King's Dark Lanterns

The King’s Dark Lanterns is the intelligence division of the King’s Citadel, an organization sworn to defend Breland from its enemies and dispense justice in the name of King Boranel. As the secret servants of the crown, members of the organization are granted the authority to conduct intelligence operations on foreign soil, execute covert missions across the globe, and prevent national secrets from falling into the hands of rival intelligence agencies. The Dark Lanterns also have an unwritten license to eliminate any creature that threatens their nation, its sovereign, or its citizens.

Headquarters. The King’s Citadel is based in Breland’s capital city of Wroat, under the command of the king’s brother, Lord Kor ir’Wynarn. A changeling named Captain Vron serves as the leader of the Dark Lanterns, with four subordinate knights marshal leading branch offices across Breland, in Sharn, Starilaskur, and Xandrar. A much smaller branch office keeps an eye on Brelish interests in the city of Stormreach, in Xen’drik. Small, temporary field offices are sometimes established to coordinate missions outside Breland; these offices double as safe houses for agents in trouble, and they are designed to be wiped clean at a moment’s notice if discovered by local authorities.

The Sharn office of the King’s Citadel is in Andith Tower in the Ambassador Towers district. Though a knight marshal commands the office, most of the King’s Citadel members in Sharn are Dark Lanterns, and thus under the authority of a scheming and ruthless gnome named Talleon Haliar Tonan.

Agents. The King’s Dark Lanterns includes more than 500 agents operating within Breland’s borders and roughly one-fifth that number stationed abroad. They often work in teams, and also work closely with the other divisions of the Citadel. Sometimes they recruit local talent, often under false pretenses, to help them accomplish their missions in foreign lands.

Allies. By their nature, espionage agencies must be cautious in choosing their allies, and the King’s Dark Lanterns is no exception. Its most trustworthy allies include the following facets of the Brelish government:

• King Boranel. The King’s Dark Lanterns, as one would expect, serve the king of Breland, and he is their greatest advocate and ally. The king views loyalty as mutual: as long as an agent’s loyalty is irreproachable, Boranel is willing to exercise his considerable power on that agent’s behalf.
• The King’s Citadel. The Citadel has three branches besides the Dark Lanterns. The King’s Swords are elite special combat forces. The King’s Shields protect the king and his closest family members and associates. The King’s Wands provide magical support to the other branches of the Citadel as well as other Brelish forces. Some Dark Lanterns might think themselves superior to members of the other branches, but even so they recognize other Citadel agents as players on the same team. When your group needs a little extra help, the other branches of the Citadel are there for you.

Enemies. Rare is the espionage agency that is loved. Even within Breland, the populace views the Dark Lanterns with suspicion, and powerful people outside the royal family harbor resentment at the influence of the Citadel. Many people and institutions outside Breland view the Dark Lanterns as a hostile force. As a result, the following groups account for just a few enemies of the Dark Lanterns:

• Brelish Populists. As much as King Boranel is loved in his country, many Brelish voices argue that the era of monarchy is at an end, and the throne of Breland should be replaced by a government democratically elected by the citizenry. When these forces grow restless enough to plot and riot, the Citadel—and often the Dark Lanterns—work to bring them to heel. As a result, those who question the authority of the king are the most likely Brelish citizens to mistrust the Dark Lanterns or view them with open hostility. According to rumor some of those people even hold high positions in the Brelish government.
• Foreign Nations. Every nation knows the King’s Dark Lanterns serves as an espionage force and do their best to track the movements of Dark Lantern agents within their borders. Foreign governments treat Dark Lantern agents with care to avoid sparking an international incident, but they are quick to arrest Dark Lantern agents suspected of wrongdoing.
• New Cyre. One of the world’s largest concentrations of Cyran refugees settled in eastern Breland under the leadership of Oargev ir’Wynarn, the last prince of Cyre. Many voices among the Cyrans, possibly including Oargev himself, call for the establishment of an independent nation in what is now Brelish territory, but Boranel is determined to hold on to every acre of his land. The Dark Lanterns actively infiltrate the Cyran refugee community, rooting out those who would act against the king.

You gain the following benefits when your group’s patron is an espionage agency:

Assignments. Your agency might assign you specific tasks at any time, at the DM’s discretion. You have wide latitude regarding how you carry out a task, and your assignments can sometimes be very broad and require considerable time to complete.

Expense Account. You have access to an account maintained at the banks of House Kundarak. You can use this account to pay your daily living expenses, as well as for purchasing anything you need for completing your missions—equipment, transportation, bribes, and so on. Your normal spending limit is 100 gp per month for each member of your group. If you exceed that, your agency asks you to account for the month’s expenses, and they might require you to pay back the excess if you can’t justify it (at the DM’s discretion). You can’t carry over an unused amount from one month to the next, and your access to this account can be cut off at any time if you abuse it or fall out of the agency’s good graces. The agency is aware of every time you access the account and where you are when you do so.

Identification. Your agency provides you with identification papers establishing your true identity, and you also have ready access to false papers and matching travel documents showing different identities, when you need them for a mission. (Any time you enter a foreign nation, it is a good idea for you to do so under a false identity.)

Powerful Friends. An espionage agency, by nature, has a long reach and a lot of power to make things happen behind the scenes. You can call in a favor for a wide range of benefits: A legal case against you might be suddenly dropped. A rival might disappear. A much-needed magic item might be delivered to you. These favors can provide significant short-term benefit, but they can also come with equally significant long-term repercussions—which might lead to entirely new missions.

Espionage agents are typically both highly trained and tightly specialized. The type of missions you undertake can shape your group’s composition; you might be a team of hunters or investigators, focused on tracking people down or gathering information. More likely, you’re a diverse team with a range of skills that allow you undertake a variety of different missions on your patron’s behalf. Consider some or all of these roles for the characters in your party:

Chameleon. A master of disguise, sleight of hand, and deception, the Chameleon can perform the work of the Investigator or a Confiscator right under a target’s nose—or provide cover to agents with different specialties as they do their jobs. A high Charisma, proficiency with the disguise kit (or access to spells that cloak or disguise one’s appearance), and proficiency with skills such as Deception, Performance, and Sleight of Hand all greatly benefit the Chameleon. Bards and rogues, as well as characters with the charlatan, entertainer, or urchin background, often excel in this role.

Confiscator. Sometimes an espionage agency needs something stolen—a document that incriminates a public figure to a prototype war machine. The Confiscator has the key skills for such jobs. A good Dexterity score proves helpful in undertaking such tasks, especially if it’s enhanced with proficiency with thieves’ tools and the Sleight of Hand and Stealth skills. Confiscators are often rogues, and many have a history of stealing for profit rather than national interest.

Hunter. The Hunter stalks humanoid prey, for purposes of assassination, abduction, or gathering information. A combination of combat prowess with stealth and interaction skills makes for well-prepared Hunters. Rangers and rogues prove particularly adept at this role, as might anyone with proficiency in the Investigation, Perception and Stealth skills. A high Charisma and proficiency in Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion skills can also be useful. Hunters often come from backgrounds such as outlander or urchin.

Investigator. The Investigator is the archetypal spy, a master of deductive reasoning and suave interaction. Naturally, Investigation can be a crucial skill, which many characters in this role combine with magical means of scrying to learn about their enemies and objectives. Bards and wizards make natural Investigators, especially if they can acquire one or more skills from among Deception, Perception, Persuasion, and Stealth. Investigators come from backgrounds as varied as charlatans, nobles, sages, and urchins.

Operator. An Operator leads or organizes a team of agents in the field. Like a military officer, the Operator issues orders and bears responsibility for the agents on the team. High Charisma and Intelligence scores help make the Operator a strong leader, especially in conjunction with skill proficiencies such as Persuasion and Investigation. The wide array of skills used by other agents are also valuable to the Operator, who might end up stepping into a different role when the need arises. The Operator is often a bard and might come from a soldier or noble background (being accustomed to leadership in one form or another).

Saboteur. The Saboteur interferes with the functioning of enemy assets. More than a reckless bomber, they combine a willingness to destroy with a knack for infiltration. Proficiency with thieves’ tools and in skills such as Deception, Investigation, and Stealth often serve the work of sabotage. The Saboteur benefits from an understanding of craft and magic items, making artificers particularly skilled in this role. Guild artisans might also disguise tools of destruction as mundane objects or works of art. Many Saboteurs come from backgrounds such as charlatans or soldiers.

Espionage activities can be classified in three broad categories: counterintelligence, covert action, and intelligence gathering. Your party might focus on one of those areas, or perhaps you’re the team that handles situations that other teams bungle. As a group, work with your DM and consult the Espionage Missions table to decide what kinds of missions you might undertake.

Espionage Missions

Most likely, your espionage work will eventually put you in possession of secrets others don’t want you to know. When the time comes, consult the Secrets table to determine what clandestine knowledge your group possesses, and how it might make life complicated for you.

Secrets

You engaged in a mission that still overshadows your work. Was it the perfect operation, or do you still carry scars from a mission gone horribly wrong? Consult the Memorable Mission table to determine the details of your career-defining exploit.

Memorable Mission

Your assignments come from a superior in the agency who typically works at a desk rather than in the field—compiling intelligence into reports for their superiors and coordinating the activities of multiple groups. Use the Agency Contacts table to determine the character of your superior, which can shape the kinds of missions you undertake and the degree of support you receive.

Agency Contacts

“His majesty’s secret servants are known for their sharp eyes and ears, but one must also beware their sharp swords. Our beloved king sleeps very well at night knowing they’re out there.”

—Alexei ir’Tain, a noble in Sharn

The King’s Dark Lanterns serve as Breland’s eyes and ears across Khorvaire and beyond. Through a vast network of contacts that includes local constabularies, the Dark Lanterns watch for known criminals entering Breland. They spy on radicals, politicians, foreign dignitaries, and resident exiles that represent a possible security risk to the people of Breland. The organization has upward of 500 agents operating within Breland’s borders and roughly one-fifth that number stationed abroad.

Dark Lanterns often work in teams. They also work closely with other divisions of the King’s Citadel, including the King’s Wands and the King’s Swords. In addition, some Dark Lanterns join forces with adventurers whose goals happen to coincide with theirs; in such cases, they might choose to keep their allegiance to the crown of Breland a secret.

A Dark Lantern operating within Breland’s borders can expect cooperation from any Brelish citizen in the pursuit of his mission. That said, a Dark Lantern represents the crown. One who takes advantage of a citizen’s cooperation or endangers the lives of innocent Brelish does not serve the crown and may have to answer for his misconduct.

Daily Life

A Dark Lantern doesn’t make a lot of money and is expected to live a modest life, so as not to attract undue attention. The work he is called upon to perform can be as simple and straightforward as spying on a foreign diplomat for a few days or as dangerous and complex as buying information from a dubious source in a remote city while dodging rival agents and assassins. When not performing a service for the crown, a Dark Lantern can participate in private ventures, provided they don’t conflict with his allegiance to the Brelish crown.

Organization

The King’s Dark Lanterns represent one branch of a greater organization called the King’s Citadel, which is based in Wroat. King Boranel’s brother, Lord Kor ir’Wynarn, commands the Citadel, assisted by five Citadel captains, each of whom heads up a division of the agency.

Captain Vron appoints various other captains to oversee the four branch offices of the King’s Dark Lanterns. The ruthless Captain Talleon Haliar Tonan (LE male gnome rogue 5/master inquisitive 3) tyrannically leads the King’s Dark Lanterns in Sharn and spends much of his time building useful relationships with the city’s criminal elements. The leader of the King’s Dark Lanterns in Starilaskur is Captain Meryl d’Ravalas (LN male human aristocrat 4/fighter 2/Dark Lantern 2), a handsome man with a disarming smile, a keen strategic mind, and a fondness for changelings. In Xandrar, leadership falls to Amber Korranor (NG female dwarf bard 6/rogue 2), the widow of a well-known dwarf adventurer (Shekkal Korranor) who died in the Last War. Amber has no military record, but she’s a proven Brelish patriot of sharp wit and mind. The fifth leader, Jev (LN male changeling rogue 5/assassin 3 disguised as a male half-elf) leads a small team of agents in Stormreach on the continent of Xen’drik.

All King’s Dark Lanterns are based out of Wroat, Sharn, Starilaskur, Xandrar, or Stormreach and report to one of the five aforementioned division leaders.

NPC Reactions

The common citizens of Breland respect and fear the King’s Dark Lanterns. They understand the purpose of the organization but sometimes call into question its methods, particularly when it turns its sharp eyes inward and begins spying on Breland nationals and resident foreigners. Although the Last War is over, most educated Brelish suspect that the Dark Lanterns still engage in acts of espionage and violence across Khorvaire, and they fear that one misstep could destroy the delicate peace set forth by the Treaty of Thronehold. Meanwhile, Brelish youth searching for adventure, intrigue, and the chance to explore exotic places dream of becoming Dark Lanterns when they grow up.

Eberron is a world of intrigue. As the nations of Khorvaire vie for political, economic, military, and magical superiority in the wake of the Last War, intelligence agencies work behind the scenes to ensure the survival and prosperity of their leaders while undermining the efforts of their foreign rivals. The King’s Dark Lanterns represent one of several agencies attempting to shape the future of Khorvaire through espionage. The organization can serve as a powerful ally or enemy depending on whether the adventuring heroes are perceived as a boon or threat to Breland’s security

A member of the King’s Dark Lanterns must adhere to a set of oaths, summarized below:

• I hereby swear fealty to the Brelish crown and pledge my loyalty to the king above all.
• I hereby vow to protect and serve Breland, its ruling monarch, and its citizenry and dedicate my life to thwarting those who conspire against them.
• I hereby vow to perform my duty to king and country to the best of my ability, and not allow other duties, obligations, or loyalties to interfere with this duty.
• I hereby swear to guard any and all secrets of the Brelish crown, the King’s Citadel, and the King’s Dark Lanterns until death takes me, and beyond into the next life.
• I understand that by breaking any of these oaths, I sever my allegiance to the Brelish crown, whereupon I may be branded a traitor and rightfully incarcerated or executed for treason, by order of the king

A Dark Lantern’s loyalty to the crown of Breland must be absolute and unswerving. Most of the King’s Dark Lanterns—and not just members with levels in this prestige class—are culled from the ranks of the Brelish military, but the leaders of the organization to fill its ranks with trustworthy bards, rogues, and assassins of proven ability. Any agent of the King’s Dark Lanterns whose loyalty comes into question faces a lengthy (and depending on the captain in charge, brutal) interrogation, during which inquisitives attempt to ascertain the agent’s true allegiance. Agents who prove uncooperative, evasive, or treacherous are quickly eliminated.

By taking levels in the Dark Lantern prestige class, you are proclaiming or reinforcing your loyalty to both the organization and the King of Breland. You have proven yourself to your superiors at least one occasion, and by pursuing this career path, you are pledging your life and future service to the Brelish crown and throne. The missions you’re assigned usually play to your strengths. If you are charismatic, your orders might be to seduce an Aundairian noble and discover some secret he or she is protecting, or to uncover the individual’s suspected role in a rumored assassination plot. If stealth is your game, you might be assigned to locate and eliminate a defector hiding in Korth or rescue a captured Citadel agent in Flamekeep. Regardless of objective, missions generally entail protecting or seizing information that, in the wrong hands, could jeopardize the future of Breland and its current ruler.

The leaders of the King’s Dark Lanterns tolerate agents who indulge various pastimes, including adventuring. They understand the importance of such diversions, and if nothing else, agents can use their adventuring careers as cover to hide their true modus operandi. Indeed, most of the organization’s best agents are adventurers of one sort or another, trained to handle peril and intrigue with disarming aplomb.

A Dark Lantern captured or detained by a rival intelligence agency would do well to hide his affiliation. Rival agencies share a dim view of Brelish spies and are as likely to kill a Dark Lantern as to use him for bait or blackmail

Most members of the King’s Dark Lanterns do not have levels in the Dark Lantern prestige class. Only the most talented agents—the ones trusted with the truly dangerous assignments—have the ability and wherewithal to rise up from the ranks and become a true Dark Lantern. These dangerous few represent the best of King Boranel’s spies, confounding and opposing foreign powers for the greater glory of Breland.

Dark Lanterns must be equally good at espionage, combat, and diplomacy, for their missions often require some combination of stealth, swordplay, and seduction. A Dark Lantern must be a Brelish native with a family lineage that’s traceable. In addition, each member of the organization must swear a series of oaths and hold true to them for life.

Most Dark Lanterns begin as fighters or rangers, some of them Brelish soldiers who fought in the Last War. However, they may need to take a level or two of rogue to pick up some fundamental skills. These Dark Lanterns make ruthless agents and are usually assigned to special strike teams or “shadow work.” Bards also make excellent Dark Lanterns, despite their nonlawful alignment; as agents, they tend to be debonair and sophisticated, and they serve well as diplomats and spies.

The organization welcomes members of all races, although changelings have a particular gift for the work. Illiterate characters cannot join the King’s Dark Lanterns, nor can any individual affiliated with a known religion. Captain Vron, the current leader of the King’s Dark Lanterns, doesn’t want barbarians or agents who have to walk the thin gray line separating church and state.

The covert branch of the King's Citadel, the King's Dark Lanterns collect intelligence for their own use and distribution to the other branches.

Hierarchy

The Dark Lanterns are divided geographically, with offices in Wroat, Sharn, Starilaskur, Xandrar, and Stormreach. Captain Vron, a male changeling, leads the organization from Citadel headquarters in Wroat. He oversees recruiting and the national direction of the Dark Lanterns, allocating resources as needed.

Captain Talleon Haliar Tonan, a male gnome, leads the Sharn office. Captain Talleon works closely with the city’s criminal elements to acquire intelligence relevant to southwestern Khorvaire, covering the Shadow Marches, Droamm, Breland itself, Zilargo, and Darguun. 

Captain Meryl d’Ravalas, a male human, leads the Starilaskur office. A talented and decorated field agent, Captain Meryl is famous for his innovative use of changeling agents. He responds to concerns in Eastern Khorvaire, covering the Mournland, Karrnath, Valenar, Q’barra, the Lhazaar Principalities, and the Talenta Plains. 

Captain Amber Korranor, a female dwarf, leads the Xandrar office. The widow of a famous explorer, Shekkal Korranor, her own exploits have sometimes been overlooked in their comparison to her late husband. She oversees operations in Northwestern Khorvaire, covering the Eldeen Reaches, Aundair, and Thrane.

Jev, a male changeling, leads the Stormreach team. A small but effective force, he is tasked with acquiring recovered artifacts for the Dark Lanterns.

Recruiting

Within the training facilities of the King’s Citadel, the recruiters for the Dark Lanterns watch the recruits for skill, discretion, and loyalty. Only the most elite are selected for the honor of joining the Dark Lanterns, leaving the rest of the candidates to join the other three branches of the Citadel. Once a recruit is chosen, they receive further training in conducting covert operations, plus the unique responsibilities and privileges associated with joining the Dark Lanterns. 

Historically, the Dark Lanterns have prioritized recruiting field agents that can get work done. However, as the war progressed and the Dark Lanterns were truly tested, a growing recognition has formed that the bureacratic elements of spygames needed improvement. As such, over the last decade the Dark Lanterns have not only recruited what might be considered typical adventurer skillsets, but bright minds that can analyze all the information gathered by the agency. Older agents scoff at these new “eggheads”, but Captain Vron has seen their value to the agency.

Resources

Dark Lantern artificers work tirelessly to outfit their agents with the latest equipment, whether it's a quill that doubls as a *wand of magic missile* or it's *lipstick of suggestion*.