, intellectual, spiritual, thoughtful

Male Names: Halkhad, Havrakhad, Kanatash, Lanamelk, Lanharath, Malharath, Minharath, Nevitash, Parmelk, Thakakhad, Thinharath

Female Names: Ganitari, Khashana, Lakashtari, Meva kri, Novakri, Panitari, Sorashana, Thakashtai, Thatari

Kalashtar Adventurers

Four sample kalashtar adventurers are described below.

Ganitari is a kalashtar wizard known for her bright and capacious mind. She trains daily for warfare against the Dreaming Dark as well as the world’s more tangible evils. Enemies outnumber her people, yet she believes a source of power must exist that can help her expunge corruption from the world. Perhaps the power lies within her and other brave souls willing to defy evil, or perhaps it is a long-forgotten artifact dating back to the dawn of the world. Whatever the case, she intends to find it.

Halkhad is a kalashtar cleric who grew up in the temple-keeps of Adar. Early in life, he volunteered to become a warrior-missionary for the Path of Light in Khorvaire. In his time away from Adar, he has learned an important lesson: The best way to tend to a person’s spiritual needs is to seek out the root of his or her crisis. Halkhad has discovered that the core message of il-Yannah resonates even among nonkalashtar. As he travels throughout Khorvaire, he preaches the Path of Light’s virtues to any who listen.

Kanatash is a kalashtar rogue. His parents, siblings, and the other members of his small kalashtar community were wiped out by agents of the Dreaming Dark when he was young. Kanatash escaped only because he was weeding the fields in a distant valley as punishment for sneaking away from the community to spy on human travelers nearby. Kanatash joined a group of adventurers and has so far managed to stay one step ahead of the Dreaming Dark. Some day he plans to find a way to return to Adar to see if anyone from his line remains.

Khashana is a kalashtar avenger who spends every spare moment in the relentless pursuit of physical perfection through deep meditation, calisthenics, and repeated combat drills. In this incarnation, she believes, life is a series of tests, each more demanding than the last. Khashana isn’t much of a conversationalist—she’s too focused to waste time on idle pleasantries—but if you want to talk about endurance training techniques or the weaknesses of Karterris’s double-dagger defense, Khashana will talk your ear off.

The kalashtar are a compound race: incorporeal entities from the alien plane of Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams, merged with human bodies and spirits to form a distinct species. They were once a minority among the quori, the native race of Dal Quor, hunted and persecuted for their religious beliefs. Thousands of years after the quori invaded Eberron and the connection between their plane and the Material Plane was severed, the kalashtar were the first of the quori to discover a means to reach the Material Plane once more. Fleeing persecution, they transformed their physical forms into psychic projections that allowed them to enter the Material Plane and possess willing humans. Today, new kalashtar are born, not possessed; neither spirit nor human, they are a new race that breeds true.

It took three hundred years for the other quori to discover a similar means to psychically project their spirits out of Dal Quor and possess human bodies, forming the Inspired (see page 290), while leaving their own bodies behind—much as mortals project their minds to Dal Quor when they dream. For fifteen hundred years now, the Inspired in their vast kingdom of Riedra have continued to persecute and oppress the kalashtar.

Personality: As a true hybrid of human hosts and quori spirits, the kalashtar possess keen intellects but are not ruled by logic. They seek the perfection of their minds and spirits, often to the exclusion of any physical pursuits. They are generally warm and compassionate, but their manners and ways of thinking are alien to the native races of Eberron. They are more interested in psionics than in the magic that pervades Khorvaire, and often lace their discourse with esoteric terms such as “matter,” “kinetics,” and “ectoplasm.”

The kalashtar are outcasts from their home plane and can never return there—not even in dream. The combination of life in exile and a dreamless existence makes the kalashtar slightly inclined toward madness, and some have speculated that the kalashtar devote themselves to psychic and physical discipline in order to keep themselves safely sane.

Physical Description: Kalashtar appear very similar to humans, but they have a grace and elegance that makes them seem almost too beautiful. They are slightly taller than the av erage human, and their faces hav e a slight angularity that sets them apart from the human norm, but these deviations only make them seem more attractive.

Relations: Kalashtar are born diplomats and relate fairly well to individuals of all races—except, of course, the Inspired. They relate best to humans, with whom they share the greatest physical similarity, but some kalashtar find themselv es strongly drawn to other races instead. They oppose the Inspired in all ways, both within Riedra and beyond its borders, and likewise oppose any group or force that corrupts or degrades mortal souls.

Alignment: Kalashtar are generally lawful good. They combine a sense of self-discipline that borders on the ascetic with a genuine concern for the welfare of all living things, or at least their souls.

Kalashtar Lands: The kalashtar homeland is a region of Sarlona called Adar, a land of forbidding mountains and hidden fortresses in the southeastern portion of the continent. Even in Adar their numbers are small, and the number of kalashtar found in Khorvaire is much smaller still. However, they can be found in many of the largest human cities. The largest kalashtar population in Khorvaire is in the city of Sharn.

Dragonmarks: Kalashtar never possess dragonmarks.

Religion: Kalashtar do not follow gods, but they have their own religion, called the Path of Light. The center of this belief system is a universal force of positive energy the kalashtar call il-Yannah, or “the Great Light.” Through meditation and communion with this force, the kalashtar seek to strengthen their bodies and minds for the struggle against the forces of darkness that threaten all life on Eberron. Though il-Yannah is not a deity, its few clerics draw power from the Path of Light. A greater number of devout followers of the Path are psions and psychic warriors.

Language: Kalashtar speak Quor, the language of the quori, and the common tongue of their homeland (Common in Khorvaire, or Riedran in Adar). Quor is a hissing, guttural tongue more suited to the alien forms of the quori than their humanoid hosts. It has its own written form, a flowing, elegant script with many circular letters.

Names: Kalashtar names have much in common with the name of their people: They are three to five syllables long, with a combination of hard and hissing consonants. Male names end with one of the masculine name suffixes –harath, –khad, –melk, or –tash. Female names use the feminine suffixes –kashtai, –shana, –tari, or –vakri.

Male Names: Halkhad, Kanatash, Lanamelk, Minharath, Nevitash, Parmelk, Thakakhad, Thinharath.

Female Names: Ganitari, Khashana, Lakashtari, Mevakri, Novakri, Panitari, Thakashtai, Thatari.

Adventurers: Every kalashtar enters adulthood facing a fundamental choice: Try to live a normal life as a persecuted exile in Adar, or take up a more active role in combating the Inspired in the world. Not surprisingly, many kalashtar choose the latter option and live a life at least bordering on that of the adventurer. Most kalashtar adventurers are motivated primarily by their hatred of the Inspired, but a few—primarily those advanced along the Path of Light—are driven by their compassion for all living beings and their desire to fight darkness in whatever form it takes.

Adar is said to be a land of hidden wonders. Tales speak of palaces carved from solid gold and hidden valleys where wine fl ows like water. Dragons hide in every storm cloud, and fi ends are buried in the burning depths of volcanoes.

These fanciful tales hold some truth. The history of Adar dates back to the Age of Demons, and dragons and couatls left their mark on this land. As time passed, humans rose to dominate the continent of Sarlona. When tyrannical rulers sought to crush those who sought arcane knowledge and religious freedom, the persecuted mystics made their way to Adar, building monasteries atop the ruins the dragons had left behind. The stone wreckage held power—power that could be used for defense. Adar became a place of refuge. The path through the mountains was long and diffi cult, but for those desperate few in need of sanctuary, Adar offered a last hope.

Humans were not the only ones to seek refuge in the mountains. Almost two thousand years ago, spirits from Dal Quor contacted the monks of Adar. These quori were being hunted by forces of nightmare that sought to extinguish the last vestiges of light from their plane. A group of human mystics offered their own bodies as a way of providing these rebel quori with an escape from Dal Quor—and the fi rst kalashtar were born from this fusion.

Physically, the kalashtar are essentially human, but spiritually, each carries the legacy of this ancient pact. Every kalashtar has a bond to one of the sixty-seven quori spirits that fl ed from the Region of Dreams. This is a passive link, and the kalashtar cannot communicate directly with their quori ancestors. However, a kalashtar receives special gifts from his quori bond: fl ashes of memories, strange insights, and psionic powers.

The enemies of the kalashtar soon found a way to reach Eberron, and today the kalashtar are locked in mortal combat with this force, the Dreaming Dark. Adar itself has been under siege for centuries. In recent years, the kalashtar and the humans of Adar have begun to make their way to Khorvaire. Here, they intend to use their remarkable mental powers to strengthen the forces of light—and to ensure that the Dreaming Dark does not conquer another realm.

Lanharath does not dream. Sleep is a time of darkness. Often when he wakes he fi nds that he can remember battles with quori nightmares amid the shifting mists of Dal Quor and centuries spent in the hidden monasteries of Adar. But Lanharath has never been to Adar: These are the memories of Harath, the tsucora spirit that shares his soul. While fascinating, the visions of Dal Quor are disturbing; the quori perceive the world very differently from humans and kalashtar, and the alien visions are strange and disorienting.

Upon rising, Lanharath performs the fi rst dance of the path of shadows. The fl owing motion helps focus his thoughts and calm his mind, and the memories of Dal Quor return to the safety of his subconscious mind. After completing the dance, he joins his brother for the morning meal. Sorashana has just arrived, and Malharath has prepared taslek broth for each of them. A human would fi nd the meal to be watery and bland, but Lanharath savors the subtle fl avor, contemplating every nuance.

As they eat, Sorashana gives her report. Three days ago, Havakhad the seer sensed a convergence of shadows in the district of Fallen. Five of the Shana kalashtar had been dispatched to observe events in Fallen. For the last few days they had lived in the shadows of Fallen, blending in with the beggars. It hurt Sorashana to see such misery and not try to help those in need, but she and her sisters could not risk revealing their presence.

Last night, they had confi rmed the presence of a quori spirit in the district, possessing a street preacher, using her unnatural charisma to gather followers and fuel their rage against the upper classes. Left alone, the quori would soon spark a riot that could spread throughout the lower levels of Sharn. The Shana kalashtar of Sharn are talented spies, but they are not equipped to deal with a raging quori: That task falls to Lanharath and his brother. Lanharath thanks Sorashana for her work. They touch palms and share a moment of peaceful thought. Then it is time for the brothers to prepare for the task that lies ahead.

The two kalashtar dress in ragged clothing. Lanharath rubs dirt on his pale skin and hides his fi ne kalashtar features beneath a mildewed cowl. He carries no weapon, and to all appearances he is just another piece of the refuse that inhabits the city.

Malharath and Lanharath say little as they travel down the towers. Each knows what the other is thinking; they share many of the same memories and experiences, and while they are individuals, they are twins in a way humans could never be. Arriving in Fallen, they proceed to the shattered church where the quori is said to be. A sermon is in progress, and as the kalashtar enter the church they know that Sorashana was correct. They can feel the power of the quori’s rage, a subliminal force that infl uences his ragged fl ock far more than the preacher’s angry words.

At the entrance the brothers separate, slipping into the shadows on either side of the church and drifting toward the altar. Once he has a clear line of sight to the possessed preacher, Lanharath steps behind a pillar and concentrates. A disk of crimson steel shimmers into existence in his right hand, three long crescent blades joined in a deadly triangle. He concentrates a moment longer, recalling Harath’s last battle on Dal Quor and letting his ancestor’s righteous fury fl ow into his blade. Ready, he thinks, and the thought leaps across the fi lthy chamber and into his brother’s mind.

As one, the kalashtar warriors step out of the shadows. Calling on the light that lies within, Lanharath moves with impossible speed. His disk of blades spins through the air, catching the quori unaware and tearing into the preacher’s back. In an instant the disk is back in his hand and he throws again. The possessed preacher has terrible power, but she never gets a chance to act; even as the psychic steel strikes her body, Harath’s anger assaults her mind, driving the possessing spirit back to the realm of nightmares. It is over within seconds.

The crowd is thunderstruck, and for a moment it appears that the mob will attack. Then a clear voice rings across the hall—Talarasha, another kalashtar, who followed the brothers from the upper levels. Speaking calmly, she spreads an empathic net across the crowd, drawing out the psychic venom spread by the fallen quori.

Once the crowd has dispersed, the trio collects the body of the fallen preacher and returns to Overlook. Talarasha’s psionic powers help conceal the corpse from prying eyes. That night, they burn the body. Around the pyre, six dancers perform the form of forgiveness. The dancers do not mourn the quori; his spirit has simply returned to Dal Quor, and it may soon come back to fi ght them again. But they forgive his human vessel, the preacher who allowed the fi end to use her in this way. Through the dance, they seek to guide her soul toward the light, praying that she will be reborn with greater wisdom.

His duties done, Lanharath returns to his chamber. He meditates for an hour and then stretches out on his hard pallet, returning to the dreamless void of sleep.

The kalashtar bond with the quori is a difficult thing for an outsider to understand. A kalashtar cannot consciously interact with her quori spirit; it is an inherent part of her, not a separate sentience within her mind. She has hazy memories of places she has never seen and battles she never fought. At an age when most human children are stealing sweets, she was already concerned about ethics and morality. The personality and memories of her quori ancestor have influenced her since her birth, and it would be difficult for her to say where the quori ends and her human nature begins.

A kalashtar character faces many challenges. She must fight the Inspired in the material world while fighting a mental battle to maintain the balance between her souls. Understanding this struggle—and the impact of the quori lineage—is key to understanding the kalashtar.

The secret war

The Dreaming Dark will not rest until the kalashtar have been destroyed, and its agents are masters of deception and intrigue. The Inspired cannot launch a full-scale assault on the kalashtar enclave in Sharn, but they can stir up the paranoia and bigotry of the nonkalashtar inhabitants. They can encourage local criminals to prey on the community, and they can assassinate any kalashtar who leaves the shelter of the enclave. A kalashtar must be eternally vigilant—any stranger could turn out to be a deadly enemy, and apparent friends all too often turn out to be enemies as well.

While the Inspired hunt down the kalashtar, the kalashtar continue to fight against the darkness. There are two schools of thought. The smaller camp, known as the shadow watchers, battles the physical manifestations of evil, from the Inspired to the Lords of Dust. The majority of the kalashtar devote their energies to spiritual warfare.

These kalashtar, called lightbringers, believe that the only way to truly destroy the Dreaming Dark is through spiritual change, that through their religious rituals they are slowly turning the wheel of the age, banishing the dark and bringing in the light. Thus, most kalashtar appear to be peaceful mystics, but in their minds, they are soldiers in the midst of a war.

It is important also to understand the secrecy associated with this conflict; some may wonder why the kalashtar aren’t raising a hue and cry across the world. Partially, this is because the kalashtar need to maintain a low profile to avoid the hostile attention of the Dreaming Dark. A certain level of arrogance is associated with this as well. This is the continuation of a battle between quori, a war that has been going on for thousands of years. The majority of kalashtar believe that it is their war to fight—that the common races are not capable of understanding the Dark, let alone defeating it.

Roleplaying Application: You are fighting a war, and your life is in constant danger. Never lower your guard around strangers, and be prepared for an attack to come from any quarter. Never indulge in any vice that leaves you unable to defend yourself. The Path of Light does not require chastity or sobriety, but kalashtar never indulge in vices that would leave them open to attack, often leading to the appearance of intense asceticism.

The Path of Light

Most kalashtar are devoted to the Path of Light. Dedication to the Path is what drew the rebel quori from the Region of Dreams to begin with, and this belief is inherited directly from the quori spirit. Kalashtar are free-willed individuals, though, and there are always those who turn their back on the light.

Roleplaying Application: If you have chosen to fight in the war, you must determine your path. The shadow walker fights physical manifestations of evil and is ideally suited to the life of the roving adventurer; the lightbringers tend to religious devotions and the spiritual needs of the community. Once you assume the mantle of lightbringer or shadow watcher, you have become a soldier of il-Yannah; it is your duty to combat the darkness as best you can and to protect those in need. Be courageous and vigilant: Though no one will ever appreciate your sacrifice, you are fighting for the fate of the world itself. With this in mind, a touch of the condescending martyr is certainly an appropriate personality trait. Since you have become an adventurer, however, it is likely that you believe that other races can help in the coming conflict.

A greedy or evil kalashtar has turned his back on the Path of Light and is denying his spiritual heritage. This increases the conflict within the kalashtar’s soul; an evil kalashtar is likely to be tense and high-strung and might fall prey to madness.

Inner balance

The mind of a kalashtar is a synthesis of human soul and quori spirit. The quori spirit empowers its host, granting mental power and long life. The quori is not an independent presence; it is an integrated part of the kalashtar’s personality. At the same time, the quori soul has memories that are completely alien to a human. The visions of its former life in Dal Quor might range from a battle against a tsucora horde on the Field of Forgotten Anger to the smell of a color or the taste of a sound. In Dal Quor, the impossible is not only possible—it’s commonplace. A kalashtar must maintain the delicate balance between her two inner forces or risk going mad.

This is exacerbated by the fact that kalashtar do not dream; the exodus that brought the kalashtar from Dal Quor required the spirits and their hosts to sever all ties to the Region of Dreams completely. Humans settle many subconscious issues through dreaming, but kalashtar must use focused meditation to accomplish the same task.

Roleplaying Application: Remember that the memories of an ancient alien spirit are lurking in the back of your mind. You may occasionally reminisce about events that never happened to you, suggest impossible activities (“Perhaps if we seed the clouds with gold . . .”), or compare things in the real world to your impossible memories of Dal Quor. A side effect of this is that most kalashtar seem unnaturally calm. Between the mental discipline required to integrate your two personalities and the many wonders that lie in your memories of Dal Quor, little can shock or surprise you.

Unbalanced kalashtar tend to be manic and highly emotional; if you want, you can play this up when you are under stress. Some kalashtar enjoy the energy that comes from this manic state and embrace this dissonance; such individuals often end up as bards or wilders. If you wish to play an unbalanced kalashtar, be wild and exuberant; throw caution to the wind and enjoy every moment of life.

Spiritual lineage

Sixty-seven rebel quori survived the exodus from Dal Quor, and every kalashtar has a bond to one of these spirits. The suffix attached to a kalashtar’s name is the name of the quori ancestor: Lanharath is Lan of the lineage of Harath. Quori spirits do have gender, and a newborn kalashtar inherits the bond to the spirit of the parent with the matching gender. Kalashtar can interbreed with humans and half-elves; if the gender of the child matches the kalashtar parent, it inherits the bond and is born a kalashtar. Otherwise it matches the race of the mundane parent. Kalashtar racial traits, including their distinctive appearance, stem from the touch of the quori on body and soul. There is no such thing as a “half-kalashtar.”

The quori founders no longer exist as true individuals; instead they live within the communal subconscious of all of their physical descendants. Members of the lineage cannot actively use this mental bond, but they share the same dreamlike memories and typically have the same opinions and moral values. Two Vakri kalashtar will find that they can anticipate one another’s actions, that they finish each other’s sentences, and that they naturally gravitate toward the same sides of an argument. Kalashtar with the same lineage are not mental clones, however. Each individual’s life experiences and human soul shape his or her character and personality, and alignment and behavior vary from character to character.

Roleplaying Application: You have a strong emotional bond to any kalashtar who shares the same ancestor. Treat such people as beloved brothers and sisters, even if you’ve never met before. Offer your help and hospitality. Under normal circumstances, you should expect the same treatment in return. If you end up fighting a kalashtar of the same lineage, do everything possible to take your opponent alive and find a way to redeem him.

Mental discipline holds madness at bay within each kalashtar, and the kalashtar culture reflects this constant struggle. Outsiders usually find the calm that pervades kalashtar communities surprising. Beyond this inner struggle, the kalashtar wage an endless war against the Dreaming Dark. Daily activities prepare the kalashtar for the threat of violence, but the majority of kalashtar believe that the war cannot be won with force of arms. To succeed, they must bring more light and beauty into the world.

Leisure

Every kalashtar action serves a purpose, and leisure holds no place in their austere world. If an activity is pleasant for the participants, that’s a bonus. A kalashtar never relaxes for the sake of relaxing: Even song and dance become weapons in the battle against the darkness.

Good Neighbors: Kalashtar who live in mixed communities believe that it is their duty to study the people around them. This serves two purposes. The practical goal of the exercise is to keep an eye out for any signs of manipulation or infiltration by the Dreaming Dark: The better they know their neighbors, the more quickly they will spot unusual behavior. From a spiritual standpoint, the kalashtar seek to spread light and compassion throughout the community—and the only way to do this is to know the inhabitants and to understand their lives.

Few people realize how hard the kalashtar work on behalf of their communities. This is intentional. Concealment is the kalashtar’s primary defense against the Inspired, and they do not want credit or glory for their acts of charity. While working among outsiders, a kalashtar may conceal his features or use a disguise or psionic powers to adopt a false identity.

Meditation and Prayer: A typical kalashtar spends most of his free time in silent meditation, walking the Path of Light within his mind. This helps maintain inner balance, and the kalashtar believe that these efforts help slowly turn the wheel of the age, moving one step closer to the end of the Age of the Dreaming Dark.

The Path of Shadows: Many kalashtar practice sheshan talarash dasyannah, a Quor phrase that roughly translates as “dancing with the shadows on the path to light” or, more commonly, “the path of shadows.” This is a martial art form in every sense of the term and serves as exercise, meditation, combat training, and artistic expression. The path of shadows is a soft, fluid art, full of smooth, sweeping motions that are both beautiful and hypnotic. A character who focuses on the pure movement of the dance is said to be “staying in the light,” while one who trains for battle is “facing the shadows.” Skill with the path of shadows can be represented in a number of different ways. Those who specialize in the path often become monks, but a character who wishes to stay in the light can represent his skill with the dance by taking Cloak Dance (from the Expanded Psionics Handbook), Combat Expertise, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, or any of the feats that require these as prerequisites; ranks in Balance, Tumble, and Perform (dance) are also appropriate.

Roleplaying Application: If you are an introverted kalashtar, spend most of your free time meditating or practicing the path of shadows. You find the idea of leisure for pleasure to be a waste of mental energy. If you are more extroverted, try to study the communities you pass through and encourage your companions to do the same. Talk to strangers. If you see someone crying, ask what her problem is. It’s unlikely that you can solve all the problems that you encounter, but you can at least try to understand them—and to offer hope where you can.

Art

Emotions, memories, and movement are the treasures of the kalashtar, and this is reflected in kalashtar art. The path of shadows is one of their greatest art forms, and dancers work together to weave complex tapestries of motion and emotion. Kalashtar art is inspired by quori sensibilities and often draws on the psionic abilities of the artist; it usually seems strange and alien to human eyes.

Dream Shards: The kalashtar do not dream, but they can see the Region of Dreams through the memories of their quori ancestors. Dream shards are Eberron dragonshards (see the EBERRON Campaign Setting) that have been adapted to hold mental images. A dreamshaper weaves his dreams into the shard. Psionically focused characters can access the dream by touching the shard; other characters have vague flashes of emotion and images when standing close to the shard. Kalashtar monasteries and temples often contain crystal mosaics composed of the thoughts and dreams of those who have gone before.

Psionic Tattoos and Embedded Shards: Quori embedded shards and psionic tattoos are psionic tools that alter the physical appearance of a kalashtar. Embedded shards are relatively rare, and most kalashtar display them proudly as signs of psychic achievement. Psionic tattoos are more common and are sometimes used as adornment, in much the same way that humans use expensive jewelry.

Thoughtsong: Telepathy is an integral part of kalashtar culture. All kalashtar possess a minor ability to share their thoughts. Some kalashtar musicians hone this gift, and instead of relying solely on sound and music, they entwine their works with threads of pure emotion and mental imagery. Some thoughtsingers can produce broad ranges of emotions, while others specialize in single emotions. Kalashtar thoughtsongs are very moving to those who can perceive them, but the range of the telepathic ability is considerably more limited than that of the human voice.

Roleplaying Application: The most important element of your appearance is the emotional impact you have on the people around you. Pay close attention to the moods and behaviors of those around you; in your eyes, a barbarian’s rage is as much a form of art as a thousand-year-old painting.

Technology and magic

The kalashtar place tremendous value on tradition and discipline. A kalashtar artisan learns to draw on the racial memories of his quori ancestor, providing him with access to centuries of artistic tradition. As a result, kalashtar crafters are typically masters in many fields; a kalashtar architect may be equally skilled with stonework, masonry, and carpentry. Despite their knowledge, the kalashtar have had few technological advances over the past millennia. They treasure the traditions of the past: Artisans are encouraged to master the old ways, but the kalashtar have little interest in innovation.

Psionic talent plays a central role in kalashtar society. Every kalashtar possesses the potential for psionic ability, and most develop this in one way or another. In a dedicated kalashtar community, a large percentage of the community will possess one or more levels of a manifesting class such as psion or wilder. Telekinesis and metacreativity often take the place of physical tools, and kalashtar masons shape stone with the power of the mind instead of hammer and chisel.

Between the frequent use of psionic power and the influence of the quori ancestors, kalashtar architecture and goods tend to have smooth, rounded surfaces. Kalashtar objects often have an alien aesthetic that is both slightly disturbing and somewhat familiar, though it is difficult to say what about an object triggers these reactions; it’s like something once seen in a dream. Crystals are frequently used because of their psiactive properties, and the monastic fortresses of Adar are beautiful blendings of color and light.

Kalashtar raised among others of their kind rarely have an interest in profit. Kalashtar care first and foremost about their community, doing whatever they need to do to ensure their survival as a people. Kalashtar artisans work together to meet the physical needs of the community. Merchants are responsible for bringing in enough revenue to acquire the raw materials the community requires; a kalashtar merchant is expected to monitor the market and to work with whichever artisans are available to produce saleable goods. This is one place where the versatility of the kalashtar becomes critically important, since a kalashtar carpenter may also be a crystalworker and potter, capable of producing whatever goods best suit the needs of the moment.

Roleplaying Application: You consider the powers of the mind to be more reliable and valuable than physical objects. As you advance in level, try to acquire items that draw on or enhance your natural abilities; you’d rather have a faceted persona shard (described in the EBERRON Campaign Setting) than a pair of gauntlets of ogre power. Your party takes the place of your community, and you should always look for ways to strengthen your party as a whole. As an artificer or psion, consider items you could build for others as well as yourself. This is not a one-way road, however. Just as you should be generous and always looking to the needs of your party, you should expect the other members of your party to look out for the best interests of the group. If one character is especially greedy and you cannot convince him of the error of his ways, you can exclude him from your surrogate community.

War

Kalashtar are the children of the war between the quori—a war that continues to this day. It is a battle fought on two fronts: the physical struggle against the Inspired and the agents of the Dreaming Dark, and the spiritual battle to turn the wheel of the age to usher in a new era of light. The kalashtar have always been hopelessly outmatched and outnumbered; for most of their existence, the best they were able to hope for was survival. But according to the teachings of the Path of Light, the very existence of the kalashtar was a blow against the Dreaming Dark: As long as they continued to survive and practice the ways of il-Yannah, the present age of darkness would eventually come to an end. So the elders held the passes of Adar, holding off the endless armies of the Inspired while kalashtar monks continued their meditations of the Great Light and the age to come.

For more than a thousand years, the Dreaming Dark has concentrated its energy on Sarlona. But now the many eyes of the Inspired are turning to Khorvaire—and as a result, the kalashtar of Khorvaire must face the daily fear of a quori attack. The Dreaming Dark cannot unleash the armies of the Inspired in the cities of Khorvaire, but it has many subtle weapons. Possession, blackmail, or the vast wealth of Riedra can turn almost anyone into an agent of the Dark. A priest of the Silver Flame may urge his parishioners to burn the “tainted souls.” A thieves guild could target the kalashtar community—it would start with petty crimes, but as the Inspired build their power in the guild, the attacks could turn lethal. An innkeeper could poison the food of any kalashtar who passes through his inn. Any kalashtar who travels openly in Khorvaire must always be prepared for battle. Every aspect of kalashtar society reflects this constant need for battle-readiness. The close-knit nature of kalashtar communities, the practice of the path of shadows, the austerity of kalashtar social life: All of these reflect the threat that the kalashtar live under and the knowledge that the agents of the Dreaming Dark could strike at any moment. Recently, the kalashtar of Khorvaire have finally found a weapon against the Inspired—the path of the atavist (a new prestige class described on page 133).

The kalashtar are few in number, and in Khorvaire they are not perceived as a nation. The struggle to shift the Dream of the Age far outweighs any petty concerns of princes and kings, and as a race the kalashtar have never participated in the wars of humanity. Over the last twenty years, however, small squads of kalashtar atavists have begun to strike against the hidden powers of darkness. In the Last War, kalashtar forces engaged the Order of the Emerald Claw in Karrnath and the servants of the Lords of Dust in Aundair, and they battled the Cults of the Dragon Below on multiple occasions. The kalashtar do not have the numbers to field true armies, and they find physical conflict to be distasteful. They rely on elite atavist units and gifted shadow watchers, using skill and psionic power to engage in devastating pinpoint strikes. You and your allies have the potential to be the heroes of this new war against the Dreaming Dark—will you take up the challenge?

Roleplaying Application: In the past, the kalashtar never believed that they could defeat the Dreaming Dark or the other forces that have holds on the world. Mere survival has always been seen as a victory. Now, that has changed. The atavists of Khorvaire call for battle, and the kalashtar search for champions. You need to decide if you will fight in this secret war or if you will decline the call of your ancestors. Do you feel a responsibility to the light? Do you see yourself as a crusader? Or are you turning your back on your people and trying to ignore the whispered admonishments from your quori spirit?

When in combat, try to use logic and careful planning to strike with maximum efficiency. Most kalashtar hate combat, so you should try to keep things short and brutally effective. Consider nonviolent ways to solve your problem. When that fails, be prepared to strike with righteous fury—albeit wrapped in a calm, cold façade.

As a DM, make certain you keep the lurking threat of the Dreaming Dark in the back of your mind. Any kalashtar traveling openly should suffer occasional attacks, and there should be constant reminders of the ongoing war. When a party returns to a kalashtar community after a long period of time, make sure you note who has been killed in the intervening period; loss is a regular part of life. This has the side effect that regular births need to be a part of life, lest the race die out; heroic kalashtar adventurers may be pressured to procreate, passing their ancestral spirits on to the next generation of kalashtar.

The kalashtar were born in the mountains of Adar. Descended from a race of immortals, kalashtar have endless patience and a firm conviction that their traditions will some day usher in a golden age for all creatures. They do not want to change in any way; they know what needs to be done to fight the Dreaming Dark, and they will continue until they succeed or have been destroyed. This attitude is reflected in the rigid monastic lifestyle of the Adarans, which has remained unchanged and uncontested for more than a thousand years.

Almost all of the kalashtar live in one of the eight temple-fortresses that dot the mountain sides. What time isn’t spent in meditation or prayer is devoted to defense of the realm, holding the natural battlements against the endless onslaught of the Inspired. The Adaran kalashtar have no time for cultural change and no reason to believe that change is necessary.

Things are different on the continent of Khorvaire. The kalashtar of Khorvaire come from a variety of backgrounds. Some migrated to Khorvaire before the Inspired arrived on Sarlona, blending quietly into the humans of the Five Nations before Galifar united them. Others have been sent by kalashtar elders over the course of the last few centuries. Some came to study Khorvaire, while others were sent away to ensure that kalashtar society could not be eliminated in a single blow. The kalashtar of Khorvaire have more interaction with other cultures and don’t have to deal with the constant distraction of war.

As a result, the kalashtar of Khorvaire are generally more optimistic and innovative than their Adaran counterparts, and they enjoy experimenting with new things. The most significant innovation has been the development of the path of the Unknown.

The kalashtar population of Khorvaire is split between a number of racial enclaves in the major cities of the continent. This pattern has largely been driven by the war with the Dreaming Dark. The Inspired might be able to arrange for the destruction of a small rural community, but they would never get away with smuggling an army into Sharn. By placing themselves in the capitals of Khorvaire, the kalashtar are also able to monitor the activities of the Inspired ambassadors: They already have strong roots in the cities the Inspired are now working to infiltrate. They cluster together not because they are uncomfortable around members of other races, but because they need the sense of safety in numbers, and it’s easier to spot the actions of the Dreaming Dark in a closed system.

Within a kalashtar community, the most influential form of social group is the lineage—the quori spirit that a kalashtar is bound to. This is not the same as a family group. Kalashtar inherit the spiritual bond from their parents, but the bond is always based on gender; a son always takes the father’s bond, while a daughter inherits from the mother. Thus, each lineage is composed of a single gender. All members of a particular lineage think of the others as brothers or sisters, even if they are actually distant cousins at best. Most kalashtar live with other members of their line.

There is no tradition of marriage among the kalashtar. Members of different lines socialize together and procreate (with the children being adopted and raised communally by the others of their lineage), but it is difficult for a kalashtar to imagine living with a member of another line for the rest of his life. In Khorvaire many old traditions are being questioned, however. A kalashtar adventurer would be especially likely to break the old traditions, since he spends so much time away from his line to begin with.

The kalashtar respect age and wisdom, and most kalashtar communities are governed by a council with a representative from each lineage that has a presence in the community. Conflicts between lines are uncommon; the greater threat of the Dreaming Dark has always held the kalashtar together through periods of possible unrest. The method used to select a representative varies by lineage; in general, the leader is simply the person who has the overall confidence of his line, and it will change if that confidence is ever lost. The different communities are linked by lines of psionic communication; most communities have one psion who can manifest correspond, which is used to check in with the guiding councils of the other cities in Khorvaire and the elders of Adar.

As a whole, kalashtar are inclined to be of lawful good alignment. Mental discipline is part of kalashtar life, and this is reflected by their well ordered society. Kalashtar generally act in the interests of what they consider to be the greater good, and mercy, kindness, and hospitality are important virtues within their society. Well-mannered visitors are always welcome, though a shadow watcher keeps a sharp eye on outsiders until he is certain they are not agents of the Dark.

Most people find kalashtar communities to be austere; the disciplined kalashtar have few vices, and most donate any extra income to the community in the interests of defense, so they have few luxuries. But they are capable of enjoying life without much in the way of material goods, taking pleasure from the company of their kin. Some humans find this admirable, while others simply find it to be disturbing—because humans can’t understand the mental bond between kalashtar of the same line, the level of cooperation and lack of conflict often seems unnatural.

Kalashtar societal roles

While kalashtar can assume many roles, four are worthy of note.

Artisans: The bulk of the members of a kalashtar community are artisans, skilled crafters and laborers who tend to the needs of the community and produce goods that can be sold to raise revenue. Between kalashtar discipline and the ancestral memories of the quori, kalashtar communities contain an unusually high concentration of skilled crafters, and most are proficient in multiple trades. Artisans are generally experts, with a smaller number of expert/shapers and expert/artificers who incorporate their supernatural talents into their work. Kalashtar artisans take great pride in their work, but ultimately they are working for the good of the community as opposed to any sort of personal gain.

Lightbringers: The lightbringers are dedicated mystics who spend their days in meditation and prayer. According to the beliefs of the Path of Light, this devotion will ultimately overthrow the Quor Tarai (see below) and put an end to the Dreaming Dark. As a result, this prayer is the most important activity within the community, and the artisans work to ensure that all of the needs of the lightbringers are met. Unlike traditional monks, the lightbringers are spread throughout the community instead of being concentrated in a specific building. In addition to their religious duties, the lightbringers also serve as the diplomats and storytellers of the community, presiding over festival days and handling negotiations with guilds and other outside forces. Lightbringers tend to be experts with a scattering of telepath and seer levels, with the occasional adept or cleric.

Shadow Watchers: While the lightbringers seek to change the future, the shadow watchers fight to protect the present. The shadow watchers are the spies and secret police of the kalashtar. Crime between kalashtar is extremely uncommon; the shadow watchers exist to guard against the Dreaming Dark and other malevolent groups. Until recently, the shadow watchers would battle only direct threats to the community, but over the last twenty years the kalashtar of Khorvaire have become increasingly proactive. This is primarily driven by the atavists, who want to take the fight to the Dreaming Dark. Shadow watchers are typically soulknives, psychic warriors, and psions, with a few monks mixed in. In Khorvaire, many higher-level shadow watchers will have levels in the atavist prestige class, described on page 133.

Orphans: Kalashtar can breed with humans, and as a result there are kalashtar scattered throughout the world who have grown up outside of kalashtar communities. These orphans still have bonds to one of the sixty-six surviving quori spirits of the kalashtar, and they usually develop personality traits that reflect their lineages. Orphans do not follow any of the cultural traditions described above, however. Since they do not know the mental discipline the kalashtar use to maintain ordered thought, many are somewhat unstable, and a large percentage of orphans have chaotic alignments. Orphans are more likely to be wilders than psions, and there have even been a few kalashtar barbarians. The civilized kalashtar are always willing to adopt orphans, but typically orphans find the tightly knit kalashtar communities to be stifling. As a result, many kalashtar adventurers are orphans.

Religion

The Path of Light is integral to kalashtar civilization. The struggle between light and darkness is not a question of faith for a kalashtar; it is a fact of life, the conflict that gave birth to the entire race. Quori religion and history are closely linked, but a few central concepts must be examined if the quori and the kalashtar are to be understood.

Quor Tarai: The Dream of the Age Dal Quor has a deep and fundamental link to Eberron, and the spirits of mortals travel to the Region of Dreams when they sleep. Dal Quor is a mutable realm, and the fringes of the plane are shaped by the minds of the mortal dreamers. The center of the realm is shaped by a force more powerful than any mortal mind. This force is vast and alien, and even its children—the quori—cannot communicate with it directly. The heart of Dal Quor is shaped in the image of this unseen dreamer, and its essence permeates all things. The quori call this force Quor Tarai, “the Dream of the Age.”

There are multiple quori castes, with the tsucora described in the EBERRON Campaign Setting being just one example, but all quori are aspects of the Quor Tarai. The quori are immortal. They do not reproduce, but they can be killed; the total population always remains the same, however. When a quori spirit is destroyed, a new spirit eventually appears fully formed in the heart of the realm. This spirit is generally of the same caste as the spirit that was slain, but it does not possess the memories or personality of its predecessor. So it would be impossible for an adventurer to kill all of the tsucora; there will always be more. But a hero could at least eradicate a particularly hateful quori personality.

While the Quor Tarai is a force with the power to match any god, it is not immortal. Quori sages have reached the conclusion that the current age is the third incarnation of the Quor Tarai—and that, eventually, the current Quor Tarai will pass away. When this occurs, the realm will implode, only to explode outward with the birth of the next Quor Tarai. This cataclysmic event will destroy all of the quori. The sages speculate that the spiritual energy that is the essence of the quori will remain and that a new host of spirits will be formed from this force, but no one can say what those spirits will be like, and in any case the personalities of the living quori will be destroyed.

The Dreaming Dark and the Path to Light

If the Quor Tarai is the dream that shapes Dal Quor, then that dream is a nightmare. The center of Dal Quor is a realm of horrors, and the quori are terrifying monstrosities. At the very heart of Dal Quor is a pit of shadows, filled with impossible and terrifying visions. The sages say that this is the core of the current Quor Tarai. They call it il-Lashtavar, “the darkness that dreams,” or more commonly, “the Dreaming Dark.” When quori are slain, the newborn quori emerge from this opening. While quori cannot communicate directly with the darkness, many feel an intuitive bond to it and feel its desires. Chief among the quori is the spirit known as the Devourer of Dreams, the only quori to have ventured into the maw of the Dark and returned. Most quori revere the Dark as the force that has given them life, and they revere the Devourer of Dreams as the voice of the Dark.

While most of the quori were creatures of their age, a few felt that their very spirits were at odds with the Dark, that they did not belong to this age. One of these, a spirit named Taratai, proved the theory of the ages. She determined not only that the Quor Tarai would eventually be reborn, but that it would be reborn in a vastly different form; that this was an age of darkness, and the next age would be a time of light and joy. Taratai and her followers immediately began to study the history of the realm to try to find a way to accelerate the change. This was their doom. The other quori had no desire for change and feared the thought of their world being transformed. The Devourer declared that they would find a way to stop the turning of the age. The first step was to eliminate Taratai and her followers, with the hope that their essence would be reborn with more compliant personalities. This led to the events of the exodus and the birth of the kalashtar, as described later in this chapter.

This is the key to understanding the quori and the kalashtar. The kalashtar want to reshape Dal Quor, and they believe that with their continued devotions they are doing so. The current residents of Dal Quor—the agents of the Dreaming Dark—are determined to maintain the current age and to break the cycle. It could be hundreds of thousands of years before the change is destined to occur, but the issue remains the same: the desire to find a path to an age of light set against the determination to maintain an age of darkness.

Kalashtar Holidays

The holidays of the kalashtar are all tied to history and typically involve dance and meditation in remembrance of past events. The most important holidays are described below.

The Days of Remembrance: A total of sixty-seven quori reached the world to form the kalashtar race. Each of those spirits has a five-day period each year in which its memory is honored. During this period, kalashtar of the spirit’s lineage pause to reflect on the memory of their quori ancestor. Generally it is a quiet affair, but at the apex of the festival, the line holds a celebration for the other members of the community, with thoughtsongs commemorating the achievements of the line and stories dating back to the exodus. Few kalashtar communities have representatives from more than ten lines, so in any given community there isn’t a celebration every week.

Roleplaying Application: During remembrance days, you should deeply savor your bond to your quori spirit. If you are adventuring during the apex day of your ancestor’s Days of Remembrance, you should pause to tell your companions about the history of your line and their accomplishments in the long war against the Dreaming Dark.

The Void of Taratai: While sixty-seven quori spirits reached Eberron, only sixty-six are still in existence. The lineage of Taratai has been completely eradicated. The five days that were originally set aside for Taratai’s line have become a period of mourning for the entire kalashtar race. During these five days, all kalashtar gather to remember the exodus and the birth of their race, and to ensure that they never lose another line. Recently, the atavists have made an extra effort to strike out against the Dreaming Dark during the Void, to take vengeance for the soul that was stolen.

Roleplaying Application: This is a period for somber reflection or righteous vengeance against the Dreaming Dark. You can decide which approach to take, but you should certainly acknowledge the Void in some way.

History and folklore

The kalashtar race has existed for only eighteen hundred years. It began in Dal Quor, where Taratai and her followers of light were being hunted down and exterminated by the Dreaming Dark. But there is more to Dal Quor than the realm of the Dreaming Dark. Every sentient creature touches Dal Quor when it dreams, and every soul, every race, shapes its own piece of the fringes of Dal Quor. Fleeing from the Dreaming Dark, Taratai led her followers on an exodus through mortal dreams. While the quori could not travel physically between the planes, Taratai believed that she had found a way to cross through the subconscious and into mortal bodies—provided that the proper portals could be found and that the hosts could be convinced to accept the travelers.

For a year they traveled from dream to dream, passing through the dreams of dragons and beasts, never finding a place to rest. The Dreaming Dark was still baying at their heels, and between the Dark and the dangers of the dreams themselves, Taratai’s followers were slowly being destroyed. Finally, Taratai found the passage she needed—a subconscious conduit into the mind of an Adaran monk. She knew that she couldn’t maintain the connection for long, but she pleaded her case to the master of the monastery—and to her surprise, he agreed to accept her band of fugitive spirits. Adar was the land of refuge, he said, and no creature would be turned away.

Sixty-seven men and women—including the master himself—volunteered to share their bodies with the renegade quori. In order to establish a permanent bond and truly escape from Dal Quor, it was necessary for the quori to merge fully with their hosts, creating a synthesis of both personalities. These were the first of what Taratai called the kalashtar, a word in the Quor language that roughly translates as “wandering dreams.”

It took time for the kalashtar to adapt to their new existence, but they were finally free from the Dreaming Dark. Taratai continued her studies of the nature of Dal Quor and the Dream of the Age, and she developed the traditions that are the core of the Path of Light—a series of practices and devotions that she believed would accelerate the turn of the age. There was only one uncertainty: What would happen when one of the kalashtar died?

Before they found the answer to this question, another mystery was revealed: that of birth. When the first kalashtar child was born, they found that the spirit that was tied to the parent now also had a bond to the child. The spirit, Harath, found that it took more of an effort to communicate with either of his hosts, but that he was nonetheless aware of the experiences of each. Over the next few centuries, the process continued.

As more and more kalashtar were born, the quori spirits were spread thinly among them, and it became almost impossible for the spirit to communicate directly with the kalashtar. The memories and basic personality were still there, however; even if they couldn’t communicate, the spirits were still alive and conscious, experiencing the world through the eyes of hundreds of descendants.

Each generation was more physically distinctive than the last, and each lived longer than the one before; it was clear that the spiritual symbiosis was having a minor physical effect as well. As they slowly adapted to better suit their spiritual companions, the kalashtar began to develop psionic abilities. The kalashtar did not have access to the full power of their ancestors, but they still had astonishing abilities. They could fly, send messages from one mind to another, transform their bodies into living weapons. It was a time of wonders.

It would not last. Three hundred years had passed in the world, but three thousand years had passed for the agents of the Dreaming Dark. They had spent millennia studying Taratai’s flight, and they had found a way to improve upon it. Traveling the fringes, they could whisper into dreaming minds, implanting ideas and suggestions into people’s heads. After a century of this manipulation, they managed to throw the nations of Sarlona into chaos. In the process, they arranged for certain people to meet, for bloodlines to be formed, and ultimately to create human hosts that the quori could possess and control—without any degree of cooperation from the subject.

Another three centuries passed, and a wave of charismatic young lords appeared among the war-torn realms of Sarlona. This new generation of rulers claimed to be divinely inspired, and they had the supernatural powers to prove it. After a few more centuries, this alliance had “restored peace” to the shattered land—failing to mention that they’d been responsible for the war, centuries ago. They established the nation of Riedra, home to hundreds of thousands of humans who were fanatically devoted to the new Inspired overlords.

The young kalashtar paid little attention to the events in Riedra, concentrating on their Path of Light—until the first army of the Inspired laid siege to Kasshta Keep. The kalashtar had been lucky to find Adar; the natural defenses of the mountainous land were almost impregnable. The Inspired had the resources of an entire continent at their disposal, however, and were growing more powerful every day.

More than a thousand years later, the stalemate still stands. The kalashtar continue their devotion to the Path of Light, but many believe that the Inspired have come up with a counter to Taratai’s plans. The Inspired have created a stagnant society in Riedra, and they are spreading their enormous monoliths across the land. Many kalashtar believe that the Inspired plan to spread these monoliths across the entire world—and that if enough of them are built, it will finally secure the safety of the Dreaming Dark.

The kalashtar don’t intend to let that happen.

And so the struggle begins anew. . . .

The Lost Souls

Many of Taratai’s followers were lost in the exodus from Dal Quor. Some were destroyed, but others were simply . . . lost. Many kalashtar psions believe that more rebel quori are still out there in the fringes of Dal Quor, trapped in the minds of bizarre and ancient creatures. Can they be freed?

Roleplaying Application: A kalashtar sage summons the party with an unusual proposition. He believes that he has located the soul of one of the rebel quori trapped in the dreams of Golorach, a silver great wyrm. The sage has prepared a potion that should send the imbibers’ spirits into Golorach’s dreams the next time they fall asleep. Will they be able to find the lost soul? And what strange dangers lie in wait in the mind of the dreaming dragon?

The Fate of Taratai

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.

Adventure Hook: An orphan kalashtar appears in Sharn, claiming to be the conduit for the spirit of Taratai. After a thousand years, the spirit finally managed to latch onto the newborn orphan—or so she says. Is it the truth, or some sort of scam? If it’s a trick, who’s behind it? And if it’s the truth, how can they keep the Inspired from killing her all over again?

Atavists and Avatars

One of the most significant innovations in kalashtar history is the development of the path of the atavist. Pioneered by Soserath the seer in 978 YK, this discipline allows kalashtar to strengthen their bonds to the quori spirits—and in the process, to one another. For centuries, the bonds between quori and kalashtar have been growing weaker and weaker: That decline is no more.

The atavist is only the beginning, however. Soserath believed that a master atavist would eventually be able to fully incarnate the power and memories of the quori, becoming a true avatar of the spirit. This would irrevocably alter the balance of power between the kalashtar and the Dreaming Dark, since it would effectively allow the kalashtar to create new quori—something even the Dreaming Dark cannot do. Soserath was killed, though, before he could complete his research into the ascension from atavist to avatar. The Serath kalashtar have continued to spread his teachings, and the atavist shadow watchers have begun to take the offensive against the Dreaming Dark, but Soserath’s notes on avatars have never been found.

Adventure Hook: The party stumbles onto new information about Soserath’s death and the location of his mystical workshop—but the Dreaming Dark has learned about it as well. Can the party get to the workshop before the agents of the Dark do? Even if Soserath’s work can be found, can it be deciphered?

Most kalashtar have a remarkable degree of compassion and empathy; as trite as it sounds, they really do like everyone. There are always exceptions, especially among the orphans, but the majority of kalashtar are always interested in getting to know new people. This trait reflects their natural gift for diplomacy, along with their paranoia where the Inspired are concerned. Kalashtar really do like people—but they also like to keep a very close eye on as many people as they can, to look for any signs of psionic manipulation.

While kalashtar are comfortable with people of all races, they have the most in common with elves and humans. Physically kalashtar are still very similar to humans, and the two races are sexually compatible. Emotionally and intellectually, however, kalashtar have more in common with the elves of Aerenal; the spiritual memories of a kalashtar give him a distant view on life that is similar to that of the long-lived elves.

While no particular bond exists between kalashtar and the warforged, kalashtar are fascinated by the construct race, especially the question of their souls. The mystics of the kalashtar are certain that House Cannith does not have the power to create souls, yet it is clear that the warforged possess unique souls. How can this be? Are there secrets about the warforged that even House Cannith doesn’t know?

Dragon 385

She might have been an angel, fallen from Syrania to land on the streets of Sharn. Any sculptor would sell his soul to capture her features in stone. But Callestan was no place for an angel, and Norger had defaced many a statue in his day.

Norger struck as she passed the mouth of the alley, pulling her into the shadows. He pinned her with one rough motion, the point of his knife bringing a spot of blood to her snow-white skin. “Give me what I want, and you just might live,” he whispered.

Norger knew what to expect. He was ready to choke off a scream, to contain her struggles. But she didn’t fight or cry out. She just looked into his eyes.

And he felt a hand on his knee.

It was a boy, and his face was as familiar to Norger as his own reflection. He still saw it in his nightmares. Jayden. His first victim.

“I’ve been waiting,” the boy whispered. “Will you play with me?” He opened his mouth impossibly wide, and Norger could see dozens of teeth gleaming in the light of the coldfire lanterns.

The ruffian screamed, and his dagger clattered on the cobblestones. The kalashtar woman watched the nightmare do its work, and the hint of a smile touched her perfect lips.

Kalashtar Origins: Fallen Nightmares

The story of the kalashtar begins on another plane of existence: Dal Quor, the region of dreams. Dal Quor is a mutable realm. When mortal creatures dream, their spirits fall into Dal Quor and create bubbles on the fringes of the plane—pockets formed by their hopes and fears.

Dal Quor isn’t entirely shaped by the thoughts of mortals. The heart of the realm has its own guiding spirit—a potent force that is known only through the world it creates. This is the dream of the age, and the current dream is a nightmare. The kalashtar call it il-Lashtavar, or “the great darkness that dreams.” This mighty force has spawned a host of children, dark spirits known as quori. These fiends feed on the emotions of mortals, and dreams are their hunting grounds. For thousands of years the quori wandered the edges of Dal Quor, shaping mortal dreams to suit their purposes.

Even among immortals, the possibility of change and evolution exists. An angel can fall from grace . . . and a fiend can rise. A handful of quori found their desires at odds with the will of il-Lashtavar. They tired of spreading nightmares among the mortals. They found evidence that the heart of Dal Quor was not always as it was today—that it might become a bastion of light and bright dreams. Led by a spirit named Taratai, these dreamers sought to change their world. They were hunted across Dal Quor and were on the verge of annihilation when Taratai found a way to escape—by slipping out of Dal Quor and into the mortal world to merge with human hosts. A band of Adaran monks bonded with the rebel quori, and this was the birth of the kalashtar race.

Shattered Dreams

A member of another race finds it difficult to understand the bond between a kalashtar and its quori spirit. The quori is not an active presence in the mind of a kalashtar. The kalashtar cannot carry on a conversation with the spirit. But the spirit is a part of the kalashtar that touches its mind from the moment of conception. When a kalashtar sleeps, he or she does not dream; instead, he or she dwells in the memories of the quori spirit. The quori spirit gathered these experiences over the course of thousands of years in the Region of Dreams. Being exposed to these memories is one reason the kalashtar mature at such a remarkable rate; by the time a kalashtar is born, it has already inherited instincts and memories of the quori spirit. The spirit isn’t an active voice in the child’s head, but it is a defining aspect of his or her personality. One result of this is that two kalashtar children tied to the same spirit seem very similar at a young age. As they grow older, their human consciousness grows, and they each develop a unique identity as a being balanced between two worlds.

The existence of this bond has a number of obvious effects on kalashtar culture. Telepathy is deeply engrained in their society. A kalashtar child telepathically communicates with its mother while still in the womb, and they socialize telepathically long before they learn to speak out loud. Most kalashtar use telepathy any time they are making a comment directed at an individual, and they speak only if what they are saying needs to be heard by multiple people at once. While kalashtar can use telepathy to convey words, they often use it to convey pure emotion; kalashtar art and poetry are telepathic constructs based around interwoven memories and emotions.

Another side effect is that kalashtar have memories of an unreal world—a world in which the physical and magical laws of reality do not apply. As a result, young kalashtar might suggest courses of action that are simply impossible in real life: planting coins in the ground to grow silver trees, or singing a dragon to sleep. In Dal Quor, these things are perfectly possible—and the young kalashtar has to learn what is and isn’t real.

Spiritual Lineage and Quori Roots

Sixty-seven quori fled to Eberron, and sixty-seven monks offered their bodies and minds as havens for these renegade spirits. Every kalashtar is descended from one of these monks and bound to one of these spirits. This is reflected in the suffix attached to a kalashtar name; Lanhareth and Minhareth are both part of the spiritual lineage of Hareth. When creating a kalashtar player characters, a player should also take a moment to develop a spiritual lineage—the blend of quori and mortal that defines the kalashtar. Begin with the quori. Determine its name and its nature. You can choose from many different types of quori, each tied to certain emotions and aspects of the psyche.

• The tsucora quori are fearmongers who feed on mortal terror.
• Hashalaq quori specialize in deception and seduction, and they manipulate their prey with pleasure and positive emotions.
• The duulora are spirits of fury and aggression, who inspire feuds and acts of vengeance.

While these are the most common quori, many more can exist. A player character could be tied to a spirit of doubt or jealousy. The kalashtar quori have turned against their dark nature, but those roots remain, and, as a kalashtar character, a player should decide how to reflect the darkness in his or her character.

Consider the duulora, spirits of anger. The duulora Vakri has turned against its inner fury, and the kalashtar of its line use monastic discipline to control anger. The kalashtar of the Karshana line fight for the light, but revel in the sheer joy of battle; a character of this line might be an ardent or a thaneborn barbarian. The duulora Tarkhad uses fury as a weapon, and the kalashtar of his line are often bards who taunt foes and drive them into irrational rages. Kalashtar with tsucora roots are comfortable with terror, but this could translate into a shaman who physically manifests fears; an ardent who disorients foes with implanted fear; or a paladin who seeks to use his or her own knowledge of terror to banish it from those around him or her.

Having considered the nature of the quori spirit, look to the mortal side. While they aren’t physically identical, kalashtar of the same spiritual lineage are often similar in both appearance and mannerisms. What stands out? When a character meets another kalashtar of his or her lineage, what does they discover that they have in common?

Putting all of this together, consider the line of Lurashtai. She began her existence as a tsucora quori. She wove dreams of gothic horror, often playing on fear of death or the undead. In her path to the light, she has taken a particular interest in the undead, believing these spirits trapped outside the cycle of life and dream weaken the shared soul of the age. The kalashtar of her line typically have rosy skin, sharp features, and silky, dark hair; they tend to dress in multiple shades of red. Raised on Lurashtai’s morbid dreams, they are comfortable with tragedy and have no fear of death; they often find beauty in things others consider disturbing or depressing. Most of the Lurashtai line feel an urge to follow divine paths, specializing in the destruction of undead.

History and Culture

Having developed the history of a line and the spirit that’s shaped a character from within it, a player should think about the circumstances the character has faced in his or her waking life. This is not the same as a character background. The character could be a mental bastion, a deserter, or an inquisitive regardless of whether he or she comes from Adar or Sharn. A kalashtar raised in an Adaran monastery is likely to be well-versed in the history of the race and the quori spirit. Odds are good that he or she has clashed with Riedran forces and might have even fought one of the Inspired. Almost all Adaran kalashtar follow the tenets of the Path of Light and are concerned with the threat of the Dreaming Dark. Growing up, the character will have spent most of his or her time with other kalashtar and uses telepathic communication frequently and casually.

A character raised in one of the kalashtar communities in Khorvaire likely knows the name and nature of his or her quori spirit and the general history of his or her people. However, he or she has also mingled with members of other races and learned about their customs and faiths, and might not follow the Path of Light. While the Dreaming Dark remains a threat, it is nebulous and subtle, using local pawns and dream manipulation instead of Riedran soldiers and Inspired assassins. Lightwalkers of Khorvaire are often more aggressive than their cousins, but they pursue darkness in all its forms. A kalashtar of Khorvaire might hunt the Dreaming Dark, but could just as easily commit his or life to destroying the Lords of Dust, battling the Cults of the Dragon Below, or fighting unjust landlords and gangsters preying on Cyran refugees in the aftermath of the Last War. Most fight to create a better world, but many ways to bring light to dark places exist.

And then some kalashtar grow up without contact with their own kind. Perhaps the character is a lone survivor of a community destroyed in the Last War. Maybe his or her mother was a kalashtar adventurer who died shortly after he or she was born, leaving him her in the care of a human father. If this is the case, the character’s knowledge of kalashtar culture is entirely instinctual, drawn from the dreams of the quori spirit. He or she might not know the name of the quori spirit, or even understand that he or she is connected to a quori. The character might be drawn to fight for the cause of good, but has probably never heard of the Dreaming Dark. He or she might be uncomfortable with telepathic communication, preferring to speak aloud. On his or her own, the character might know nothing about the Path of Light; he or she could follow a different religious path, or no faith at all.

Regardless of upbringing, the instinctive bond to the quori spirit pushes kalashtar characters to battle the darkness and champion the cause of light. But a kalashtar character can always ignore this voice. He or she might have chosen the life of a mercenary in the Last War. The character could use powers for personal gain as a con artist in Sharn. Kalashtar who clash with quori instincts in this way are typically manic or mentally unstable; a player who decides to play an amoral or evil kalashtar should consider ways to represent this internal struggle as he or she plays the character.

Kalashtar Children

Kalashtar can breed and reproduce with humans, changelings, half-elves, and half-orcs. The race of the child is based on gender. If it is the same gender as the kalashtar parent, the child is a kalashtar of the same spiritual lineage as the kalashtar parent. Otherwise, it inherits the race of the nonkalashtar parent. This means that all kalashtar of a particular spiritual lineage share the same gender; all Ashtai kalashtar are female, and all Hareth kalashtar are male.

Kalashtar children mature at a rate that members of other races often find disturbing. In a kalashtar community, children are taught meditative and telepathic exercises before they can walk, and they begin the basics of martial training as soon as they have the coordination. A kalashtar child born into another culture might be confused and frustrated by the imbalance between his or her physical and mental development. If a player is interested in playing a young kalashtar, he or she could have the same statistics but simply be size Small (with the appropriate weapon size restrictions for Small characters).

Kalashtar, Sleep, and Dreams

Kalashtar are similar to humans in most respects. In particular, a kalashtar requires 6 hours of sleep to benefit from an extended rest. However, kalashtar do not dream as most other creatures do. For most mortals, dreams are the result of psychic contact with Dal Quor. To protect their quori spirits, the kalashtar are psychically isolated from Dal Quor. While sleeping, a kalashtar has visions drawn from his or her own experiences and from the memories of his or her quori spirit. However, since the sleeping kalashtar never touches the Region of Dreams, it cannot be targeted by rituals or other effects that affect only dreaming characters.

In the present day, each of the founding spirits is spread over hundreds of kalashtar; while a founding spirit is aware of all of its children, it is a distant patron. However, one or more of the founding spirits could be roused to greater action. Although the quori has no way to directly affect the physical world, it could advise a sleeping kalashtar through dreams. It could also relay messages to other kalashtar of the same lineage in their dreams, allowing a group of kalashtar to coordinate an operation over vast distances. Such a spirit could serve as a patron for a kalashtar character. Alternatively, when a kalashtar nonplayer character joins a cult of the Dragon Below, this corruption could spread through the founding spirit and into all of the kalashtar of the lineage, creating a cult of killers spread across the world. If this is the character’s line, can he or she find a way to resist the corruption and heal the spirit bound to his or her soul?

Class and Background: Paths of Light

Kalashtar are touched by dreams and nightmares.They are warriors of the light battling against thedarkness of the human soul. They are telepathic bynature, but this is based on their connection to DalQuor—a realm that touches mortal minds on a fundamental level. Kalashtar are well suited to manypsionic classes, and their natural telepathy suggeststhis path. But the flavor normally associated witha class is just that: flavor. As long as the mechanicsremain intact, flavor can be changed. The shaman isa primal class, but at its core, it is a class based aroundinteracting with spirits. In the long run, it makes littledifference if these spirits are tied to the natural worldor the world of dreams.

The following backgrounds examine differentpaths kalashtar can take in the world. Althoughaimed at specific types of characters, most can betaken by any kalashtar character

Servant of the Light: The renegade quori weredriven from Dal Quor because of their faith in thePath of Light, and their belief that the DarknessThat Dreams can be replaced by il-Yannah, theGreat Light. This faith continues to drive you to thisday. If you are a Duulora avenger, you strike withrighteous fury borne from your faith, and if youare a hashalaq cleric or paladin, you use charismaand diplomacy to inspire mortals to turn awayfrom darkness. When it comes to battle, psychicpower and the radiant force of il-Yannah combinewithin you to make you a fearsome foe. How canyou reflect both aspects of your culture? Are youa kalashtar ardent who falls upon training as a paladin to reflect your faith? Or have you recentlydiscovered the need to find and destroy those whooppose the light?

Quori Nightmare: Although she does not dream,the quori nightmare can touch the dreams of others.She hears the whispers of your hopes and fears, andshe can pluck terrors from your unconscious mindand turn them into deadly reality. Many quori nightmares are shamans, but you might have chosen thepath of the assassin, and you combine your skills as anassassin with the power to craft nightmares. As you goabout your work, you might be a grim figure even asyou strike fear into the hearts of evildoers. If you choseto become a druid, you might draw your wild shapefrom the nightmares of others, becoming a beast neverseen in reality—or even a shadow of your quori spirit.How does this make you feel, though? Do you revel inthe sense of fear you instill in others, or do you see itas another tool in your arsenal of abilities?

Mythspeaker: Dal Quor is the region of dreams,and it holds other spirits beyond the quori. Here storiescome to die and legends loved by the living can finda permanent resting place. These are the vestiges themythspeaker deals with—echoes of great heroes bothreal and fictional, whose tales live on in the world ofdreams. As a mythspeaker, you are an ambassadorbetween reality and the world of stories; you draw yourstrength from legends, and many might want you tobring their stories back to the world. Which tales doyou draw upon most? Which ones do you avoid? Doyou prefer tales of heroism and stirring battles? Do youbetter relate to those tainted by darkness?

Thoughtsinger: For the kalashtar, emotions arean art form. A thoughtsinger weaves dreams for hisor her audience, projecting her creations directly intothe mind and heart. Instead of the sound of music,you share memories of joy and sorrow. If you are athoughtsinger of hashalaq heritage, you might chooseto specialize in diplomacy and deception, but if youare a tsucora thoughtsinger, you could prey on thedoubts and fears of your foes. As you weave dreams,do you choose to do so with finesse and a light touch,or do you prefer to overwhelm your audience?

You were born with a bond to an otherworldly being. You have memories of a life you’ve never lived, visions of battling fiends and an endless struggle against darkness. When you sleep, you don’t dream as others do, but you often wake with a sense of purpose or new ideas. You see the pain and suffering in the world and know that there is a path to light—but there are monsters in the shadows, faceless enemies that have been hunting you since before you were born.

Will you embrace the spirit within you and make its struggle your own? Will you stand against the darkness, even if it draws the many eyes of the Dreaming Dark upon you? Or will you ignore that inner voice and try to live your own life?

Kalashtar Origins

The quori are spirits of nightmare. But just as angels can fall, fiends can rise. Centuries ago, a handful of quori turned against il-Lashtavar, the malevolent force that dominates Dal Quor. The Dreaming Dark hunted them across the dreamscape, seeking to consume and reclaim them. In desperation, these rebel spirits reached out to Eberron, finding a haven in the minds and bodies of a group of Adaran monks. Sixty-seven spirits escaped, and the first kalashtar were born.

As a kalashtar, you’re descended from one of these monks. A quori is bound to your bloodline. It exists in the minds and dreams of all of your siblings, and as long as one of you is alive the quori is sustained. Should you all die, the spirit will be lost . . . and so, the Dreaming Dark is always happy to kill a kalashtar.

The kalashtar were born centuries ago, and have since spread out from Adar. What is your background? What has set you on the path to adventure? Are you searching for allies against the Dreaming Dark, or are you pursuing a mission of your own?

Adaran

The kalashtar were born in Sarlona, in the distant land of Adar. Today, the Empire of Riedra dominates Sarlona, and imperial forces endlessly siege Adar. The monks and priests of Adar believe that the war against the Inspired and il-Lashtavar won’t be won with weapons; instead, prayer and guided meditation will ultimately shift the balance from darkness to light.

Adaran kalashtar rarely take direct action without reason. If you are from Adar, what caused you to leave your monastery and brave the Riedran blockades? Have the elders entrusted you with a specific mission, or has your quori spirit driven you to distant lands? The hermit background is a good way to reflect a mystic from a distant land possessing dangerous revelations.

Of all the origins mentioned here, you likely have the strongest connection to your quori spirit. Adaran kalashtar are ascetic, disciplined, and focused on the Path of Light. You were taught to inspire those who live in fear and enlighten those lost to darkness; can you reconcile this with your adventuring life? If you’ve recently arrived in Khorvaire after living your life in a monastery, you are unaccustomed to crime and greed. Is the chaos of a city like Sharn disorienting?

Khorvairian

There are kalashtar communities in several major cities of the Five Nations, including the Overlook district in Sharn and Whitewalls in Fairhaven. Kalashtar prefer to stay close to one another, both to practice their shared traditions and to stand together against any threats posed by the Dreaming Dark. If you were raised in such a community, you’re familiar with the Path of Light and other kalashtar customs. But there’s no Riedran army at the gates; you know the Dreaming Dark is a threat, but it’s a ghost in the shadows.

Many kalashtar simply seek to spread light through their daily actions, such as showing kindness and compassion or mediating disputes. On the other hand, some of the kalashtar of Khorvaire have embraced a grim path in the battle against darkness. The Shadow Watchers don’t believe that evil can be fought merely with kindness and prayer. Members of this order seek to identify sources of corruption and to ruthlessly eliminate them. While a Shadow Watcher’s focus is on agents of the Dreaming Dark, they can pursue any force of evil, supernatural or otherwise.

As a kalashtar of Khorvaire, you could bring a compassionate approach to any background; whether you’re an acolyte of the Path of Light, a wise sage, or a lively entertainer, you do your best to help the innocent and lift spirits. Criminal and charlatan would be unusual paths, but the spy background could reflect the work of a Shadow Watcher. While you aren’t as isolated from the world as an Adaran kalashtar, you’re still guided by alien instincts and have an otherworldly demeanor.

Orphan

Kalashtar can breed with humans and half-elves, and their children have an equal chance of being fully kalashtar or the race of the other parent. Kalashtar are quite rare; even in cities like Sharn with kalashtar communities, there are many people who will assume kalashtar are just humans with strange eyes . . . or some sort of half-elf, maybe? Maybe it’s a new fashion?

As such, there are kalashtar in Khorvaire who grew up without the guidance of a kalashtar parent. Orphans may be entirely unaware of their heritage and the nature of their quori spirit—it tries to communicate through dream-visions and instincts, but lacking any context, such orphans rarely understand their quori bond. Nonetheless, the quori is an integral part of them, urging them toward the light—and indeed, most orphans follow such a path. A kalashtar orphan who chooses a darker path is fighting the instincts imparted by their spirit. Such a kalashtar is likely to be deeply conflicted, which can manifest as unidentified stress, fits of rage, depression, or unpredictable behavior.

An orphan kalashtar can follow any path. Whether altruistic, nefarious, or somewhere in between, work with your DM to decide how you interpret the influence of your quori bond. Have you followed its guidance despite not knowing its true nature? Do you interpret it as a curse or ghost, twisting your thoughts and putting you at odds with yourself? Have you found the inner determination to suppress it entirely? Do you ultimately want to come to terms with your kalashtar nature, or do you like being an outsider and prefer to stay that way?

The Quori Bond

As a kalashtar, you’re part of a spiritual lineage, traditionally reflected by the suffix of your name. For example, Lanhareth and Minhareth are both kalashtar of the lineage of Hareth. Your lineage is set before birth, tied to one of your parents. If you are born to kalashtar of Vaktri and Hareth, you inherit only one of the bonds, often that of the parent of your gender. Since you can’t inherit both bonds, you won’t be half Hareth and half Vaktri. Your lineage affects your appearance and personality, eye color, hair color, and other aspects. When you meet another kalashtar of your lineage, you’ll see common traits, but you’ll also feel a deeper connection; in some ways, you’re one person.

The quori bond exists on a deep level. Your quori doesn’t hover over your shoulder or whisper in your ear. Instead, it exists in the collective subconscious of all kalashtar of your lineage, shaping and guiding you all. You feel it as instinct, in memories of things you’ve never done—visions of a war in the realm of dreams. When you sleep, you don’t dream, but the bond grows stronger. Your quori may even give visions to guide you. With time and training, you can strengthen this connection, learning to hear its psychic voice more clearly; the Quori Bond feat presented in chapter 6 is one way to reflect this stronger bond. Ultimately, it’s up to you how you roleplay your connection. While the quori isn’t an active presence that responds in conversation, some kalashtar do speak to it as if it was, talking with the quori as a way of processing their own thoughts. Others take comfort in its subconscious presence, confident it is with them at all times. And some—notably orphans—refuse to acknowledge it, determined to see their mind as their own.

In creating a kalashtar character, it’s important to consider what type of quori you’re bound to. You can develop this through roleplaying, but it can also be reflected by your choice of class and by your abilities or spells. Each quori has a connection to a particular emotion. Fiendish quori feed on this emotion, using it to manipulate mortals. In your case, it could be that you understand how to generate that emotion in others, or that you yourself experience that emotion in a deep and powerful way. Or it could be that you have learned how to suppress that emotion, and that is the source of your strength. Whatever choice you make, it will be reflected throughout your lineage. If you decide that Vaktri is a du’ulora quori and that you draw on his burning fury to produce your own barbarian rage, then other Vaktri kalashtar you meet may also be barbarians or furious warriors.

The three quori presented in Eberron: Rising from the Last War are described below, along with another fourth common quori, the du’ulora, whose statistics are presented in chapter 8. If you want to develop a kalashtar from another quori lineage, discuss it with your DM.

Du’ulora

The fiendish du’ulora are spirits of rage and aggression. In Dal Quor, they craft dreams that drive feuds and vendettas, spurring mortals to violence and vengeance. Your du’ulora spirit has turned against the darkness, but fury remains its domain and anger is your birthright. How do you express this? As a bard, you might specialize in taunting enemies, turning their anger against them and driving them to rash action. As a barbarian, you could say that your spirit is the source of your rage. As a paladin, you might channel its fury when you smite your foes. You might be calm and serene most of the time, expressing sudden powerful moments of rage when you draw on your bond.

The key thing to remember is that your du’ulora has chosen the path of light, even if it is a spirit of rage. You may revel in moments when you get to unleash your anger on your enemies, but it still drives you to fight for a noble cause. Your fury is a tool, and you should never let it drag you into darkness.

Hashalaq

The hashalaq are seducers and deceivers, feeding on doubt and desire. They are the spies and loremasters of the quori. Hashalaq kalashtar make excellent bards; the College of Lore reflects both your love of knowledge and your ability to confuse your foes. Hashalaq make excellent warlocks, with your spirit granting the Beguiling Influence invocation and allowing you to charm your enemies. As a hashalaq kalashtar, consider whether you specialize in deception, or choose to be honest and focus on your ability to inspire positive emotion—do you prefer cunning Deception or empathic Persuasion? Hashalaq clerics typically follow this latter path, using their knowledge to guide allies and cut through the deception that comes so naturally to their kind.

Kalaraq

The kalaraq are spirits of pride and ambition. The natural leaders of the quori, they dominate through sheer charisma and force of will. As a kalaraq kalashtar, you surely have your own grand ambitions. You excel at inspiring others to follow you and you won’t hesitate to take bold action. You might lead in the vanguard as a paladin, or strengthen your allies as a cleric, or bend enemies to your will as a bard of the College of Glamour. The kalaraq are also known as the eyebinders, capable of consuming and binding weak souls; you could be a warlock or wizard who specializes in summoning or binding spirits.

The kalaraq are the rarest and most powerful of the quori. The kalaraq Taratai was the leader of the rebels, and hers is the only spiritual lineage that has been completely destroyed by Dreaming Dark; Taratai’s own fate is unknown. There are only a couple remaining kalaraq lines, and as a kalaraq kalashtar, others may look to you for bold leadership and guidance.

Tsucora

The tsucora feed on terror and craft the most classic nightmares. As a tsucora kalashtar, you have a deep understanding of fear. This is an excellent foundation for a bard of the College of Whispers or a Living Weapon monk (in chapter 6), sowing fear with a word or a touch. Likewise, you could be a Great Old One warlock tormenting your enemies with fear and dissonant whispers. On the other hand, you could take the path of an inspiring cleric who bolsters your allies against fear, using your knowledge of it to strengthen their resolve. Tsucora kalashtar often seem cold and intimidating, but despite your knowledge of nightmares, you are still looking toward the light.

Creating a Lineage

Once you’ve chosen a quori spirit, next define your lineage, considering the traits you might share with other kalashtar bound to that same quori line. Here are two examples.

Lurashtai began her existence as a tsucora quori. She wove dreams of gothic horror, playing on her victims’ fears of death and the undead. Raised on these morbid memories, the kalashtar of her line are comfortable with tragedy, have no fear of death, and see beauty in things that others find disturbing or terrifying. As a spirit of light, Lurashtai has taken an interest in the undead; she fears that by being trapped outside the cycle of life and dream, the undead weaken the shared soul of the age. As a result, the kalashtar of her line are often driven to hunt undead and lay their spirits to rest. Lurashtai kalashtar usually have pale complexions, sharp features, and silky, dark hair; they generally favor the color red in their clothing.

Aveth, a hashalaq quori, wielded the twin weapons of manipulation and insight before his exodus from Dal Quor. He takes great interest in the potential that mortals hold to choose a nobler path, much as he and his kind fled Darkness in search of Light. The kalashtar of Aveth’s line prefer following their intuition over the careful planning of others. They have great confidence in their ability to win over potential foes, turning them into friends, which can yield unexpected allies—or the untimely death of the too-optimistic kalashtar. Aveth kalashtar usually have dark skin, black hair, a preference for blue and aquamarine, and a distinct dislike of peanuts.

Psychic Power

Kalashtar are known for their psychic gifts, but aside from their Mind Link, how does this manifest in a kalashtar character? In fifth edition, how do they wield mental power? Chapter 6 presents a Mind Domain cleric and two kalashtar racial feats. In addition, characters carry an innate sense of mental discipline—a kalashtar monk could consider ki as a representation of psionic ability, and the Living Weapon monastic tradition in chapter 6 builds on this. But you can also change the flavor of a class without altering the mechanics. Consider the following ideas.

Bards

Many kalashtar seek to fight evil through inspiration, and the bard can be an excellent foundation for this. While Bardic Inspiration is described as “stirring words or music,” you can describe your actions as being tied to psychic gifts; instead of a mystical song, you could describe your inspiration as a word backed by a surge of psychic energy. When you use the Words of Terror of the College of Whispers or the Cutting Words of the College of Lore, this could easily reflect your powers of psychic manipulation. Likewise, your spellcasting is mechanically magic; it can be counterspelled, it won’t work in an antimagic field, and so on. But you can easily describe vicious mockery or crown of madness as psychic attacks, or present cure wounds as a psychometabolic effect, using your mind to knit together the wounds of another. You gain no mechanical advantage from this—in the case of Bardic Inspiration, your target still has to be able to hear you, even if you’re using psychic power—but there’s nothing preventing you from presenting your bard as being psychically gifted as opposed to singing magic songs.

Clerics and Paladins

Most kalashtar are devoted to the Path of Light, and though its faithful worship no gods, the faith itself can be a source of divine magic. Priests of the Path of Light say that the faithful are inspired by il-Yannah—the great light that will one day rise to replace the Dreaming Dark—but their power comes from within. As such, both cleric and paladin are logical paths for a kalashtar, and you can add psychic flavor to your spells as described with the bard above. When you cast command, you aren’t demanding your victim bow to il-Yannah; instead, il-Yannah is strengthening your mind and allowing you to impose your will on the target. Effects such as bless could reflect your ongoing psychic guidance, while cure wounds and similar spells could be psychometabolic. Your faith helps you focus your mind, but it’s your mind that generates the power. If you want to take this farther, the Mind domain presented in chapter 6 allows you to replace radiant damage with psychic damage; thus, you can flavor your sacred flame as a psionic blast instead of holy fire.

This same concept can work for a Divine Soul sorcerer. You don’t use the trappings of a priest, but your visions of il-Yannah have allowed you to focus your mind and alter reality. You can select spells that feel like they could be psychic powers; when you cast mage hand, it can be flavored as an act of telekinesis.

Warlock

You can simply describe your warlock spells as being drawn from psychic power as opposed to arcane invocations. Your patron is your quori spirit. As a warlock, you might have an especially strong bond to this spirit and receive clearer visions than most kalashtar of your lineage; traditionally, kalashtar with such a strong connection are called atavists. The Great Old One is an easy choice, as many of its spells reflect mental manipulation; you can describe Evard’s black tentacles as ectoplasmic projections, or armor of Agathys as a blend of telekinetic force and cryokinesis. The Awakened Mind feature soon becomes obsolete due to Mind Link; a DM could choose to combine the two, increasing the range of a kalashtar warlock’s Mind Link feature by 30 feet. The Celestial patron is another logical choice, focusing on your quori as a spirit of light. As a Hexblade or any warlock using the Pact of the Blade, you can describe your weapon as being forged from nightmares.

If you want to add more psionic flavor to your warlock, your DM might allow you to shift the damage type of a few of your spells; could eldritch blast inflict psychic damage? And even with default rules, you can roleplay it as a burst of telekinetic force