Taer Syraen

The Prince of Frost rules his feyspire just north of the ducal border between Narath and Korth. Once the Prince of Summer, his heart froze when his betrothed abandoned him and thus her courtly responsibilities for a mortal hero. He vowed to bring her back and force her to love him, so she cast her and her new lover forward in time, hoping that when they reincarnate Shan Syraen’s heart would have thawed. Now he forever torments valiant heroes, hoping that in doing so he might once again find his lost love.

It’s unknown if the fey of the Winter Citadel reflect the martial inclinations of the people of Karrnath, or if its innate martial nature influenced the nation’s people. Either way, the latest conflict began when Count Rolund ir’Tanar (cousin to Warlord Renn ir’Tanar) investigated reports of marauders attacking travelers on the road along the Scions Sound in the fall of 997. Instead of haggard bandits, the company of soldiers found a fortress made of ice guarded by winter eladrin; further investigation was rebuffed by howling winter winds. 

Thus far, the count has chosen to conceal this threat from his cousin, hoping the spring thaw of 998 will afford new opportunities to investigate and confront the forces that gather within his borders. While the Winter Citadel is known in the region, this knowledge is largely in the form of myths and legends rather than actionable intelligence; it’s been centuries since Shan Syraen made his presence known.

The forces of the Prince of Frost are divided up into four groups. The Hail are the brutal knights who ride out in the name of their lord. The Ice are the artisans and wizards, archivists, and architects who preserve the fortress and its history. The Sleet are the lord’s spies and tricksters, chiefly searching for word that the Prince’s former love has returned to the world. Lastly are the Snow, whose creative pursuits are always unique but never last, like a snowflake.

Plenty of mortals would entreat the Prince of Frost in hope of gaining power. One such group sought Taer Syraen out centuries ago; Nyria Thuranni d’Phiarlan (elf she/her) led a troupe of shadow-marked elves into the Karrnwood in search of the Winter Citadel. They succeeded but were caught and imprisoned, eventually bargaining for limited freedom in exchange for service. Known as the faeryvar, “children of summer,” by the eladrin of the citadel, they have fully integrated within Shan Syraen’s knightly structure. Of all the residents of Taer Syraen, the faeryvar are the most likely to be found far from its icy walls, acting as the prince’s eyes and ears in the mortal world. Their immediate commander remains Nyria, her already long life extended by fey magic.

The wise remember that while Taer Syraen is an important influence in northwestern Karrnath, it’s not the only source of winter spirits. The chilly powers of the Prince could be mistaken for the ruthless machinations of the Overlord Dral Khatuur, whose influence in the bitter sea waxes and wanes. Alternatively, the icy spirits of Risia can act with a similar malevolence, locking their subjects in eternal stasis. Would-be heroes have been felled by mistaking one freezing influence for another.

Winter rides tonight. That’s an old Karrnathi saying, a warning for when the cold winds blow at sunset. The fields south of the Karrnwood are the finest in the nation, the soil rich and fertile. Yet the danger of a killing frost is ever present, and a sudden bitter cold can sweep out of the woods in any season. Elsewhere, farmers might curse The Devourer, blame the influence of House Lyrandar.

Winter is a time of cold and darkness, a season of death or slumber and waiting for rebirth. It is a time of trial. Yet it can draw people together, and wise people know a shared hardship is easier to endure. And though the cold can be deadly, great beauty can be found in the new-fallen snow. Winter takes the familiar and adds a touch of magic.

The farmers of the Rekkenvale tell a different tale. They say Winter lives in the Karrnwood, and the frosts come south when Winter rides with his hounds. Wise people stay indoors on those cold nights, because Winter shows no mercy to those who cross his path.

In the wake of the Mourning, this old superstition has become deadly reality. Farmhands in the Rekkenvale awaken to the baying of distant hounds. The nights grow colder, and frightened children fear that summer will never come again. Village hunters and veteran rangers alike have disappeared from the fringes of the forest.

Six months ago, Count Rolund ir’Tanar led a force of soldiers into the Karrnwood, expecting to find bandits or poachers. Instead he came upon a glittering fortress of ice defended by an army of fey soldiers. When he challenged the strangers, he was driven back by frigid winds. Eladrin knights emerged from the citadel and pursued the Karrns to the edge of the wood. The count was lucky to survive.

Count Rolund has concealed the true nature of the threat from his subjects. Until he has an army at his back and royal dispensation to dispose of these fey intruders, he has no desire to let his people know of his humiliation. Nonetheless, the farmers know that a power is at work in the woods. What is the threat of the frozen fortress? Will adventurers end up fighting the frigid knights, or will they find allies in the ice?

Source: Dungeon 196

The fortress of ice, Taer Syraen, originates in the fey realm of Thelanis, where stories have as much power as the laws of physics. Taer Syraen means “Citadel of Winter,” and the name shapes the nature of both the spire and its inhabitants.

The walls and towers of the citadel are made of ice, and the chill of the spire can be felt from miles away. Belying its elegant appearance, the walls of Taer Syraen are stronger than stone and swiftly repair themselves if damaged. War is a part of the citadel’s nature. (If it were a peaceful city, it would be called Shae Syraen; a taer is built for war.) Masked archers watch from the battlements. Arbalests are hidden by panes of ice that melt away when battle begins. The sorcerers of the city pose an even greater threat than the soldiers, channeling the raw power of the spire into vicious gales and blasts of frigid cold. Eladrin knights take to the sky on griffons and hunt on the ground astride otherworldly steeds. The spire is home to more than three thousand adult fey, and every one of them is ready for war.

The winter fey have fair skin and silver-white or shimmering blue hair, and their eyes are blue, black, or white. Although they have no innate cold resistance, they are comfortable in cold temperatures and dislike the heat. The people of Taer Syraen are bound to their home, and as they grow older and more powerful this connection grows. Winter clings to the paragon fey of Taer Syraen, and a chill descends upon the room when a Syraen knight enters (although this is a cosmetic effect that can be suppressed if desired).

Source: Dungeon 196

The citadel is ruled by Shan Syraen, the self-styled “Lord of Winter.” As typical of the most powerful fey, his true name is a secret known to few. Shan Syraen is bound to the spire, granting him great power and near immortality as long as he remains within his demesne. His subjects are primarily eladrin, with a smattering of gnomes and other fey. His court is split into four branches—ancient guilds that tend to the needs of society and the citadel. Every member of the court chooses a branch upon coming of age, with most children following in the footsteps of their parents.

Hail is the branch of war. Hail fey are knights and warlords, hunters who pursue enemies of the citadel. They are aggressive and ruthless, emulating winter’s role of winnowing out the weak. The Hail fey devote their lives to war, but take a cold and calculating approach. A Hail warrior plans his or her attacks carefully, and is aggressive without becoming blinded by anger. The Hail branch is commanded by Killing Frost. The youngest of the branch leaders, this eladrin warlord earned his position during the fomorian wars in Thelanis. He yearns to return to Thelanis to continue this struggle.

Ice is the branch of preservation, composed of wizards and sorcerers who learn to manipulate cold in all its forms. When battle is joined, the power of Ice can turn the tide, but members of this branch have little interest in aggression. The Ice fey are artisans and architects, crafting weapons and tools and maintaining the walls and fortifications of the citadel. They are also archivists who preserve the stories of the past and ensure that traditions aren’t forgotten. The Ice branch is led by Forget Me Not, a ghaele sorceress who has held her post for thousands of years. Every time the citadel has drifted into Eberron, Forget Me Not has chosen a remarkable mortal to freeze in her Silent Gallery. She does not do this out of malice; on the contrary, Forget Me Not believes she has done these mortals a great honor, preserving them from the ravages of time so that they are remembered—at least by those who visit her glacial garden.

The Sleet fey are slippery and cunning. Though the feyspires are hidden from the people of Khorvaire, in Thelanis they are tied together in an intricate web of social bonds. The Sleet fey are the envoys of the Lord of Winter, serving as spies, traders, diplomats, and, when needed, assassins. In times when the spire has been stranded on Khorvaire, the Sleet fey maintained contact with the other spires. By and large the Winterfolk don’t consider the Karrns enough of a threat to bother spying on them, but the Sleet fey know it’s dangerous to know nothing about a possible foe and thus have begun exploring the wider world. Syraen gnomes are typically bound to Sleet. The leader of the branch is Mask of Mists, an old gnome renowned for his silver tongue and rumored to be a master assassin as well, although it is not known if the Mask is the deadliest of these assassins or the hand that guides this icy dagger.

Snow is unknown outside the walls of Taer Syraen. It is the smallest of the branches, and every member brings unique talents to the group. Overall, the Syraen fey are bound by tradition. The members of the Ice branch are masters of their crafts, although their advancement has stalled; Ice preserves, but it doesn’t create. The Snowfolk are artists and innovators. The branch includes wizards and warlords, assassins and bards. What binds them together is their refusal to hold to any one path; they drift from idea to idea like snowflakes on the wind, and their works and techniques are quickly abandoned and forgotten. Nonetheless, they have created new rituals and styles that have been adopted by the other branches. And because of their free spirits, they are best suited for dealing with the unexpected, and are more comfortable than the other branches interacting with mortals. The branch is governed by an ancient ghaele wizard, a contemporary of Shan Syraen known as First Snow. She leads with a free hand, and pushes the Snowfolk to find their own guiding winds.

Years ago, Nyria Thuranni d’Phiarlan swore she would find a feyspire. She was driven by a fascination with the origin of her people and a desire to steal the secrets of the fey. She brought together a cabal of shadowmarked heirs from the lines of Thuranni, Shol, and Elorrenthi. In time they succeeded in their task, but they became trapped in the citadel when it drifted back to Thelanis. Discovered and caught by the forces of Sleet and Snow, the elves spent decades in the frigid prison below the spire. When it became clear that the spire might not return to Eberron in her lifetime, Nyria agreed to serve Shan Syraen in exchange for freedom within the citadel. The shadowmarked heirs earned the respect of the Winter Fey, battling fomorians and diving with abandon into the intrigues between the great powers of Thelanis.

A small population of elves continues to thrive in the tower. The eladrin call them faeryvar, “children of summer.” Although they have earned the trust of Shan Syraen, the faeryvar aren’t bound to the spire in the same way that the fey are. This situation creates distance between the two races, and the elves socialize with their own kind. Eladrin and elves have fallen in love, however, and half-elves live among the faeryvar in the southernmost tower. Though most of these elves serve one of the four branches, a few have found a higher calling as members of the Dagger of Shadows, an order of dragonmarked assassins who answer directly to Shan Syraen. It’s rumored that he has used them to eliminate rivals within Taer Syraen—true or not, this assertion is a source of great pride for the faeryvar.

Elves and half-elves have held onto their ancient family names, but have long abandoned the Phiarlan house name. An elf of the faeryvar might introduce himself as Hasa Thuranni of Sleet. The faeryvar have little knowledge of the history of Khorvaire, and they know nothing about the Shadow Schism. First Snow is fascinated by dragonmarks and has been experimenting with them for generations, using rituals that work only in the magical realm of Thelanis. This circumstance is one possible way to introduce eladrin or half-elves with the Mark of Shadow into a campaign.

So how does Taer Syraen fit into a campaign? It is a fey stronghold in a hostile land. It holds mighty artifacts in its vaults, and the Ice branch produces wonders every day; can the adventurers steal these treasures? As the DM, you need to decide if the fey remain in isolation or if they are becoming increasingly aggressive. Are the Hail hunters razing Karrnathi farms? Is the chill of the citadel threatening to start a new famine—and if so, can the fey stop it, or is it an unavoidable side effect of their being trapped on Eberron?

Here are a few other possibilities.

Home Sleet Home: Taer Syraen can be a base for a wide variety of player characters. The Hail branch produces rangers and warlords who could venture out into the warm world in search of greater challenges and worthy foes. The Snow fey love to explore and seek new inspiration. The Sleet fey seek to defend their home by gathering information and gaining influence. All of the fey want to find a way to send the spire back to Thelanis. Some might wonder why the adventurers don’t return to Thelanis alone, if they could find a way, but doing this isn’t a simple undertaking. The gnomes and the eladrin of Taer Syraen are bound to the spire in a way humans can’t understand. There’s no point to returning to Thelanis if Taer Syraen isn’t there. They are the people of Winter, and if Winter is trapped in another realm, then the fey can never truly be free.

If a player wants his or her character to be from Taer Syraen, work together to decide the branch the character is affiliated with, and how he or she is connected to the citadel. Has the adventurer been sent out into the wider world, or is he or she following personal instincts and desires? Does the character want to save Syraen from the Karrns or other enemies?

Rolund’s Wrath: Count Rolund is determined to bring the feyspire down, but Taer Syraen is too great a challenge for his limited forces. If Kaius refuses to support him, Rolund’s obsession could lead him to make other allies. He could turn to the lichqueen Erandis Vol, as King Kaius of Karrnath once did, and raise an undead army to besiege the spire. Erandis would undoubtedly be interested in tapping the power of the spire for her own ends. She could also set Rolund up as a hero of Karrnath fighting extraplanar invaders—stoking dissatisfaction with Kaius and pushing the nation toward civil war.

Alternatively, Rolund could turn to the secretive Lords of Dust, who might also be interested in harnessing the power of the spire for their own ends; or to forces secretly aligned with Shae Loralyndar, a spire that has long had a bitter rivalry with the Winter Fey; or to the forces of the Fading Dream, which want to inflict dramatic vengeance on the Winter Fey.

Adventurers who have ties to Taer Syraen must disrupt Rolund’s forces or defend the citadel—a challenge that could be more dramatic if Shan Syraen and the leaders of the four branches are incapacitated by magical or other means. Or, adventurers with ties to Karrnath could choose to take up Rolund’s cause and fight the arrogant fey, or seek a way to establish peace between these two forces.

Lost Shadows: The faeryvar know little about their ancestors. When House Phiarlan or House Thuranni learns of these foundlings, the house attempts to recruit them back into the fold. This could lead to a three-way struggle in the shadows. If First Snow has managed to produce half-elves or eladrin with the Mark of Shadow, these individuals would be considered abominations by both houses and possibly the Chamber of Argonnessen, and this fact would make life interesting for an adventurer who bore such a misplaced mark.