Qabalrin

When the Giants sacked Shae Tirias Tolai, a group of Eladrin escaped capture and established a civilization in a mountain refuge today known as the The Ring of Storms. Following the path of The Shadow, the Qabalrin were a free and formidable foe to the Giant civilization.

The first mortals to delve into the necromantic arts were some elves collectively known as the Qabalrin, who lived in isolation in Xen'drik. Legends claim that the Qabalrin learned the secrets of magic from the Shadow itself. Whether this tale is truth or hyperbole, the Qabalrin certainly possessed incredible skill. They are said to have created the first humanoid vampires, and a number of their greatest citizens reputedly became vampires -- only to be trapped and entombed after a feud that erupted between rival schools. The city of the Qabalrin was later destroyed by the fall of a massive dragonshard, an event that the giants claimed was the result of divine wrath.

Some believe that the traditions of the line of Vol (which in turn formed the foundation of the Blood of Vol) were drawn from Qabalrin teachings. But even if that assertion is true, most of the Qabalrin's secrets remain hidden in the ruins of the Ring of Storms. Their greatest treasure, however, is the knowledge that remains in the minds of the ancient vampires who are still buried beneath the ruins of their once-great city.

Virtually any sort of necromantic knowledge could be attributed to the Qabalrin. These elves certainly knew how to create undead grafts, and some of them probably became pale masters, masters of shrouds, and true necromancers. Rare spells might still be found in Qabalrin vaults, and knowledge recovered from their ruins could provide a character with access to feats such as Corpsecrafter or Necromantic Presence.

On the other hand, the knowledge of the Qabalrin is as valuable to the undead as it is to the living. Thus, you could rule that certain monstrous feats can be gained only through the use of Qabalrin rituals. So if Erandis d'Vol wants to take Contagious Paralysis, she must first explore Xen'drik. Or perhaps the secrets of the master vampire prestige class are known only to the entombed lords of the Qabalrin. But these ancient vampires are creatures of epic power, and their release could have terrible consequences for Eberron.

The clerics of the Qabalrin drew directly on the power of Mabar, though some chose to personify it through the lens of the Shadow. A cleric who recovers the texts of the Qabalrin and chooses to follow this path could gain access to the Deathbound, Evil, Magic, and Undeath domains.

At your discretion, the followers of the Evening Glory could have been a subsect within the Qabalrin. In that model, the Evening Glory herself could have been one of the first Qabalrin vampires, whose motives were less malevolent than those of her comrades. While she would not possess divine rank and could not personally grant spells, she could still serve as a spiritual focus for a religion.

Source: Eberron Expanded

I'm having a hard time unearthing any information on what religion the Line of Vol or the Mabar-aligned factions in ancient Aerenal would have followed. The two leads I have are that the Qabalrin reportedly worshipped the Shadow (according to Giant texts), and that the Bloodsail elves have a similar structure to the religion of the Deathless.

So the actual fact is that I intended the idea that the Qabalrin WORSHIPPED THE SHADOW to be inaccurate. Here's the relevant quote, with some highlighting...

The Qabalrin were SAID TO BE disciples of the Shadow, one of the evil deities of the Dark Six. They possessed arcane knowledge rivaling that of the giants, but this magic was SAID TO BE dark and terrible. LEGEND SAYS that the Qabalrin were the first wizards to practice the art of necromancy, and that the elves of the line of Vol based their work on Qabalrin tradition. ACCORDING TO THE TALES, the gods destroyed the Qabalrin as punishment for their blasphemous practices and their allegiance to the Shadow.

In my opinion, this is propaganda and myth handed down by the Cul'sir, who DID worship the Sovereigns. It was easy to cast the Qabalrin in this light, because they did pursue dangerous magics that often came with a terrible cost, and that's the Shadow's domain; they also literally worked with shadow, manipulating the forces of Mabar. But in my view, the Qabalrin were a SCIENTIFIC society—deeply rational and devoted to breaking the world on the anvil of arcane science. The Bloodsail Principalities are supposed to be closer to the culture of the Line of Vol, who in turn were inheriting traditions from the Qabalrin, and what's said of the Bloodsail clerics is that they "They shape their divine spells from the raw energy of Mabar". So the idea is that they DIDN'T worship any sort of deity; they believed in arcane science and their own ability to bend the planes and reality to their will through science and discipline. They sought to conquer death—just like the Undying Court and Tairnadal—but largely viewed in an abstract, scientific way.

This in turn reflects the evolution of the Blood of Vol, which developed when elf exiles brought those traditions to a human population that worshipped the Sovereigns and were suffering bitter oppression and harsh living. Mixing chocolate and peanut butter, they created the idea of the Sovereigns as tyrants who inflicted death and suffering on mortals to prevent them from unlocking the Divinity Within. As noted in Dragon 410, the Bloodsails hold to the tradition abstracted faith of the Line of Vol, but respect the Seeker priests because of their roots; essentially, they see the Seeker priests as having a foolish layer of superstition with this whole "cruel gods" story, but appreciate that they are both pursuing immortality.

Source: Keith Discord Q&A

Keith

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