Chamber

The Draconic Prophecy doesn’t describe a single path for the future. Rather, it is a road map for all the paths that the future might take. Instead of saying, “A six-legged calf will be born in Varna,” a typical segment of the Prophecy might state, “If Boran d’Vadalis builds a farm above the ruins of Shakaal and the calf is conceived when Eberron embraces Kythri, then a six-legged calf will be born in Varna.” The future isn’t set in stone, but part of it can be assured if the right dominos fall. For example, one path in the Prophecy leads to King Boranel’s death by natural causes in 999 YK, while in another he faces Sora Maenya in battle in 1002 YK. The fragments that player characters encounter are just tiny pieces of the whole, and often they are still mutable, but at a certain point events are fixed. Much of the art of the diviner is in seeing enough of the whole to know what paths are yet in flux and what are locked in.

The dragon Ourelonastrix used the Prophecy to reveal ways to defeat rakshasa armies in the ancient war, and it showed the couatls the path they could take to bind the overlords and create the Silver Flame. Although it is a powerful tool even in its presently known state, pieces of the Prophecy are scattered across the world and the heavens, and new elements appear every day. The Lords of Dust, the Undying Court, and even the Twelve are working to manipulate it, but none are so skilled at this craft as the members of the Chamber.

Guardians of Destiny

The dragons of Argonnessen have studied the Prophecy for tens of thousands of years. Those early scholars rarely worked together, though. Greed and pride are powerful forces in a dragon’s heart, and Prophecy marks and personal systems of interpreting signs are among the most valuable treasures in a hoard. Dragon sages engaged in prophetic duels, competing to see whose interpretation of events was more accurate. They conducted most of their studies from their homeland, sometimes using scrying and other forms of magic to examine distant signs—and at other times simply ignoring those that were out of easy reach. No force on Eberron could truly threaten Argonnessen, or so the dragons believed. As a result, they saw no need to hunt down every possible thread.

Two events derailed this train of thought. The first was the appearance of dragonmarks among the lesser races. The Prophecy had undergone a major evolution, and yet the dragons had been passed over. What did this mean? The second event was far more serious. In 298 YK the overlord Bel Shalor broke free from his prison and laid waste to Thrane before being bound once more by Tira Miron. The dragons who studied the event realized that the Lords of Dust had engineered Bel Shalor’s release using their own knowledge of the Prophecy. The Draconic Prophecy no longer belonged to the dragons alone: Demons, deathless, and others were unlocking its secrets and exploiting them. The dragons knew more about the Prophecy than any other creatures in Eberron, but unless they started using that knowledge, they could lose the future.

Shapers and Observers

The Chamber was established following the appearance of the dragonmarks, and its first task was to study their meaning. The Chamber quickly solidified its role when its reports led to the destruction of the line of Vol and of the Mark of Death. Since the release of Bel Shalor, pressure has been increasing on the Chamber to stop other forces from using the Prophecy as a weapon. However, it is not a monolithic organization. Although its members are united in the quest to discover as many threads of the Prophecy as possible, there are two major factions within the Chamber. The preservers believe that history should be allowed to take its own course, and that the Chamber should act only to prevent anyone from using knowledge of the Prophecy to determine the future. The shapers believe that the dragons need to take a proactive role in shaping the future.

These two factions in turn comprise many lesser cabals. Some shapers seek what is best for Argonnessen; others are concerned only with personal power. Although dragons of the Chamber are bound not to fight one another directly, preservers often interfere with shapers’ plans, and any two shapers might have different plans for the future. The dragons unite against the Lords of Dust, the Undying Court, or others who engage in prophetic manipulation. Even then, a Chamber agent with a particularly long view of things might help a Lord of Dust achieve its goal, because this lesser victory is one of the dominos that has to fall for the dragon’s goal to succeed.

Seekers of Victory

Spies and agents of the Chamber are scattered across Khorvaire. Allies within the Chamber share safe houses and even secret identities. For example, “Sentinel Marshal Sorgan d’Deneith” is a persona used by six different dragons; as a marshal, Sorgan can show up anywhere in Karrnath and receive cooperation from local forces.

In some cases, these false faces belong to mortals who were killed so that the dragons could claim their identities; in others, the person is a willing participant in the masquerade. Some humanoid servant families have been working with draconic masters for generations. Family members rarely know the true nature of their patron, but they know it is a great being that has protected them from war and other misfortunes. The dragons also make use of existing intelligence networks. Members of the Chamber hold influential positions in the Dark Lanterns, the Royal Eyes of Aundair, House Phiarlan, House Tharashk, and many more hierarchies.

All these spies and agents use their positions to find new Prophecy marks, monitor the activities of dragonmarked heirs, and most of all, identify and track vectors.

Vectors are the elements—living or inanimate—that play a role in a particular path of the Prophecy. Sometimes these elements are quite obvious; in the earlier example of the six-legged calf, Boran d’Vadalis is a vector. Typically, the Prophecy provides cryptic clues to vectors’ identities instead of names. For example, a vector called “the Child of Six Storms” is probably a Lyrandar heir, perhaps one with six generations of dragonmarked parents. But he or she could also be a storm sorcerer whose powers emerge after being struck by lightning six times. The dragon attempting to follow this thread has to consider all possibilities.

Preservers fight to prevent outside forces from manipulating the vectors they are tracking, while shapers seek to control the vectors they identify. The challenge for the Chamber is that despite the dragons’ individual and collective power, the nature of their work forces them to remain in the background. They are like gardeners: Whether they actively choose which flowers to grow or simply try to keep vermin out, the effort is ultimately about the flowers. The Chamber can only watch and tend. Each agent of the Chamber wants to make a particular story come to pass, but the vector cannot change. If a story is about Duke ir’Kesslan founding Q’barra, then Kesslan must complete that task: A dragon can guide him on the path to becoming king, but killing Kesslan and taking his place would only destroy that path. A dragon can help a hero find the tools he or she needs and provide information about the enemy, but if the path of the Prophecy depends on that hero winning a fight, he or she must win alone.

While monitoring their charges, conducting their missions, or following their studies, Chamber agents must also keep an eye on other secret cabals in their area of Khorvaire. Such tasks are among the most demanding of their duties.

The Lords of Dust: Of all the facets of the Chamber’s agenda on Khorvaire, its dealings with the Lords of Dust are the most important and the most deadly. Dragon and fiend struggle over the Prophecy and, through it, for control over the destiny of Eberron itself. To further their ends, they clash in the shadows. Both groups possess tremendous wealth, inhuman patience, and vast support networks. Even a seemingly random mugging on the street could be part of the shadow war between these ancient enemies.

Despite its loose structure, the Chamber takes steps to defend its operations against the Lords of Dust. The rakshasas have agents spread across Khorvaire, but the dragons know that the greatest strongholds of their immortal enemies are in the Demon Wastes and in Aundair. At least one Chamber agent always operates in each of these areas, monitoring them for unusual activity or ventures into Khyber. A deep-cover agent currently sits on Queen Aurala’s Arcane Congress. The agent cares little for Aurala’s plans (beyond their impact on the Prophecy, of course) but finds the Congress an excellent vantage point from which to watch for warning signs.

The Chamber also keeps a close eye on the Church of the Silver Flame, since the two organizations possess a common enemy in the Lords of Dust. The Church of the Silver Flame poses an additional threat in that it comprises mortals, who are preferred targets of the fiends’ corruption. Chamber agents within the Church not only seek reports on Lord of Dust activity, they also look for signs of corruption in the Church itself. The agents don’t end such corruption if they note it, but seek to trace the taint back to its source in hopes of trapping a minion or ally of the Lords of Dust.

The Aurum: In a sense, the Chamber and the Aurum share a goal. Both organizations gather information so that they can manipulate events and effect change in Khorvaire. The Chamber serves the Prophecy, while the Aurum acts through financial acquisition and political machinations. Over the years, Chamber agents have come to suspect that the Aurum influences politics and trade lines in Khorvaire, though they remain unaware of the true scope of the conspiracy.

Currently, at least one Chamber agent has infiltrated the Aurum and sits on the Platinum Concord. Occasional rumors suggest the existence of the Shadow Cabinet, and the agent is working to gain access to this inner circle. The Aurum, however, likewise suspects the existence of the Chamber or an organization like it. The Shadow Cabinet currently debates whether to allocate resources toward gathering more information about this theoretical organization of dragons.

Cults of the Dragon Below: How Chamber agents interact with a cult of the Dragon Below depends on the cult’s organization and goals. Like the Chamber’s own members, different cultists have individual agendas and go about meeting their goals in a variety of ways.

A Chamber agent could view one cult as a dangerous cabal of lunatics but care little for its operations, as long as the cultists do not interfere with vital work. Another agent might uncover a cult dedicated to releasing an imprisoned rajah, or taking other actions that could be destructive to the Prophecy. Rather than confronting the cultists directly, the agent likely hires minions to eradicate them. In some cases, a confrontation between a particular band of heroes and a cult of the Dragon Below features prominently in the Prophecy, and a Chamber agent takes pains to facilitate that showdown.

The Prophecy is constantly evolving. As the actions of the present open new paths to the future, these routes are revealed in stone and storm, in the convergent motions of moon and plane. A few thousand years ago—within the estimated life span of a gold dragon—the Prophecy revealed itself in a new form.

Dragonmarks.

Traced across the flesh of a number of the lesser races, these sigils are more than a source of mystic power. To a student of the draconic Prophecy, the actions of the dragonmarked provide insight into the paths of the Prophecy, much as a lesser augur might read hints of the future in the movements of birds. The appearance of the dragonmarks sent shock waves across Argonnessen. Why were the marks appearing on humanoids instead of the far more ancient and nobler dragons? Would this give humanoids the power to shift the path of the Prophecy? Some declared that this transition from stone to short-lived flesh was a sign that the Prophecy was nearing its end . . . an end that would herald the death of Eberron and the birth of a new reality.

Many among the militant Light of Siberys urged the Conclave to destroy the dragonmarked, to prevent the Lords of Dust or other enemies from using them. Other dragons argued that this was a manifestation of the will of Eberron, and destroying it would be a blasphemous act that could have cataclysmic results. While the Conclave considered, a new voice was heard in the tumult. Young dragons of all colors challenged the passive philosophy of their elders. The world was changing; this new age called for direct observation and, when necessary, manipulation of the lesser beings. After long debate, the Conclave agreed to give the members of this new movement a chance to explore their theories. Stern warnings were issued about empowering Tiamat, however, and a set of guidelines limiting involvement was drafted. Freed, at least in part, from the restrictions that branded Vvaraak and others anathema, the younger dragons formed the territory known as the Tapestry in Argonnessen. A select few were chosen to travel across the world, to monitor the dragonmarked, to search for other signs of the Prophecy, and to oppose the Lords of Dust and others who worked against the interests of Argonnessen. This group is known as Calemaryx—the Chamber.

Over the course of the last three thousand years, the Chamber has spread across Eberron. Its agents are concentrated in Khorvaire, since this is the center of the dragonmarked, a stronghold of the Lords of Dust, and the nexus for events involving the Prophecy. Many dragons are still dubious about the mission of the Chamber, and the Eyes of Chronepsis are always ready to eliminate any agent of the Chamber who goes too far. It is a dangerous life, but those who serve the Chamber are shaping the future of Eberron.

Conspiracy theorists insist that a network of dragons is hidden in Khorvaire, and these mighty creatures use powerful magic and humanoid agents to work their will across the continent and beyond. These claims are usually dismissed as madness, but they are in fact correct. The Chamber is a cabal of dragons that have monitored Khorvaire for thousands of years, treating humanoids as pawns in an ancient game.

First and foremost, the dragons of the Chamber are observers, gathering information about new aspects of the Prophecy and sharing it with their elders in Argonnessen. They are also charged with stopping any creature that seeks to use the Prophecy for its own ends. This responsibility sets them against the Lords of Dust, who must manipulate the Prophecy in order to release their fiendish overlords. It also leads them to recruit or eliminate any humanoid who learns too much about the Prophecy.

The Chamber is loosely organized. Each dragon monitors its own small corner of the world and maintains a network of humanoid agents. Although the mission of the Chamber is one of observation, individual dragons often have their own agendas. Some seek to manipulate the Prophecy personally, directing the future along a particular path. Others conduct experiments on dragonmarked humanoids, trying to understand the connection between these creatures and the Prophecy. Still others are obsessed with the Lords of Dust engage in century-spanning games of cat-and-mouse with their fiendish counterparts. In general, the Chamber seeks to maintain the status quo and opposes demons, so agents of the Chamber can often be useful allies or patrons. But ultimately humanoids are just pawns in the dragons’ eyes, and they readily sacrifice any of those pawns to ensure the sanctity of the Prophecy and the defeat of the Lords of Dust.

The Chamber and the War

The lives of humanoids and the welfare of their nations mean little to the ancient dragons. A member of the Chamber who is friendly now might turn out to be little more than a war criminal, responsible for horrible atrocities while directing critical events of the war to ensure that a skirmish or an untimely assassination didn’t derail some crucial stanza of the Prophecy. An even more disturbing prospect is that the Mourning might have been orchestrated by the Chamber, either as part of its struggle against the Lords of Dust or even directly in response to the dictates of the Prophecy.

Whatever the truth, the Last War’s impact on the Chamber was small in the grand scheme of things. Planar observatories were damaged here and there, humanoid servants died in droves, and the clash of armies derailed short-term plans. But even the effects of a hundred years of war are minor in the context of plans that span continents and millennia.

The dragons of the Chamber typically use magic to disguise their true nature and move unseen among humanoids. Although their goals of acquiring knowledge and opposing the Lords of Dust can make the dragons suitable as allies, their devotion to their long-term interests can blind them to the short-term impact of their actions.

Chamber NPCs

In a campaign featuring the Chamber, the adventurers might initially carry out simple tasks on behalf of a disguised dragon or secret Chamber agent, not necessarily doing anything shady or villainous, but maneuvering pieces into position so they can play their designated parts. As the campaign unfolds, the dragons of the Chamber might reveal that the adventurers have their own part to play — in particular, perhaps, any member of the party who bears a dragonmark. The Chamber begins interfering in the characters’ activities, for good and for ill, and the Lords of Dust might also get involved. Unfortunately for the adventurers, the dragons are not necessarily any more concerned for their well-being than the Lords of Dust are, and the characters might have to consort or cooperate with demons in order to escape the clutches of the dragons.

Throughout the campaign, the goals of the Chamber might not be readily apparent. Locations such as the planar observatory described here might be able to give the adventurers some insight into the substance of the Prophecy they have become tangled up in, and seers and sages might be able to offer further insight into the different ways that the demons and the dragons could be interpreting those words. Ultimately, the adventurers might be in the position of having to choose between an outcome that is bad for them but good for the world in the long term, or a short-term triumph that carries tremendous risk for the world in the distant (or not too distant) future.

Another possibility is that the adventurers are openly working with the Chamber to gather information on the Prophecy and fight the Lords of Dust.

The Chamber is a loose alliance. Its members share resources (including their agents), and have established a network of safe houses and support across Khorvaire and Stormreach. The dragons gather and share information, and those with common goals sometimes work together.

Still, the dragons of the Chamber have divergent interests. Some wish to recover lost artifacts from the Age of Demons. Some want to observe the lesser races, to see the role they play in the unfolding Prophecy. Others oppose the Lords of Dust and other forces who seek to manipulate the Prophecy. A few wish to manipulate the Prophecy themselves. All dragons of the Chamber are working in the interests of Argonnessen and the dragons as a race—the Eyes of Chronepsis quickly eliminate a dragon who threatens his homeland. But an outcome that is good for Argonnessen might be devastating for Khorvaire.

Although the dragons of the Chamber cooperate, each dragon has his own network of agents. Dragons of the Chamber rarely fight one another, but if they are competing over a particular turning point in the Prophecy, they have no difficulty setting their agents at odds.

The Chamber is a young organization by draconic standards, fewer than four thousand years old. Most Chamber observers are mature adults or younger. Some older dragons are tied to the Chamber, including those who founded the organization. Most of these elders, however, have returned to Argonnessen to guide activities from the Tapestry, leaving their children to directly manage their interests.

The Chamber can be an excellent patron for adventurers, because its members possess wealth and the knowledge required to draw adventurers into the Prophecy. The key is that the Chamber is unpredictable even as a patron. These dragons are always looking to the distant goal, and even a friendly dragon might sacrifice nondragon lives for what she sees as the greater good.

Each DM must decide exactly how much influence the Chamber has had on the course of history, but any number of critical events could have been set in motion by the Chamber. It’s quite possible that a precursor to the Chamber instigated the migration of humanity to Khorvaire because that group knew it was the only way humans would develop dragonmarks. Likewise, the cabal might have encouraged the formation of Galifar to place limits on the power of the dragonmarked houses. Such discoveries are part of the tone of Eberron—how much of what you take for granted is the result of draconic manipulation?

The Chamber Missions table suggests several ways that adventurers might (knowingly or unknowingly) be asked to advance the Chamber’s agenda, while the Chamber Adventures table offers a few more ways in which the activities of the Chamber could lead to an adventure.

Chamber Missions

Here are a couple of ways to involve the PCs with the Chamber.

Conflict of Interest: The PCs have established a strong working relationship with a Chamber dragon, and they consider her a trustworthy patron. Then they discover that she is sponsoring another group of adventurers, who are performing massacres and assassinations. What do they do?

Hazard Pay: A Chamber dragon offers the party a fantastic reward in exchange for secretly destroying a creation forge purportedly hidden beneath Sharn. Can the PCs find the forge and then overcome the traps laid by Merrix d’Cannith? And are they willing to risk the wrath of the dragonmarked lord?