Eston

Cyre’s only major settlement not located on a waterway, Eston grew up near a cluster of prosperous hillside mines about 70 miles east of the Brey River and Lake Arul. On the Day of Mourning, the rich hills simply sank into the surrounding plains with a sigh, the miners within buried alive as the shafts collapsed. The city was devastated by the tremors accompanying the shifting of the land, and only a handful escaped through magic. The Brey River’s watercourse shifted 30 miles closer to the remains of the city, and Lake Arul nearly doubled in size as its basin widened. Totens, a village that served as Eston’s link to the Brey River, was totally erased by the fl ooding before the mists killed the few residents who made it to high ground. 

Eston’s mines once produced both iron and adamantine—key resources for the creation of the most powerful warforged. These lost veins of ore, in conjunction with the presence of no less than three creation forges in the heart of House Cannith’s homeland, make the broken city an irresistible target for treasure hunters. The shifting land and deadly monsters have kept looters from bringing back more than the most basic loot, but the wealth still buried under the city is enough to tempt anyone with dreams of avarice or power.

Source: Five Nations

Founded on iron and adamantine, Eston initially took advantage of some of the richest veins found outside the Mror Holds. Some say that on the Day of Mourning, though, the soil turned to smoke. Eston collapsed into the mines on that day, and now much of the city remains buried in mud and wreckage. Some sections are preserved in the depths, while others remain suspended on high buttes. The Brey River has flooded the lowest regions, and the dead-gray mist of the Mournland hangs above its waters. 

Eston was a heavily fortified city, and its buttressed towers and ramparts remain largely intact. The challenge is in reaching them. Whether buried in the depths or hidden in the mists, many places in Eston haven’t been touched since the Day of Mourning.

Beginning less than a week after the Day of Mourning, looters and salvagers scrambled to get into the fallen city and see what they could recover. The stories told by those who have come back, such as Ikar the Black’s salvage  operation, evoke both fear and wonder in their listeners.

Source: Dragon 411

Eston was a center for the creation of constructs long before the first warforged was formed. Artificers sought to prove themselves by adding their own designs to the outpouring of technology that became known as the Clockwork Menagerie of Eston. The most famous of these is Alaran’s mighty gorgon, both a symbol of House Cannith and the guardian of its vaults. Lesser works include artificial songbirds, walking armor, a carousel of griffons, and more. Despite the name of the menagerie, the constructs come from a variety of traditions; some are alchemical, some golems, and others living constructs. At the time of the Mourning, the enclave was home to ten centuries’ worth of automatons, some purely decorative and others ready for battle.

In the wake of the Mourning, the Clockwork Menagerie has become a threat. Alaran’s gorgon is still active in the ruins, but it is strangely warped, its breath filled with corrupting power. Ikar the Black has reported encountering a swarm of metal beetles that consumed armor, but there is no record of anyone having designed such a construct.

Based on reports from those who have entered the area, the creatures of the menagerie are evolving. It remains to be seen if they are working toward some grander purpose, or if these changes are driven simply by the instinct for survival.

Source: Dragon 411

Warforged are living things. They can physically evolve over time; a warforged juggernaut grows heavier armor plating. The Steel Gardens of Eston were one of the first breakthroughs in the long process of creating living constructs. Imagine trees with steel bark and silver leaves covering the same leathery tendrils that form the muscles of the warforged. Starrin d’Cannith had high expectations for the Steel Gardens and hoped that one day adamantine and other ores could be extracted and refined using the strange constructs.

Reports from Ikar’s Salvage crew indicate that the garden has grown wild and spread across the ruins. Webs of metallic vines block passages to the mines and enshroud the remains of buildings. One Cannith sage has theorized that the roots of the garden might have reached one of Eston’s three creation forges, and that the garden is a single sentient entity fueled by the mystic power of the forge.

Source: Dragon 411

The Last War precipitated a constant demand for weapons and armor. While artificers worked on enchantments fit for kings and generals, Eston’s forges produced a multitude of mundane weaponry and simple magic. The Mourning imbued these tools of war with eerie life. Swarms of blades whirl through the ruins, reminiscent of the razor storms of Shavarath. Powerful weapons often have sentience, and an explorer who wants to emerge from Eston holding a new magic sword might have to defeat it first.

Eston is crawling with magic—literally. When the Mourning struck, the essence of spells broke free from the objects holding them or burrowed out of the flesh of wizards and magewrights. Most living spells are in the form of oozes, whereas others have elemental forms.

Many of these embodiments of magic are harmless. For example, living continual flames crawl along the streets or cling to lampposts, but the fires surrounding these tiny slimes are cold, and the oozes flee from strangers. A scrying spell shifts and shimmers, showing distant scenes on its amorphous skin.

Other living spells are dangerous, to say the least. A fireball consumes anything that will burn, and a wall of ice surrounds its victims before chilling and crushing them.

In addition to these oozes and elemental forms, Eston has other forms of living spells—magic that remains in its original place but has transformed over time. Glyphs of warding have taken on shapes never imagined by wizards. Warped wands have unpredictable (and exceptionally powerful) effects. Such things can be dangerous threats or fabulous treasures. For a wizard who can unlock their secrets, these types of living magic can lead to spells or rituals that can’t be found elsewhere in Khorvaire.

Source: Dragon 411

Source: Dragon 411

At the time of the Mourning, Eston had three creation forges and a large number of lesser manufacturing tools. Before that fateful day, everyone knew that a creation forge functioned by amplifying the powers of the Mark of Making; as such, a forge could be operated only by a Cannith heir.

When the Mourning transformed the magic of Eston, what could have happened to its forges? Consider these possibilities.

The Free Forge

Not only is this forge intact, but its greatest limitation has been overcome: The Mark of Making is no longer required. Operating a creation forge is usually a complex process that involves a team of trained magewrights and artificers, but with this forge, any artificer can produce new warforged. The forge would be a boon to any nation. If House Cannith hears of the free forge, it will want it destroyed. On the other hand, many warforged—notably the Lord of Blades—will see it as a possible tool to save their race. Will the adventurers try to keep the free forge a secret and learn how to use it themselves, or will they hand it over to some other agency?

Perhaps the forge has changed in more ways than one: It no longer requires the Mark of Making because it’s not actually producing warforged— instead, it’s creating vessels for fiends from the outer planes. Depending on your campaign, these invaders could be devils from Baator, quori from Dal Quor, or something entirely new.

War Games

Two or more of the forges have become sentient, and they are at war. One of the forges controls the constructs of the Clockwork Menagerie. The other controls the living spells and is breeding more arcane slimes in the ruined mines. The spells and the constructs are fighting each other, and adventurers might find a way to use this conflict to their advantage. At the same time, it won’t be easy; both sides see the adventurers as interlopers and will ally against these common enemies.

The Becoming God

The Godforged are a warforged cult working to create a vessel for their god to inhabit. Unknown to anyone outside Eston, they have found one of the forges and are tending it. The Steel Gardens are rooted in this forge and function as a nervous system that spreads throughout the ruins. The forge can perceive events that occur around its roots, and it directs the movements of the garden. The Godforged are certain that this forge is the heart of the Becoming God and that their lord will take form in Eston. Whether the forge is truly divine or merely a construct, the Godforged will fight to the death to protect it from outsiders.

It’s not hard to find reasons to go to Eston. The treasures of House Cannith should be a sufficient lure for adventurers. Wealth aside, the potential for recovering Cannith research or an unlocked creation forge is a draw for the dragonmarked houses and for organizations such as the King’s Dark Lanterns and the Aurum. Adventurers might be tasked to explore the ruins or to prevent enemies from looting the city.

In addition to those general hooks, here are a few more exotic reasons for visiting the ruins of Eston

• A sage at Morgrave University is convinced that the living spells in Eston include new rituals not conceived by the mortal mind. This wizard asks the adventurers to capture a number of living spells and return them to Sharn. If they succeed, the spellcasters in the party can learn these new spells. This plot hook can be a good way to introduce spells from a new game supplement.
• The adventurers find a Cannith ledger revealing that three of the house’s most powerful artifacts were stored in an Eston vault. Can the party reach this hidden safe? Are the artifacts still inside, or have they come to life?
• Thrane has been beset by a series of incursions from a band of unusual constructs, and the trail leads to Eston. One of the forges is discovered to be active, and evidence suggests that the strange warforged it produces are angelic servants of the Sovereign Host incarnated in steel and stone. These warforged want to bring the Silver Flame under the control of the Host. Can the heroes broker a truce, or do they support the divine merger? To add complexity, perhaps the “angels” are really devils from Baator, seeking to seize the power of the Flame for Asmodeus.

Source: Dragon 411

The former home of House Cannith contains countless lost treasures for parties to recover, whether for their own use or to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

Cannith Recovery. All sorts of cutting-edge research was lost on the Day of Mourning–surviving researchers interested in picking up where it left off are eager to recover notes and prototypes from the city. The overlapping efforts of the three competing barons-to-be add a political dimension to these salvage missions, as each of them hopes to prove themselves worthy to the body of lords seneschal.

Genesis War. The Day of Mourning caused many strange changes across the Cyran landscape. One such possible change could be the acquisition of sentience by the creation forges of Eston. Are they united in purpose, or do they conflict in methods and goals?

Warforged Continuation. While all creation forges across the continent were officially deactivated after the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold, those in the former nation of Cyre were assumed to be destroyed by the arcane cataclysm. Reactivating the creation forges would be a great boon to whomever can accomplish the task–whether it’s simply for the peaceful survival of the warforged race or to build a fresh army.

Source: Politics of Cyre

Source: Politics of Cyre

Despite its small size, Eston was a city that never slept. Busy artificers and magewrights worked odd hours, consuming vast quantities tal and other, more powerful, stimulants.

Adamantine Mines

Eston’s ancient origins trace back to a time when it had the finest metal mines found on Khorvaire outside of the Mror Holds. The Dhakaani established these mines, excavating the surface levels to work great feats of artifice. The collapse of the empire left the mines abandoned, allowing the humans spilling from the east to begin excavation anew, delving deeper into it’s the area’s riches. Salvaged Dhakaani creations and new feats of human artifice allowed the nation of Metrol to establish its independence, resisting Karrn’s expansion. A thousand years later, Galifar succeeded where Karrn had failed by colluding with the Twelve to undercut Metrol’s magical advantages.

By the beginning of the Last War, the mines of Eston had been mostly depleted. Old mines were renovated and turned into permanent underground structures, establishing one of the largest subterranean facilities on the continent.

Creation Forges

By the end of the war, Eston contained three active creation forges constantly producing warforged. While they primarily produced the standard model, Eston was one of several sites that produced more experimental lines of warforged, with unique body compositions and abilities.

Lyrandar Docks

The neutrality of the Dragonmarked houses was tested often during the Last War, but Eston was a shining example of how that neutrality paved the way for massive profits. Sitting on the Brey river, neutral ships flagged to House Lyrandar carried Eston’s inventions to the highest bidder. By the end of the war, as Cyre’s treasuries flagged, these ships primarily carried warforged to restock the armies of Aundair, Breland, and Thrane

Many salvage missions have been launched into Eston, but the sheer level of destruction and hostile forces have made recovery difficult.

Cannith Square

Once the vibrant heart of the city, Cannith Square was fractured by the earthquakes on the day of Mourning, leaving open fissures and piles of rubble in its wake. Furthermore, it seems to be a nexus for the living spells that inhabit the region; particularly rare spells seem drawn to something here.

Clockwork Menagerie

While House Cannith is best known for the warforged, the house was responsible for all sorts of constructs. Artificers of all traditions contributed to the displays, the clockwork name belying a wide variety of techniques from alchemy to filigree metalworking. The guardian of these vaults is Alaran’s Gorgon, the symbol of the house, which according to scouting reports has gained strange corrupting powers. Since the Mourning, the constructs have grown in both numbers and capabilities, seemingly evolving far beyond their initial designs.

Steel Gardens

One of the House’s late breakthroughs in the war, the Steel Gardens seemed to replace the need for endless mining. Techniques used in the construction of living constructs were successfully adapted to trees capable of growing metal bark and leaves, creating renewable sources of the base components of Cannith’s crafts. Since the Mourning, the steel gardens have grown wild, taking over a large portion of the city. Some speculate this unchecked growth might be powered by one of the city’s creation forges.

Source: Politics of Cyre

While countless fabulous minds were lost in the Day of Mourning, the loss of the Cannith leadership has left the house divided.

Baron Starrin d’Cannith

The elderly patriarch of House Cannith, Starrin (he/him) was a ruthless businessman who prioritized the wellbeing of his house above all other concerns – especially ethical ones. Usually called “The Gorgon,” his talents as an artificer were only matched by his salesmanship and charisma. While the baron’s remains have never been found, it’s assumed he was in Eston on the Day of Mourning along with the rest of the house leadership.

Lady Seneschal Mirrocha Vown

The Vown family runs House Cannith’s Aundair operations, reveling in the status and class conferred by their dragonmarked status. Lady Seneschal Mirrocha Vown (she/her) always dressed in the latest fashions, believing that the key to business negotiations was to establish credibility and power through visual status.

Lady Seneschal Vazyin Harn

The formal leader of the Harn family, Lady Seneschal Vazyin (she/her) presided over the Breland operations of the house. The industrial facilities in Sharn and Starilaskur have provided not just weapons of war, but basic goods and supplies for civilian populations, supplementing the capabilities of the city of Making. While the Harn family are by no means patriots, they were more than willing to bend the rules of the Korth edicts in exchange for favors from the Brelish crown and nobility.

Lord Seneschal Tertheros Tellic

The lead for the house’s Thrane operations, Tertheros Tellic (he/him) is one of the youngest of the Lords Seneschal. His apparent devotion to the Silver Flame has enabled a bridge between the amoral Cannith leadership and the theocrats of Flamekeep, securing deals others within his family and the house failed to close. He especially bolstered the use of warforged by Thrane, smoothing over ethical concerns by reassuring leadership that warforged are as soulless as a sword or a shield.

While Eston had no survivors, that doesn’t mean the living aren’t interested in what was left behind.

Professor Elymar Josilyn Nezzelech

A gnomish scholar at a major Khorvaire university, Elymar (they/them) is deeply curious about the nature of living spells and theorizes about parallels between living spells and the elementals that are so commonly bound to Khyber shards. Their research has led them to focus on Eston, and they hope a team can escort them there to collect vital research data.

The Omenspell

While reports of living spells almost universally describe them as unintelligent, some mention an intelligent divination spell known as “The Omenspell.” While it responds only in riddles, it seems to be capable of understanding and responding to humanoid explorers. A small international community of pilgrims have taken note of its advanced divinatory powers and its ability to answer questions supplicants didn’t even know they had.

Sister Sickle

While the Mournland has become a strange form of home for many warforged, not all agree with the violent terrorism conducted by the Lord of Blades. As the birthplace of many warforged, Eston has become a focal site for followers of the Becoming God. Sister Sickle (she/her) organizes the effort in the city, guided by cloudy prophetic visions. She has yet to rival the Lord of Blades in following, but if her evangelicals overtake his in the cities of the Five Nations he will intervene – peacefully at first, but he is unafraid to cut her down if she gets in the way.

Despite their ancestral residence in Cyran territory, many members of House Cannith felt little national loyalty, convinced that whoever ended up on top must have deserved it (so long as they paid their debts to the house).

House Agent. Like all effectively house-run cities, Eston was a hive of collaboration. Lyrandar and Orien heirs developed new transportation technologies while Ghallanda and Jorasco heirs pursued alchemical breakthroughs. Between Eston’s central location and Cannith’s immense war profits, the city came second only to Korth and its tower of the Twelve for inter-house cooperation efforts. Was Eston only a temporary home, or did you find long-term work there?

Soldier. While the house presence provided an air of neutrality, the border proximity meant both Thrane and Breland sometimes captured the city “to provide better security,” extracting profitable concessions in the process. How did you feel about the neutrality of the houses in the face of a continental civil war?

Spy. A city full of secrets, House Cannith employed both Medani and Kundarak to protect its people and knowledge. What was your purpose and methods in the city – passive intelligence gathering by buttering up sources, or more proactive and likely lethal ways?