Trothlorsvek

For a thousand years the dragonborn served with distinction. As their population grew, they spread across the region. Another thousand years passed, and the young grew frustrated. They were a race of warriors waiting for a battle that might never come. Their skills were wasted, and the dragon lord of Haka’torvhak had little interest in their doings. Rhashaak’s attention was confined to his city and to a spiritual battle no dragonborn could understand.

So the dragonborn ventured across the Endworld Mountains and into the plains that lay beyond. There they encountered a worthy challenge in the Empire of Dhakaan. Another thousand years passed as the dragonborn carved out their nation in the Blade Desert and Talenta Plains, the tides of the Goblin Wars waxing and waning. There were great triumphs and terrible defeats. It was a joyful time for a people who thrived in battle. But in building this new empire, they forgot the battle they’d been sent to fight, and this finally came back to haunt them.

In Haka’torvhak, Rhashaak had been holding the fiend Masvirik at bay through sheer force of will, until he finally faltered. The wards around Haka’torvhak trapped Rhashaak himself. While the fallen guardian couldn’t leave the fortress, the influence of the Cold Sun spread across the land and the Poison Dusk was born. Kobolds, troglodytes, and the transformed dragonborn of Haka’torvhak rose up in arms. Across the empire, young dragonborn corrupted by Masvirik’s power turned on their kin. As the empire collapsed, the dragonborn returned to Q’barra to face the source of the curse. The dragonborn fought valiantly, but it wasn’t a battle that could be won with courage or skill at arms alone. To this day, the dragonborn themselves don’t realize the true source of their salvation.

The couatl that bound Masvirik left a failsafe in place. As the overlord’s power grew, a pulse of radiant energy flowed across the land, filling Eberron dragonshards with the light of the Silver Flame. This power weakened the influence of Masvirik and the Poison Dusk and woke ancient memories in the lizardfolk. This was the creation of the dawn shards, and this web of light has kept the darkness at bay for thousands of years. Now House Tharashk is harvesting these shards in record numbers, and Masvirik’s power is growing once more.

Source: Dungeon 185

All dragonborn trace their origin to the continent of Argonnessen, where they were created as soldiers in the endless wars against the forces of Khyber. While most dragonborn still live on that continent and the neighboring isle of Seren, significant populations of dragonborn have been deposited around the world to guard ancient sites.

Over ten thousand years ago, a black dragon named Rhashaak led several legions of dragonborn from Argonnessen to guard the ancient ruins of Q’barra. Rhashaak claimed the fiendish city of Haka’torvhak for himself and the Trothlorsvek (“Defenders of Prophecy”) clans took up positions at various other fiendish ruins scattered throughout Q’barra.

Over time, Rhashaak grew singularly focused upon the prophetic and spiritual demands of Haka’torvhak. Meanwhile, the Trothlorsvek clans grew bored and began dreaming of an empire they called Arkhosia. They expanded beyond Q’barra into the neighboring Talenta Plains where they encountered the goblinoid armies of Dhakaan and waged war across the halfling’s grasslands. 

The dragonborn empire was expanding when disaster struck. The dragon lord Rhashaak was corrupted by Masvirik’s fiendish power, transforming the dragon who then sent tides of servants to establish a new empire loyal to him. The threat of Rhashaak’s new army, the Poison Dusk, spurred the legions of dragonborn fighting the Dhakaani to return to confront their traitorous kin. The war was long and hard, ultimately costing the dragonborn their empire, but they succeeded in trapping Rhashaak in the accursed city of Haka’torvhak, where he dwells today. Unable to fully defeat the dragon, the dragonborn chose to remain in Q’barra, guarding the same ancient ruins they always have. Their empire remains fallen, as every attempt to rebuild it is met with a surge of traitors who abandon their duty and side with Masvirik.

The Clans of Ka’rhashan are a martial nation. They came to Khorvaire as an army, and they have never stopped fighting. Only the Valenar rival the dragonborn in dedication to the art of war. Where the Valenar fight to honor their ancestors, the dragonborn of Ka’rhashan are driven by a burning desire for glory—a smoldering urge to prove their skill against greater and greater challenges. It is this urge that underlies the growing discontent among the dragonborn.

Clan elders are often clerics who teach the tenets of the Draconic Sovereigns. These deities mirror the gods of the Sovereign Host and Dark Six, but they take the forms of dragons. They are thought to be dragon heroes from the Age of Demons who ascended to divinity and now influence the world.

Other clans are led by ukristroth, bards dedicated to the mysteries of the Prophecy and the history of the Trothlorsvek. While clerics guide the people in daily prayer, it is the ukristroth who adjudicate the ritual battles and who are urging the people to remember their ancient duty.

Despite losing their empire, the dragonborn are proud to the point of arrogance. They believe that the original defeat of the Poison Dusk was caused solely by the military might of the Trothlorsvek, and they dismiss any tales of dawn dragonshards as nonsense. Most consider the lizardfolk to be superstitious primitives, and they have long seen the kobolds as little more than animals. They are willing to trade with these races but not to treat them as equals.

The dragonborn place no special significance on the dragonshards, but they have no intention of allowing outsiders to pillage the lands they have sworn to guard. Pride, love of battle, and dreams of glory are the watchwords of the modern dragonborn, and this is laced with an iron backbone of duty that could rise again to the fore if their pride leads to disaster.

Source: Dungeon 185

The dragonborn share many of the qualities of their progenitors—Eberron, Khyber, and Siberys. At their best, dragonborn are honorable and dedicated, honest and earnest in their pursuit of excellence. At their worst, dragonborn are arrogant and prideful, adamant in their superiority over others.

The dragonborn of Q’barra venerate dragons as emissaries of the progenitors. However, the dragons of Argonnessen have not publicly worked with the Q’barran dragonborn since the corruption of Rhashaak, leading some dragonborn to question the duty given to them millennia ago. These questioning dragonborn have followed a variety of paths–forming their own independent communities, leaving for human lands, and unfortunately falling prey to Masvirik’s corruption.

Thir

The Trothlorsvek are a religious culture, following an offshoot of the draconic religion of Thir. While the progenitors are recognized as the highest form of divinity, the dragonborn direct their worship to a pantheon of ten draconic archetypes. True dragons have their own pantheon, above the archetypes but below the progenitors. These archetypes are like a condensed list of the fifteen sovereigns that combines several of the deities with adjacent portfolios. Dragonborn, like true dragons, tend to focus on one of these archetypes as their patron and guide rather than venerate the whole pantheon as humans do. Furthermore, they draw no distinction between the nine and six, with the darker draconic archetypes seen as equally legitimate.

Some of the draconic sovereigns are more popular than others amongst the Q’barran clans. The dragonborn match the Tairnadal elves of Valenar in their zeal for glory through battle, and the archetypes of the Lightkeeper (Dol Arrah) and the Wyrm of War (Dol Dorn and the Mockery) are exceptionally popular. Few dragonborn in Q’barra associate with Child of Eberron (Arawai and the Devourer) or the Stalking Wyrm (Balinor) archetypes, as the dragonborn clans of Q’barra largely eschew primal magics.

Disciples of the Flame of the Forge (Onatar) may not participate directly in conflict but are valued for the armor and weapons that they create. While they cannot match House Cannith in all capacities, the dragonborn’s enchanting and metallurgy techniques exceed those of House Cannith for arms and armor and are not dependent on the use of dragonshards. A typical dragonborn warrior has at least one uncommon magic item in addition to being fully clad in plate armor, and higher-ranking warriors often have rare items. The champion of each clan has an artifact forged in Argonnessen and a non-dragonborn caught using one of these artifacts would be a great affront to the clans.

Those embracing the Guide of the Weak (Boldrei) are community leaders. While some human servants of Boldrei have used their religion to justify imperialism and colonialism, typically in the name of “civilizing” others, these domineering beliefs are core to the practice of the Guide of the Weak. Leadership in the name of the Guide of the Weak drove the expansion of Arkhosia, and these beliefs continue to generate conflict today between the Trothlorsvek and the Masvirik’uala.

The archetype of the Loredrake (Aureon and the Shadow) is uncommon amongst the Trothlorsvek, but dragonborn mages are nonetheless well respected. Unlike human disciples of Aureon, followers of the Loredrake are concerned solely with magic and arcane secrets, and do not see government bureaucracy as part of their domain.

The biggest push to negotiate with the human colonizers has come from the (admittedly few) Masters of the Hoard (Kol Korran and the Keeper). These dragonborn are acutely aware of the benefits of trade, and often serve in bureaucratic roles within dragonborn society.

The paths of the Fortune’s Fang (Olladra) and the Passion’s Flame (The Fury) are a particularly common background for the dragonborn who have left Q’barra in search of their destiny elsewhere. They typically believe that their travels will bring unique insights, either for their own lives or for the benefit of those at home.

Source: Scales of Q'barra

While the Trothlorsvek are dedicated to war, their talents are not limited to the martial power source. Sorcerers and paladins play a significant role in many clans, and clerics and bards support the people. There are excellent smiths among the clans, and although they live in crumbling cities, their warriors are clad in brilliantly enameled plate mail. Low-level magic arms and armor are common among their champions, and the champion of each clan bears an artifact forged in Argonnessen. Should a non-dragonborn ever acquire one of these artifacts, the sight of it would stir any Trothlorsvek to fury.

Mechanically, there is nothing unusual about the dragonborn of Ka’rhashan. They are skilled warriors, and Trothlorsvek NPCs will often have access to templates. Class templates are common, along with the Battle Champion, Bodyguard, and Devastator.

Source: Dungeon 185