Sovereign Swords

Although the group’s numbers fluctuate with casualties and new recruits, there are approximately one hundred members of the Sovereign Swords. They are split into three platoons and supplemented by a handful of solo operatives (mostly sentinel marshals). Each platoon operates in a different region of the Five Nations, moving in a circular pattern across Khorvaire. The marshals operate in the space between, tackling problems that require only the work of an individual.

People have many reasons to be suspicious of the Sovereign Swords. The Sovereigns have never taken such an active role in the world before. The Swords are willing to lay down their lives for complete strangers. What’s the catch?

The simple truth is that most of them are devout soldiers who believe that they are guided and empowered by the Sovereigns. They fight because they consider it to be a divine mission. Detecting lies through magical means and using telepathy won’t find any dark secrets because they don’t have dark secrets to hide. Instead, their dreams bring visions from the Sovereigns. These visions guide them in their missions and inform them of the dangers that lie ahead.

As it turns out, the soldiers’ visions are scripted by the Dreaming Dark. The quori watch the world through dreams and have spies scattered across Khorvaire. It’s not Boldrei who tells a lieutenant about the bandit threat in Passage—it’s a quori who has been monitoring the situation for weeks. In some cases, the Dreaming Dark creates problems for the Sovereign Swords to solve. Through manipulation of dreams and their other pawns, the quori can exacerbate existing tensions and push unstable individuals over the edge. Thus, a situation that’s been holding steady might reach a boiling point just as the Swords are closing in on the community. Their arrival seems prescient, but in reality, it’s been carefully staged.

What is the point of this elaborate ruse? Why is the Dreaming Dark manufacturing heroes and enemies for them to fight?

The ultimate goal of the Dreaming Dark is to conquer Khorvaire, just as it conquered Sarlona long ago. The fiends don’t want open war between Riedra and the Five Nations; the chaos caused by such a conflict would threaten the stability of Dal Quor, and there’s no assurance that Riedra would win in the end. The Dreaming Dark is manufacturing heroes because one day, it will create a disaster on the scale of the Mourning—a disaster that threatens all of Khorvaire. And when that time comes, a group of heroes will step forward. By then, everyone in Khorvaire will know the selfless reputation of the Sovereign Swords. These champions will lead the people to a new age, one ruled by the living avatars of the Sovereign Host.

Rather than bringing the Inspired to Khorvaire, the Dreaming Dark is making new Inspired that the people of the Five Nations will follow of their own free will—unless the adventurers figure out what’s going on first

The Sovereign Swords are few in number, but every full member of the company wields supernatural power. A soldier blessed by Dol Dorn moves with astonishing speed and strikes with stunning force. An officer chosen by Dol Arrah can grant strength and power to his or her allies with a word. These gifts add fuel to the growing legend of the soldiers empowered by the Sovereigns.

As with much about the Swords, these blessings aren’t what they appear. The powers aren’t divine in nature; they are psionic. The Sovereign Swords are battleminds and ardents, psychic warriors who transform their faith into power. Psionics are rare in Khorvaire, and few people understand these arts well enough to recognize them—especially because the techniques used by the Swords are blended with religious trappings and fervor.

The Swords believe that their abilities are gifts of the Sovereigns. They don’t realize that they don’t need to invoke the gods to use their psionic powers

Among the Swords, different levels of power and awareness exist.

Pawns: Most of the Swords are exactly what they appear to be. Their powers are psionic as opposed to divine, but the gifts are still fueled by the soldiers’ faith.

Mind Seeds: The true patron of the Sovereign Swords is a kalaraq quori named Lashtaqala. This fiend has the power to hollow out a mortal mind and replace it with his own personality, a technique known as mind seed. A seed takes time to germinate, and during this period, the victim appears disoriented and confused. Once this process is complete, the victim’s personality is replaced with that of Lashtaqala. Mind seeds are the only members of the Swords who know that they are working for the Dreaming Dark. They are the secret coordinators who ensure that the Swords do what the Dreaming Dark wants them to do.

Lashtaqala prefers not to place his mind seeds in obvious positions of leadership because magic or telepathy can expose them as liars and schemers. Instead, most mind seeds are pawns such as old drill sergeants, naïve squires, and the like. They are people who can influence the opinions of others with a few well-placed words while seeming uninvolved. In truth, mind seeds are among the most powerful of the Swords because Lashtaqala has unlocked their psionic potential. But they keep their full abilities hidden unless forced into the open.

Vessels: The most blessed members of the Sovereign Swords are known as vessels. Just as the couatl empowered Tira Miron to fight for the Silver Flame, each soldier has formed a bond with an angel of the Sovereign Host. The celestial advises and strengthens its vessel, and in times of great peril, it can seize control of the vessel’s body and fight on his or her behalf.

Needless to say, the spirits occupying these vessels aren’t angels; they are fiends from the nightmare realm. Most are tsucora quori, though a few hashalaq quori guide the mediators and priests. These spirits generally remain in a passive role, offering advice and passing along the so-called words of the Sovereigns. Through their hosts, they teach the Swords the prayers and techniques that have produced a corps of ardents and battleminds. As long as a spirit remains passive, divination and similar effects can’t detect its hostile intent; the vessel is the dominant mind and believes that the fiendish rider is benign. Once a quori has been let in, though, it can seize full control of its vessel.

What differentiates these hosts from the Inspired of Sarlona is that the mortal has to voluntarily allow the spirit in at the start. One of the Inspired can never resist a quori spirit. If a Sword vessel realizes the true nature of the quori and somehow exorcises it, the vessel can prevent it from regaining access to his or her mind.

Most officers and priests of the Swords are vessels, along with the independent sentinel marshals who work with the company. Harkan d’Deneith accepted a quori spirit as a divine guide years before the Mourning, and he is utterly convinced of the benevolence of his spiritual companion.

The Sovereign Swords are vigilantes. Why do the leaders of the Five Nations allow them to operate?

The first answer lies in the Swords’ ties to House Deneith. Although the Swords aren’t an official arm of the house, many of its members are Deneith heirs and sentinel marshals. There is a long history of communities hiring Deneith soldiers to fight bandits when their lords won’t do it; the difference here is that the Swords act for free.

In addition, the Swords remain in motion, they solve problems that the local authorities can’t handle, and they are extremely popular. Individual lords might have doubts about the Swords, but overall, it’s better to be seen as part of the solution than as a force opposing it.

What about the Sovereigns—why do they allow this mockery to act in their name? Well, the deities don’t actually empower the Swords, and because the soldiers are devout believers who are convinced that they are doing good deeds, the Sovereigns might be fooled. Even if they are aware of the truth and feel an urge to act, it’s not their way to intervene directly. If they choose to interfere, they will likely act through a mortal party such as the adventurers.

There are many ways to work the Sovereign Swords into a campaign. First, decide whether they will appear as allies, rivals, or enemies.

As allies, the Swords can support the adventurers when a situation spreads beyond the party’s control. A sentinel marshal aligned with the Swords can provide the adventurers with vital information and, in return, call on them for aid. The Swords are an excellent choice when the heroes need the cavalry to come riding over the hill because that’s exactly what they do: show up where they are most needed and ride off to wherever the Sovereigns send them next.

As rivals, the Swords can compete with the adventurers to complete the same missions. Typically, the Swords are driven by altruism. If the characters are working for profit or a particular faction, the intervention of the Swords could jeopardize their mission. This possibility is particularly relevant for heroes aligned with the King’s Citadel or another secret service. The actions of the Swords might not only interfere with the heroes’ objective but also expose the secret agenda of their employers (which could be why the quori sent the Swords). And yet, the motives of the Swords are, if anything, purer than those of the heroes.

As enemies, the Sovereign Swords could be more corrupt than they appear. By default, the Swords truly believe in their mission and their faith, but you could decide that the Swords are conscious, willing agents of the Dark. They play the role of champions in the light but are always working against the party. This option is especially appropriate if the campaign has any kalashtar adventurers because, as a race, the kalashtar are locked in a struggle with the Dreaming Dark.

Here are a few more options to consider.

• A battlemind or ardent character could begin the campaign as a member of the Sovereign Swords. With the exception of the mind seeds and those possessed by quori, the Swords truly are devout, noble people.
• An adventurer dedicated to the Sovereign Host receives a vision from the deities. He or she is charged with discovering the force that is manipulating the Swords and then freeing the soldiers from its evil. This adventure idea could be combined with the previous option. But how can the quori be exposed, let alone driven out?
• Alternatively, a devout hero begins to have dreams that suggest he or she should work with the Sovereign Swords. Is this a quori trick, or do the interests of the Sovereigns and the actions of the Swords truly coincide?
• An ally of the party begins acting strangely. He or she has been mind-seeded by Lashtaqala and is being used to cause a problem for the Sovereign Swords to fix. This agent might become a rabblerouser stirring up mobs or even a serial killer. If the heroes figure out what’s going on, can they find a way to restore their ally before the damage done is too great?
• The adventurers become friends with Harkan or another possessed Sovereign Sword. When they learn the truth about his condition, they must find a way to exorcise him and convince him not to let the “angel” return. If the quori feels threatened, it seizes control of Harkan. Can the adventurers defeat their friend without killing him?