Dreaming Dark
  1. Organizations

Dreaming Dark

Intelligence Agency
Spy Org Major Player
Government of Riedra

The Dreaming Dark, a secret order of psionic spies and assassins, serves as the eyes and hands of the quori in Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams. While it generally seems to be allied with the Inspired lords of Riedra, the goals of the Dreaming Dark are subtle and mysterious—and always deadly. This lawful evil organization makes its headquarters in the city of Dar Jin, in Riedra. Its secret symbol is an eye partially concealed under a wing. When used as a badge of office, the style of the eye indicates the position of the bearer in the organization’s heirarchy. For a thousand years Riedra has been an insular land of mystery. The Inspired wear secrecy like a shroud, and foreigners are not allowed into the lands of the empire. For much of the history of Riedra, there was no contact between the Inspired and the other inhabitants of Eberron, but in recent decades this wall has been lowered; foreigners are not allowed on Riedran soil, but Inspired ambassadors can be found in most of the courts of Khorvaire.

Even so, the Inspired have long maintained a network of spies stretching across Eberron. For centuries the Dreaming Dark has simply watched the world from the shadows while the Inspired built their power within Riedra. Now the quori are ready to act, and the Dreaming Dark serves as their hands.

Should he ever be confronted with the actions of the Dreaming Dark, a Riedran ambassador would deny that his nation had anything to do with the organization. This assertion is true. The Dreaming Dark is a separate organization whose leaders dwell in Dal Quor itself. The Dreaming Dark provides information to the Riedran court, but the rulers of Riedra have no authority over the agents of the Dark; in fact, an agent usually holds a higher place in the hierarchy of Dal Quor than a Riedran governor.

The agents of the Dreaming Dark are Inspired, human vessels that now hold quori spirits. Some agents use disguises to blend in with the local population; others pose as kalashtar. With a variety of insidious psionic disciplines at their disposal, they can observe and gather information, and over the centuries they have built fifth columns within some nations. As a result, the Dreaming Dark has influence over criminal organizations, trade guilds, and academic institutions. It has agents in dragonmarked houses and royal courts across the world.

The Circle of Night, made up of the most powerful psions among the Inspired, coordinates agent activities. The leader of the Circle, known as the Devourer of Dreams (or the Dreamer), serves a still greater power—the spirits of the quori, located in the heart of Dal Quor. The Devourer of Dreams can commune with the spirits on Dal Quor without being absorbed and destroyed. Physically, the agents of the Dreaming Dark are scattered across Eberron. However, when one of the Inspired sleeps, its spirit returns to its body in Dal Quor. The Dreaming Dark is a secret order that does not bargain with other organizations. Its greatest enemies are the kalashtar of Adar and the priests of the Path of Light.

Officially, the Dreaming Dark holds no power in Riedra. Most Riedrans have never heard of it, and they would reject any attempt to link it to the Inspired as kalashtar propaganda. Even if presented with clear evidence of an Inspired working for the Dreaming Dark, a Riedran would likely dismiss it as a tragic case in which one of the noble Chosen fell prey to an altavar, not an indication of duplicity on the part of his government.

Nonetheless, the Dreaming Dark wields great influence in Riedra. All quori bow to the authority of the Dreaming Dark, and all Inspired provide the agents of the Dark with whatever they require. Many quori that serve the Dreaming Dark have Chosen vessels spread throughout the Unity, the Thousand Eyes, and the Harmonious Shield. This influence allows agents of the Dreaming Dark to take direct action within Riedra whenever it suits their needs.

The Dreaming Dark has little need to act within Riedra, however. It seeks to destroy the kalashtar and to spread the influence of the Inspired. Agents of the Dark can be found in Sarlona, Khorvaire, and Xen'drik.

Agents of the Dreaming Dark are largely Chosen, although the quori have used mind seed (EPH 119) to subvert members of other races. Most Chosen who serve the Dark are groomed for this service from birth, ensuring that they possess the skills and devotion required. These Symbol of the Dreaming Dark Chosen families call themselves the shadow lines. They are aware of the power they serve, and they believe that through their service they're destined to become quori after death.

Agents of the Dreaming Dark follow one of three paths. Thoughtstealers are the spies of the Dark, generally trained as seers or telepath/rogues. They're often guided by tsucora spirits. Dominators twist the thoughts of others, and they're usually telepaths tied to hashalaq and usvapna quori. Last are the dreamblades, the assassins of the Dreaming Dark. They combine levels in monk, rogue, assassin, or soulknife with a psionic class, typically nomad, kineticist, or psychic warrior. Dreamblade monks take the Ascetic Psion feat (see page 115). Most dreamblade Inspired are bound to tsucora spirits, but a few are tied to du'ulora or usvapna. The Dark has an elite corps of dreamblades trained to fight psionic foes. This unit includes psions who use powers such as dispel psionics (EPH 94) and null psionics field (EPH 122). Such specialists are deployed against kalashtar and rogue shadows (mind seeds who have turned against their Inspired creators).

The Dreaming Dark has no official presence in Riedra. It's highly decentralized. Nonetheless, Dar Jin contains facilities that function as headquarters for the Dark, especially for those agents moving between foreign assignments. Dul Catun, Dar Ulatesh, and Dul Mirn are centers of the shadow lines.

The Devourer of Dreams is the overlord of the Dreaming Dark. Between his many duties and the risk—however slight—that someone on Eberron could bind him, the Devourer rarely leaves Dal Quor. In his absence, the most influential member of the Circle of Night is the dominator Tirashana (LE female usvapna Inspired telepath 18), a ruthless and deadly spirit who has spread a network of mind seeds across Eberron.

Hierarchy

The leader of the Dreaming Dark is a powerful kalaraq quori known as the Devourer of Dreams; he is the only being ever to have entered the heart of il-Lashtavar and return. The Devourer guides the Dark from Dal Quor. His right hand on Eberron is the dominator Tirashana. She is the foremost spreader of mind seeds among the Dark, and her works are spread across the world.

The Dreaming Dark has three levels of followers. At the top are the quori. The quori’s ranks are set by the Devourer of Dreams, and no quori questions the “Voice of il-Lashtavar.” The next tier is made up of mortals who knowingly serve the Dark, and the last of mortals who have been tricked into service. Each cell of the Dreaming Dark follows its own path.

The quori that comprise the Dreaming Dark have the same loyalty to their cause that angels feel toward the deities they serve. It is the reason for their existence, and their service is its own reward. They think that through their actions, they might preserve the existence of the entire quori host. Beyond that mindset, most quori are cruel spirits that enjoy playing with mortals. Their schemes are games meant to give them a pleasant diversion from immortality.

The majority of the humans who knowingly serve the Dreaming Dark are Riedrans raised in “shadow lines.” These individuals belong to families dedicated to serving the Dark. They are aware of the nature of the quori, but know nothing more about their masters or the goals of the Dark. Additionally, groups in Khorvaire, and even a few rogue kalashtar, have sworn themselves to the cause of the Dark. Some believe that the quori can grant them immortality. Others want the psionic powers the quori bring. And some, of course, are interested in the wealth or influence they can gain through their allegiance.

But many agents of the Dreaming Dark never know what they serve. Some could be guided by dreams. For example, a quori might use dream manipulation to convince a cult of the Dragon Below to perform a particular action. Others might be victims of mind seeds, or might be tricked into accepting possession and made to use their influence to turn their allies into unwitting tools of the Dark.

August 12th, 2019

Rising from the Last War

In the spaces between sleeping and waking, nightmares wait with grasping claws. The quori spirits that rule Dal Quor spent a thousand years seizing control of the continent of Sarlona. Now they have turned their many eyes toward Khorvaire. The ultimate goal of the Dreaming Dark is to control all the nations of the world. The plane of Dal Quor goes through cycles of light and darkness, and the current age is coming to an end. The nightmare spirits that rule the plane believe that by seizing control of mortal civilization — by forcing all the people of Eberron to dream the dreams they devise — they can maintain this current age of darkness indefinitely. So the fiends of the Dreaming Dark aren’t merely hungry for power; they are fighting for survival.

The quori can’t manifest physically in Eberron, but they have other options. They can possess willing humanoids, creating agents known as the Inspired (see chapter 6). They can also manipulate the dreams of mortals. The Dreaming Dark can trick a priest by sending dreams that appear to be divine visions, or inspire a soldier to rebel against their lord.

The greatest weapon of the Dreaming Dark is its ability to infiltrate other organizations. Anyone could become an Inspired vessel, or be prompted into taking foolish action by a dream. Its agents are scattered across the world and have no obvious connection to one another, until they reveal their true nature and purpose.

The Dreaming Dark in the War

The chaos that reigned during the Last War enabled the agents of the Dreaming Dark to move and act with absolute freedom throughout Khorvaire. Any direct conflict among Eberron’s humanoid populations is a boon to this group, which wants to destabilize all of them. Many of the intense battles near the end of the war might have been avoided, if not for Dreaming Dark agents fanning the flames of fear and hate — often by invading the dreams of soldiers and rulers alike.

The feelings of mistrust and festering animosity between the nations that linger after the Treaty of Thronehold provide the Dreaming Dark with countless points of possible infection. Refugees, expatriates, and other displaced people provide the perfect vehicle for the Dreaming Dark to spread its influence across Khorvaire, carrying its corruption into new populations.

January 14th, 2020

NPCs

Agents of the Dreaming Dark are insidious villains that can appear anywhere, in almost any context. They receive orders from a cabal of powerful quori. The leader of the organization, known as the Devourer of Dreams, communes with the nightmare spirit of Dal Quor itself. The Dark’s chief agent in Eberron is a kalaraq quori (see chapter 6) named Tirashana, who has planted mind seeds — mental copies of herself — across Khorvaire.

The Dreaming Dark has Inspired agents and kalaraq quori mind seeds (see chapter 6) scattered across Khorvaire, hidden within the membership of dragonmarked houses, noble families, and other driving forces. Because Dreaming Dark agents can communicate and coordinate with one another in dreams, they never have to risk losing their cover to receive assignments or transmit information.

Dreaming Dark NPCs

d4 NPC
1 A servant in a manor house overhears everything the visiting nobles whisper about in their private rooms.
2 The captain of a successful mercenary company suddenly changes the kinds of contracts they’ll accept.
3 A local druid searches out monsters in the wilderness and drives them into murderous rampages.
4 A charismatic Cyran stirs up anger and discontent among the frightened refugees.
January 14th, 2020 October 15th, 2021

Campaign Themes and Adventure Hooks

Dreaming Dark Campaign Themes

Long ago, the Dreaming Dark caused a long period of strife on the continent of Sarlona, fostering suspicion, rebellion, fear, prejudice, and greed among and within the various nations that held power at the time. While chaos reigned, the quori also carefully nurtured the human bloodlines that would become the Inspired, perfectly suited to serve as hosts for quori spirits. Then, when the destruction of the old kingdoms was complete, a group of bold champions — Inspired vessels of the Dreaming Dark — formed a new nation from the ashes of the old. Having conquered Sarlona by means of such manipulation, the Dreaming Dark has turned its sights to Khorvaire — which is already a continent in turmoil.

With the conquest of the entire continent in mind, the Dreaming Dark has three objectives in Khorvaire. The first is to cause chaos and strife whenever possible, turning allies against one another and spreading fear. The second is to promote their chosen champions. A champion could be a nation, a mercenary company, a dragonmarked house, or a religion — whatever it is, it will have been thoroughly subverted by the Dreaming Dark. Finally, the Dreaming Dark relentlessly pursues the kalashtar and takes every opportunity to bring down these enemies. The kalashtar are descended from rebel quori that defied the Dreaming Dark and want to push Dal Quor into an age of light.

Given those objectives, the Dreaming Dark can drive events on a small scale, by setting bandits in motion or triggering local feuds, or the adventurers might uncover evidence of plans that could reignite the Last War or bring an entire nation or religion under the sway of the Dreaming Dark.

Dreaming Dark Adventure Hooks

The Dreaming Dark Adventure Hooks table offers some ideas for strange occurrences and nightmarish events that can touch off stories involving the Dreaming Dark.

Dreaming Dark Adventure Hooks

d4 Adventure Hook
1 The high priest of a temple falls into a deep sleep from which nothing can awaken them.
2 The characters notice a pattern after defeating several foes: each enemy exhibited a particular quirk of speech or gesture. They now recognize that quirk in an ally or mentor.
3 A mad wizard encoded the remedy to a destructive spell in their own dreams. The characters must enter the dreamscape and recover the remedy.
4 A war criminal imprisoned during the Last War reaches out, claiming to have evidence of their innocence and warning that a destructive force is influencing the government.
January 14th, 2020 October 15th, 2021

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