Eberron Campaign Guide

On 20 Ollarune, 994 YK, beautiful Cyre, the Purple Jewel in Galifar’s Crown, disappeared in a massive blast of arcane horror. No one now living knows the cause of this explosion. It might have been a weapon, Cyran or otherwise. It could have been a punishment from the gods or the doing of dragons. Perhaps something malevolent and ancient stirred in Khyber below Cyre, its rest disturbed by the never-ending conflict on the nation’s fronts. Whispers raise the dark possibility that the warforged messiah, the Lord of Blades, caused the Mourning and plans to repeat it in the remaining nations. Whatever the truth, all that is left of wondrous Cyre is the Mournland. The 20th day of Ollarune is now known across Khorvaire as the Day of Mourning.

The Mourning is thought to have started near the city of Making, on what is now known as the Glass Plateau. It spread slowly enough that those living near Cyre’s borders could flee the expanding mist and magical conflagrations. More of those fleeing the disaster died than should have when the hatred fired by the Last War caused Cyre’s neighbors to refuse to help. The elves of Valenar and the goblins of Darguun treated the refugees as invaders, killing them as they ran.

Only King Boranel of Breland offered outright help. He granted Prince Oargev ir’Wynarn—son of Queen Dannel and ruler of Cyre in the years leading up to the Day of Mourning—land for camps that eventually became New Cyre. Other survivors endure in small communities or as groups within larger settlements in Zilargo, Thrane, Karrnath, Q’barra, and elsewhere in the world.

When King Jarot ir’Wynarn, the last ruler of Galifar, died in 894 YK, his daughter Mishann, governor of Cyre, was the rightful heir to the throne. However, her coronation was not to be. Her brother Thalin of Thrane asserted that he should take the throne. Kaius of Karrnath and Wroann of Breland shared Thalin’s notion that succession of the eldest was a worn-out tradition. Only Wrogar of Aundair stood with Mishann and her rightful claim. Before the year had ended, the Last War began. Galifar collapsed into hostile nations, with each ir’Wynarn sibling eventually claiming rights to the Galifar crown.

Cyre, positioned in the center of Khorvaire, was the major battleground of the Last War. Bordering Breland, Thrane, and Karrnath, it faced battles on all fronts at various times during the hundred years of war. The land and its people arguably suffered more than those of other nations. Even before the Day of Mourning, Cyre was dying little by little. Long conflict had dulled its beauty and ruined its outlying settlements. Rival nations seized its lands, as did the goblins of Darguun and the Valenar elves.

The Mourning finished the job. At the meetings that resulted in the Treaty of Thronehold, the Cyran delegation was given no place. The common sentiment was that Cyre no longer existed.

Rumors still swirl that before the conflagration, Queen Dannel planned some great new offensive to save Cyre. At the time, her struggling nation still had patriots willing to fight and die for their land. Huge battles were taking place on Cyran ground when the Mourning occurred—battles that, without the Mourning, might have silenced Cyre’s ambitions forever. Some speculate that the queen had something to do with the Mourning

Five Nations

Cyre was the future. At the height of the Kingdom of Galifar, Cyre was a land of arcane dreams made manifest. It came to be known as Beautiful Cyre, the Purple Jewel in Galifar’s Crown, and Wondrous Cyre. To some, it was considered a land of decadence and arrogance, but to the rest of the kingdom, it was paradise.

When Jarot attained the throne of Galifar, none of his children were yet of an age to take over the administration of the Five Nations. Regents and the existing governor-princes (Jarot’s younger brothers and sisters) continued to govern and served as mentors and teachers for Jarot’s scions. Mishann, the oldest of Jarot’s children, was sent to Cyre to learn at the knee of her uncle and prepare for her role as governor-prince and, eventually, monarch of Galifar. Just as it was since Galifar united the kingdom, just as it would be forever.

However, Mishann and the rest of the kingdom would discover that nothing remains the same forever.

When King Jarot died, Mishann prepared for the journey to Thronehold to attend her father’s funeral and to take the crown that was her birthright as the eldest scion. Her siblings each brought armed troops to the funeral, and before Mishann could be coronated, Thalin challenged the right of eldest succession. With loyal knights of the Silver Flame at his side, Thalin asserted that he was the better choice to be king of Galifar. Kaius and Wroann supported Thalin, in so far as they wanted a different method of selection to be put in place. “Why should the oldest and weakest automatically gain the crown?” Wroann asked. Wrogar supported Mishann’s claim, but the other three rejected her. Wrogar was able to stop the scions from spilling royal blood at Thronehold, but the five siblings and their followers departed the island without reaching any resolution to the question of succession. Before the year was out, the first battles of the Last War erupted, and each sibling eventually declared his or her own ambition to take the crown.

As the kingdom collapsed and the Five Nations became five distinct and separate countries, war spread throughout the land. Beautiful Cyre, of all the nations, wound up as the battleground on which much of the Last War was fought. In addition to the troops from Karrnath, Thrane, and Breland clashing with each other and Cyran forces in this region, Cyre also became the place where Darguun, Valenar, Talenta tribes, and Lhazaar pirates came to loot, plunder, or seek land to expand into.

And so it went, with the great wonders of Cyre falling bit by bit with every battle, until the terrible cataclysm of Unknown finished the sad destruction of the once-shining nation in one fell swoop. No one has claimed credit for the release of arcane energy that obliterated the nation, and no one seems to know exactly what happened on the Day of Mourning. What is known is that something terrible occurred in or around the city of Making, located at about the center of what is now the Glass Plateau, and slowly spread out to destroy the whole nation. Those living closer to the borders, as well as those outside the nation on this fateful day, were able to survive the disaster.

Today, Cyre is no more. In its place is the Mournland, a blasted, mutated land surrounded by a dense wall of dead-gray mist. Cyran refugees have migrated to New Cyre and Sharn in Breland, Dragonroost and Zolanberg in Zilargo, and, in smaller numbers, to communities in Thrane, Karrnath, and Q’barra. Many Cyrans, still reeling from the terrible destruction, find it hard to forgive the Five Nations that have refused to provide them with help. Worse, the Valenar elves slaughtered Cyran refugees fl eeing from southeastern Cyre by the thousands as they tried to escape the spreading mist.

A second injustice heaped upon the survivors of Cyre occurred during the Thronehold negotiations. Though the Day of Mourning was crucial in getting the Five Nations together to end the Last War, no Cyran representation was permitted. “Cyre no longer exists,” Queen Aurala argued. “The refugees have no voice in these proceedings,” High King Vadallia of Valenar agreed. And so Cyre did not participate in the accords that redefined the continent and ended the Last War.

Cyre, the Kingdom

Cyre’s last century featured an incredible series of highs and lows. Led by the legitimate heir to the Throne of Galifar, Mishann ir’Wynarn, the country first appeared to be ready to fall to the combined might of Breland, Karrnath, and Thrane. But an inspired bit of negotiation brought the warbands of the Valaes Tairn to Khorvaire to fight for Cyre (or at least Cyran gold), and the other nations’ leaders quickly turned on each other as each decided to take the crown of the kingdom. For six decades Cyre enjoyed success out of all proportion with its size and might. When Shearas Vadallia declared himself High King of Valenar, carving out an empire in Cyre’s midst, it seemed Cyre was once again doomed. Then came the warforged, bolstering Cyre’s forces and giving it the strength to survive despite the toll constant warfare was taking on the countryside. Still, their fortunes were waning, and many parts of northern and western Cyre became battlefields. Step by bloody step, the fighting wound toward Metrol and the few pristine cites left in the south. Rumors abounded that Queen Dannel and her advisors had plans for a major new offensive that would throw back the invaders. Dannel’s uncanny charisma inspired a nation and, despite the losses, spirits were high. Cyre’s martial academies and arcane colleges continued to attract students eager to learn the skills necessary to defend the nation.

Until the Day of Mourning.

Cyre’s complete destruction in a day by a wave of arcane energy is undoubtedly the single most important moment in the last hundred years. Major battles were being fought all across Cyre, with each of the Five Nations losing thousands if not tens of thousands of soldiers as the dead-gray wall swept outward from the interior. While refugees have gathered in Breland under the graces of King Boranel’s mercy, Cyre as a nation is simply gone, lost behind a wall that follows Cyre’s borders with eerie precision. In its place a strangely tranquil wasteland taunts treasure seekers with tantalizing hints of the greatest mystery of the modern age. . . . What was the Mourning? Will it happen again?

Eberron Campaign Setting

Once, Cyre shone more brightly than any of its sibling nations in the kingdom of Galifar. The Last War took a toll on the nation and its citizens, slowly toppling its many achievements as it became the battleground on which the armies of Karrnath and Thrane and Breland clashed. Finally, disaster struck. No one knows if the catastrophe was caused by a weapon from an enemy nation or a doomsday device of Cyre’s own design. The cataclysm may have been deliberate; it may have been an accident. In the end, the result was the same. Beautiful Cyre, jewel of Galifar’s vast holdings, exploded in a blast of arcane power the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the ruin of Xen’drik forty thousand years before. On the Day of Mourning in 994 YK, Cyre disappeared. Now the region that was once Cyre goes by a different, darker name. Now it is simply the Mournland.

A dead-gray mist hugs the borders of the Mournland, creating a barrier that only occasionally offers a glimpse of the desolation and devastation inside. Beyond the mist, this battle-scarred region remains a grim memory of the Last War, cloaked in perpetual twilight. Like a wound that will not heal, the land is broken and blasted. In some places the ground has fused into jagged glass. In others, it is cracked and burned and gouged. Broken bodies of soldiers from various sides litter the landscape—soldiers whose dead bodies refuse to decompose. The Mournland is, quite literally, a vast open grave.

In the Mournland, the wounds of war never heal, vile magical effects linger, and monsters mutate into even more foul and horrible creatures. Arcane effects continue to rain upon the land like magical storms that never dissipate. Misshapened by the unnatural forces present across the region, monsters rage and hunt as they struggle to survive. Sometimes even some of the dead, animated by strange powers radiating from the blasted ground, rise up to continue fi ghting the war that has long since ended for the living. In this land of disaster and mutation, a charismatic warforged gathers followers to his side and seeks to build an empire of his own.

The Cyrans once held the world in their hands. Cyre was on the artistic and cultural cutting edge of Galifar, with new trends constantly starting and spreading out of the nation. Cyrans knew how to enjoy life and the fruits of their labors. Art, music, fashion—there was no constant in Cyre, other than constant experimentation and change. The Cyrans valued an outlook on life that became known as the Cyran appreciation. This described a philosophy and lifestyle that appreciated beauty and magic, and promoted avant-garde and unconventional behavior in art and life in general. This was seen by the majority of Galifar as remarkable and wondrous until the time of the Last War. Then, propaganda and vicious rumors turned a virtue into an excess. As the war raged around them, Cyran nobles allowed their indulgent lifestyles to take darker turns, and words such as decadent, vile, and immoral began to be used to describe the Cyrans. The Cyran refugees struggle to maintain the Cyran appreciation, even though this continues to cause misunderstandings among the people of the nations where the refugees now live.

1. Where they were on the Day of Mourning. No Cyran will ever forget that terrible day and how they survived as so many others did not. “Tomorrow in Cyre” has become an expression of hope, a reflection of sadness, and a promise to win back what has been lost.
2. Some form of artistic expression. Cyran are artists to their core, whether that art takes the form of drawing, painting, sculpture, song, or arcane spell. Cyrans love to experiment with art, pushing the borders and shocking others with just how far they will go to advance the form.
3. The Cyran appreciation. This philosophy and lifestyle promotes the appreciation of beauty and magic in avant-garde and unconventional ways.
4. What happened on the Day of Mourning. Every Cyran knows what happened on the Day of Mourning and who caused it. They know. And every Cyran will tell you a different version of the events. An accident, a deliberate attack, a cowardly act of terrorism, an act of nature, a punishment from the gods—these are just some of the explanations that Cyrans share in their homes and in taverns.
5. How to perform a Cyran tago. This highly charged form of dance that has been described as frenetic, movingly beautiful, and extremely erotic, is the birthright of every son and daughter of Cyre. It is taught at a young age and perfected at social events throughout a Cyran’s life. No Cyran performs the tago badly, and some perform it with exquisite grace and precision.

Border Sentinels

Throughout most of the war, Cyre was far more intent on protecting its own borders than expanding its territory. In addition to its normal soldiers, it made substantial use of special border guardians. The most common unit was the bastion, which consisted of two patrols led by a master sentinel, normally a 3rd-level human or half-elf ranger

Champions of the Bell

Taking their name from one of Cyre’s heraldic symbols, this team of specialized warriors emerged late in the war, fi ve years before the Day of Mourning. In that time, however, they captured the hearts and the imaginations of the Cyran people with their daring raids into enemy territory, their retrieval of secrets of state, and—most famously—the rescue of Duke Corlan Varak (LN male human aristocrat 4/fi ghter 3) from the dungeons of Atur. What the general population of Cyre didn’t know was that the Champions of the Bell were semiofficial assassins, sponsored by secret elements in the government. The Champions’ great victories, although genuine, were undertaken primarily to draw attention away from their activities when they were not under the nation’s scrutiny. All the Champions were reportedly slain on a raid into Thrane several weeks before the Day of Mourning, and in fact a memorial procession in their honor was to have taken place a mere two days after Cyre’s destruction. In truth, one of the team was taken as a prisoner of war in Thrane. This fact has only recently been revealed—as of yet Thrane’s leaders refuse to say who, admitting only that the individual was released after the Treaty of Thronehold was signed, and they have no more knowledge of his (or her) whereabouts than anyone else.

The Iron Tide

Cyre was the first nation to employ units consisting entirely of warforged, without human officers or advisors. The most famous of these was the Iron Tide, a squad of roughly half a dozen warforged, each with its own area of expertise much like those found in traditional adventuring parties. The Iron Tide was primarily a target-and-destroy unit, embodying the old saw about “the best defense.” If a potent enemy force succeeded in penetrating Cyre’s borders, the Iron Tide might be dispatched against the foe’s advance scouts or command retinue, hoping to blind or even behead the invading army. The Iron Tide operated continuously from 974 through the Day of Mourning, though its membership fluctuated somewhat as the unit took casualties and received replacements. (The names below represent the Iron Tide’s longest-running roster.) Rumor has it that a large portion of the Iron Tide survives today and has joined up with the infamous Lord of Blades. Those who knew the Tide members personally claim this is highly unlikely.

Cultural Touchstones

Source: QA

Cyre was the heart of Galifar. Thronehold was the literal capital, but all the arms and various attendants of government spilled out from the island into Cyre. The nation was a center for trade, but beyond this it was the nexus of art and culture within Galifar. Breland had a strong industrial capacity, but Cyre produced the finest things in the kingdom. Poets, playwrights, artisans of all sorts: if you were at the top of your field, then Metrol is where you belonged. Add to this the fact that Cyre was the ancestral home of House Cannith and seat of most of its Forgeholds. Essentially, the other four nations had a strong single focus; Cyre is where the best of all of those things came together, or at least that’s what a Cyran would tell you. If I had to put a class to it, Cyre would be the bard. Of all the nations, it was the most charismatic, and its people valued diplomacy, commerce, and art over brute strength, devout faith, or pure knowledge.

With that said, no accounting of Cyran character would be complete without considering the impact of the Last War. The war lasted nearly a hundred years, and any human Player Character from Cyre will know no other life. Here’s a few things to consider:

• They were in the right. Mishann ir’Wynarn was Jarot’s rightful heir. Mishann should have been Queen of Galifar; the Last War began because others challenged her rightful succession. The Cyrans know with absolute certainty that they are the only nation whose actions were beyond reproach, that it was the greed and betrayal of the other nations that destroyed Galifar. The loss of their nation simply reinforces this: it is the ultimate injustice, as they alone were truly in the right. As a side note, Mishann was assassinated by the Order of the Emerald Claw. While this was relatively early in the war, it’s still a potential foundation for prejudice against Karrns in general and the Blood of Vol specifically.
• Surrounded by enemies. Karrnath, Thrane, Breland, and towards the end of the war Darguun and Valenar. Every other nation had one or more relatively secure borders, areas of the nation that were less affected by the ongoing conflict. There was no safe haven in Cyre, and they were always girding for the next attack.This fostered a strong community spirit – it’s us against the world – and led to…
• Resourcefulness. Cyre didn’t have the military power of Karrnath or the mystical might of Aundair. It lacked Breland’s spy network or the divine force of Thrane. Cyre had to somehow hold off all of these foes. This led Cyre to employ more warforged and mercenary forces than any other nation (something that didn’t work out so well in Valenar and Darguun), but it also forced the Cyran people to become extremely adaptable and resourceful – stretching resources, adapting tactics to deal with their many and varied foes, and always being prepared for an attack from a new quarter. This trait has served Cyrans well as refugees, as they must continue to make the most of limited resources and constant adversity.
• Artistry. The luxurious lifestyle of old Cyre was quickly lost as all resources were devoted to the war, but the people always treasured the fine things they still had: music, dance, literature. The most heartwrenching and uplifting works of art of this time still come from Cyre, and most Cyrans hone some sort of artistic talent, be it dabbling in an instrument, telling stories, or simply drawing in the dirt. This continues to be a source of pride for Cyrans in their exile; whatever they have lost, they know they have the talents to create new treasures. In this, there is some common ground with Aundairians, who place great value on wit and knowledge. However, the Aundiarians are more naturally scholars while Cyrans are artists. The finest histories of the war were produced in Aundair; the most heartwrenching songs came out of Cyre. Likewise, throughout the war, Aundair was able to maintain its ivory towers. Cyran artists lived and worked with mud, sweat, and tears.

Cyrans are proud. They may not have been the best warriors, wizards, or priests. But they were in the right from the very beginning of the war. They stood back to back against the enemies that surrounded them. Even when the war took everything from them, they have held on to the culture that defined them. Once Cyran tailors worked with the finest silks, and now they work with rags; but they still find ways to make things that are unique and beautiful.

Five Nations

People

The Cyrans once held the world in their hands. Cyre was on the artistic and cultural cutting edge of Galifar, with new trends constantly starting and spreading out of the nation. Cyrans knew how to enjoy life and the fruits of their labors. Art, music, fashion—there was no constant in Cyre, other than constant experimentation and change. The Cyrans valued an outlook on life that became known as the Cyran appreciation. This described a philosophy and lifestyle that appreciated beauty and magic, and promoted avant-garde and unconventional behavior in art and life in general. This was seen by the majority of Galifar as remarkable and wondrous until the time of the Last War. Then, propaganda and vicious rumors turned a virtue into an excess. As the war raged around them, Cyran nobles allowed their indulgent lifestyles to take darker turns, and words such as decadent, vile, and immoral began to be used to describe the Cyrans. The Cyran refugees struggle to maintain the Cyran appreciation, even though this continues to cause misunderstandings among the people of the nations where the refugees now live.

Appearance and Dress

Whether fighting, dancing, or standing perfectly still, Cyrans possess a poise and elegance that is the envy of all the other nations. Cyrans tend to be slender and long-limbed, with a casual, willowy grace that shines from within. Their hair is often wavy and of medium length, allowed to hang free so as to shift naturally with their movements. Nearly all Cyrans have dark hair, but a few are born with stark white locks—tradition states that such youths are to be encouraged to take up spellcasting, and most do show an aptitude for it.

Cyran clothing is highly diverse in cut and style, but most garments have long, fl owing elements—the people like clothing that will catch even a small breeze and ripple with the air currents. Short cloaks are common, as are wide sleeves. The most noticeable element of traditional Cyran dress is gloves. Cyrans favor short, sturdy gloves for work and fighting, and longer, beautifully tooled and decorated gloves for formal wear. Their hands are rarely exposed, and an ungloved handshake is a sign of special trust. Formal occasions are not identified by a change in clothing, but by a sharp increase in jewelry, and often the addition of masks. Festivals and balls always incorporate an element of costuming.

Cyrans simply adore jewelry, and they collect all manner of pieces as their fortunes allow. Loose hanging necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, particularly those that include small bells or brightly colored feathers, are preferred. The most spectacular of these adornments are their headdresses—elaborate pieces that run from the brow, over the head and shoulders and well down the wearer’s back.

Magic and Religion

Many Cyrans were occasional worshipers of the Sovereign Host, though one could not call Cyre as a nation religious. Cyran magic runs the gamut from flashy to practical. As the center of Galifar culture, Cyre made great use of all the dragonmarked houses and countless bards and lesser wizards to build an almost fairytale kingdom of light and grace. This image has become even more exaggerated in the minds of the survivors and those of other nations who never saw Cyre in its prime, cherishing the memory over the stark reality of the Mournland.

Exploring Eberron

Cyran Style

For a millennium since its founding, Cyran culture blended the traditions of other nations. However, the Last War built walls between Cyre and the other nations, and each evolved in this century of relative isolation. Cyrans know the old add-a-verse songs beloved by Aundairians, but few know the Epic of Valiant and Vigilant, a tale of martial bravery close to the heart of every modern Aundairian. Nor do they know the maxims of Beggar Dane that now serve as a cornerstone of Brelish culture.

Even so, Cyrans see their culture as being founded on the best principles of Galifar, and can still find some common ground with people of any nation. A Cyran can play Conqueror with a Karrn, sing an add-a-verse song with an Aundairian, and debate religion with a Thrane. This reflects the founding principles of Cyre—to gather the best aspects of Galifar and to build upon them. Cyrans believe there's no single perfect path; diversity is a source of strength, but there’s always room for improvement. Cyran culture is thus a strange chimera—a blend of familiar elements from across Khorvaire combined with a steady, ongoing evolution. A Cyran musician might play Karrnathi funeral dirges in the style of a Thrane devotional; it’s a puzzle where the pieces are known, but they’re constantly being arranged in new ways. Some citizens of the other nations believe this is appropriation—that the Cyrans are carrion crawlers who steal from others while arrogantly believing they can do better. But the Cyrans themselves assert that this approach is rooted in love, not arrogance, and call it the “Cyran appreciation."

In playing a Cyran, you can find familiar things anywhere you go. But what do you treasure in your memories of Cyre? Do you cling to the past, or do you embrace the Cyran principle of always striving to find a new and better way?

Fashion

Cyran fashion blends practicality with endless diversity. Cyran clothing begins with a simple foundation—this base layer may be colorful, but it’s first and foremost practical and durable. Whether breeches, skirts, shirts, or gowns, a Cyran starts with whatever the wearer finds most comfortable. Again, this base level is well made, but it’s more functional than decorative.

After starting with simplicity, the Cyran adds flair. Cloaks and gloves are both integral parts of Cyran fashion. Gloves can be short and sturdy for work or war, or long and decorative for more formal occasions. Cloaks likewise vary between the practical and decorative: a heavy cloak for traveling, a short cape for casual socializing, and a long, light cloak with a glamerweave lining for an evening at the Grand Stage. In addition to clothing like gloves, boots, and cloaks, jewelry and other accessories are important parts of Cyran fashion. Often made from copper, leather, wood, or glass, Cyran jewelry is not a display of wealth, but rather a way to express individuality. Feathers and bells are also common accessories; there is a Cyran dance that involves belled bracelets and anklets. Finally, masks are often worn at formal or festive occasions. Cyran masks aren’t intended to conceal identity or intent; rather, they are a way of enhancing identity and expressing a mood.

Traditionally, Cyran fashion is filled with color (often accentuated with glamerweave). In the wake of the Last War, many Cyrans have adopted Mourningwear—clothing cut in the Cyran style, but entirely in black. Others celebrate their nation by preserving its styles. Because of the emphasis on durability, your Cyran character may still have the clothes they were wearing on the Day of Mourning. What was that outfit, and do you still wear it? Do you favor a mask, and if so, what is its design?

Cuisine

Cyran cuisine reflects the Cyran principles of working with the best of all traditions while continuing to explore. In many ways, this is similar to the Sharn fusion found in the City of Towers, and a number of Cyran refugees are rising stars in Sharn’s culinary scene. Cyrans blend the thrakel spices of Thrane with traditional Karrn stews, and add the heat of southern Breland to the delicate pastries of Aundair. While many refugees cling to family recipes as a way to remember the fallen nation, others continue the tradition of Cyran appreciation—adopting new favorites from the place they’ve found shelter and looking for ways to improve them

Magic

Traditionally, Cyrans viewed arcane magic as an art form as well as a practical tool. This lent itself to a wider study of illusion and enchantment than found in other nations. But it’s also about the presentation of magic, regardless of its school. Whether magewright, bard, or wizard, Cyrans often put more show into the performance of magic than even the Aundairians. For a wizard who’s studied at the Wynarn Institute, somatic components are almost a dance, while verbal components have the cadence of song or poetry. This echoes the Cyran love of flowing capes and cloaks. As a Cyran spellcaster, you are truly a student of arcane arts; consider how your casting reflects this.

Religion

The Silver Flame had some devoted followers and temples in central Cyre, though the Sovereign Host was the dominant faith. However, religion is driven by faith and tradition, and Cyrans have always been encouraged to question and search for new paths. Outer Cyre is a different story. The nobles of Eastern Cyre were and are devout Vassals, convinced they have a divine right to leadership. The people of Southern Cyre are less arrogant, but most hold to a quiet, steadfast faith in the Sovereigns.

The war drove some Cyrans to embrace their faith more tightly, but for others it was another source of doubt. Likewise, the Mourning threw many devout Cyrans into a crisis of faith, while for others, it actually strengthened it. A devout follower of the Silver Flame doesn’t question the cause of the Mourning, they simply seek to protect the innocent from harm. Vassals of the Sovereign Host trust that there is a purpose to their suffering. Meanwhile, in the wake of the Mourning, some Cyrans have turned to the Blood of Vol or cults of the Dragon Below, cursing the gods they once worshiped or following a darker vision. There are also a number of new strains of the old faiths, Cyran twists on the Flame and the Host that seek to adapt traditions to make sense of the war and the world.

In playing a Cyran, whether a divine caster or other religious character, consider the impact the Mourning had on your faith. Are you conflicted and struggling to hold to your beliefs? Or was the Mourning a source of inspiration—you know you have a divine purpose, that your people need you? If you’re tied to an existing faith, do you follow the standard traditions or have you found an unusual path?

Rising from the Last War

No nation won the Last War, but Cyre unquestionably lost it. Other nations are recovering from the conflict, but Cyre is gone. The lands not destroyed in the Mourning were lost decades earlier to Darguun and Valenar. Cyrans who survived the war must now carve out a new destiny in the lands of their enemies or in foreign nations beyond what was once the Kingdom of Galifar.

In creating a Cyran character, first determine how you survived the Mourning. Were you outside Cyre when it occurred, or did you somehow escape the destruction? Where did you take shelter? Breland has taken in refugees and created refugee camps. Thrane also accepted refugees but has worked to disperse and integrate them into the general population. Are you grateful or bitter? Do you have family or friends in refugee camps, or are you a lone survivor? Other Cyrans sought opportunities on the frontiers, settling in the jungles of Q’barra or seeking a new life in the distant land of Xen’drik.

Many Cyran survivors are soldiers, veterans stationed on the front lines when the Mourning occurred. If multiple members of your party are Cyrans, you might have served together during the Last War. Because Cyrans are so widely dispersed, you can encounter former comrades or friends anywhere in Khorvaire.

Since Cyrans lost their lands, the distinctions between peasant and aristocrat have become moot. Even with a criminal background, you might have been a viscount in Cyre; your background reflects your current standing and the resources you can call upon in the present.

Exploring Eberron

Under the reign of King Jarot, Cyre continued to shine. Aspiring artists and young nobles made their way to the heart of the kingdom, while the most promising artificers settled in the city of Making. King Jarot lavished attention on Cyre—expanding the Vermishard Palace, working with House Orien to expand the lightning rail within Cyre, and spending hundreds of thousands of galifars on the Wynarn Institute of Art and the Cathedral of the Sovereign Host.

Following the death of Jarot, the kingdom of Galifar spiraled toward war. Initially, Cyran morale was high. Queen Mishann had centuries of tradition behind her. Everyone knew that Cyre had the best of everything: the finest wizards, the best soldiers, the foremost artificers. And on one level, this was true, but a single unit of exceptional soldiers means little when set against the martial cultures of Karrnath or Thrane. Cyre’s finest wizards were artists and theoretical scholars, whereas Aundair had long worked on magic as a tool of war. And the expert artificers were largely tied to House Cannith, which remained neutral in the war. If you consider the nations as characters, Thrane is a paladin, Karrnath is a fighter, Aundair is a wizard, and Breland is a rogue. In this party, Cyre is the bard—elegant, clever, and doing a little bit of everything . . . but best when working with others, not prepared to stand alone against a powerful foe.

Cyre adapted; it had to. Initially, it relied heavily on mercenaries, as it was the seat of Galifar’s treasury and had the gold to spare. But as time passed and the scope of the conflict became clear, Cyrans devoted themselves to war. Cyre lacked the martial spirit of Karrnath or Thrane, but its people were sustained by the absolute belief that they were in the right. Beyond that, in the eyes of the people, Cyre was Galifar. It embodied the ideals of the kingdom, the best of what it could be—and that was something worth fighting for. Nonetheless, the struggle dealt a tremendous blow to the Cyran psyche. For centuries, Cyrans had seen themselves as the stars of the show, beloved by all; now all hands were raised against them, and some, at least, could see their former beliefs as arrogance and narcissism. Cyre had indeed had the best of everything, but because it was freely given. Now the Arcane Congress devoted its knowledge purely to the good of Aundair, Rekkenmark trained only Karrns, and the King’s Citadel served Breland. Yes, Cyre had echoes of all these things. Its wizards were still a match for any nation other than Aundair, and the Vermishard Guard formed the core of Cyre’s new military academy. But it was clear that the Cyran dream had been sustained by many hands, and now the nation had to learn to stand on its own

Five Nations

Crown

Today there are two Cyres—the citizens who survived, and the blasted wasteland where the nation one stood. Within the Mournland, the Lord of Blades is the closest thing the inhabitants have to a king. Outside the Mournland, for the people of Cyre who survived the Day of Mourning, Prince Oargev is the rightful leader. While the people remain scattered across the Five Nations and beyond, the city of New Cyre is growing, and every day sees a reunion as divided families rejoice in the return of lost kin. Oargev is determined to see the Mournland recovered, its plains purified, its waters cleansed of taint.

While he governs New Cyre, Oargev dreams of rebuilding Cyre the nation. If he can’t do this in the Mournland, he will carve a permanent nation from King Boranel’s fl ank. The Brelish king was the first to reach out to the Cyrans as their lands died, and Oargev hesitates to betray such kindness. To this end, Oargev sponsors expeditions into the Mournland and offers rich rewards for relics and natural specimens brought out of the mists. The young prince has become something of a naturalist, knowledgeable about all the native species of plants and animals, and an expert on the strange mutations found around the Great Chasm. Oargev is particularly eager to recover Cyran regalia. 

Though young, Oargev is already a widower. His wife was lost on the Day of Mourning while Oargev was abroad. Oargev must take a new wife if the Cyran branch of the line of Wynarn is to endure. The prince, now twenty-five years of age, is both charming and gallant, and the coming social season is sure to be lively as both the families of Cyre and the nobles of other nations try to woo this dynamic leader.

Postwar Cyre

Their nation destroyed, their countryfolk scattered, Cyrans tend to be keenly aware of the precarious position they maintain in the Five Nations. Left out of the Thronehold Accords, the Cyran refugees have no status in the Five Nations, with the exception of in the Brelish city of New Cyre, where Cyrans have been welcomed as guests of the crown. Displaced, alone, with few friends and many enemies, Cyrans tend to look out for themselves and their closest kin. They have no love for the other Five Nations, and some barely contain a seething hatred for the “traitors” who rejected Mishann’s right to govern Galifar and thus destroyed the kingdom.

This said, Cyrans are not a dour lot. They continue to hold to the ideals of the Cyran appreciation, and though Cyran art and song has become a bit darker since the Day of Mourning, it remains a culture that is visionary, different, and ahead of its time. Cyran fashions range from daring to amazingly chic, though many younger Cyrans have started wearing dark, flamboyant clothing they call “mourningwear” as a way of remembering the country they hardly knew. 

Some Cyrans have changed their names and are trying to blend into whatever society they fi nd themselves in. Most, however, hold to their traditions and seek larger communities of refugees to join up with. Those who rally around New Cyre and Prince Oargev see hope for their future—and a time when the rest of Khorvaire will pay for the injustices that have fallen upon Beautiful Cyre.

Once, Cyre shone more brightly than any of its sibling nations in the kingdom of Galifar. It was the center of the kingdom’s wealth, a monument to its artistic and arcane achievements, and the site of great centers of learning where preeminent masters of magic, architecture, and artifice taught at the forefront of their craft. It was also the home of House Cannith and its massive foundries: some of them built on mountains or in mountains, some gracefully spanning canyons, and others erected in vast labyrinths deep underground.

Today, this region is a festering wound across Khorvaire. A wall of mist surrounds a land twisted into strange and terrible shapes. Cyre was once called the Jewel of Galifar. Now it is the Mournland.

The Mourning

No one knows the reason for what happened on 20 Olarune 994 YK. Though it had been battered, Cyre stood defiant; Cyran soldiers had recently driven deep into Karrnathi territory and were holding their lines against the combined forces of Breland and Thrane.

And then it all came to an end.

introduction for further details on how the Mourning might have affected characters.)

In the days immediately following the Mourning, many assumed that the mist would continue to spread. Intense panic slowly turned to curiosity as it became clear that the border had stabilized. Over the last four years, people have ventured into the mist for many reasons. Some sought to plunder the abandoned treasures of the richest nation in Galifar. Others hoped to find lost loved ones, or some explanation for the disaster. Few of these explorers have returned, and those survivors all tell tales of a land twisted in unpredictable and inexplicable ways.

Mournland Environment

The arcane energies that caused the Day of Mourning and that linger in the remains of Cyre are mysterious and unpredictable, so they can be the cause of any bizarre magical effect you want to bring to bear in your game.

Survival) check or any check using navigator’s tools made to negotiate the Mournland is made with disadvantage.

As if the difficulties of navigation weren’t bad enough, explorers must bring their own provisions into the Mournland, unless they want to risk the danger of ingesting tainted food and water.

Terrain Features

The Day of Mourning redefined the geography of Cyre. The cataclysm raised land, swallowed lakes, and moved whole cities. In some areas, the earth has been torn and gouged as if by some colossal beast. In others, it has become iridescent glass or semiliquid sludge. Trees in one place turned to crystalline onyx; the flowers in another place begin eerily buzzing when touched by a breeze. Nothing in the Mournland is as it was; the entire land is a scar left by the catastrophe of the Mourning.

Mist Wall. The borders of the Mournland are defined by a wall of thick, gray mist that rises thousands of feet into the air and forms a canopy that hides the ruined realm even from above.

Dungeon Master’s Guide.)

Patches of mist and less oppressive fog dot the interior of the Mournland, but the worst effects of the mist are confined to the border region.

Glowing Chasm. The northern part of the Mournland is dominated by a great crack in the ground that emits a cold purple light. This supernatural glow emanates from deep within the Glowing Chasm, so far beneath the surface that its source hasn’t been identified. The mutated monsters that roam the Mournland seem drawn to this location, and those that spend any significant time near the Glowing Chasm mutate further, becoming more twisted and misshapen than before.

Crimson Water. Before the Mourning, a spring in the eastern part of Cyre fed the Rushing River as it traced a short but fertile path south to Kraken Bay. The bed of the Rushing River is now as dry and barren as the rest of the Mournland, and the location of the spring is marked by the Crimson Water, a stagnant lake of blood-colored liquid.

The shores of the Crimson Water are littered with the remains of animals and travelers that have strayed into the Mournland and sought to slake their thirst with a drink from the lake. At the lake bottom is the ruined town of Eastwood Springs, which once served as a resort for the leisure classes of Cyre. As yet, no one has been brave or foolish enough to search for lost treasures in the depths of the Crimson Water.

Unusual Locations. At places smaller in scale than the major features described above, explorers in the Mournland might encounter any kind of terrain feature with bizarre magical properties. The Unusual Locations table offers some ideas.

Unusual Locations

Creatures of the Mournland

Many creatures were slain outright by the Mourning. Others were mutated as the land was transformed. Sometimes the result was an entirely new life form; any previously unseen monster could appear as a spawn of the Mourning. Other creatures retained a semblance of their original physiology while taking on some sort of alteration. The Monstrous Mutations table has options for altering existing monsters to reflect this phenomenon.

Most warforged were unaffected by the Mourning, and the race as a whole seems immune to many of the lingering effects that plague the Mournland. As such, the warforged who follow the Lord of Blades constitute the closest thing to a humanoid society that can be found in the Mournland. Similarly, golems and other constructs were largely unaffected by the Mourning.

Dungeon Master’s Guide to determine whether its challenge rating should increase and by how much, or you can simply increase it by 1 or 2 as you see fit.

Many Mournland creatures have mutations that are purely cosmetic and don’t change their stat blocks. For example, one might have eyes that look like gemstones or might display glowing patterns on its skin or fur.

Monstrous Mutations

Magical Effects

The catastrophe of the Mourning altered more than the landscape and living creatures. The devastation caused localized alterations in the way magic functions. In some places, magic barely functions, or certain magical functions are warped. In other places, spells persist past the instant of their casting and start behaving as if they were independent, living creatures.

A common misunderstanding about the Mournland is that healing spells refuse to work. The fact is that healing spells are impeded within the dead-gray mist, and occasionally in other areas, making it harder for someone to cast them effectively. Because so few expeditions make it far past the mist, the inability to heal is widely assumed to be a property of the Mournland as a whole.

The Environmental Effects table provides suggestions for weird magic that might pervade a small or large area of the Mournland. Effects might shift from day to day or even hour to hour.

Environmental Effects

Of all the bizarre and horrific spectacles of the Mournland, perhaps the greatest tragedy is represented by the ruins of the once-glittering cities of Cyre. Some have been reduced to rubble, while others are eerily preserved, devoid of life but otherwise unharmed. In some of them, treasures left behind by the former inhabitants await discovery, and many people across Khorvaire are eager to get their hands on such spoils for a wide variety of reasons.

Cyre was the site of incessant battles during the Last War, from the first extended campaign — the siege of Eston in 895 YK — to the running battle on the Saerun Road that was cut short when the Mourning occurred. Battlefields across the Mournland, both ancient and recent, stand like open graves as evidence of the horrors of the war. In some places, armies that were fighting on the Day of Mourning became stone statues anchored in position. Others were crystallized or reduced to ash.

Few people have reason to spend time anywhere near the Mournland. Among the exceptions are those who seek to plunder the riches of lost Cyre, such as Ikar’s Salvage (described below). These treasure hunters are also the kind of people who make interesting villains, teaming up with adventurers one day and betraying them the next.

In addition to these salvagers, the Lord of Blades (described in more detail earlier in this chapter and in chapter 6) is a major force in the Mournland. The Mournland Villains table suggests other possible evil schemes and influences that might arise in connection with the Mournland.

Mournland Villains

Rising from the Last War

The nation of Cyre was once the heart of the kingdom of Galifar. The Last War took a heavy toll on Cyre and its citizens, as the nation became a primary battleground where the Five Nations crossed swords. But no one was prepared for the disaster that struck in 994 YK.

Accounts of the Mourning vary. Some say that a blinding light engulfed the battlefield near the Saerun Road. Others say that dead-gray mists rose in the capital city of Metrol and spread from there. Within the space of one day, the nation of Cyre had been engulfed in a wall of mist, and anything caught within the mists was horrifically transformed. Over a million Cyrans were killed on the day of Mourning. Those who survived were soldiers fighting in enemy territory, those living on the borders who were able to flee from the advancing mists, and those few who were able to escape the interior through magical means. On 20 Olarune 994 YK, the nation of Cyre ceased to exist.

The Mourning threw Khorvaire into a state of shock. Who could unleash such power? Was this a weapon, and if so, when would those responsible issues their demands? Were the borders of the lingering walls of mist stable, or could they expand at any moment? What was to be done with the Cyran refugees surging into every adjacent nation? Fear of the Mourning ended the war. But all those questions remain unanswered.

Breland opened its borders to refugees, and Prince Oargev serves as de facto ruler in the area now called New Cyre. Despite its grand name, New Cyre is little more than a vast refugee camp. Other refugees scattered across Khorvaire; some are treated with pity, others with suspicion or anger. And fear of the Mourning hangs like a shadow across Khorvaire. Could it happen again? Is this how the world ends?

The Mournland

A wall of dead-gray mist surrounds the remnants of Cyre. Beyond the mists lies a land twisted by magic, a wound that will not heal. The blasted land is strangely transformed. In some places, the ground has fused into jagged glass. In others, it is cracked and burned. Broken bodies of soldiers from various sides litter the landscape—soldiers whose dead bodies refuse to decompose. The Mournland is a vast open grave.

In that horrific landscape, vile magical effects linger, and monsters mutate into even more foul and horrible creatures. Magical effects continue to rain upon the land as storms that never dissipate. Stories speak of living spells—war magic that has taken physical form, sentient fireballs and vile cloudkills that endlessly search for new victims. And angry ghosts continue to fight their final battles.

The only thing predictable about the Mournland is that nothing is predictable; any sort of monster or horror could lurk within its borders. And yet it also holds the wealth and treasures of an entire nation, along with the secrets of House Cannith and everything else that was left behind. It’s dangerous. It’s mysterious. But it’s also a dungeon the size of a nation, with opportunities for those brave enough to enter the mists.

The Mourning and You

In making an Eberron character, think about the impact the Mourning had on you. If you’re from Cyre, did you lose all your family and friends? Are there heirlooms lost in the mists that you’re determined to regain, or loved ones you hope to someday see again? Do you feel loyalty to your nation and hope to see it restored, or have you burned Cyre out of your heart?

Even if you’re not from Cyre, the Mourning may have had a profound impact on you. Are you afraid that the Mourning could consume all of Khorvaire, or do you prefer not to dwell on such things? If you’re religious, did the shocking tragedy of the Mourning cause you to question your faith, or did it reinforce it? If you’re an artificer or a wizard, are you interested in studying its effects more closely. Might you even hope to unravel its mysteries yourself? Do you see it solely as a tragedy, or do you hope that this awesome power could somehow be harnessed?

Perhaps you were caught in the Mourning and survived the experience, but its effects remain with you. Consider the following aftereffects of your experience:

• As a barbarian, you could have been a simple peasant caught in the Mourning. Everyone else in your community was killed, but their spirits were bound to you. Your barbarian rage represents you channeling these vengeful ghosts. Is there a way to lay these spirits to rest? Do they have unfinished business they want you to resolve?
• As a sorcerer, your magical powers could be the result of your exposure to the Mourning. Were you physically transformed as well, or are your powers the only manifestation of the Mourning? Are you comfortable using your abilities, or are you afraid that you might be increasing the power of the Mourning with each spell you cast?
• As a warlock, your patron could be interested in the Mourning and drive you to learn more about it. Your patron could even be part of the Mourning—perhaps a collective of spirits killed on the Day of Mourning, or a dark and enigmatic power that might have been responsible for this tragedy. If you take the latter approach, do you feel that by using your warlock magic you are serving the Mourning? Or do you believe that you siphon power from it and weaken it with your actions?
• As a member of an unusual race, you could say that you are actually a creation of the Mourning. Perhaps your dragonborn was an actual dragon transformed on the day of Mourning. Or maybe your tiefling is touched by the dark power of the Mourning instead of by an infernal power.

What Caused the Mourning?

A DM running an Eberron campaign can decide the cause of the Mourning or leave it as a mystery that will never be solved. People in Eberron have many theories about the cause of the Mourning. It’s up to the DM to decide if any of them are correct:

• The Mourning was the result of a century of extensive use of war magic. If the nations continue to use this magic, the Mourning will expand.
• The dragonmarked House Cannith made a fortune selling magical weapons to all sides during the Last War. The Mourning was caused by research gone horribly awry. The secrets can be found in a Cannith research facility within the Mournland. If this knowledge could be recovered and refined, it could produce a terrifying weapon.
• The Mourning was triggered by the release of an ancient demon overlord trapped since the dawn of time. This mighty fiend is lurking in the Mournland and building its power, but soon it will be ready to act.

A DM should consider whether the mystery of the Mourning can be solved and what the consequences would be. Right now, fear of the Mourning holds war at bay. If it’s confirmed that the Mourning is no longer a threat—or if one nation manages to harness its power—war could begin again.

Eberron Campaign Guide

The dome of dead-gray mist that covers the Mournland causes disorientation, fatigue, and apathy. A traveler in this mist can easily become lost, despite the mist’s slightly luminous quality that bathes the Mournland in eternal twilight. The mist is not omnipresent; it forms a border area varying in width from a few hundred feet to as much as five miles.

Numerous warped creatures wander the Mournland. Most of these mockeries are twisted beasts, sometimes grown to extreme size and ferocity. Warforged are the only creatures that have anything resembling a civilization within devastated Cyre.

The Mournland’s atmosphere can afflict the living with a loss of hope and an inability to readily recover from injury. Over time, a traveler who survives this affliction can become immune to it. This same atmosphere preserves the dead as if they had just fallen, making the Mournland a land fit only for the dying or the dead.

Five Nations

Devastated by the Day of Mourning, Cyre has become a ghastly reminder of the costs of war. Cyre’s borders, now marked by a wall of dead-gray mist, shrank tremendously during the later half of the Last War, but still encompass an area over 1,500 miles long and often over 500 miles wide. Within the mists, desolate vistas and twisted ruins abound. The land lies in perpetual twilight, for the sun never quite breaks through the mist, and the mist never quite stops glowing even in the dead of night.

The blasted land has the characteristics of a wound that never heals, with cracked and burnt ground, shattered rock, and mutated vegetation. Since so many foreign troops occupied Cyre on the Day of Mourning, the bodies of people from all of the Five Nations and beyond litter the devastated countryside. The Mournland has become a vast, open grave, filled with the bodies of the dead that have not yet begun to decompose—even four years after the terrible disaster.

In some ways, the Mournland seems to be unchanging, but this is just an illusion. The vile magics that created the place continue to play across the land, mutating the living and the dead, warping the environment, and releasing torrents of deadly spells as storm clouds release rain.

This is a land of scavengers and predators where warforged gather around a charismatic (and possibly insane) leader and seek to create a nation of their own.

Player's Guide to Eberron

The Mournland was once the human nation of Cyre, but on the Day of Mourning in 994 YK a cataclysm of unknown origin wiped out its people and ravaged the cities and countryside. Now the once-noble nation is dead, its land fused and barren. Lingering magic effects strew chaos across the jagged landscape and living spells, twisted monsters, and stranger things roam its crags. Nature is suppressed within its borders; neither magical nor natural healing functions, and dead bodies remain fresh and undisturbed. The Lord of Blades gathers militant warforged in some hidden stronghold. Despite these dangers, the Mournland has much to offer: Relics lie within its ruins, and many seek an answer to the mystery of the Mournland’s creation.

The first obstacle that any visitor to the Mournland faces is the dead-gray mist that surrounds it. The mist is disorienting, and travelers within it grow weary and depressed. Some areas of the mist display this property more strongly than others. These areas are a darker gray than the surrounding mist—a character can note the difference with a DC 10 Spot check and identify its significance with a DC 20 Knowledge (geography) check. Traveling within these areas forces characters to make Will saves each hour (DC 15, + 1 per hour). Failure indicates that a character becomes fatigued, and remains that way until he leaves the mist.

After penetrating the dead-gray mist, adventurers face numerous other obstacles.

Unknown, a charismatic warforged prophet, holds court somewhere in the Mournland. Though no one knows where he makes his base, his patrols scour the land. Warforged operate more freely in the Mournland than do living creatures, because their repair spells function normally. Those who follow the Lord of Blades have no pity or mercy for their living counterparts, and encounters with these warforged usually end in drawn blades.

Warped monsters wander the Mournland. These creatures take many forms. Some are amalgamations of several different creatures, sporting numerous limbs and bulging with muscle. Others have features not normally seen in their kind, such as wings or stinging tails. Perhaps the most dangerous are those whose mental faculties have improved, allowing them to gather less able creatures about them and carve temporary territories in the shattered land.

Adventurers who overcome the Mournland’s dangers are privy to its mysteries. Two of the Mournland’s most unusual features are the Glowing Chasm and the Glass Plateau. Between these two areas is the Stagnation, a fl at and moribund lake that gives off a faint blue iridescence. Skeletons lie half submerged along its shore, their bones causing not a ripple in the syrup-thick water. The water smells of dying things but tastes, so some claim, of honeysuckle and lavender with a hint of something sweeter. Some say that those who imbibe the stuff without retching can take the Mournland’s magic into themselves, changing into something stronger than they were before.

Also within the Mournland is the Mile-Mark Station. This ruin was once a lightning rail station at the junction of two tracks; now, it is half fallen into rubble, though the great clock in its tower still functions properly. A lightning rail coach, bodies spilling from its attached carts, is crashed into the station’s side. The building’s interior is scorched, and the bodies of hundreds of civilians—mostly children and the elderly—are heaped inside, their wounds still fresh. Only a handful of them appear to have burned to death, leaving explorers to guess how the corpses ended up here. Rumors say that the ghosts of the lightning rail coach passengers appear every night, racing away into the darkness with mad cackles.

Source: Exploring Eberron

Galifar Wynarn was a military genius, but it was his eldest daughter Cyre, twin to Aundair, who imagined the warring nations working together as a single family: Karrnathi might, Daskari faith, and the wisdom of Thaliost working together for the greater good. In crafting the map of the united kingdom, Galifar declared that Cyre would be the heart of the realm. His daughter would govern the province and have all that she needed to pursue her vision. The crest of Cyre is a crown and bell on a green field above a hammer and bellows—the seat of the crown, the bell that rings in change, and the tools to build the future. Cyre’s motto captures the heart of this nation and its people: “What our dreams imagine, our hands create.”

The provinces of Galifar largely retained the cultures and traditions of the nations they had once been. In many ways, their differences were reinforced and celebrated. Each nation was given one of the pillars of the united kingdom: the Arcane Congress in Aundair, the King’s Citadel in Breland, Rekkenmark Academy in Karrnath, the Grand Temple of Thrane. Cyre was the exception. Rather than building on the existing culture of Metrol, Cyre drew experts and artisans from across Galifar. Instead of being the center of any one discipline, Cyre was the nexus where all of these things came together—the best of what Galifar could be. When the Arcane Congress perfected the everbright lantern, Metrol was the first city whose streets were lit with them. Soldiers trained in Rekkenmark, but the finest warriors served in the Vermishard Guard. While Metrol was the showpiece—a city of wonders— this principle was applied across central Cyre. With education, art, even agriculture, Cyre displayed the best of what Galifar could accomplish.

This continued and evolved over centuries. Karrns are tough, Thranes wise, Brelanders industrious, Aundairians clever. The people of Cyre can trace their roots to all of these nations, believing they share these strengths; and beyond that, Cyrans strive to be creative, innovative, and artistic.

Cyre’s artistic (and, some might say, whimsical) temperament was balanced and sustained by the presence of House Cannith, based in the great city of Making. Many of Cannith’s greatest forgeholds were spread across Cyre, providing a practical industrial foundation that supported the wonders of Cyre. And those wonders took many forms. Where the Arcane Congress of Aundair focused on the practical applications of magic, the Wynarn Institute of Cyre explored the artistic potential of the arcane. Metrol was a city of light and marvels. Visitors could speak to illusions of past heroes and kings or watch reenactments of historic moments. It’s said that no one ever went hungry in Metrol nor felt the bite of winter. Cyrans say that this reflects the generosity and selflessness of the Cyran spirit; critics point out that these social projects were only possible because of the taxes paid by the people of other provinces. Certainly, Cyre held the wealth of Galifar and had a standard of living higher than any other province. Was this decadence? Or was it a work in progress, a model that could have someday been applied to all nations? There’s no way to know. Cyrans mourn what was lost; the people of other nations criticize the Cyran lifestyle as parasitic. “What our dreams imagine, our hands create,” but bitter outsiders point out that while Cyran hands may have built, they used resources gathered by the hard work of others.

This bitterness was further fueled by Galifar’s traditions of succession. Following the example of Galifar I, the monarch’s children served as governors of the five provinces. The eldest governed Cyre, and on the death of the monarch, they would take up the crown and their children would take over the governing positions of each province. The prior governors would serve as regents until children were of age, and after that, as advisors. When a monarch lacked five children, the previous governors would maintain the posts. But the principle was simple: Cyre was the heart of Galifar, and all else would shift around it.

Outer Cyre

Galifar’s goal with Cyre was to create something new, a culture combining the best aspects of the other nations. In the newly forged Thrane, Aundair, and Breland, the people kept their old traditions, and ruling families were often incorporated into the new governing structure; similarly, Galifar preserved the customs of his homeland of Karrnath. But in the old kingdom of Metrol—which covered an area roughly the size and shape of the modern Mournland—the old systems and rulers were pushed aside to make room for Cyre’s dream. Some of the noble families of Metrol embraced this new path. Others were resettled by Galifar, granted authority over regions that had previously existed as independent frontiers.

Southern Cyre covered what is now Darguun. Largely unsettled when Galifar was founded, it persisted as a backwater in the shadow of the kingdom. Its people ultimately prospered and took pride in their identity as Cyrans, mimicking the customs of the central kingdom. However, they had little of the wealth invested in the north or the wonders that came with it. There were ongoing clashes with goblins, a few severe, but the Ghaal’dar goblinoid clans largely remained in the mountains and dark places until the Last War.

Eastern Cyre—now Valenar—was effectively a separate nation with a dramatically different culture and values. It was arguably Galifar’s greatest failing. The region had first been settled by immigrants from the Khunan region of western Sarlona. Galifar I wanted the lands of old Metrol, so he instead gave its nobles authority over Eastern Cyre, setting them as the feudal overlords of the Khunan settlers. The Blade Desert served as a physical and cultural divide, and after granting the nobles their lands, Galifar largely ignored them. The noble families thus held to the old traditions of Metrol rather than embracing the new culture of Cyre. Many were petty and proud, dissatisfied with the arrangement, and cruelly took it out on their Khunan subjects. Some wonder why it was so simple for the elves to seize control of Valenar; first and foremost, it’s because the Khunan people had no love for their Cyran rulers (generally called “thrones”), and many feel they are actually better off under the new regime.

Eberron Campaign Guide

Two unique warforged religions are rooted in the Mournland. The first is the destructive, warforged-superiority dogma of the Lord of Blades. Another is the strange creed of the Becoming God.

Eberron Campaign Setting

The gods have deserted the Mournland. However, the followers of the Lord of Blades see their leader as a prophet of sorts. His message is only to the warforged, since his scripture deals with building a nation of living constructs out of the Mournland and then carving an empire from the flesh and blood of the common races. His followers look forward to the Promised Time, when those created as slaves will rule over their former masters.

When most people say “Cyre,” they’re thinking of central Cyre. When they speak of Cyran refugees, they are referring to the people who fled the Mourning. But there were Cyran refugees long before the end of the war. The Tairnadal elves established the eastern kingdom of Valenar in 956 YK, while Lhesh Haruuc claimed Southern Cyre as Darguun in 969 YK. While Valenar was an unpleasant surprise, it had relatively little impact on the nation. Eastern Cyre had always been isolated, and the Khunan majority embraced elf rule; the refugees were thus a handful of nobles who were painfully out of touch with the traditions of the central kingdom. The loss of Darguun was a more significant blow; Southern Cyre was a backwater, but this was still close to home, and it resulted in a flood of refugees that the war-torn nation was ill-prepared to handle. In creating a Cyran character, consider which Cyre you’re from.

Central Cyre

If you’re from central Cyre, odds are good that you think of your home as the “true” Cyre. Before the Mourning, did you give much thought to the refugees of Valenar and Darguun? Even now, do you think of them when you think of your homeland? Are you devoted to the idea of rebuilding your nation and clinging to your memories and traditions? Or following the Cyran appreciation, are you instead looking forward and trying to find a new and better path, even if that means abandoning the dreams of Cyre?

Eastern Cyre

As an Eastern Cyran, you’re tied to a noble family with roots in old Metrol, before Galifar even existed. You don’t accept any of the nonsense about Cyre being “the best of Galifar” or challenging tradition; if people had stuck to the old ways, perhaps all of this could have been avoided. Your people were devoted to the Sovereign Host and truly believed that Aureon had chosen you to rule. At the same time, your lands have been lost for over forty years, and the people of central Cyre have never avenged you or shown your family the respect you deserve. You’re not as affected by the Mourning as some, because it wasn’t your Cyre that was destroyed—now the others just get to see how you feel. While your character has noble ancestry, you’re unlikely to choose the noble background, as nobody would care about such claims. Do you despise the Valenar and hope to reclaim your long-lost homeland? Or do you want to rally Cyran survivors around the true royal bloodlines, challenging Oargev and reestablishing the long-forgotten kingdom of Metrol?

Southern Cyre

Your people have been struggling for decades in Southern Cyre, eking out a life in camps and shelters. You were encouraged to take up military service—it was easier to send you to the front than to find a new home for you. Many of your friends and family chose to idolize Queen Dannel and central Cyre, believing that she had a vision and would rebuild Galifar, restoring an age of wonders. Did you feel that way? Were you an optimistic idealist? Or were you bitter and angry at the nation that failed to protect you? Are you loyal to Cyre, or are you solely concerned with Darguun and taking vengeance on the goblins?

Source

The conquest of Metrol was Galifar’s first step in establishing his united kingdom. It was his bitterest enemy, and the realm that was most completely transformed in defeat. Hand-picked by Galifar I, the nobles of central Cyre were devoted to the ideals of the united kingdom and believed that they embodied those ideals—and that “What our dreams imagine, our hands create.” While some will argue that these dreamers were decadent and soft, they were devoted to arts, sciences, philosophy—though not to challenging the concept of the monarchy itself. To the Cyrans, the crown was the bedrock foundation of Galifar, and all of their dreams were built on that foundation.

Of course, things were quite different for the nobles of southern and eastern Cyre. To realize his dreams for central Cyre, Galifar claimed the lands to the south and east to resettle the nobles. The lands to the south were inhabited by goblins, and the distant region across the Blade Desert by farmers who traced their roots back to the Khunan region of Sarlona. Neither of these forces were organized into nations, and neither had the power to resist Galifar, but both regions were claimed by conquest. While outright slavery was forbidden, Galifar was willing to overlook the excesses of feudal serfdom. Central Cyre may have embodied the ideals of Galifar, but eastern Cyre was its antitheses. Due to its isolation, it was simply ignored by the rest of the united kingdom, its nobles allowed to rule their petty fiefdoms as they wished.

Following the outbreak of the Last War, the Cyrans continued to hold to the traditions of Galifar; after all, they were the rightful heirs of the true kingdom, and were fighting to defend it. Eastern and Southern Cyre were lost in the uprisings that formed Valenar and Darguun, and then central Cyre fell in the Mourning. As a result, most Cyran nobles now have little but their pride. The Treaty of Thronehold established Cyre as a fallen nation, and its nobles had no voice in shaping the treaty. While Boranel has granted Prince Oargev the land now known as New Cyre, the only power Cyran nobles now wield is what others choose to give them.

Noble Ranks. Cyran used the standard ranks of Galifar. Nobles of southern Cyre were often shields, as the land was taken from the goblins and there were ongoing conflicts over the centuries. 

Playing a Cyran Noble. Position of Privilege is extremely rare among Cyran nobles. If you take the noble background, the Retainer benefit makes more sense. If you have a Position of Privilege, it means that your family is so well known and liked that people grant you respect even though your family has lost its privilege; why is that? If you’ve fought to help the refugees, you might instead be a folk hero who can find shelter in any refugee community. Otherwise, with the approval of your DM, you could take any background and add a lost Cyran title to your story; you should be the Count of Woodbridge, but instead you were forced to become a criminal. In developing the story of a Cyran noble, an important question is whether your domain is within central Cyre (the Mournland) or whether it was in southern Cyre (Darguun) or east Cyre (Valenar). Valenar and Darguun were lost almost four decades ago, and if you’re human you may have never known these lands. On the other hand, if you’re from one of these regions your lands still exist and are in enemy hands; do you yearn to reclaim them from the elves or goblins?

Where I normally suggest that adventurers should be heirs as opposed to actively holding a title—explaining why you’re not bound by the duties of your rank and why you don’t have access to its resources—Cyre provides another answer to this. It could be that you were the Duchess of Eston, that you were part of Dannel’s councils—and now, you’re a refugee with only three loyal retainers left to show for it. Again, unless you have Position of Privilege, your title doesn’t mean much; once you may have been Duchess of Eston, but now you’re just a woman with a well-worn sword and the skills to use it.