1. Organizations

Lords of Dust

Intelligence Agency
Major Player Spy Org The Draconic Prophecy

Evil entities spawned at the dawn of time still haunt Eberron. The cities raised by those ancient overlords are now only ashes, but the Lords of Dust still dream of restoring their primordial dominion. These fiends bide their time in an inconceivably long game, sparring with the dragons of Argonnessen as they manipulate events in order to fulfill the words of the Draconic Prophecy in a way that will bring them victory.

Though the Lords of Dust are mighty enough on their own, they serve greater masters known as the overlords. Unfathomably powerful fiends, the overlords were bound at the end of the Age of Demons by the power of the Silver Flame, and an overlord can be released from this binding only if doing so can be made to fulfill the Draconic Prophecy. Every fiend spawned from Khyber owes fealty to one of these overlords.

In many ways the Lords of Dust are a reflection of the Chamber. Each group is trying to steer the fulfillment of the Prophecy to serve its own ends. The goal of the Lords of Dust is to release the overlords from their bindings and loose them upon Eberron in a new age of darkness. Despite this unified goal, the Lords of Dust operate as an alliance of like-minded cabals rather than a single monolithic organization. Each cabal serves its particular overlord above all others, and the conditions that release one overlord could actually contradict those that would free another.

Accomplished shapeshifters, the Lords of Dust have agents spread across Khorvaire. Some might wonder why, with all their talents, they haven’t tried to conquer the world already. The reason is that they have no interest in ruling this world; they want to return it to the state of unnatural glory that existed before. Their only interest in humanoids races is in directing them and their affairs down the paths necessary to release their overlords; aside from that, dealing with mortals is a tedious chore.

The Lords of Dust and the War

The Lords of Dust took part in the events of the Last War whenever they saw opportunities to further their dark version of the Prophecy. It remains difficult to identify what events might have been manipulated by one of these fiends, because their schemes take so long to play out. Far in the future, it might become apparent that a seeming victory for the forces of good, or a battle averted that spared hundreds from death was ultimately the first step in an overlord’s release. (For instance, a soldier who was otherwise fated to die in the battle that was avoided goes on to tempt a good-hearted priest into becoming corrupted.)

In the years since the Thronehold Accords, the Lords of Dust continue on as they ever have, advancing one small step at a time.

Lords of Dust NPCs

Most of the Lords of Dust are rakshasas, but any sort of fiend — devil, demon, or otherwise — could be part of this organization. Such fiends are spawned in Khyber and aren’t actually from the Outer Planes. These fiends generally work through a wide network of duped pawns and indebted servitors.

Chapter 6 contains statistics for the overlord Rak Tulkhesh and his speaker, Mordakhesh the Shadowsword. The overlord Sul Khatesh is served by the rakshasa Hektula, also known as the First Scribe. Durastoran the Wyrmbreaker is the speaker of Bel Shalor, the overlord said to be bound in Flamekeep.

The Lords of Dust NPCs table describes some possible antagonists who might cross paths with adventurers.

Lords of Dust NPCs

d6NPC
1A virtuous paladin is hunting and destroying those who might one day thwart the Lords of Dust.
2A possessed lord or lady spreads corruption throughout the noble house.
3A wizard who sought to accelerate their own power by making a dark bargain must now pay the price demanded by their sinister patron.
4A powerful demon has corrupted the local ruler in the name of its overlord.
5A succubus or incubus tempts a mercenary warlord to engage in greater and greater battles.
6One of the characters’ most trusted allies or servants turns out to be a rakshasa in disguise.

Lords of Dust Campaign Themes

The Lords of Dust have two basic goals. The first is to encourage activities that strengthen the influence of their overlords. Rak Tulkhesh embodies war and conflict, and his minions are always eager to cause strife. The servants of Sul Khatesh entice cruel and selfish people to become warlocks, drawing mystical powers from their mistress. These activities won’t release an overlord, but they help to sustain it.

To release an overlord, the Lords of Dust must ensure that the Prophecy unfolds along a specific path. Often, following this path requires specific mortals to do specific deeds. For example, one shred of the Prophecy could stipulate that King Boranel has to be killed by one of the characters. The Lords of Dust could easily kill Boranel themselves, but that wouldn’t be sufficient to bring about the desired end; somehow, they’ll have to trick the adventurer into doing it.

Because the Lords of Dust so often work through pawns and minions, it might take a while for adventurers to realize that an apparently unconnected series of encounters early in a campaign are actually all part of the complex schemes of the Lords of Dust. These fiends are so devious that it is often impossible to discern a pattern to their actions until their plans have come to fruition and the connections have finally been made clear. (You could retroactively decide that what you intended as unconnected encounters were all part of the plan from the beginning!)

Source: Rising from the Last War

Hierarchy

Source: Eberron Campaign GUide

The true powers behind the Lords of Dust are the thirty overlords of the Age of Demons. Every agent of the organization owes fealty to one of these fiends, although some mortals don’t realize the power they truly serve.

Although the overlords are the true powers behind the schemes of the Lords of Dust, most are trapped in mystic bonds. Each overlord has an exarch that serves as its eyes and voice, directing its followers. Each exarch can perform the Consult Oracle ritual to speak with its overlord and can move between its strongholds using magic similar to the Linked Portal ritual.

Each cell is controlled by a fiendish agent (typically a rakshasa) known as a Fang of Khyber. Each Fang oversees a network of mortal pawns. Thanks to their shapeshifting powers, rakshasas can temporarily assume the role of any Fang or pawn. So the bandit leader who is human one day could be a rakshasa the next—as long as the change in form serves the needs of the exarch and its dark master.

The Lords of Dust are not a monolithic organization. Rather, they are an alliance of cabals, with each member serving its personal overlord. The Bleak Congress seeks to prevent accidental conflict between the lords, but their goals don’t always intersect. A few exarchs have even turned against their overlords, seeking to claim the power of the demon princes for their own.

The fiendish members of the Lords of Dust trace their allegiance back to the dawn of time. For most, their loyalty is ingrained into their consciousness. Even though rakshasas and demons can be killed, they eventually reincarnate with most of their memories and personality intact. As such, most of the Lords of Dust have personal memories of the glorious days of the Age of Demons and wish to see their overlords returned to power.

The mortal pawns of the Lords of Dust serve for any number of reasons. Some have no idea of the true nature of the beings that they serve; they simply value the gold or the ancient lore promised by the demons. Others have served the Lords of Dust for generations, having been raised to worship an overlord as a deity. The rakshasas are master deceivers and have been planting seeds across the world since the Age of Demons; they have loyal pawns in places people would never expect.

August 12th, 2019 March 17th, 2022

Player's Guide to Eberron

Every follower of the Silver Flame has heard the tale of the Serpent and the Demon. In 299 YK, a terrible force was unleashed in Thrane, and all manner of fiends flocked from the shadows to venerate this dark lord. However, before the mighty demon could completely free itself from its bonds, the paladin Tira Miron appeared, accompanied by a feathered serpent with rainbow plumage. The mighty fiend, as it turned out, could not be slain. The best that could be hoped was to put it in secure bonds again, and this Tira did at the cost of her own life. Through her sacrifice, humanity learned of the Silver Flame—the force that has held the fiend lords at bay since the most ancient of days.

Few people know the full history of these demons, however. In the first age, Khyber gave birth to a host of fiends. The rakshasas were the least of these, while the mightiest were demon lords with unique powers and abilities that made them like gods. These archfiends ruled over the lesser spirits and became known as the rakshasa rajahs. In time, a combined force of dragons and couatls defeated these demons, with the mightiest among them bound by the Silver Flame. The weaker spirits slipped through the net, however. Immortal and cunning, they have had tens of thousands of years to plot and scheme. Some seek to free their ancient masters from imprisonment (this was how the fiend lord held beneath the Tamor Hills in Thrane escaped his bonds). Others seek to seize the power of the imprisoned rajahs for their own. Finally, some simply take pleasure in spreading chaos and pain, playing with mortal civilizations like a child plays with dolls. These are the Lords of Dust.

The Lords of Dust are cunning shapeshifters, and their plans (often unfolding over centuries) are difficult for mortals to fathom. The best advice one can take when dealing with the Lords of Dust is to be wary and trust nothing: These ancient fiends favor illusion and deception above all.

It is particularly difficult to determine whether the Lords of Dust are involved in a given intrigue or adventure, since their motivations are so obscure and their methods so subtle. However, if ancient and powerful magic is involved, if your enemies seem utterly ruthless or wildly chaotic, or if you find yourself lost in an endlessly tangled web of subterfuge, you might be dealing with the Lords of Dust.

July 21st, 2020 March 17th, 2022

ECS

Chapter 7 Demon Wastes

This cabal of rakshasas and other fiends originated in the Demon Wastes and secretly spreads its influence across the length and breadth of Khorvaire. In the Demon Wastes, however, the fiends don’t have to hide their true nature. For this reason, no matter how far they wander to manipulate the populace and hatch their complex plots, they return home at intervals to revel in their fiendish glory. The Lords of Dust are few in number, but their effective immortality makes them as powerful as it does unfathomable. These fiends serve the causes of chaos and destruction, seeking to set in motion slowly unfolding plans that will eventually lead to the collapse of order and virtue.

Some members of the Lords of Dust never venture beyond the Demon Wastes, content to play cruel games with the barbarian tribes who worship them. When not engaged in such sport, these rakshasas and other fiends seek to find ways to release their ancient demonic masters who were long ago trapped beneath the broken land. Others among the Lords of Dust look to the trapped fiends as sources of power, content to let their masters remain imprisoned as long as they can draw energy with which to make themselves more formidable.

A faction within this ancient order is made up of Lords of Dust who travel the world, opposing the dragons of the Chamber and working to promote chaos among the nations of the common races.

Chapter 8

The Lords of Dust, a chaotic evil cabal of rakshasas and other fiends, have been playing games with the common races for thousands of years. They hide in the shadows of Khorvaire, plotting to free their ancient masters from the depths of Khyber, scheming to use them to gain greater power, or spreading pain and suffering among the common races. The group has bases of operation in the Demon Wastes and Aundair, among other places. The cabal uses a stylized silhouette of a broken tower to identify its members.

The Lords of Dust have little interest in complex hierarchies. The most powerful fiends occasionally gather in the ancient capital of the rakshasas to discuss their current schemes and goals, but they have no leader. Membership is earned and kept through cunning and personal power. The organization also includes a host of weaker fiends, lesser rakshasas and other demons content to serve the scheming lords. The Lords of Dust are immortal, and their motivations are difficult for creatures of fl esh and blood to understand. Sometimes their actions serve a clear purpose; other times they seek to cause chaos for its own sake, toying with the common races like pawns on a chessboard. These games can continue for centuries. It is entirely possible that the destruction of Xen’drik and the collapse of Galifar were ultimately engineered by members of the Lords of Dust—fiends subtly unraveling the threads of civilization to watch the suffering and pain as societies collapse.

The most cunning and clever fiends always search for ways to increase their own power. Some seek to release the rajahs they once served. Others explore ways to drain power from their former masters to exploit as their own.

The Lords of Dust are masters of deception, and they rarely deal openly with mortals. Rakshasas can read the thoughts of others and shift their shape to mimic any humanoid form, and they have infiltrated many governments, guilds, and other organizations. Even other schemers, such as the Aurum or the Cults of the Dragon Below, have been compromised by the Lords of Dust. But the plans of the fiends can take decades or centuries to unfold, and a rakshasa infiltrator may spend an entire human lifetime waiting for the right moment to make its move. So, almost any organization can be tricked into serving the Lords of Dust, at least temporarily. The one force that knowingly serves the rakshasas is the barbarian tribes of the Demon Wastes.

Two powerful forces oppose the Lords of Dust: the dragons of Argonnessen and their agents in the Chamber, and the Church of the Silver Flame. The dragons helped to defeat the rajahs in the Age of Demons, and many among the Lords of Dust still yearn for vengeance. Whenever the Lords of Dust manage to identify one of the goals of the Chamber, they will seek to oppose it; in turn, the dragons do their best to expose or destroy rakshasa infiltrators and to prevent the release of their imprisoned masters.

The knights templar of the Silver Flame serve the same power that holds the rajahs beneath the earth, and they are relentless in their pursuit of this ancient evil. Mortal fl esh can be weak, however, and members of the Church of the Silver Flame can be fooled, bribed, or corrupted by the powerful fiends. The Lords of Dust are the purest manifestation of evil to be found on Eberron. There is no place within the cabal for mortals, except as tools, playthings, and servants. Most often, adventurers fight against the Lords of Dust, either directly or by exposing their schemes. It is possible for heroes to be tricked into serving the Lords of Dust; a rakshasa in the form of a trusted ally could send them on a quest that causes more harm than good.

August 10th, 2019 March 17th, 2022

Dragons of Eberron

The immortal Lords of Dust still remember the war between dragon and fiend. Many are willing to wait for their vengeance; once the Overlords of the Age of Demons are released, the dragons will suffer. But a few enjoy matching wits with the dragons, whether they target rogues, agents of the Chamber, or the draconic Prophecy itself. As immortals, the sages of the Lords of Dust have had tens of thousands of years to study the Prophecy. A few of the members of the Council of Ashtakala have been fighting a long shadow war with the dragons, using the Prophecy as a battleground. The rakshasas have won their share of victories, and some of the darker events in history could be a result of this manipulation. The rakshasas also enjoying using their knowledge of the Prophecy to set up situations in which the dragon prophets know that draconic interference would have disastrous results in the future; as such, the dragons must either use agents dictated by the Prophecy—adventurers, perhaps—or play into the rakshasas’ twisted hands.

September 22nd, 2019 March 17th, 2022

Adventure Hooks

Source: Dragons of Eberron

The PCs can come into conflict with the Lords of Dust in a couple of ways.

The Lesser of Two Evils: A rakshasa openly approaches the party, revealing its true nature. He asks for the PCs’ assistance in opposing the Chamber, saying that the dragons are interested only in what’s good for Argonnessen. Indeed, the mission he wants them to perform will save humanoid lives and help their homeland or house (in the short term, at least). Are the adventurers willing to work for a fiend?

Who to Trust?: A close ally of the PCs, who has aided them time and again, begs them to perform a task that could save her life. The ensuing adventure leads them into conflict with a Chamber dragon, who says that their friend is a servant of the Wyrmbreaker and that their mission will shift the Prophecy down a dark path. Do they trust their friend and fight the dragon, or abandon an ally on the word of Argonnessen?

Source: Rising from the Last War

The Lords of Dust Adventure Hooks table presents some ways to get the characters into a fiendish adventure.

d6Adventure Hook
1A retainer who died recently shows up again, as if nothing happened and with no memory of having “died,” or of the events immediately preceding their supposed demise.
2Agents of the Chamber show up intent on murdering the characters, because their recent actions have unwittingly been at the behest of a Lord of Dust and have twisted a portion of the Prophecy.
3A trusted mentor changes their tune abruptly and begins sending the characters on unusual tasks.
4Everyone the characters used to deal with in town suddenly acts as if they’ve never seen the characters before.
5Increasingly vicious fiends attack the camp every few nights.
6Agents of a Lord of Dust apologetically kidnap a character’s loved one, politely requesting that the character perform a series of favors to secure the hostage’s release.
September 22nd, 2019 March 17th, 2022

Members

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