Ghaash'kala

The Ghaash’kala worship a force they call Kalok Shash, the binding flame. The priests say that the flame consists of the souls of noble warriors, and that this force holds the powers of darkness at bay. Kalok Shash is the same force revered by the Church of the Silver Flame, although it could be diffi cult to convince a knight of the Flame that a branded orc barbarian is a champion of the faith. When Ghaash’kala barbarians rage, they seek to submerge their identity into the flame, drawing on the strengths of the warriors of the past and losing all fear of death. Noble warriors are often called to serve as paladins—although the Ghaash’kala paladin presents a very different image than the silver-armored knight of the Flame.

Source: Eberron Campaign Setting

The “Ghost Guardians” tribe of orcs believes it has a divine duty to prevent evil from escaping the Demon Wastes into the world. The tribesmen worship a great power called the Kalok Shash, the “Binding Flame,” which gathers the souls of the departed and keeps darkness and evil at bay. Some Purifi ed refuse to accept this as an embodiment of the Silver Flame, unwilling to share a faith with barbaric orcs. Most priests, however, acknowledge that the Ghaash’kala do indeed worship the Flame, but believe their view of it to be skewed and inaccurate. The Flame has sent several missionary expeditions, but none of any real size or success to date, due at least in part due to extremists among the Servants of the Pure Flame who would rather see this heretical worship wiped out than accepted.

Source: Faiths of Eberron

All Ghaash’kala revere Kalok Shash, the binding flame, and the clans share a common priesthood. Kalok Shash is a divine beacon that draws new heroes to restore the Ghaash’kala’s ranks and replace the fallen. The Ghaash’kala welcome these souls.

Those who follow the binding flame live their lives by the sword. Their existence is violent and martial; their sworn duty, to combat demonic terrors with muscle and blade. By contrast, adherents of the Silver Flame are always ready to take up arms in defense of their faith, but their overall existence is peaceable. The Church of the Silver Flame focuses on building community, instructing its lay members about the world’s dangers, and protecting life and goodness. The average follower of the Silver Flame is a simple farmer or crafter who respects what the Silver Flame represents, while the average follower of the binding flame is a leather-armored warrior wielding spear and bow against fiendish monsters in a dismal landscape.

Source: Player's Guide to Eberron

It was the Kalok Shash that gave purpose to the Ghaash’kala. It is for the Kalok Shash that they live and die. Translated into Common as ‘the Binding Flame’, the Kalok Shash is an aspect of the Silver Flame itself - the divine force that keeps the Overlords weakened and bound. The society of the Ghaash’kala revolves around their devotion to this force. It provides the power with which they fight, allows them to commune with the spirits of past guardians, and sustains the divine artifacts that grant them home and hearth.

Without such iron devotion, no group could ever be expected to fight the evils and corruption of the Wastes - and so the Ghaash’kala stand. Their utter fearlessness in the face of certain death is borne from their faith. When a Ghaash’kala reaches adulthood, they understand that they have already died, and become a ghost. When their body fails, they too will join the flame - and complete their spiritual journey in a mirror to the Kalok Shash itself.

Kalok Shash & Silver Flame

While they ultimately worship the same divine source, the religion of the Ghaash’kala is very different to the Church of the Silver Flame. The tenets of the Church revolve around good deeds and the fight against evil in all forms, seeing the Flame as a celestial force for good. The sole tenet of the Kalok Shash is simply that the strong have a duty to protect the weak. Evil and Good are useless quandaries when lives can be saved by their work. A Kala will do everything in their power to save innocent lives, but sacrifice is an unfortunate reality, and those too far gone are better put swiftly to the sword. The clearest example of this is that the Ghaash’kala will not allow anyone to travel from the Demon Wastes (the ‘fel’) to the rest of Khorvaire. Considered tainted, such people are given the stark choice of joining the Ghaash’kala, or dying by their hand. The aims or morality of the people are irrelevant; this is the decree, and it is upheld without mercy.

Every member of the Guardians that can wield divine power fights on the front lines if able, and the concept of a spellcasting priest that simply offers community service is pitiable and bizarre. This utilitarian approach extends to their religion as a whole. There are no appointed hierarchies such as cardinal, nor elaborate rituals and religious holidays. Instead, there is simply the head priest for each clan, those that can hear the Voice of the Kalok Shash, and those that wield it in the form of spells. Head priests are not appointed, but simply ‘known’ to the community as a result of their deeds and power.

For the Church of the Silver Flame, Tira Miron is the Voice that is heard by the Speaker. For the Ghaash’kala this Voice (the ‘korta’shash’) is a completely different individual - and its words are heard by all the korta. In this way, the power of the Kalok Shash is spread among the warriors of the Ghaash’kala, rather than focusing on a single chosen Speaker. As a result, despite their relatively small numbers, the Ghaash’kala are an elite force of warriors - a necessity against the horrors they face. The identity of this Voice is lost to time; it is possible that they may not even be an orc at all. To the Ghaash’kala, they are simply the Korta’shash.

The Voice of the Kalok Shash

It is this same voice that rings out beyond the Wastes to those that would take up the cause. Members of the Carrion Tribes, gnolls from the Wastes, orcs from the northern Marches and the peoples of the Reaches might all hear this divine call. This is not necessarily a literal voice, but could be anything from the offer of redemption to the knowledge that a greater purpose awaits. Others might feel a great warmth calling from over the horizon, or a sense of community and brotherhood guiding them to the Labyrinth. It is possible that the Korta’Shash protects and guides these initiates safely along the harrowing journey to the Labyrinth. It is also possible that a darker sacrifice underlies this pilgrimage; that only those strong enough to become a Ghaash’kala ever survive the harsh trials of the journey.

The Ghaash’kala refer to such individuals as the Ghaash’shanri - the ‘Ghost Embers’. Their lives may have ended, but their flames are yet to burn. Sentries from the clans can feel the calling warmth of these individuals from some distance, and immediately escort them back to their clanhold. Without the Ghaash’shanri’s replenishing numbers, the brutal lives of the Ghaash’kala would quickly cull their numbers. Few Ghaash’kala are willing to talk about their former lives before the call; after all, what is life to the dead?

Beneath the mystery of its ancient call, it is possible that the Korta’shash is tied to a specific location as with Tira Miron in Flamekeep. If this is the case, it may be the site of an ancient battle to bind a released Overlord, but its existence remains a mystery. The rediscovery of this sacred place would be a revelation, with the potential to grant a Ghaash’kala the divine power of a Speaker of the Flame - and reveal the source of the Ghaash’kala’s power to the Carrion Tribes.

In practical terms, this means that the Ghaash’kala wield their divine power in very different ways to the followers of the Church. A kala paladin and Thranish cleric fighting side by side would visually wield the same silver flame, but the spells and rituals they use would be completely different. A Thrane visiting the Guardians would witness ancient methods of wielding the Flame with sword and spell - but would find that the subtler uses for their divine magic are completely foreign. In this way, journeying to the Ghaash’kala is a powerful way of learning new spells and methods of channeling divinity.

Relations with the Church

A number of different cultures worship and venerate the Silver Flame. The most familiar to the people of Khorvaire is naturally the Church of the Silver Flame in Thrane, but throughout history there have been many others scattered across the four continents. The Q’barran lizardfolk of the Masvirik’uala, the ancient humans of Khalesh in Sarlona and the shulassakar of Krezent are all examples of what the Church would call ‘serpent cults’. The Ghaash’kala and their veneration of the couatl places them in this group, despite the fact that they massively predate the Church itself.

The leaders of the Thranish church are certainly aware of the Ghaash’kala, mainly as a result of the Lycanthropic Purge, where the templars would have learned of Guardians from the people of the Reaches. Despite this, learning more about the Ghaash’kala is a difficult prospect, for any templars attempting to do so would never be allowed to return. Accordingly, the Church has only a vague impression of the Ghaash’kala as an unusual orcish ‘barbarian cult’ - and little idea of the debt that all humanity owes. The exceptions to this are the Speaker of the Flame and Samyr Kes, the ancient head of Miron Tears. Tira Miron’s reclamation of Kloinjer from the Ghaash’kala and Samyr’s history as one of her comrades means that both have an understanding of the Ghaash’kala’s importance - an understanding that might be granted to the current Speaker should the information be necessary.

The Ghaash’kala in turn are utterly indifferent. They have a war to fight to protect an entire continent, and the oblivious people beyond the fel are not their concern. For any warrior venturing into these lands, the Church is a confusing institution of unknowing innocents. They wield divine power, and have the right goals, but have no idea of what it’s like to stand on the front lines. At best, their use of divine power for mortal warfare is distasteful - at worst, it is ignorant or insulting.

Learning Ghaash’kala Magic

For players, this different view of divine magic is a great opportunity to learn new spells. The simplest way of demonstrating this is by giving Ghaash’kala clerics access to the paladin spell list - especially the smite spells. Characters training alongside the Ghost Guardians might learn the Celestial words to cast such a spell, adding it to their spell list. In turn, paladins visiting the Ghaash’kala might train to wield smite spells without needing concentration, or to cast a lower-level smite spell once per day without using a spell slot. This provides a thematic way of rewarding players in their interactions with the Ghaash’kala without the need for magic items.

Rites & Rituals

There is only one rite that a Ghaash’kala must undertake - the one where their life symbolically ends. Upon reaching adulthood or being formally welcomed into a clan, a Guardian formally embraces the end of their own life, becoming a living Ghost. This ritual is different for each clan but shares a common oath; a vow to stop all evil from passing the labyrinth, to fight without fear to the last breath, and to prove oneself worthy to the Kalok Shash. With the oath complete, the Guardian joins the ranks of the dead, fighting alongside their comrades and the spirits of all Ghaash’kala that have come before them.

The Maruk conduct this rite with all available warriors present, as a reminder of those that the initiate now joins - and of the clan that they now serve to the end. With the oath complete, one of the warriors steps forth, drawing a blade that they swing at the neck of the kneeling initiate. With the edge stopped less than an inch from their flesh, the new kala is welcomed into the ranks.

The Jaasakah take a far more mundane and stark approach. They place the initiate in a frigid cave for three days and three nights with no food or light. Each kala emerges with an understanding of what they may face in their final moments, and a hunger never to see it again.

The rangers of the Kastar take a similar approach, but highlight the need for self-reliance during hunting trips and demiplane raids. The blindfolded warrior is taken a day away from the Wraith-Hold through the maze of tunnels that surround the clan’s home. When the blindfold falls away, they are completely alone, with nothing but their survival skills and and the cryptic signposting on the walls to guide them back.

The trial of the Vaanka is one of vigilance. The recruit is tasked with keeping watch from one of the high lookouts on the shield wall. For two days, they are neither relieved from duty nor given any contact with the rest of the clan, but for a pair of warning bells by their side. A recruit that keeps attentive watch for the full time, or decides to ring that they are on the verge of falling asleep, is welcomed back by a rank of Vaanka guardsmen. One that tries to forge through out of fear or pride, only to fall asleep, reawakens within the Shield Wall - a danger to their comrades, and not yet ready to hold the watch.

This rite of initiation is the same for those born into the Ghaash’kala or joining as an outsider. For the duration of each ritual, the initiate is secretly watched over by several of their peers to monitor their behavior during the trial. In the event of the initiate being in actual danger, failing the trial, or an actual attack on the clanhold, these warriors halt the rite and bring them back. Traditionally, one of these warriors is a member of the recruit’s family, or the Ghaash’kala vouching for their right to enter the clan. A recruit that passes is an honor for them - and a recruit that fails is a sign that they have been lax in their training.

Tattoos & Brands

Many Ghaash’kala – especially warriors - bear extensive tattoos and ritual brands as marks of commitment, triumph, or piety. Each clan maintains separate traditions and styles that identify them at a glance to other warriors; the complexity of the patterns help defend against shape-changing fiends and allow visual recognition between clans on the hunt. Tattoos are typically created using a mixture of charcoal and magical pigments distilled from the plants of the Abyssal Forest. Glyphs and sigils created by such dyes retain their demiplanar magic, enhancing the bodies of the Ghaash’kala to aid with their duties.

In contrast, the ritual branding is simple and ancient. Every Ghaash’kala warrior bears at least one brand, bestowed to them by their sar’malaan as a symbol of the Kalok Shash. While the various tattoos can hold all manner of purposes, the brand of a Ghaash’kala is a powerful ward against demonic possession; a symbol through which to channel their piety, burning away any grasping corruption.

To earn one, an initiated kala must prove themselves to their clanmates by joining a regular mission or hunting trip. For some, this is their first step beyond the stronghold walls; for others, a return to their former lives. Regardless, the effect is potent. Guided and watched by their branded peers, the aspirants are either forged into burning iron by the horrors of the wastes, or break and flee from the weight of their duty. For the Ghaash’kala, either result is a boon.

Brands

Each clan has a different design for their brand, with minor variations between different sar’malaan. The Maruk use the simple design of a flickering flame while the Kastar’s resemble an argent lantern radiating light. The Jaasakah combine both brands and tattoos in elaborate patterns that cover the entire back; the combination of vow, enchanted ink and religious symbol provides a focus for their abilities by channeling divine power.

This forms the basis for many of the Jaasakah’s fighting styles by divinely enhancing their martial strength. A Jaasakah player character might justify any number of class abilities as being channeled through their brand; Rune Knights might focus on specific motifs to summon flaming chains, while Bear Totem Barbarians might channel positive energy in battle, resisting all damage through constant healing.

Tattoos

The tattoos of the Ghaash’kala are far more personalized, and hold less ritual significance, than their clan brands. Many tattoos are a marriage of pride and utility, showing off the warrior’s achievements while conferring magical benefits. Others serve as marks of remembrance or piety for those that have joined the Kalok Shash. The benefits of the tattoos are a result of the resources available and the specific techniques of the clan; the Jaasakah are the best example of this, with their tattoos helping to channel their rage and shake off injuries. Typically, a kala requesting a tattoo must approach a korta or other religious figure, with the techniques passed down from priest to acolyte. The inks and materials required are often innately magical and sourced from Khyber demiplanes, although non-magical tattoos are still common among drok, especially in the form of a couatl coiled around the arm.

One of the most common forms are ‘flamewrought’ (Spellwrought) tattoos, imbued with specific divine spells. These are intended as emergency reserves, helping kala survive should the worst come to pass. Common imbued spells include lesser restoration, purify food and drink, and cure wounds. The Vaanka favor techniques taken from the Reaches; these Claw Tattoos were brought by Shifters, who use them to bring out their totem animal and empower unarmed strikes.

The Kastar make frequent use of inks and dyes derived from Khyber demiplanes. The most notable are the Abyssal Forest and the Glitterdrift. The toxic plants of the former can be used (carefully) to make Poison- or Acid-absorbing Tattoos, while the pitch-black fungi of the latter produce Felhunter ink (Shadowfell Brand Tattoos).

Ghaash’kala Tieflings

Tieflings occur among the Ghaash’kala much more commonly than normal due to the innate corruption of the Wastes. While normal planetouched might only occur once every fifty thousand births in Khorvaire proper, the Ghaash’kala clans typically have a few tieflings born to each clan every generation. Their innate magical gifts are both a blessing and a curse. Each is given spiritual help and guidance by the korta and raised with the understanding that if they can’t control their impulses, they pose a danger to those around them. Despite this, as Ghaash’kala, they also understand that one day they may reach the limits of their fiendish influence. The majority deal with this like any Ghaash’kala would - pick up a blade, and go out swinging. A few give in to corruption and falter in their beliefs, joining the Carrion Tribes or falling to the dangers of the wastes. Rather than sakah of specific overlords like the Carrion tribes, Ghaash’kala tieflings are influenced generally by fiendish corruption, and can thus be represented by the Player’s Handbook tiefling.

The fiends known as tanarukks are the equivalent of orcish cambions - the result of Carrion Tribe sakah empowered by dark pacts and rituals. The appearance and abilities of a tanarukk depend on their overlord, but many become chieftains or powerful warriors of their tribe. Notably, tanarukk can hear the call of the Kalok Shash, although such an event is incredibly rare. Although valued for their strength, these warriors tread a fine line between their new purpose and their dark origins. Their clanmates understand that if the tanarukk fails in their duty, they may have to help ensure they don’t become a future threat.

Ghaash’kala Aasimar

Aasimar born among the Ghaash’kala are divinely blessed as omens of ruin. Unlike sakah, who arise by chance, an aasimar of the Kalok Shash is chosen at birth by the Silver Flame. These are champions of the Prophecy, destined to play a role in the future to come - and indicators that a terrible event awaits the Ghaash’kala. Kalok Shash aasimar are born on the scale of centuries; their education and training is so important that the entire Clan takes it as their solemn duty to raise this individual. All 4 clans are rapidly made aware of such a birth, and it is not unusual for an aasimar to train in all four clanholds to gain the skills they need to deal with any situation.

The clan that an aasimar is born to heavily influences how they are raised, and is seen as a form of divination for future events. An aasimar born to the Jasaakah is raised on the battlefield, forged in the heart of war to be a warrior or terrible power; every scar they earn is wisdom gained, for the Kalok Shash must desire a champion of war. One born to the Vaanka is seen as a dire omen, for it means that either the last line of defense in the Wastes will suffer a future crisis, or that the aasimar will one day venture away from the Labyrinth to Khorvaire proper. As such, they are educated in everything they will need on their journey into the Reaches and beyond.

The burden of being a Kalok Shash aasimar is as unique as it is heavy. It is impossible for the person in question to avoid being treated like a blessed child, and their appearance marks them as chosen from the moment they are born. It is a testament to the sheer will and dedication of the Ghaash’kala that these aasimar rise to the challenge, and have done for thousands of years - but, where many rise, one can still fall.

Should the weight of their purpose prove too much, it is natural for resentment to grow. As a result, an aasimar might flee their duties, and leave to Khorvaire to search for a new path in life. A far more disastrous result is one that grows to hate the chains of fate that bind them. An aasimar that truly falls might become corrupted by the forces of the Overlords, combining their divine might with a burning need for revenge - and warring against the Ghaash’kala in the name of hatred.

A Kalok Shash aasimar is marked by the ability to summon wings of ghostly silver fire and smite the unholy with radiant power. These divine blows might manifest as warrior spirits that strike out to protect the aasimar, ethereal chains of burning silver, or ghostly fire that ignites their weaponry. These powers are typically accompanied by an undeniable physical characteristic that marks their nature at all times. Glowing silver birthmarks, prismatic scales and feathery hair are all signs of the touch of divinity.

Source: Paladins of the Wastes

According to the priests of the Maruk clan, the Ghaash’kala was a single orc tribe that inhabited the Shadow Marches during the hegemony of the goblin Dhakaani empire. While the other tribes of the Marches followed primal ways, soon giving rise to the traditions of the Gatekeepers, the Ghaash’kala were proud warriors who adopted the irreligious ways of the goblins, trusting in their own strength over the aid of any supernatural forces.

The Maruk legends say that the Shadow Marches themselves turned against these early Ghaash’kala, perhaps because their rejection of the primal ways angered the spirits that inhabited the swamps of the Marches. No longer welcome in their home, the Ghaash’kala fled to the north, into the western expanse of the Towering Wood in what is now the Eldeen Reaches. They were no more welcome in the fey-haunted Twilight Demesne than they had been in the Shadow Marches, however, so they continued their flight into the Shadowcrags.

While they tried to adapt to their new mountainous home, the Ghaash’kala had to contend with the evils that spread out from the Demon Wastes in a constant, vile stream. Many Ghaash’kala warriors died when fiendish creatures attacked, and before long the Ghaash’kala began planning another flight, searching for another new home.

Then, the Maruk say, the Ghaash’kala first heard the voice of Kalok Shash. It spoke in the voice of the brave warriors who had died in defense of their people in their flight, imploring them not to let those warriors’ deaths be in vain. It called them into the Labyrinth, taught them to navigate its hazards, and prepared them for its defense against the fiends of the Wastes. The change in the Ghaash’kala was dramatic. They wholeheartedly adopted a life of rich spirituality, in which they enjoyed a close communion with the spirits of their departed warriors. With each fallen warrior, they proclaim, “Kalok Shash burns brighter.”

Source: Dungeon 172

Guardians of the Labyrinth

In the final days of the Age of Demons, the couatlgathered their allies to prepare them for when theywould need to continue the celestials’ work withoutguidance. The original guardians of the Labyrinthweren’t Ghaash’kala, but shulassakar.These ancient shulassakar built the strongholdswithin the Labyrinth from gleaming songsilver, aided bythe couatl. They held the Labyrinth for centuries,containing the threat of the Demon Wastes and thehorrors that reside there.

Worn down over time, in a long, drawn-out battle ofattrition, the shulassakar lost people faster than theycould replace them. Even couatl relics could only delaythe inevitable. One day, the shulassakar of the Labyrinthfell.

The strongholds, and the relics therein, were wardedagainst fiends and their servants, so they remaineduntouched for years. Songsilver, much like demonglass,is effectively indestructible, and so the abandonedstrongholds stood even as time did its best to wear themaway.

There were undoubtedly other guardians between theshulassakar and the Ghaash’kala, but as inevitably as thetide, they too fell.

The Call of Kalok Shash

Approximately 9000 years ago, a tribe of orcs in theShadow Marches heard the call of Kalok Shash, duringthe time the Dhakaani Empire was consolidating. Mostof the orc tribes at the time received tutelage from theblack dragon Vvaraak and would become the firstGatekeepers.

But the Maruk tribe left the Shadow Marches,following a calling to a higher purpose. They made theirway north, through the Eldeen Reaches, and foundthemselves in a great Labyrinth carved from a mountainrange, separating the verdant Reaches from a blastedapocalyptic wasteland teeming with fiends.

Within the Labyrinth, the Maruk tribe foundabandoned strongholds filled with ancient couatl relics.The voice that had called spoke to them of brave warriorswho had died in defense of the world to the east, asociety who channeled the celestial power of the couatland allowed the rest of the world to rest, unburdened bythe doom on their doorstep. This voice called itself theBinding Flame, Kalok Shash in the orc language, and ithad called them to serve.

Kalok Shash taught the orcs how to navigate theLabyrinth and its dangers, told them of the secretstrongholds, and of the relics contained within. The orcstook to the role they were given fully, approaching itwith passion and spirituality. The orcs namedthemselves the Ghaash’kala and became living ghoststhat stalk the Labyrinth, destroying any evil that theyencounter. Every time a member of the Ghaash’kala islost to the Labyrinth and its evil, the Ghaash’kalaproclaim that Kalok Shash burns brighter, and they areemboldened rather than disheartened.

The Ghaash’kala settled four secret strongholds in theLabyrinth and split into groups to be able to defend theseterritories. Those that settled in the central Labyrinthretained their old name, Maruk. Those that settled thenortheast became the Jaasakah; those that settled in thewest became the Kastar, and the Vaanka defend theLabyrinth closest to the Reaches, acting as the finalbastion against the Wastes.

The Wild Heart Beats

In the aftermath of the daelkyr’s invasion of Eberron,the Dhakaani Empire began its fall. Their cohesion wasirreparably damaged by the psychic attack called theKapaa’vola. Over time the once-unified empire collapsedinto warring states that spread across Khorvaire.

This instability allowed the orcs of the ShadowMarches and the Eldeen Reaches to prosper unhinderedby the imperialistic Dhakaani. For the first time incenturies, they built a primal society deep within theTowering Wood, much like the modern Eldeen Reaches.

The orcs had been taught druidic magic by Vvaraak,and they used this knowledge to seal the daelkyr withinKhyber and prevent Xoriat from becoming coterminous.They traveled into the Eldeen Reaches, where theyshared their druidic traditions with other orcs. Theyremained vigilant. The seals needed to be maintained,and there was some uncertainty that the daelkyr werethe threat that Vvaraak had foreseen. They awakened theGreatpine Oalian, one of the Eldeen Ada, and taught himwhat they had learned.

Oalian remains the sole witness to the collapse of theTowering Wood’s civilization. A Prophetic series ofevents lead to the release of the overlord named the WildHeart, the embodiment of mortal fear of predators andthe natural world. The overlord preyed on the orcs of theTowering Wood, twisting the orcs’ druidic magic to turnthem into predators.

This was the first time that the Ghaash’kala werethreatened by the Eldeen Reaches as well as the DemonWastes. They didn’t fall to this threat, though theysuffered heavy losses. Oalian refuses to discuss theevents, so the verbal records of the Ghaash’kala aresome of the only references to it that remain.

A mysterious figure named for the moon Olarune,whose nature was never recorded in the Ghaash’kala’sstories, freed the beasts of the Towering Wood from theinfluence of the Wild Heart. Together, Oalian, theGhaash’kala, and the newly freed Blessed of Olarunebroke the fiend’s power and rebound it, requiring thesacrifice of Olarune in much the same way that TiraMiron would later sacrifice herself to rebind Bel Shalor.Those who had fallen under the Wild Heart’s swaywere now free, but they were no longer orcs. They hadbecome something new. The Ghaash’kala stories ofOlarune and her Blessed are the oldest evidence ofshifters in the Towering Wood.

The Great Carrion Tribe Hordes

Every few hundred years, a particularly charismaticchieftain (or perhaps rakshasa) will unite disparatetribes and launch a large-scale invasion of theLabyrinth. It was presumably one of these invasions thatleft the Shulassakar strongholds abandoned and led tothe Ghaash’kala answering the call of Kalok Shash topopulate the Labyrinth with defenders once more.

During the Ghaash’kala’s watch, there have beennumerous attempts by the Carrion Tribes to breakthrough the Labyrinth. A full-scale Carrion Tribeinvasion has yet to be successful, but every time theyassault the Labyrinth it seems more and more likely thatthey’ll break through. As a result of this, and the rarestragglers that make it through the Labyrinth, theWardens of the Wood remain aware of the Ghaash’kalaand their role.

Year of Blood and Fire

In 299 YK, the overlord Bel Shalor was partially releasedin the Tamor Hills in Thrane and subjugated much of thesurrounding region. Coinciding with this event, amysterious figure began uniting the various CarrionTribes. It seemed that a large-scale invasion of theLabyrinth was imminent.

Tira Miron and her party were drawn to the Labyrinthby a couat, to aid the Ghaash’kala. Tira’s partyencountered the Maruk Ghaash’kala, and whenpresented with the choice to join or die, they chose tojoin.

When the forces of the Carrion Tribes made acoordinated push into the Labyrinth, they were met inturn by a united defense launched by all four ofGhaash’kala tribes. During this battle, Tira took up thegreatsword Kloinjer, which had until then refused anywielder. This battle was the largest invasion of theLabyrinth to date, and the Ghaash’kala were at seriousrisk of being overwhelmed. Tira Miron used the artifactto rally the Ghaash’kala, granting them a second wind.The sight of Tira and her companions chargingwholeheartedly into almost certain death inspired thefaltering Ghaash’kala to do the same. Against all odds,they managed to push the invaders back.

It is entirely possible that, if not for the actions of TiraMiron and her companions, that the Eldeen Reacheswould have been overrun. Tira Miron informed theGhaash’kala of the reason she had come to theLabyrinth, of the growing shadow in the east thatthreatened the whole of Khorvaire. The Ghaash’kalaconvened and deliberated on what to do.

In the end, the respect that Tira Miron had earned andthe significance of the greatsword Kloinjer choosing her,meant that the Ghaash’kala allowed Tira Miron and herparty to leave the Labyrinth and fight Bel Shalor. Thiswould be one of very few instances of the Ghaash’kalamaking an exception, as the potential good of allowingsomeone to leave outweighed the potential evil.

The Time of Tooth and Claw

In 832 YK, something fundamental about the curse oflycanthropy shifted, and the afflicted could spread thecurse to others. The lycanthropes were organized andseemed to originate from deep in the Towering Wood.While the communities in the Eldeen Reaches, Aundairand Thrane took the brunt; the Ghaash’kala also had todeal with this threat, which they had rarely faced in theirtime in the Labyrinth.

The Ghaash’kala had been attacked from the EldeenReaches once before in their history, but the attacksfrom 832 YK onwards were different. They weren’t justrandom assaults, but a concerted effort by the servantsof the Wild Heart to erode the trust between theGhaash’kala and the Ashbound druids of the Eldeen, aneffort that was largely successful.

The ability for lycanthropes to hide in plain sight wasa further difficulty. The Ghaash’kala had long agodeveloped the means to see through magical disguises,but a lycanthrope isn’t a magically disguised fiend. Thisleft the Ghaash’kala with no easy way to identifylycanthropes, forcing them to assume that anybodyentering the Labyrinth from the Eldeen Reaches wascompromised.

The sixty or so years that it took for the curse oflycanthropy to break was devastating for theGhaash’kala, who were suddenly without one of theirmeans of replenishment. Anybody could be alycanthrope, so the Ghaash’kala had to be far morecareful about who they allowed to join them. A mistakecould lead to the location of their strongholds beingdiscovered.

The four tribes came up with their own ways to dealwith this problem. Lycanthropes were averse to silver,and so potential new recruits were tested with the metalto ensure they weren’t monsters. Many of theGhaash’kala can channel the power of Kalok Shash inmuch the same way that a cleric of the Silver Flame. If alycanthrope was lucky (or unlucky) enough to stumbleupon such a group, it was possible they would be curedof their lycanthropy on the spot and then given thechoice to join.

The Vaanka were the most likely to attempt to curelycanthropes, while the Kastar were unwilling to takesuch a risk and eliminated any that were identified. As aresult of this, the Vaanka have a higher proportion ofshifters in their population than the other Ghaash’kalatribes. Many of the lycanthropes to enter the Labyrinthwere Towering Wood shifters.

The events of the Time of Tooth and Claw broke thelongstanding respect between the Ghaash’kala and theAshbound. The Ghaash’kala viewed the Ashboundallowing them to be attacked from the Reaches as anunacceptable failure. The feud isn’t violent, but the twogroups no longer collaborate as they once did

Source: Sarhain's Guide to the Silver Flame

The Age of Demons

The history of the orcs is the history of the world. The hymns of the Ghaash’kala hold that the orcs roamed the Towering Woods when the land was young, the forests sown by Eberron’s hand. In the dark ages that followed, the Overlord known as the Wild Heart laid claim to the Towering Woods, while the iron hand of Rak Tulkhesh ruled the Ironcrags. The orcs served as subjects and soldiers for the archfiends of Khorvaire, serving their whims for untold ages. Attempts to rebel were brave but futile, for until the discovery of the Draconic Prophecy, the power of the Overlords was absolute.

When the combined forces of the dragons and couatl flew to war, the Overlords and their cities fell, but the Demon Wastes were left as a scar on the world. Despite smashing the debauched palaces of the archfiends to dust, the Wastes were left saturated with corruption due to Khyber entrances and bound Overlords. With no way of preventing the land’s proximity to Khyber, the dragons and couatl wove epic magic to bind it in a cage. A vast hallowed border surrounds the Wastes, forcing escaping fiends through the Labyrinth alone. The only remaining piece were jailers to keep watch.

Before joining their kin in the Silver Flame, the couatl built fortresses of unbreakable songsilver and artifacts of divine power. Some formed radiant weaponry - gifts to the mortals of a shining but threatened future. In the eons since, the people they once saved have held the line against unfathomable evil.

Why is this relevant in the modern age?:

• Many orcs still serve the Overlords as part of the Carrion Tribes - far more in number than those in the Ghaash’kala.
• All the fiends that emerge from Khyber into the Wastes are funneled through the Labyrinth. The majority do not belong to an Overlord, and have no aim except to kill and destroy.
• The artifacts of the couatl include weapons that are banes to specific Overlords. These lie in Ghaash’kala vaults, awaiting their chosen wielder, who may be among the party.
• Songsilver is nigh indestructible. As a result, while the warriors inside a fortress may be slain, the fortifications are left to be reclaimed by a new force of guardians.

The Age of Monsters

During the Age of Monsters, as the Empire of Dhakaan grew to rule much of Khorvaire, the black dragon Vvaraak arrived in the Shadow Marches. There, the Ebon Mother began to teach the scattered orcs. While many accepted her gifts, becoming the Gatekeepers to prepare for a future cataclysm, one clan of orcs turned away. The reason for their exodus from the Marches is unknown; the Ghaash’kala legends simply speak of a refusal to accept these new teachings. Leaving the Marches behind, they headed north to the Towering Woods, but found no succor in the feyhaunted woods. Further north lay the Shadowcrags. Settling in the barren mountains, the clan was beset by the horrors of the Wastes in a constant stream, with no choice but to continue their exodus. It was then that they heard the Voice.

The Voice of the Kalok Shash reached out to the minds of the orcs, guiding them to fortresses where they would be safe and protected. It bestowed upon them the power to slay the fiends that beset them on all sides. It gave them purpose. In that moment the Ghaash’kala - ‘Ghost Guardians’ - were born. The current Ghaash’kala do not know what happened to those who once occupied their fortresses, nor does it matter to them. They understand the danger and accept it fully, for it is their holy duty to protect the innocent from the horrors of the Wastes.

In the centuries since, the Ghaash’kala have held the line, preventing countless catastrophes with no thanks, recognition, or reward. Several Overlord releases across Khorvaire have been prevented or ended by roaming Ghaash’kala warriors, especially during the reign of Dhakaan. With no faith in the Silver Flame, the Dhakaani had no way of dealing with escaped Overlords, with the fate of the empire depending on orcish heroes. It speaks to the Dhakaani mindset that their records speak little of such warriors. In the thousands of years since, the orcs have spread to the four fortresses of the Labyrinth and grown, accepting new recruits from the Wastes and Reaches alike. Now, the clans are no longer strictly bound by blood; instead, each is a multicultural blend of different races, fighting together in the name of the Kalok Shash.

Why is this relevant in the modern age?:

• The release of the Wild Heart soon after the Fall of Dhakaan is an example of an Overlord resealed with the Ghaash’kala’s help. Legends and myths appear to indicate that the shifters of the Towering Woods may have appeared soon after the event - and may hold the key to the archfiend’s seal.
• The precursors to the current Ghaash’kala may still be out there. If so, they may hold key information about repairing couatl artifacts, or about the lost location and identity of the Voice of the Kalok Shash.
• The Ghaash’kala, as a result of their history, did not make the Divine Affections that sustain them. As such, they do not have the knowledge or understanding to repair them or make more. Learning how to do so would be a great boon to their power.

Former Inhabitants

The Ghaash’kala are ancient by the standards of the Five Nations, but even they were not the first to hold their post. The Labyrinth is the only pathway by which fiends can leave the Wastes without returning to Khyber, and the Ghaash’kala are currently the ones that hold that front. However, when the Ghaash’kala arrived in the Wastes, they found fortresses already standing and sustained by ancient magic - fortresses built at a mortal scale. Whether due to the risk of corruption or draconic self-interest, it is normal mortals that act as the jailors, not the dragons themselves. So, if the orcs were not the first to occupy their current role…who was?

Shulassakar - The shulassakar are mortal devotees of the couatl that changed through worship into serpentine forms. These divinely blessed yuan-ti worship the couatl directly, and occupy many ruins around Eberron as guardians of their legacy. It is possible that an ancient catastrophe destroyed the shulassakar that held the Labyrinth; perhaps a catastrophe forced them to migrate back to their demiplane home to deal with the threat, leaving the fortresses unmanned.

Minotaurs - The minotaurs of Droaam share a devotion to the overlord known as the Horned Prince. Sometimes an archfiend, sometimes a god, each clan worships the Prince in their own way. Some, such as the Dawn Harvest, are champions for good. If the Labyrinth was originally the domain of the Horned Prince during the Age of Demons, the minotaurs may have been its mortal residents, but shackled to the overlord’s will. Much like the gnolls, the binding of the Horned Prince may have helped the minotaurs to escape - and assist their saviors by guarding the Labyrinth using their powerful memories.

Dragonborn - The Trothslorvek dragonborn are soldiers created by Argonnessen for a single purpose - the containment of the Overlord Masvirik. It is possible that the first dragonborn manned the Labyrinth for thousands of years before their orcish inheritors. If this is the case, their disappearance is utterly unexplained. In the worst-case scenario, their ancient vigil may have finally fallen to the corruption of the Demon Wastes - and abishai loyal to the Daughter of Khyber may know secret paths to the stronghold depths…

Other Orcs! - Ghaash’kala is a title passed down through the ages. As long as the Silver Flame burns, there will always be orcs that hear the call, with their natural passion acting as a conduit for the Voice of the Kalok Shash. At times, evil prevails in scouring the Ghaash’kala from their fortresses, but the orcs of Eberron will always take up their duty once more.

It's possible that all of these peoples have held the role of Ghaash’kala at some time in Eberron’s history. Some may still be able to repair Divine Affections, or tell tales of the lost Voice of the Kalok Shash. As the longest-standing group of Silver Flame worshippers, the guardians of the Labyrinth have also acted throughout history to rebind escaped Overlords - a legacy of sacrifice with no reward except the peace of the innocent. This was especially important during the era of Dhakaan, where the goblinoids lacked faith in the divine.

The Year of Blood & Fire

In 299YK, the overlord Bel Shalor escaped his bonds in Thrane in what would come to be the Year of Blood and Fire. Amidst his conquest of the country, a group of adventurers led by the paladin Tira Miron fought back against the darkness, aided by the guidance of the couatl. Their path led them to seek a weapon capable of binding the powerful archfiend - a weapon said to lie in the vaults of the Ghaash’kala.

When the party arrived in the Labyrinth, they encountered the Maruk, who were bracing for an assault by the resurgent Cindercarver Tribe of Bel Shalor. The paladin and her comrades joined the Ghaash’kala in a desperate battle, with all four clans set against the combined might of the Carrion Tribes, led by the Cindercarvers. During the battle, the chieftain of the Cindercarvers used Bel Shalor’s deceptive magic to stealth inside Maruk Dar, and into the deep vaults, intent on denying them the bane of her god. Sensing the faint presence of evil inside the fortress, Miron led her friends into a battle against the chieftain - known as the Smiling Knife - to prevent the theft of the artifact they sought.

At the peak of the battle, Tira picked up the greatsword Kloinjer, and with it struck down the Smiling Knife for good. With the shining artifact in hand, the paladin rejoined the battle, bolstering the Ghaash’kala into routing the Avatar of the overlord Bel Shalor

In the wake of the fighting, Tira Miron explained the purpose of her arrival in the Wastes and the current threat to Thrane. With Kloinjer clearly granting her divine power, the sar’malaan convened, allowing her and her party to leave the Wastes and fight against the dire archfiend. The Ghaash’kala heard nothing of Miron’s fate, but knew that she had succeeded in rebinding the Overlord. Her name is carved in the halls of Maruk Dar, alongside other honored champions of the Kalok Shash.

Why is this relevant in the modern age?:

• The elf Samyr Kes was a member of Tira Miron’s party of adventurers, and still lives in secret as the head of the secretive Miron’s Tears. He still remembers the Ghaash’kala, and can tell the party of of their importance.
• The Ghaash’kala still remember the help they recieved from Tira Miron’s party. The large human population of the Five Nations is historically new to them, and they understand that it brings a higher risk of an overlord release.

The Silver Crusade

In 832 YK, the partial release of the Overlord known as the Wild Heart triggered a surge of infectious therianthropy in the Towering Woods. In response to the threat to western Aundair, the Church of the Silver Flame began a campaign to fight back the tide, mobilizing templars to push into the Eldeen Reaches. The Silver Crusade lasted for just over 50 years, and ended with the rebinding of the Wild Heart deep in the Eldeen Reaches. For the Ghaash’kala, the Purge was a crisis that stretched the clans to the breaking point.

In the Wastes, the Carrion Hound tribe of the Wild Heart were empowered by the release of their overlord, and began a campaign to conquer other tribes. They sought to break through the Ghaash’kala blockade and assist their god within the Reaches by slaying the forces of the Church. At the same time, refugees from the northern Reaches were rescued by the Guardians and brought to the clanholds, increasing the pressure on food and supplies. The constant danger of lycanthrope infiltrators forced each refugee to be tested for the curse, with korta’sha working at all hours to cure the afflicted. The threat of assault not only from the Wastes, but also from the Reaches, meant that the Guardians had to watch their backs like never before. The clans saw this as a major failure by the druids of the Reaches, who benefited the most from the Ghaash’kala’s work.

The eventual rebinding of the Wild Heart is a mystery to this day, but it’s highly likely that an agent of the Ghaash’kala assisted with the effort - potentially with an ancient couatl weapon. It is believed that while the templars of the Church helped to push back against the tide of lycanthropes, a group led by the shifter hero Bennin Silverclaw rebound the Wild Heart, but the details of the event remain a mystery. In the wake of the rebinding, Silverclaw pursued a group of lycanthropes into the Wastes - and was never heard from again.

Why is this relevant in the modern age?:

• The surge in lycanthropy from the Eldeen Reaches forced the Ghaash’kala to defend from both sides, placing them in a precarious situation. The failure of the Reaches to support them broke the Ghaash’kala’s trust, and caused a breakdown in communication that persists to this day.
• The resealing of the Wild Heart is a secret unknown to the Five Nations, but the people of the deep Reaches may know of the Ghaash’kala’s involvement – and be able to guide adventurers to their clanholds.
• The shifter hero Bennin Silverclaw is said to have died after pursuing a pack of lycanthropes into the Wastes. The fate of the shifter is unknown, and he may hold the secret to rebinding the Wild Heart.

Modern Relations with the Reaches

The Ghaash’kala are more important for the Eldeen Reaches than any other nation. Any fiends, monsters or tribesmen that escape the Demon Wastes inevitably end up in the Reaches, posing a threat to the people of the Towering Woods. As a result, the Wardens of the Wood and the Ghaash’kala have historically allied, with both the Wardens and the Ashbound hunting down anything beyond the Guardians’ reach. The Ghaash’kala themselves do not leave the Wastes, but the Vaanka maintain communication using animal messengers in case of emergencies.

Since the events of the Lycanthropic Purge, this alliance has been broken, with the Ghaash’kala severing ties with the Ashbound. The release of the Wild Heart resulted in the Ghaash’kala being attacked not only from the Wastes, but by lycanthropes from the Reaches - an attack on two fronts that the Guardians saw as a dangerous failure of the druids’ duties. Should a new threat arise in the Wastes, the Ashbound and Wardens would be caught unawares, incapable of rallying to stop it before it spread into the nations beyond. Repairing this broken alliance is a task for diplomatic player characters, who may have the ability to move between the Wastes and the Reaches as respected diplomats.

Source: Paladins of the Wastes

The Ghaash’kala are divided in purely practical terms using the following divisions:

• Korta (‘Speaker’ - spiritual guide/priest),
• Korta’sha (’Divine Speaker’ - battlefield korta who wields spells)
• Kala (‘Guardian’), Kala’sha (’Divine Guardian’ - paladin who wields spells)
• Drok (‘Hand’ - non-combatant)
• Sar’malaan (’Head Priest’)
• Kizshmit (’Chieftain’)

Source: Paladins of the Wastes

The Kalok Shash is a simple faith, and the Ghaash’kala don’t waste time on the elaborate rituals or titles of the Church of the Silver Flame. There are only a few recognized positions among the faithful.

• A korta (“Speaker”) is someone who hears the Voice of the Flame more clearly than others. The korta serve as spiritual guides, diplomats and healers, using their connection to the Flame to guide and advise others. A korta’sha is a divine spellcaster. The korta’sha are always on the front lines, leading war parties and battling demonic influences.
• A kala (“Guardian”) is a warrior who fights in service to the Flame; this includes the bulk of the Ghaash’kala population. A kala’sha is a divine warrior – typically a paladin.
• A drok (“Hand”) is a non-combatant, either because of infirmity or because of a vital non-combat skill needed to support the fight.

There are no equivalent ranks to bishop, priest, cardinal, or any of that. The Ghaash’kala are few enough in number that the korta and kala are distinguished by their deeds. Everyone knows that the korta’sha Hurok is the greatest of the Speakers; he doesn’t need some special title to indicate that. The Ghaash’kala are also considerably more blase about divine spellcasters than most human cultures. To the Ghaash’kala, these individuals are weapons. A korta’sha isn’t necessarily holier than a non-casting korta… but she has a purpose and a duty. She is a tank, and a tank belongs on the battlefield. While Ghaash’kala despise mercenary soldiers, they are truly baffled by the idea of divine spellcasters who do not use their powers to directly fight evil.

Source: Dragonmark

The Ghaash’kala split their time between martial and spiritual pursuits, which is reflected in their hierarchy. While customs differ slightly between tribes, each is led by a kizshmit, or “Chieftain” who leads the tribe in its military duties, as well as a sar’malaan, or “high priest”, who guides the clan spiritually and appoints the kizshmit. While the kizshmit leads the tribe in battle, they often defer to the sar’malaan in domestic matters.

Among the Ghaash’kala, it is common for individuals to hear the voice of the Binding Flame. A korta, “speaker”, is any individual that hears the Voice of Kalok Shash clearly. They serve as spiritual guides among the Ghaash’kala. Those who can manifest divine magic are referred to as korta’sha and use their divine gifts in service to the mission of the Ghaash’kala. Malaan, “priests”, perform spiritual duties for the Ghaash’kala, including creating the brands of the binding flame, and tattooing the warriors of their clan. A malaan may or may not be a korta’sha, though most of them are korta and hear the voice of Kalok Shash. Any individual can tattoo themselves or others, but the malaan are keepers of the methods used to create magical tattoos. Even for mundane tattoos, it’s common for individuals to seek the guidance of their clan’s malaan to refine the design.

Although life is often violent for the Ghaash’kala, and all among their number must be prepared to fight, not all are warriors. The drok are the non-combatants of the Ghaash’kala, who fill many necessary support roles, such as foragers, cooks, blacksmiths and crafters, physicians, trainers, and laborers.

These people may also be combatants, and may go out and patrol the Labyrinth, but just as many of them will rarely see actual combat. That doesn’t mean their contributions to the cause are any less valuable than that of the warriors. They may not fight, but their actions allow those who do to flourish and survive. The value of the droks’ work is recognized by the Ghaash’kala, and they are treated appropriately.

Cooks are particularly valued among the Ghaash’kala, who recognize that any army marches on its stomach.

Source: Sarhain's Guide to the Silver Flame

To start with the last: Each of the four clans has a stronghold carved deep into the rock of the Labyrinth, each drawing on the powers of a manifest zone. These were created by dragons and couatl in the first age, and are imbued with powerful magic; it is these fortifications that have served as a final refuge in even the hardest times. Likewise, the Ghaash’kala possess tools and weapons that have been handed down for generations. The Ghaash’kala consider these relics to be sacred gifts, and they might as well be; the most potent of them were crafted by the beings who first kindled the Flame itself. Of course, an artifact is not something to be used lightly; sometimes generations pass before someone successfully bonds with a relic. Some say that Tira Miron’s blade Kloijner came from the Wastes, that the couatl guided her north to claim the weapon she needed to face Bel Shalor. If one of your players is a champion of the Flame, perhaps there is an artifact waiting for them in the vaults of the Ghaash’kala.

Such tools certainly help explain the survival of the Ghaash’kala. But there are only a few such artifacts. The Maruk stronghold has a well that never runs dry, a variation of the Alchemy Jug. But they still need food and any number of basic supplies that can’t be found in this poisoned land. But the very thing that makes the Wastes so dangerous also provides opportunity. The Demon Wastes are peppered with passages to Khyber… not simply the physical underworld, but a host of demiplanes and demonic realms. Fiends emerge from these paths to prey on the weak… and the Ghaash’kala venture into them to find what they need. The Maruk hunt balewolves in the Abyssal Forests of Khar, and wield weapons taken from the corpses of the demon foot soldiers of the Ironlands. These strange realms are alien and deadly, but over the many centuries the Ghaash’kala have learned their secrets. As a result, the Ghaash’kala have resources that can’t be found anywhere in Khorvaire. Their weapons are forged from unknown materials, and they brew salves and unguents that would make Jorasco weep. So the idea is that the Ghaal’dar are essentially barbarians living in an apocalyptic landscape – but by mastering that environment, making the most of the resources available to them, and preserving and using ancient relics, they have found what they need to hold the line in their never-ending war.

Source: Dragonmark

Describing the Ghaash’kala groups as clans is perhaps misleading, since they are not necessarily bound by any familial ties. At the core of each clan is a family of related orcs, but the clans have only survived this long by welcoming new members, even outcasts from the Carrion Tribes who have heard the call of the binding flame. As a result, each clan includes a small number of humans, half-orcs, and even members of other races as well as its dominant orcs. Each of the four clans concentrates its efforts on a different part of the Labyrinth and the surrounding lands. Strong diplomatic ties and a common priesthood help the clans accomplish their duties.

The Jaasakah (“Deadly”) clan inhabits the eastern Labyrinth and the lands east of the Labyrinth. The clan is led by kizshmit Svash Ramaal (NG male half-orc barbarian 8) and sar’malaan Gan’dal Homm (LG male human cleric 10 Kalok Shash).

The Kastar (“Swift”) clan inhabits the western Labyrinth and the lands west of the Labyrinth. Its kizshmit is Maalo Sahai (CG female orc fighter 4/rogue 5), and its sar’malaan is Naakah Shahar (NG female orc cleric 8 Kalok Shash).

The Maruk (“Mighty”) clan inhabits the central Labyrinth. Its kizshmit is Torgaan Shashaarat (LG male orc fighter 3/paladin 6), and its sar’malaan is Lharc Suusha (LG female orc cleric 9 Kalok Shash).

The Vaanka (“Final”) clan inhabits the northwestern Labyrinth, where it connects to the rest of the Wastes. Its kizshmit is Dalkal Mal’fonn (LG female human cleric 3 Kalok Shash/paladin 7), and its sar’malaan is Silvik Raam (NG male orc cleric 11 Kalok Shash).

Source: Player's Guide to Eberron

The Ghaash’kala consist of four clans located across the Labyrinth, to cover all potential escape. The core of each clan is formed by several family lines of orcs and half-orcs that originated in the Shadow Marches. They are joined by many other people from the Wastes, Reaches and beyond who were guided by the holy call of the Kalok Shash.

Each clan is united in purpose but differs in culture. The Jaasakah are passionate berserkers charging into the fray; in contrast, the Kastar are stalking rangers who only fight when they have the upper hand. The Maruk are the first and largest clan, with the greatest piety, while the Vaanka blend primal and divine magic as the final defense before the Reaches.

Source: Ghaash'kala: Paladins of the Wastes

The division of the Ghaash’kala into clans is a necessity to cover the vast breadth of the Labyrinth. Their locations are a result of the couatl strongholds in which they live, with the Vaanka guarding the backs of the western Maruk, the central Kastar, and the north-eastern Jaasakah. After entering the Wastes from the western Eldeen, the Ghaash’kala first established themselves in the fortress of Maruk Dar. From there, they were guided to the other clanholds by the Voice of the Kalok Shash.

After thousands of years, each clan has developed wildly different cultures and outlooks. These have been further altered by the multicultural influence of others joining their cause. It is possible that other ancient clanholds lie out there, waiting to be discovered. The reclamation of such a site would be a legendary action - the perfect way for adventurers to gain the favor of the Ghaash’kala. Younger Ghaash’kala occasionally travel to other clanholds for training and the sharing of skills. These exchanges tie the clans together, and improve their resiliency against threats.

Each clan is led by a military chieftain (‘kizshmit’) and a spiritual leader (‘sar’malaan’) to whom they defer. These roles are not elected, or chosen - it is simply known throughout the clan who among them has achieved the greatest deeds, or receives the most power from the Kalok Shash. Each kizshmit is a legendary warrior with impressive deeds and scars to match. Their tables of rumors are intended to provide examples of how they may have made their mark and distinguished themselves from their peers in battle.

Clan Synopsis

Jaasakah (The Deadly)

• Fighting Style: ‘The Raging Charge’
• Common Classes: Barbarians and Fighters
• Location: North-East

Kastar (The Swift)

• Fighting Style: ‘The Stalking Hunters’
• Common Classes: Rangers and Rogues
• Location: Center

Maruk (The Mighty)

• Fighting Style: ‘The Pious Vanguard’
• Common Classes: Paladins and Clerics
• Location: West

Vaanka (The Final)

• Fighting Style: ‘The Eagle-Eyed Defenders’
• Common Classes: Rangers and Druids
• Location: South-East

Source: Ghaash'kala: Paladins of the Wastes

To help fend off demonic possession, Ghaash’kala warriors mark their bodies with the brand of the binding flame. The brand’s shape depends on the tribe and, sometimes, the individual malaan (priest) who burns the symbol onto the guardian’s skin. The Maruk clan (whose members are the most numerous) uses a simple symbol of a small flame with three tendrils. The Kastar clan’s symbol resembles a sunburst with wavy, radiating rays, while warriors of the Jaasakah clan undergo a lengthy ritual in which their entire backs are covered with complicated scars, burns, and varicolored tattoos. Vaanka warriors use a wide variety of symbols, largely dependent on the malaan. By dedicating his mind to the brand that the malaan has imbued with his faith, a warrior can gain temporary immunity to possession and other benefits in his battle against the fiends.

Source: Player's Guide to Eberron

Ghaash’kala warriors mark their bodies with the brand of Kalok Shash, to ward off demonic possession and corruption. The exact shape of the brand depends on the tribe. The Maruk Ghaash’kala brand themselves with a simple symbol of a small, silver flame with three tendrils. The Kastar Ghaash’kala brand themselves with a symbol that resembles a sunburst, and the Jaasakah brand their entire bodies with complicated patterns. The Vaanka Ghaash’kala use a large variety of symbols, with each malaan putting their own unique spin on the design.

Source: Sarhain's Guide to the Silver Flame

Couatl Artifacts

The Ghaash’kala strongholds were originally built by the couatl and guarded by the Shulassakar. These strongholds contained couatl relics from the Age of Demons.

One example was the greatsword Kloinjer, which Tira Miron claimed during the Year of Blood and Fire. As the Ghaash’kala believe they are tainted by the Demon Wastes, they say they aren’t worthy to wield these relics. Furthermore, taking these relics out of the strongholds risks losing them, which the Ghaash’kala find unconscionable.

All the relics the Ghaash’kala protect are waiting for a fated champion to claim them, proving to the Ghaash’kala that they are worthy of doing so. Very few of the overlords are bound near the Labyrinth, meaning the Ghaash’kala are unlikely to ever have cause to wield the weapons they guard themselves. What other weapons or artifacts might the Ghaash’kala be guarding? If your campaign involves the release or partial release of an overlord, then the Ghaash’kala are one possible source of items or boons to help your players face such an insurmountable foe.

The exact nature of the relic could very well be tied to the foe it is designed to be used against. Statistics for Kloinjer are provided later in this book, which might specifically counter Bel Shalor’s immunity to radiant damage. When creating such relics, consider how they might interact with (and potentially counter) the strengths of each overlord. A relic designed to combat Katashka might protect against effects that would lower a creature’s maximum hit points or provide resistance to necrotic damage in a radius around the wielder, while a relic designed to combat Sul Khatesh could circumvent anti-magic fields or prevent spellcasting.

Carrion Tribe Invasion

It’s been a few centuries since a large-scale Carrion Tribe invasion of the Labyrinth, and another is surely due soon. The Razor Wind tribe have recently recovered shard of Rak Tulkhesh’s prison, roughly the size of a human head, which has inspired them to ever greater acts of war and violence.

The Razor Wind tribe, pushed by the Shadowsword and the shard, have been subjugating or uniting other Carrion Tribes. They have recently built up a force large enough to attempt to storm the Labyrinth. The Ghaash’kala have dealt with such threats before, but the shard is likely to influence them as well. It also enables the tribe to summon fiends to fight on their side.

Even if the invasion is successfully repelled (with the aid of the player characters, of course), the Ghaash’kala have the shard to deal with. The Ghaash’kala already believe themselves tainted by the Demon Wastes but aren’t going to risk further corruption by having the shard within one of their strongholds. What could they do with it, and how can the player characters help them?

Lost Knowledge

The Ghaash’kala have access to the ruins of the Shulassakar, and ancient secrets related to combating the threats of the Demon Wastes. Even spells such as true seeing will fail to reveal a rakshasa, but the Ghaash’kala have ways of detecting fiends in their midst. The Brand of the Binding Flame would also be invaluable for anyone directly dealing with fiends or incorporeal undead, and the Ghaash’kala are the only ones who know how to imbue their tattoos with the required magic.

The player characters could seek out the Ghaash’kala to gain access to this knowledge or gain training or secrets that will aid them in fighting an enemy they are aware of but don’t currently have the means to confront.

How do the player characters convince the Ghaash’kala to teach them, and more importantly, how do they convince the Ghaash’kala to allow them to leave afterwards?

Within a culture of steadfast warriors, the kizshmit (’chieftains’) stand at the summit. Each is a peerless warrior who leads their clan in military matters, often on the front lines. Kizshmit are not elected in any way, but are simply regarded throughout the clan as the military leader out of mutual respect.

The following rumor tables are meant to highlight what clans might have heard about other kizshmits, and the deeds that may have earned them their titles. These can be used to add depth to the chieftains, who will likely play an important role in a Demon Wastes campaign.

A kizshmit can be represented mechanically using the stat block in the Bestiary chapter in combination with the added Clan traits. It is recommended to give them further specialised abilities dependent on their achievements.

Jaasakah Kizshmit - Svaash Ramaal:

d4 Rumors

1. Ramaal became kizshmit after tearing the head off a goristro with his bare hands.
2. Ramaal bears countless scars from a fight against the Shadowsword while defending a comrade. They glow silver when the warrior rages in battle.
3. The Jaasakah kizshmit sleeps outside the walls of their own clanhold in order to kill fiends more often.
4. Svaash Ramaal chopped the former chieftain of the Razor Wind in two lengthways.

Kastar Kizshmit - Maalo Sahai -

d4 Rumors

1. Sahai is so stealthy that no one has ever seen her enter or exit a room. She simply appears and is gone.
2. Sahai wears a cloak stolen from an ancient mummy lord that lets her slip into the Endless Night and walk through walls like a ghost.
3. Sahai became kizshmit after killing a camp of 40 Plaguebearer warrios alone without any of them noticing.
4. She’s too embarrased to bring it into Kastar Dar, but the kizshmit there has a pet demiplanar hydra that she feeds Khyber fiends to.

Maruk Kizshmit – Torgaan Shashaarat

d4 Rumors

1. The chieftain of the Maruk once fought off Korliac of the Grey Flame by summoning a tide of radiant fire from the Kalok Shash.
2. Shasharaat is a former Razor Wind tribesman so devout that she rose to become kizshmit.
3. The Maruk kizshmit wields a burning Flamebound longsword that detects rakshasa – and thirsts for their death.
4. Shasharaat carries an immense iron shield forged from the weapons of every Carrion chieftain she has killed.

Vaanka Kizshmit - Dal’kal Malfonn

d4 Rumors

1. The Vaanka kizshmit bears the title of ‘Starbow’ after striking a vrock from the sky at a distance of 1000 feet.
2. Malfonn is said to ride on a flameblessed dragonhawk* with shimmering feathers in defense of Wyrm’s Grasp
3. The kizshmit of the Vaanka is said to be an old friend of the Greatpine Oalion, and regularly corresponds with him via animal messenger.
4. Dal’kal Malfonn is rumored to be a powerful werebear with complete control over her therianthropy who fights with divine magic and primal strength.

Source: Paladins of the Wastes

Daily Life

The Ghaash’kala are divided into kala (‘guardians’) and drok (‘hands’) - those who fight on the front-lines, and the noncombatants that support them. Both groups are crucial for their survival, with the drok including the young, the elderly, and those who take up key community roles. These craftsmen, laborers, teachers, and trainers form the foundation of the Ghaash’kala. Without them, there would be no fight. The majority of these clanspeople live their entire lives in their respective fortresses, ensuring their relative safety and reducing corruption from the Wastes.

The role of each drok depends on their aptitudes and abilities. Each person understands that their work is vital, and food and skills are shared without hesitation to keep the entire clan working smoothly. Most meals are eaten as a community, with large amounts cooked at once to save on precious food. These gatherings tend to be when news is given, announcements are made, and warriors can relax with their friends and family. Additionally, each clan maintains large ‘hunter’s pots’ - eternally cooking stews which warriors can eat from, and give to, as they come and go.

The cooks of the Ghaash’kala are among the most valued and highly-trained members of the clans. An average day might involve kala bringing back purple worm tongues, half of a hydra, and bloodtree fruit, all of which needs to be safely prepared and cooked en masse. Typically, chefs specialize in different areas, with techniques passed down from master to apprentice for hundreds of years. Presentation isn’t usually a concern, but taste is a matter of pride.

Young Ghaash’kala are rarely raised by their parents, who may be warriors with duties outside the Clanhold. Instead, children of similar age are raised together by carers, who teach them practical skills and knowledge of the Wastes. All acolytes are trained in the weapons of their clan, and spar frequently alongside regular practice in a practical skill of their choosing.

Demiplane Resources

For those of the Wastes, survival is law. Food, water, and shelter are daily treasures. This is a land irradiated by evil, and simply finding resources to survive puts one in extreme peril. Unlike the Carrion Tribes, the Ghaash’kala do not claim territory beyond their fortresses, for the Labyrinth is temperamental, bleak and ever-changing. Instead, the guardians gather resources from a different world entirely - the demiplanes of Khyber beneath their feet.

With the Labyrinth containing myriad entrances to the underground realm, it is possible to enter a massive variety of demiplanes and harvest their resources to survive. There are 13 different demiplanes used by the Ghaash’kala, with each providing a different necessity - and very different dangers.

Millennia of practice have rendered the Ghaash’kala into perfect demiplane hunters. Medicine, food, armor, weaponry - all can be found by those with the right expertise. The routes to each demiplane are marked with symbols akin to Thieves’s Cant that guide hunting parties through Khyber. Decades of hunters have pushed these directions further and further, creating a secret underground map of the regions below Ghaash’kala territory. The warriors themselves proceed on foot, equipped with specialist tools for the task at hand. Hunting balewolves in the Abyssal Forest is a very different challenge to cutting cryovines from the Pinnacles Sublime.

These journeys into the Realm Below are solemn affairs, for Khyber takes no prisoners. Wandering fiends and monsters stalk the halls of stone, and every demiplane is innately malevolent. Even worse, the Ghaash’kala believe that being in Khyber is innately corruptive, for this is the birthplace of the overlords, and the heart of all evil. Staying in Khyber for too long stains the soul - a cost that the Ghost Guardians accept without hesitation.

The People of Khyber

Beyond the native threats of each demiplane, the methods of the Ghaash’kala put them at odds with a number of other cultures. The goblinoid Heirs of Dhakaan dwell within underground vaults, and also make use of some demiplanes; notably, the Kech Shaarat have an outpost in the Ironlands and deal with the local fiends to secure weaponry. It is possible that the Ghaash’kala attacks on these fiends have put the two factions at odds, resulting in an underground war between ancient peoples completely unknown to the nations above.

More dangerously, the Carrion Tribes are not the only descendants of Ohr Kaluun that reached Khorvaire. The Venomous Demesne of Droaam and the demiplanar city of Saavra Kaluun are both cultures that make extensive use of Khyber’s bounty. While both cities send out their lower castes and peons to gather dangerous resources, their people are fundamentally tieflings. While the Demesne is willing to make pacts with anything, fiendish or not, the Saavra are potent overlord cultists. The Ghaash’kala, used to the sakah of the Wastes, are conditioned to strike first against fel’gha (‘tainted souls’) and ask questions later. The result is an underground war using demiplanes as battlefields - and a mortal proxy for the eternal battle between the couatl and the fiends.

Ghaash’kala Raiding Party Quests:

1. Cut icy cryovines from the cliffs of the Pinnacles Sublime.
2. Track balewolves in the Abyssal Forest for their hide.
3. Forage for the glowing mushrooms of the Glitterdrift for lanterns.
4. Harvest anaesthetics from the plants of the Twilight Jungle.
5. Tap magic inks and poisons from the trees of the Abyssal Forest.
6. Kill fiends in the Ironlands to salvage their weaponry

Animal Companions

Within the boundaries of their limited food, water and space, the Ghaash’kala maintain a select few animals for use as mounts. Kala are bestowed mounts for defense, scouting and communication, with some even taming their own from the beasts of the Wastes. While treated well (with the same philosophy as tools and weapons) these animals are strictly for utilitarian purposes.

The Maruk favor hardy giant goats capable of traversing the terrain of the Labyrinth, should an emergency come to pass, or a fiend be in danger of escaping their reach. In comparison, the Jaasakah favor giant wolverines for their ability to rend Carrion tribesmen to shreds (which are then summarily eaten). The Vaanka maintain a roost of dragonhawks granted long ago by the Reaches; these powerful beasts are prized for their speed, and used to deliver critical missives to the other clans. It’s not uncommon for the Vaanka sar’malaan to take to the air and strike down vrocks from hawk-back during major assaults.

Ever contrarian, the Kastar see no benefit in riding mounts through the unpredictable and cramped Realm Below. Instead, some hunters have managed to tame shadow mastiffs from the demiplane known as the Glitterdrift; the disturbing pack animals are excellent for tracking down rare prey during Khyber raids, and only grow stronger in dark underground conditions. Taking a pack of shadow mastiffs on a raid is only allowed with the permission of the sar’malaan, although individual hunters often keep their mastiffs with them while at home in the Wraith-Hold.

Artifice

Flaywinds, flash floods and sandstorms. Scorching heat and howling blizzards. Demon claws and Carrion arrows. All leave their mark, in time. The tools of the Ghaash’kala are cared for with the respect they deserve, for they care for their wielders in turn. Whether defending their fortress homes, journeying into Khyber, or trekking through the wastes, a Ghaash’kala’s life lies always with their tools.

It is only natural then that those few artificers present in the Ghaash’kala are treated as vital assets, both for the community and for the war at large. As part of survival and life in the Wastes, each member of a clan typically picks up some form of craftwork or trade, from leatherworking and cooking to weaving and cobbling. The diversity provides flexibility in squads of kala on expeditions, and helps to bind the community together via the exchange of favors. Those that show exceptional skill in their craft often remain as drok rather than taking up arms, as their value to the clan is too important to risk. These individuals are the true artificers of the Ghaash’kala, though the word itself would be utterly alien to them. They are simply the hands of the clan, and take it as their pride to defend their homes and outfit the kala for battle.

The methods through which they maintain and create magic items vary massively depending on their expertise; a skilled leatherworker might be charged with stitching arcane armor from the hides of demiplane monsters, while a sakah tiefling might blow demonglass into obsidian knives. Guardians originating from Khyber often find themselves welcomed as craftspeople for their unique expertise; it is possible that a Mror dwarf and a tiefling of Rak Tulkhesh might create Demon armor together in the forge of the Precipice. Meanwhile, atop Wyrm’s Grasp, a firbolg of the Twilight Demesne might brew potions with the guidance of a refugee from the Umbragen drow.

Unusual Artificers

Demiplane armorer - Half-Orc - Taazran Sharket (she/her) is the most skilled leatherworker in the Wraith-Hold. Trained by her mother in the intricacies of demiplanar materials, the half-orc prepares the bizarre and magical hides delivered by Kastar hunters. The arcane light armor she creates is worn as a mark of pride by the kala - from phase spider bracers to blisterliger studded leather.

Demonglass shaper - Tiefling - Kuvhane of Glass (they/them) is a sakah tiefling of Rak Tulkhesh, with horns of jagged steel and eyes of solid crimson. After years of crafting weapons for the Razor Wind, the tiefling found something rare and new in their work — peace. The Voice guided them to the Jasaakah, where they reshape demonglass into impossibly sharp weaponry, not by carving it, but by spiritually conquering its fiendish essence.

Divine spell calligrapher - Orc - Jhirza Suusha (he/him) of the Maruk, son of the current sar’malaan, is one of the clan’s most devout korta. The militant scribe interprets and records the words of the Korta’shash onto leather scrolls; these are then taken into the Labyrinth by traveling squads of kala. Each is a prayer or liturgy that acts as a Spell scroll for emergency situations. These range from lesser restoration to aura of life, and help to reduce casualties during special missions.

Magic tattoo artist - Elf - Herrien Redtooth (she/her) is a former Ashbound druid that accompanied the hero Benin Silverclaw into the Wastes. Injured in the labyrinth, the elf remained with the Jaasakah to await Silverclaw’s return. The years of silence since have held a weighing sorrow. She now serves as a tattoo artist for the Jaasakah, blending the traditional artistry of the Eldeen with the magic dyes and brands that mark the ancient warriors.

Umbragen shadowstitcher - Drow - Lailari Dzuka (they/them) is a unique figure within the Maruk; the reserved drow was rescued from a marauding beholder that slew their squadmates. Now, they devote their knowledge of Qabalrin craftmanship to thank the grandchildren of their saviors - and pull their own soul from the dark Umbra to the light of the Kalok Shash. Dzuka is capable of stitching solid shadow into garments that cloak the movements of their wielders; these Cloaks and Boots of Elvenkind are frighteningly effective, for the enemies of the Maruk are used to loud grating armor — and not silent Paladins waiting in ambush.

Ironlands blacksmith - Half-Orc - Tezkori Raas (she/her) smelts and reforges the weaponry taken by Kastar hunters from the Ironlands. The metallic demiplane contains bands of fiends who wield weapons of mithril, adamantine and byeshk. Raas is known for her skill at the forge, and takes on requests to turn these rare metals into sharp and lightweight knives, scimitars, and arrowtips for the clan.

Divine Affections

Each Ghaash’kala fortress is sustained and protected by ancient artifacts created by the couatl. These Divine Affections are priceless beyond measure; without them, each fortress would not just fall, but become utterly inhospitable. Their replication is all but impossible, for their inner workings and construction are known only to their ancient creators. The Ghaash’kala lack all knowledge of the inner workings of the Affections, preventing any attempts at divining their magic. Each is wrought with layers of divine wards and formed from the substance known as songsilver - the couatl’s indestructible mirror of demonglass. These measures have ensured their survival since the Age of Demons, for even when a fortress falls, the Affections remain.

The workings of each Affection might derive their power from a number of sources, with massive implications for the survival of the Ghaash’kala. The partial destruction of an Affection could place an entire fortress in jeopardy. This provides a powerful plot hook for the players to gain favor by defending against a Carrion invasion, or repairing a sabotaged Affection. Similarly, the creation or recovery of a new Affection might strengthen their position in the Labyrinth, or even support the creation of a new clan fortress.

Divine Affection Examples:

• Silver Wellspring - The Silver Wellspring of the Maruk is akin to a divine Alchemy Jug, producing vast amounts of water, oil and other liquids for the desert fortress.
• Argent Lantern - The hanging artificial suns of Clan Kastar sustain their home, allowing them to grow food beneath the Labyrinth.
• The Serpent’s Eye - The orrery of the Vaanka can be used to cast locate creature over a massive area, warning the Guardians of approaching demonic assaults. The
• Binding Coil - Sitting at the heart of Jasaakah’s Precipice, the Coil channels the Risian manifest zone to cast gentle repose and death ward in a wide area, protecting the raging warriors from death.
• Hammer of Truth - The Hammers of Truth lie at several major chokepoints in the Labyrinth; these enchanted songsilver bells blast away fiendish disguises with the force of their harmony.
• Hallowflame - The ever-lit torches known as Hallowflames burn in the deep vaults of the Ghaash’kala, protecting their relics with hallow and the blocking of teleportation.

Weaponry

Longbows, shortswords, knives and hammers. Pikes, glaives, spears and mauls. Anything made to kill can be put to use, for the Ghaash’kala are anything but picky. The weaponry of the Clans falls into three categories out of necessity and duty; the arms of the rank and the file, kindled ancestral weapons, and the sacred relics of the couatl – venerated tools for slaying fiends wielded by the chosen of the divine.

While each clan favors different groups of weapons due to the different ways in which they fight, a kala is anything but picky. It is not uncommon for a warrior to shatter their notched and tarnished blade in the body of a fiend, only to pick up their enemy’s weapon and return to the fray. With few skilled blacksmiths and no way of accessing metal outside of Khyber, the average kala wields a scattered assortment of weaponry that fits their fighting style as best as they can, with blades and hilts worn from use and the calluses of their forebears. Each kala understands that their tools are their lifeline, and maintains their arms to the best of their ability, carrying whetstones and sewing kits for emergency repairs – but cracks and chips are all too common.

Much of the arsenal of each clan is pillaged and captured from their enemies, resulting in a jigsaw of Carrion Tribe craftwork and demiplanar loot. Even the weaponry of fiends is not taboo. Origin is irrelevant - the only thing that matters is effectiveness. This extends to cursed weapons and jagged blades forged from demonglass; no matter the corruption that each might bring, the wielder is content to die for it, as long as their use serves the Kalok Shash.

Flamebound Weaponry

The heroes of the Ghaash’kala may live on in the Kalok Shash, but their deeds live on in the songs of their kin. Champions of the faith are named for their deeds, becoming martyrs of the Flame. Some used weapons or tools that form part of their story, just as Tira Miron once wielded the legendary Kloijner. Known as Flamebound weapons, the collective faith of the Ghaash’kala and the weight of their deeds manifests as divine power - and often, as sentience. These ‘Flamebound’ spirits are considered to be part of the souls of these legendary champions, left free by the Kalok Shash to protect their kin.

Attempting to attune to a Flamebound weapon runs the risk of rejection by these warrior spirits, who often demand one match the will of their heroic partner. This varies for each weapon depending on their legends. Some require a similar personality, ranging from steadfast heroism to terrifying brutality. Others require the pursuit of a goal. For the most dangerous, this means hard vengeance. Heroes slain by infamous fiends may have weapons that crave the taste of their vile blood, driving their wielders for revenge. Such swords have two edges - one for their target, and one for a kala unwilling to hunt them.

The strength and sentience of the spirit inhabiting a Flamebound weapon depends on the reverence held by the Ghaash’kala. Some may simply convey emotions and feelings to their new owners; others may attempt to overpower the will of an unprepared warrior, using them as a tool in turn until they die in battle or collapse from exhaustion.

Example Flamebound Weapons:

The mechanics for the following weapons can be found in the Magic Items chapter.

Vozharh (’Horncleave’) - Greataxe of Jaargan Mazebreaker - The Mazebreaker led a counterattack by the Jasaakah against the forces of the Horned Prince. Embedded with shards of broken goristo teeth, the axe craves the blood of minotaurs and horned fiends that serve Tol Kharash.

Ghaashi’to’vak (’Teeth of the Wraith’) - Twin Scimitars of the Felraven - The most daring hunter of Clan Kastar is said to have spent over a year in Khyber, where she carved these scimitars from the spine of a balhannoth. An aspiring bearer must hunt a monster considered worthy of their moody respect to wield their full power.

Kort’uka (’Soliloquy’) - Spear of Grenva Sar'malaan - This unassuming spear of wood and iron was wielded by the first chieftain of the Vaanka as they established Wyrm's Grasp. The spear is warm and comforting, steadying a true and just wielder through the darkest of times - and granting glimpses of hidden enemies in their path.

Couatl Weaponry

The only weapons that the Ghaash’kala never use are those entrusted to them by their faith. The vaults and reliquaries of the clanholds contain weapons formed from the Binding Flame itself. Each is fated to be wielded by a champion of prophecy, and the Ghaash’kala see it as their duty to safeguard such treasures for the darkest of days. The most famous of these treasures is the blade Kloinjer, wielded by Tira Miron of Thrane in her fated battle against Bel Shalor. Formed from the sacrifice of the couatl of the same name, Kloinjer stands in the center of Flamekeep, maintaining the seal on the Overlord itself. Nothing short of an Overlord’s imminent release would cause the Ghaash’kala to even consider bestowing such a weapon, and a champion of the Silver Flame would be tasked with the impossible to prove their right to bear it.

The most powerful of these weapons are themselves couatl, frozen into songsilver to last the ages. Each is the bane of a particular Overlord, with the individual couatl embodying the opposing concept of that archfiend. How the couatl knew to take such an action is a mystery. Perhaps Hezcalipa, who worked with Ourelonastrix to discover the Prophecy, foresaw far enough to know their necessity; perhaps the weapons are simply failsafes. A last resort, kept at the end of the world, should the apocalypse once again come to pass.

Those that discover the existence of such weapons often find it bizarre that they remain locked away; after all, why would the practical Ghaash’kala not use the most powerful weapons they have? The taboo is an equal mix of logic and belief. The clans believe without any doubt that they are unalterably corrupted by living in the Demon Wastes. As a result, to wield weapons of such celestial purity would be a revolting affront both to the weapons and to the Kalok Shash; visitors to the Wastes, while also tainted, might spend only a short amount of time there if they can truly prove themselves worthy. As a result, while seen as soft innocents, they are naturally far less tainted by the demonic environment.

The other reason is one of subterfuge and infiltration; many fiends specialize in illusions and deception, with abilities that allow them to insert themselves into the Ghaash’kala like hidden parasites. While the clans naturally do their best to prevent this, a single slip-up could be fatal - and if a fiend gained access to the deep vaults, it would be catastrophic. The theft or loss of such weapons could result in a doomed future where the exact tool needed to reseal an escaped Overlord was lost, consigned to Ashtakala or the Lake of Fire.

Armor and Apparel

In the Demon Wastes, weather and temperature are as deadly as any foe. Roiling flaywinds, freezing blizzards, vast dust storms and acid rain sweep across the landscape, driven by the wills of dueling Overlords. There are no patterns, consistency or logic – just signs on the horizon and the smell of the coming storm. Those Ghaash’kala that leave the protection of their strongholds must dress accordingly, with clothing and armor suitable for as many disadvantages as possible. In general, the volcanic activity and lingering magic means that the southern wastes are under desert heat, while the northern wastes stretch into snowy tundra and blasted pine. Weather from both extremes flows into the Labyrinth, resulting in awful storms and bizarre weather to make House Lyrandar weep.

Within the confines of the materials available to them, the Ghaash’kala eschew heavy metal armor, both to save precious resources and prevent heat exhaustion. Instead, most Kala wear a mishmash of metal and carved bone, favoring comfort and mobility whilst protecting vital points. Beneath, they wear dyed fabrics and wrappings that fit tight to their body, woven from plant fibers retrieved from the demiplanar Abyssal Forest; the toxic jungle produces flora heavily resistant to poison and disease – a critical protection against the vile Demon Wastes, and the even viler Plaguebringer tribe. The loose sarongs and wrappings help to prevent overheating, and can be quickly repurposed as headscarves and face masks for dust, or tightened and bound in layers for snap-freezes. While the fabrics are dyed in ochre reds and browns as camouflage in the Labyrinth, the only major decoration comes from the symbol of each clan, which members keep revealed on their person in case different kala come together on a routine hunt or patrol.

Clan Fashion

Beyond this general apparel, each clan naturally has their own preferences based on environment and fighting style. The Jasaakah tend towards heavier furs and cloaks to ward off the cold – often skinned off slain goristro or the elemental mammoths of the demiplanar Pinnacles Sublime.

The Kastar maintain their own unusual tradition of utter uniformity; each member of a Kastar cadre wears a headscarf and mask at all times with coordinated dress that renders them identical. The effect is psychological but devastating; when the cadre strikes, their foes struggle to identify just how many of the Kastar there are, and cannot keep track of individual kala. As a result, just a few Kastar attacking in sync can appear as a full force of warriors surrounding their prey. The Vaanka typically bear personal tokens of nature woven into their clothing; scraps of birch wood, a braid woven with flowers or a face-mask scented with lavender all act as reminders of what the Final Clan protects at all cost. In comparison, the Maruk are marked by one simple trend - fabric and bone dyed shining silver as a mark of devotion to the Kalok Shash.

Beyond these trends, it is common for individual Kala to bear trophies and carvings from their battles. Many, especially those retrieved from Khyber demiplanes, contain minor magical properties and functions used for survival and warfare. Gorgon-hide pauldrons, beholderkin eyes, nightmare hooves and blisterliger claws all earn respect as much as battle-scars. The most common ornamentation are sections of bone and horn hacked off the bodies of fallen fiends; while grotesque and not always magical in any way, such grisly trophies hold a much more important purpose. They infuriate the Carrion Tribes above all else. The Tribes’ fiendish worship places fiends as holy beings, and the desecration of their bodies is an offensive sin, driving them into deep rage – and hampering their decision-making. Beyond that, more than one weaponless Ghaash’kala has survived by applying a goristro horn to a leering face. In the Demon Wastes you need every edge you can get. Literally.

Source: Paladins of the Wastes

The most powerful foes that the Ghaash’kala face are servants of the Overlords, known as the Lords of Dust. Unlike roaming demiplanar fiends, the Lords of Dust have purpose, intelligence, and malice. The most elite — the prakhutu (‘speakers’) — are the right-hands of the Overlords themselves, and have had millennia to cultivate their power. The names of the Shadowsword, the Bloody Scribe and Korliac of the Grey Flame have been spoken in hatred by generations of Ghaash’kala, and for good reason.

The magic of the Labyrinth blocks magical teleportation, and the city of Ashtakala is obscured by a storm of dust and obsidian with a similar effect. As a result, the Lords of Dust cannot teleport directly into the Demon Wastes, nor to the city where they meet. They must either traverse the Labyrinth, or emerge from Khyber into the Wastes, in order to meet with their peers. The sole exception is the leader of the Lords of Dust and Librarian of Ashtakala - the legendary prakhutu of Sul Khatesh known as Hektula, the Bloody Scribe. As part of her duties, the Bloody Scribe has a passageway from Sul Khatesh’s Heart demiplane, the Tower of Shadows, directly into the city of Ashtakala. For her peers, conflict with the Ghaash’kala is all common, with a constant arms race of magic and deception between the fiends and their perpetual enemies.

The Ghaash’kala cannot kill the Lords of Dust for good (they simply reform in their overlord’s Heart demiplane), but any Lord that falls is massively shamed, takes time to recover, and is unable to meet with their fellow lords. As a result, the prakhutu use the Labyrinth as a thresher for the chaff in their ranks. Any fiend discovered and slain by the Ghaash’kala is clearly too weak, dumb or careless to be entrusted with plans. If they united, the Lords could easily sweep the Ghaash’kala from existence with spells and hellfire, but they know that the Voice will always call them back - and as such, they have learnt to make use of them instead. Similarly, the Lords have no love for demiplanar fiends; constantly releasing them into the Reaches might interfere with their prophetic plans, kill people of use to them, or train the mortals on how best to fight back against fiends.

Source: Paladins of the Wastes