Eberron's land of Xen'drik holds many secrets, wonders long forgotten by the children of the modern age Cyclopean ruins recall the heyday of an empire of giants, whose savage descendants lurk in the shadows of their former glory. Many have heard of the giants of Xen'drik. laid low by dragonfire and creatures of nightmare. But only the most erudite sages know of the Qabalrin, the first necromancers of Eberron, who were said to have been struck down by the gods themselves.
To date, no one has found the ruins of the Qabalrin. Their shattered cities lie in the depths of Xen'drik, hidden within a ring of mountains and shrouded by a perpetual storm. Terrible power lies within the Ring of Storms, awaiting adventurers clever enough to find the hidden land and bold enough to seize its secrets.
The Ring of Storms is the setting for Dragonshard, a new real-time strategy game produced by Atari. Liquid Entertainment, and Wizards of the Coast. In Dragonshard, the forces of light and darkness clash for control of a source of immense magical power. This article describes the region prior to the events that unfold in Dragon. shard, in order to allow your party of adventurers to discover this realm with all of its mysteries intact. The Ring of Storms is located on the continent of Xeddrik in the EBERRON Campaign Setting. Due to the Ring's remote location, it is a simple matter to transport it to other settings. The Qabalrin simply become a long forgotten offshoot of the dominant elven culture, while the Heart of Siberys could be a shard of another plane that slipped through the space between dimensions. seething with extraplanar energies.
Gather together your bold explor-ers and set forth: the secrets of the Qabalrin await!
Background
In the second age of Eberron, giants dominated the continent of Xen'drik. In addition to raw physical power. the giant kingdoms possessed vast mystical knowledge, arcane secrets beyond the ken of any modern wizard. This land was also the birthplace of the elves. Compared to the giants. the elves were savage and primitive. But there were a few exceptions—and the greatest among these were the Qabalrin.
The Qabalrin were a reclusive sect. feared by giant and elf alike. Prior to the discovery of the Ring of Storms. the Qabalrin were known only through vague references in riven legend and cryptic passages in texts recovered in the ruins of Xen'drik—and many scholars still question the veracity of these sources. According to these tales. the giants learned magic from the Sovereign lord Aureon. whom they knew as Ouralon, Bringer of Light and Law. But Aureon had a nemesis: The Shadow, said to be the animate shadow of the god himself The legends say that as the giants embraced the teachings of Aureon, they drew the Shadow to the land. and that the darkness found a home in the heart of a small sect of elves: the Qabalrin. Consumed by the darkness and the thirst for power, these elves built a massive city-state in a mountain refuge. Following the path of the Shadow, these elves grew mighty and terrible. Their powers were the equal of those of the giants. but they were dark arts requiring blood and sacrifice. As the giant nations spread across Xen'drik. the long-lived elves remained in their mountain refuge. Over the course of tens of thousands of years, their cities dug deeper into the earth, just as their wizards delved further into the darkest arts of magic. In the outer lands it was whispered that the Qabalrin consorted with demons, and that they had broken the power of death itself. At times, both giant and elf sent forces into the dark ring to eradicate this blot on Xen'drik, but no force- be it army or simple scout—ever returned from the hidden vale.
Left unchecked, the Qabalrin might have emerged from their hidden sanctuary to dominate the land. But fate—or divine providence—intervened. Over forty thousand years ago, a massive dragonshard plummeted from the sky, smashing into the greatest city of the Qabalrin. The impact and the resulting fallout—both magical and natural—completely destroyed the Qabalrin. Remarkably, the damage did not extend byeond the mountain ring. The giants called it a miracle, the harsh justice of Ouralon, and a warning to those who would traffic with the Shadow. Following the disaster, a shield of storm clouds rose over the ring, a fierce tempest that continues to this day. Faced with quori invaisons and elven rebellions, the giants turned their eyes from the cursed lands of the Qabalrin - and the Ring of Storms was lost from history.
Secrets of the Ring
When the Qabalrin first settled within the mountain ring. there was little to distinguish them from the many tribes of primitive elves found across the land. But over time, the wisest of these elves became aware of a force within the land. The records hidden deep within the ring speak of a dragon formed of shadows. which spoke to the wise in dreams and whispered arcane secrets in the dark of night. Soon the Qabalrin embraced the worship of this Shadow. A temple arose. then a city; as centuries passed. a sprawling metropolis spread across the valley and down into the depths. Not content with the secrets of the Shadow. the Qabalrin pushed even further into the darkness in search of power. They trafficked with rakshasas and fiends from the outer planes. and dabbled with the corrupting energies of the evil planes Xoriat and Mabar. But one cannot toy with darkness and remain untouched. and the vile work of the Qabalrin began twisting the spirits of the people. Paranoia, cruelty, and greed became the driving passions of the Qabalrin, and in time these traits turned the elves against one another. Factions formed around different magical traditions, and arcane duels and deadly feuds took their toll on the lords of the valley. If not for this infighting, the Qabalrin might have emerged from the mountains to conquer the lands beyond—but the elves were always their own worst enemies.
While there were a dozen factions within the valley, two stood out in power and prominence: the Unspoken and the Shapers of Night. The Unspoken were the preeminent conjurers of the Qabalrin, and had amassed great power through their dealings with spirits and fiends. The Shapers of Night scorned the Unspoken for relying on others; the Shapers sought to gain personal power, not to bargain with others to achieve their ends. It was this quest that led the Shapers to the arts of necromancy, and it is believed that the first vampire was spawned in the darkness of the Ring. The Unspoken feared this new power, and this led to a bitter struggle between the two factions: the Unspoken decried the undead as being an unforgivable corruption of the elven spirit. while the Shapers scoffed at the idea that the Qabalrin should fear corruption. Ultimately the Unspoken triumphed and the Shapers of Night were laid low. Instead of destroying the leaders of the fallen sect. the Unspoken chose to seal the vampires in tombs deep beneath the earth, there to suf-fer for eternity. Little did the victors realize that they were actually saving their fallen foes from the destruction that was to come.
The Unspoken had little time to savor their victory. Barely a week after the last vampire had been buried. the sky fell on the valley of the Qabalrin. A hail of dragonshards pelted down, shattering buildings and killing hundreds. But the worst was yet to come. The largest shards of the first wave were the size of a man's fist. The final dragonshard to fall on the valley was the size ofa Castle. This was the largest dragonshard that had ever been seen—The Heart of Siberys. This vast shard landed directly on the first church of the Shadow, shattering the ancient city of the Qabalrin. The shockwave spread out across the valley. and the Qabalrin were destroyed.
Or so it seemed. While the wizards could not shield their people from destruction, they managed to weave one last enchantment as the final shard fell. Fueled by the raw fury of the dying race, this spell drew the souls of the elves together into a vast well of darkness—a spiritual entity with the power of a newborn god. But despite its power, the Qabalrin shadow was fragmented and disoriented. It took time for the multitude of voices to coalesce into a single force—and by the time the voices were united. it was too late.
The dragons of Argonnessen had long studied the sky. seeking answers to ancient prophecies in the move-ment of the stars and moons. Their seers predicted the fall of the Heart of Siberys and the power that would emerge, and a force of dragons arrived in the valley shortly after the great shard had shattered the land. Dragon sorcerers caught the lingering spirits of the Qabalrin and channeled them into the vast dragonshard. To bind the darkness. the dragons drew energy away from the Silver Flame. filling the Heart of Siberys with a perfect bal-ance of light and shadow. The wyrms seeded the land with reptilian guard-ians, and charged these creatures to guard the Heart of Siberys from any who might seek its power. Finally, the dragons filled the sky with a terrible tempest—an eternal storm that would shield the valley from prying eyes and wings.
Forty thousand years have passed since the era of the Qabalrin. The age of giants is now long forgotten, and the ruins of the Qabalrin are buried beneath earth and weeds. The lizard-folk remember their charge only as a distant and distorted legend. But the storm still rages overhead. And the Heart of Siberys remains in the center of the realm, pulsing with untold power...
Reaching the Ring of Storms
Xen'drik is intentionally unknown and unmapped. It is a mysterious realm where anything can happen, and we intend to leave that mystery intact. As a result, it is up to the Dungeon Mas-ter to decide exactly where in Xen'drik the Ring of Storms can be found. If it suits the needs of the campaign, the Ring could be set against the shore of the Thunder Sea, allowing explorers to reach it with only a short sea voyage from Sham. Alternately, it could be hidden deep in the southern edge of Xen'drik, requiring a long and treacherous journey through the hostile land. Regardless of its location, the valley of the Qabalrin is protected by sheer cliffs. a howling tempest, and local supersti-tion. To date, no Khonrairian explorer has found the Ring and returned to speak of it. Here are a few ways that a DM can draw adventurers into the Ring.
Intrepid Explorers: Xerfdrik is a land of adventure, and it is entirely possible that the PCs have chosen to explore this forgotten world of their own accord. If the party is already in Xen'drik. there are a variety of ways to lead them to the Ring. They could find a tome in the crumbling ruins of an elven sanctuary. or discover a stone map carved into the floor of one of the temples of the giants. Alternately, they could stumble upon a drow that has found the gate to the Path of Marble and Ice (see page 77) and is willing to share this knowledge —for a price. Or the party could stumble upon the gateway on their own. Perhaps they are pursued by a tribe of savage thri-keen; as they race through the jungle, one step ahead of the deadly pursuit, keen eyes spot the outlines of a gate on the mountain wall...
A tome or map could provide information equivalent to a DC 20 Knowledge check using the table on page 74. A local guide refers to it as a cursed land haunted by ancient spirits. To tempt adventurers, either source could hint at the legendary wealth and power of the Qabalrin, sadly lost when the gods struck them down.
Scholarly Expedition: If the party won't strike out on their own, they could be asked to accompany an expedition that has just learned of the location and significance of the Ring. Groups that could fund such an expedition include Morgrave University, the Library of Korranberg, the Twelve, and the Church of the Silver Flame. The party could simply be hired as guards, or they could be tempted with offers of increased influence within the funding organization; if the adventurers owe the group a favor, it may simply he that the marker has been called in.
In this scenario, one of the greatest challenges for the party is keeping their weak NPC companions alive. Adventurers who lead doomed expeditions yet return unscathed are quickly blacklisted by the academic community. Consider Jurassic Park and Aliens as examples of a cocky team getting in over its head. Can the PCs protect their companions from the dangers of the Ring, or will you pick them off one by one?
Mysterious Patron: Instead of serving as part of a larger expedition. the party could be approached by a mysterious patron and given the information that they need to find the Ring. It may be a simple reconnaissance mission—confirm the identity of the location—or the patron may have a specific agenda in mind. Possible patrons include the Chamber; a cardinal of the Church of the Silver Flame who wants the light of the Flame released from the shard; or one of the Lords of Dust who hopes to release the burning shadow from its ancient prison. These NPCs provide adventurers with the location of the Ring, transportation, and a specific task to focus on, while freeing them from having to worry about protecting weak NPCs.
The primary question is whether the party is simply hired for the job or whether their motivation is more personal. If they have an existing relationship with the patron, this personal request could buy them a favor in the future. On the other hand, a paladin or other follower of the Church of the Silver Flame could simply be ordered to explore the region—a request that comes directly from the Keeper of the Flame herself, compelling the faithful to action.
Approaching the Ring
The narrow mountain ridge that forms the Ring's border is high and deadly, and crossing these peaks should prove a challenge for even the most experi-enced climber. Aside from the chal-lenge of scaling these sheer cliffs, explorers face exposure to severe cold—a seemingly unnatural extreme in temperature that seems to cling to the mountains, defying the jungles on either side. As adventurers scale the cliff, they eventually come into con-tact with the storm itself. Those on the surface of the mountains must deal with snow and strong winds; the wind imposes a –2 penalty on all ranged attacks. Climb. and Balance checks. Snow rarely falls in the Ring, but it is common at the mountain peaks. Moving through a snow-covered area costs 2 squares of movement. while areas of deep snow require 4 squares of movement.
Approaching through the air is far more dangerous. since the storm is unpredictable. While any observer can see the dark clouds hanging over the region, the wind strength rises and falls as if it has a will of its own. The winds drop just long enough so that flying creatures may consider it to be safe to enter—then rise up to tornado strength without warning. Any attempt to influence the storm with control wind or control weather requires the caster to make a DC 22 caster level check. Failure indicates the spell is ruined and lost. A success allows the spell to function—but for only I round per caster level. and only within a 150-foot radius around the caster.
Remarkably. the storms have little impact on the valley that lies below. The winds form a shield high above the valley. While there is significant precipitation from the storm clouds, it is rare for the harsh winds to touch the valley below.
Given the imposing natural (and supernatural) barriers to entry. the simplest path into the valley is to go through the mountains instead of over them. Long ago, the Qabalrin carved a passage through the mountains—a fortress tunnel they called the Path of Marble and Ice. The gateway to the Path is carefully hidden, but adventurers may be led to the doorway by the same source of knowledge that brought them to the Ring—or if they are fleeing pursuit, they could stumble upon it by pure chance. The Path of Marble and Ice is a Qabalrin ruin, drawing its name from the black marble and ever fro-zen ice embedded into the walls of the natural cavern.
The Lay of the Land
Those who penetrate the mountain ring find a lush valley awaiting them. Over the course of tens of thousands of years, swamp and dense rainforest have risen up in the Ring. devouring and burying the ancient Qabalrin structures. In many places. the foundations of shattered buildings can be seen beneath deep layers of moss and mud. and lumps of glass are scattered about. worn smooth by time. Qabalrin architecture seems to be remarkably fragile: the walls are thin, often curved and rounded. The elves used darkwood, black marble, and glass to build their homes, but the structures were preserved by magic—and when the Heart of Siberys struck the valley, it shattered these preserving spells along with the buildings. Few surface structures remain—it is the subterranean ruins that are of most interest to explorers.
The eternal storms bring a great deal of rain to the region. so the air is moist and damp. The forests teem with insects and reptiles, though there are a few mammals to be seen. Few species survived the fall of the Heart, and some monsters have emerged from Khyber to take residence in the Ring. But most of the creatures that inhabit the region are the children of the bolatashi ("great mothers"). These bizarre creatures, a creation of the sorcerers of Argonnessen, were brought to the region to repopulate it after the devastation of the shardfall. The bolatashi are cornucopias of life, capable of spawning a vast array of reptilian and amphibious creatures. A bolatash is a vast, bloated lizard; it is incapable of movement and self-defense, and unless it is tended it starves and dies. The bolatashi are scattered throughout the valley, each tended by a tribe of lizardfolk who see the creature as the source of all life.
While much of the valley is filled with jungle. the center of the Ring is a barren wasteland. A relic of the devastation caused by the falling shard, this waste extends for fifteen miles in all directions around the Heart of Siberys. Nothing grows here. and there is a strange feeling in the air—an eerie sense of latent energy, almost like an electrical charge. All forms of magic are enlarged and extended in this region, but spells that rely on or create plants, such as entangle or stalker, automatically fail. The entire region has a weak universal magical aura. In addition, creatures cannot heal naturally while they are this close to the Heart. This has no impact on magical healing. Due to the disturbing aura and the impact on growth and healing, most living creatures avoid the waste of the Heart.
The Lizardfolk of the Ring
While there are various creatures scattered across the valley or lurking in the ancient ruins. the dominant species in the Ring of Storms are lizard-folk. These creatures arc children of the bolatashi. and a local lizardfolk community is always centered around a great mother. The lizardfolk are surprisingly skilled, and their communities include barbarian warriors, druidic shamans, and rogues and rangers (who serve as scouts and hunters). While traditional lizardfolk typically serve as soldiers and shamans, the scouts and laborers are typically poison dusk lizardfolk (from the Monster Manual III, these lizardfolk are Small and dexterous. and have a +5 racial bonus on Hide checks while unarmored).
A bolatash produces beasts of burden to assist its guardian lizardfolk. Pteranodon-mounted scouts patrol the skies above the jungle while staying as low as possible to avoid the deadly storm winds. Another common beast is a giant spitting turtle, a heavily armored creature capable of spitting vast gouts of acidic venom. Lizardfolk legends say that when intruders come to the land to threaten the great heart. the shamans call on spirits of the land and even dragons to defend the valley – but it's up to the DM to decide if the explorers pose enough of a threat to trigger these supernatural defenses.
Qabalrin Ruins
The cities of the Qabalrin extend deep beneath the surface of the valley. When the Heart of Siberys struck the Ring, the physical and mystical shorkwaves killed all of the Qabalrin—but their catacombs and vaults remain largely intact. Braziers of continual flame still burn, shedding dim light across sub-terrancan plazas. The vast majority of these ruins are based on natural caverns that were reinforced with the magic of the Qabalrin: thus beautiful spires and elven structures are set against plain stone and underground rivers. The architecture is based on elaborately carved spires and arches, and the most common building materials are black marble and plain gray granite. In addi-tion to spires and columns, many of the ruins are filled with massive statues. monuments to the power of Qabalrin wizards and warriors now long dead. More than a few of these statues are also guardians, ready to spring to life should the unwary adventurer trespass on the territory of the forgotten elves.
Despite the fall of the Qabalrin, these ruins are anything but aban-doned. Over the course of millennia, many strange creatures have emerged from Khyber and taken residence in these dungeons. The restless spirits of the Shapers of Night still haunt the ruins. along with mindless undead that continue in echoes of their long-forgot-ten lives. Due to the paranoid nature of Qabalrin society—and the frequent feuds between elven factions—many of these dungeons are filled with magical traps and deadly guardians, including golems and fiends bound into service over forty thousand years ago. Recently. a new force has taken an interest in the ruins of the Qabalrin: the Cult of the Dragon Below. Expeditionary forces of aberrations have been scouring the dungeons in search of artifacts, and unwary adventurers could run afoul of illithids or beholders.
While any Qabalrin ruin could be a source of treasure and powerful magic. the most dangerous are the prison vaults holding the first vampires. The Unspoken bound the vampire lords in the ancient fortresses of the Shapets of Night. These caverns are draped with the trappings of necromancy. charnel pits and sacrificial altars scat-tered among the ancient structures. The deadliest threats the realm has to offer are concentrated in these regions. The Unspoken set constructs. bound demons, and mystical wards in these dungeons, and these are also a focal point for restless spectres and wraiths. Should a group manage to penetrate these vaults and free one of the first vampires. they release a menace on par with Vol herself. These vampires could have up to twenty character levels—potentially even more, if you feel the need to unleash a new epic threat into the world. A Qabalrin vampire most likely seeks to destroy the Heart of Siberys, searching for a way to unleash the shadow of its people and to find new vessels for the Qabalrin ghosts.
The table above provides possible encounters for Qabalrin ruins, but traps will be as great a danger as monsters. Magical traps arc scattered throughout the depths, and these can be as deadly as is required to meet the needs of the campaign. The Qabalrin possessed vast magical power, and any level of spell could he unleashed upon unwary adventurers.
The Heart of Siberys
The great dragonshard lies at the center of the region, pulsing with power. It is not simply a massive Siberys shard: it is a unique form of dragonshard, unlike any other on Eberron. Its power is beyond measure. Anyone who touches the shard suffers 3d6 damage (no save) per round of contact as pure magical energy courses through his body: however, any spell he casts while touching the shard is maximized. Those who seek to abuse this power find it has other risks: every time a character casts a spell while in contact with the shard. he must make a Will saving throw (DC 10+ the damage inflicted by that round of contact). If he fails. he is possessed by a Qabalrin ghost that emerges from the shard: this is identical to the malevolence ability of the standard ghost. Because of the balance of spiritual energy within the Heart. only two ghosts can escape in this manner at one time: to release additional ghosts. the Heart must he destroyed.
Destroying the Heart is a difficult challenge. and the effects are highly unpredictable. It might release Qabalrin spirits and a flood of the energy of the Silver Flame. It could unleash one of these forces while the other remains bound in the myriad shards. Even if all of the power is unleashed. the results are uncertain. A DM using The Book of Exalted Deeds or The Book of Vile Darkness might want to transform nearby creatures through an infusion of darkness or light: a paladin of the Silver Flame might become a saint, while an evil character could become an unwitting channel for the dark power of the Qabalrin. The full effects are in the hands of the DM: what power do you want to unleash on a hapless world?