Daughters of Sora Kell

The Daughters of Sora Kell are the legendary rulers of a savage land. For generations, parents in western Khorvaire have used tales of Sora Maenya to frighten disobedient children, and numerous heroes have tried (and failed) to match wits with Sora Katra. The Daughters of Sora Kell are all ritual casters, with Sora Teraza the most accomplished among them. Teraza maintains a vast library of books in the Great Crag, including ritual tomes from the Age of Demons.

If the PCs choose to fight against Droaam, they might eventually come into direct conflict with the Daughters of Sora Kell. However, the hags are more likely to enter a campaign as an enigmatic mystery than a direct threat. Sora Katra might play an elaborate game with the PCs, with no apparent gain for Droaam. Sora Teraza might aid them, providing oracular advice at a critical moment.

If it comes to battle, the Daughters of Sora Kell have survived countless previous conflicts for good reason. If vastly overpowered, they flee without hesitation. If trapped, the hags use their considerable power and knowledge—the location of artifacts, the schemes of other villains—to bargain for their lives.

These three hags are the driving force behind the rise of Droaam as a nation. In addition to their own inherent abilities and their powers as a covey, the sisters have assembled a host of powerful ogres and trolls. Alchemical serums, enchantments, and the charismatic words of Sora Katra have turned these vicious creatures into fanatical killers who are willing to die for their queens. While this army of giants forms the backbone of the hags’ hold over Droaam, in the last decade creatures of all types have flocked to the Great Crag to join the forces of the three sisters. For the moment the hags are dispersing many of these volunteers to serve as mercenaries in other parts of Khorvaire. This tactic puts gold in the hags’ coffers and gives them eyes and ears outside Droaam. It also has the effect of making it difficult to determine just how many monsters the sisters have under their command.

Although they work together to solidify the nation and extend their influence beyond Droaam, the three sisters have very different personalities and motivations. It was Sora Teraza who gathered the covey and set forth the blueprint for Droaam when she emerged from her long wanderings in the Demon Wastes. Sora Katra seized upon the idea as an intriguing mental challenge, while Sora Maenya relished the opportunity for battle and bloodshed.

Source: Eberron Campaign Guide

The destruction of Stubborn and the declaration of Droaam came as a terrible shock to the people of the Five Nations. This wasn’t the work of an upstart prince or an ogre chieftain. Both Sora Katra and Sora Maenya were known from countless tales—mostly terrifying ones in which things don’t end well for the heroes. To most people, the Daughters were legends, figures used to scare unruly children. The Daughters were the reason you were afraid of the darkness as a child; Sora Maenya could be lurking in the shadows, waiting to add your skull to her collection. Most people of the Five Nations know nothing of the daelkyr or of the Dreaming Dark, but they know the Daughters of Sora Kell. This is one reason the Five Nations have refused to acknowledge Droaam; at the end of the day, they can’t believe that it is real, and they hope that maybe they’ll wake up tomorrow and realize it was all just a bad dream.

In principle, the Daughters of Sora Kell are hags. Sora Katra is a green hag, cunning and charismatic. Sora Maenya is an annis hag, possessed of tremendous strength and hunger. And Sora Teraza is a dusk hag, who sees the tapestry of the future laid out before her. However, calling Sora Katra a green hag is like calling a legendary bard a “human.” It’s a foundation—a basic archetype to begin with. But all of the Daughters possess powers far beyond what’s normal for hags of their type. Their mother was Sora Kell, one of thirteen immortal night hags said to have been created by Eberron and Khyber at the dawn of time. Each had a different father; in some stories these were fiends, in others, giants. Regardless, they possess inherited power, which has only increased over centuries of schemes and adventures. While the Daughters are usually spoken of together, each is a legend in her own right; they each have their own goals and distinct personality, and each one can offer different hooks for story or adventure.

Source: Exploring Eberron

Rising from the Last War

Sora Kell is an ancient night hag with exceptional powers. She is said to have dealt with dragons and demons in the first age of the world, and to have tricked the Sovereigns themselves. Even though she is immortal, there have been no new legends of her deeds since the advent of Galifar, but that’s when her daughters rose to infamy. All three of the Daughters of Sora Kell possess powers far beyond what’s usual for their kind. They are creatures of legend, beings who have defeated many of the greatest heroes of Galifar.

Sora Katra is the voice of the Daughters. Charismatic and clever, she is an accomplished illusionist and shapeshifter who rarely wears the same face twice. Stories say that she weaves curses on her loom, and that she loves to match wits with heroes and champions. She speaks for Droaam, and is always interested in intrigues and plots.

Sora Maenya is the commander of Droaam’s armies. It’s said that she can crush a giant with her bare hands, then eat the whole thing and still be hungry. She binds the souls of her victims to their skulls, which she keeps in her lair. Though many stories depict her as merely a brute, she is a clever strategist and a master of intimidation and terror.

Sora Teraza is a mystery. Though blind, or perhaps because of her blindness, she possesses vast powers of divination. She is the most gifted oracle of the age, but her answers are often cryptic, even when dealing with her sisters; she might give vital advice even to her enemies. There is little that can be hidden from Sora Teraza, but the question is always whether she’ll share what she knows.

The Daughters and the War

Droaam emerged as a nation in the final decade of the Last War. King Boranel of Breland brokered an uneasy truce with Droaam, but the other nations of Khorvaire have refused to recognize the Daughters’ sovereignty. Most leaders believe Droaam will soon collapse into chaos, or that Breland will gather its strength and crush the Daughters. Others think that either of those assumptions gravely underestimates the abilities of the Daughters and their subjects.

In the aftermath of the war, the fighting forces of Droaam have become a significant resource for other nations of Khorvaire. Gnolls, minotaurs, ogres, and other creatures have proven to be capable mercenaries and laborers, and the Daughters have worked with House Tharashk to make these resources available to the rest of Khorvaire. This exchange both puts gold into the Daughters’ coffers, and spreads their eyes and ears throughout the wider world.

The Daughters Campaign Themes

When involving the Daughters of Sora Kell in your campaign, the first question you need to answer is: what are their goals for Droaam?

One possibility is that the Daughters believe in their nation — that it is important to them to unite the monsters of Droaam and to give their charges a voice in the world. In this case, the Daughters can be ultimately sympathetic figures. They are fighting against the fears and prejudices of the people of the Five Nations, and also the selfish ambitions of many of their own power-hungry warlords. Once the adventurers learn that the Daughters truly want peace and prosperity, they could become envoys of the Daughters in the Five Nations or help to fight their enemies in Droaam. A character of a monstrous race could even become a warlord of Droaam. Even if the adventurers don’t work directly with the Daughters, they could have need of their assistance; Sora Teraza might hold the answer to a vital mystery, or the adventurers might need an artifact hidden in the vaults of the Great Crag.

If you’d rather use the Daughters as straightforward villains, they could be driven by a thirst for power or a desire to end humanity’s dominance over Khorvaire. Sora Teraza’s visions enable them to target enemies with unerring precision and reveal enemy plans before they are carried out. Can the adventurers find a way to deal with Sora Teraza and end this threat before the armies of Droaam and agents of Daask make their move?

A middle-of-the-road view is that the Daughters are motivated solely by Sora Teraza’s visions. They have no interest in gaining power or in maintaining their kingdom; they are fulfilling their role in a story that is still unfolding, and once it’s resolved, they will abandon their thrones and return to their hidden haunts. Can Droaam survive without the Daughters, or will the nation dissolve into chaos?

Whatever path you choose should also be reflected in the nature of the criminal organization Daask, described later in this chapter. Those monsters are agents of Sora Katra; how do their actions support her agenda? Are they seizing power on behalf of Droaam, or are they pursuing a more mysterious agenda?

As described in chapter 1, Sora Kell herself could be a group patron for a party of adventurers. In this case, the characters’ relationship with the sisters is complicated. Do the Daughters consider the adventurers to be allies, or are they bitter rivals? Does Sora Kell support the nation of Droaam, or are the Daughters defying the wishes of their mother?

January 14th, 2020

Keith

http://keith-baker.com/dragonmarks-66-droaam-and-the-daughters-of-sora-kell/

September 1st, 2019

Trapped in a Tale

Source: Exploring Eberron

July 22nd, 2020

Members

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