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Q&A

What are the towns inside the Towering Wood like? We know about Greenheart and the feyspire Shae Loralyndar, but are there others? Who lives there, and how are they different than the ones in the western Reaches?

There are very few traditional “towns” in the Towering Wood; the 3.5 ECS notes that “In the great wood, the druid sects and shifters typically live in small communities that are roughly equivalent to thorps and hamlets.” Essentially, these are communities that will be tied around an extended family and live off the land; whenever population grows to a level that strains local resources, a group will split off and start a new home in unclaimed territory. The Towering Woods are vast and population density is extremely low, so there’s no shortage of space. Towering communities employ primal techniques instead of arcane or mundane industry, so you will often find homes that are embedded into living trees or that are made of stone that has been shaped by hand. Envoys—often druidic initiates—travel between family estates, sharing news and needed supplies. Shae Loralyndar is an unusual exception, and there are a handful of satellite elven/Greensinger villages around it, but those represent a distinct culture that’s different from the mainstream—just as there are nomadic shifter tribes that have traditions that are entirely different from the settled folk.

Source: http://keith-baker.com/ifaq-lightning-round-5-21/ 

The farmers of the eastern Eldeen seceded from Aundair during the Last War, and tensions between the two nations remain high. Most Reachers believe it’s only a matter of time until Aundair tries to reclaim the region, and every village has a militia ready to serve.

The people of the Reaches value hospitality and regard all people as equals, but the fear of Aundairian aggression can cause Reachers to treat foreigners with suspicion or hostility.

The northeastern plains of the Eldeen Reaches generally make for a safe and pleasant place to travel. House Orien has established trade roads connecting most of the major agricultural communities, and travelers can get from place to place with little difficulty. The Wardens of the Wood track down any dangerous beasts that leave the great forest, and bandits operating in the open are quickly dealt with.

Within the great forest of the Towering Wood, however, things are different. Few paths exist, and fewer still are well maintained. The druids and shifters who live in the woods leave few marks of their passage. Many deadly creatures inhabit the forest, from dire and horrid animals to magical beasts and aberrations. In addition, the Ashbound, the Children of Winter, and shifter tribes can also pose a threat to explorers and travelers. Druids, especially the Gatekeepers, usually fight any aberrations they encounter, but other creatures are left alone. In fact, the Wardens seek to protect magical beasts of the forest from poachers who hunt them for the magical and alchemical properties their pelts, horns, and other organs possess.

A variety of forces could draw adventurers to the Eldeen Reaches. The Twilight Demesne, the Gatekeepers, and the Great Druid all hold knowledge and artifacts that heroes may need. The Order of the Emerald Claw may try to tap into the power of the Gloaming, or one of the Cults of the Dragon Below could threaten Khorvaire from the depths of the forest. Adventurers traveling in the region could be caught up in tension between the druid sects and House Vadalis, or friction between the Reaches and the rulers of Aundair could draw the attention of adventurers. Breland or Aundair might want to send spies to report on the state of affairs in the Reaches, or adventurers could be drafted to deal with marauders who occasionally emerge from the deep woods to attack Brelish and Aundairian communities before disappearing back across the border. There’s no end of trouble, mystery, and adventure awaiting in the Eldeen Reaches

Battlebriar

During the Last War, the druidic defenders of the Eldeen Reaches used battle briars to discourage humanoid incursions into their territory. Their plan backfi red, however, as militant druids from neighboring Aundair and Droaam used magic to seize control of several dozen Eldeen battle briars, pulling them into their nations’ respective armies. Though few in number, battle briars continue to serve as living siege engines throughout the western part of Khorvaire.

Bearhound

Bearhounds are most commonly found in the temperate forests of the Eldeen Reaches, although agents of House Vadalis have also taken to enlisting the services of the beasts as guardians and mounts, for wealthy nobles and merchants throughout central Khorvaire.

Night Twists

Rangers of the Eldeen Reaches have heard and felt the despair song of night twists in their forests. These night twists watch over the unplundered tombs and overgrown barrows of evil druids and barbarian kings who ruled the land in ancient times. Much older night twists can be found throughout Xen’drik, taking root in and around the cyclopean ruins of fallen giant cities, their songs of despair luring explorers to a swift doom.

Mountain Troll

Mountain trolls inhabit the Byeshk Mountains separating Droaam and the Eldeen Reaches, and the Shadow crags bordering the Eldeen Reaches and the Demon Wastes. The former tend to be more in touch with nature, often taking levels of ranger or druid. The latter are more ferocious, sometimes taking levels of barbarian.

Wood Woad

Wood woads haunt the ancient forests of the Eldeen Reaches. They frequently loiter around treants and make their lairs near old ruins.

The Eldeen Reaches contain some of the most fertile land in all of Khorvaire. Guided by the ancient wisdom of the druids, Eldeen farmers produce abundant harvests of all manner of crops—much more than the relatively small population can use. Therefore, agriculture has become a big business for the people of the Reaches. Breland and Karrnath, in particular, utilize Eldeen produce to supplement the output of their own farms to help feed their highly industrialized societies. For this reason, both nations have tried to gain footholds in the region, and may do so again if trade or the peace efforts fail.

In addition to agriculture, animal husbandry is a major industry in the eastern reaches. House Vadalis is concentrated in the Eldeen Reaches and has spent generations working to domesticate the unusual creatures of the region and using magebreeding techniques to produce new and superior lines of existing species. Mounts, guard beasts, superior livestock, and exotic pets often originate in the Eldeen Reaches.

Darkwood groves are scattered throughout the reaches, and the forests contain many exotic plants and animals that have valuable alchemical or mystical properties. However, the druids discourage the harvesting of rare plants from the woods, and the Wardens of the Wood deal harshly with poachers caught hunting the creatures of the forest for personal gain.

Poaching aside, most of the druid sects tolerate the industries of the northeastern farmers and House Vadalis, as long as the land and livestock are treated with care and respect. Many villages have a local druid who provides spiritual guidance and agricultural advice. How ever, a few extremist sects—most notably the Ashbound—view such acts as a violation of the natural order. These extremist sects occasionally strike out against the north eastern communities.

Near the midpoint of the Last War, Aundair was forced to pull its defenses from the Eldeen Reaches’ rich farmland and verdant forests to protect its cities. In doing so, Aundair effectively left the folk of the west to defend themselves against the forces of Breland and the bandit armies funded by Karrnath and the Lhazaar Principalities.

Faced with bloodshed and the threat of annexation, the Wardens of the Wood raised an army of druids, rangers, and fey from the Towering Wood. With each victory, the Wardens rallied the Reachers, who quickly declared their independence. The Thronehold Accords recognized the Reaches as a nation, ensuring its independence and its place in the new balance of power.

The connection between the Reaches and Aundair is one of more than mere geography. Before Aundair abandoned these lands, the druids of the Wardens were close to the ir’Wynarn line. Even today, many Wardens have family connections across the border.

Before the Reaches’ independence, these lands were the site of a dark crusade by the Church of the Silver Flame. Half a century before the start of the Last War, an unknown evil infected the lycanthropes of the Towering Wood, stirring them to violence and driving them east to wreak chaos in settled lands. When the druids of the Reaches could not stem the bloodshed caused by the afflicted (as they were known), the Church of the Silver Flame swept across the Thrane border, invading Aundair with the intent of containing and destroying this evil. However, the Flame’s followers made no distinction between afflicted and nonafflicted lycanthropes, even going so far as to slay innocent shifters in their zeal.

The Eldeen Reaches were first settled by orcs during the height of the goblin empire of Dhakaan, and the original druidic traditions can be traced to the orcs’ attempts to live in harmony with the beauty and primal power of their land. In the aftermath of the war against the daelkyr, the ranks of the orc druids were decimated.

The effect of that ancient conflict can be seen in the Eldeen Reaches today, with aberrant creatures, demons, and other hideous abominations still stalking the darkest parts of the wood. The surviving druids named themselves the Gatekeepers and withdrew into the deep forest, taking it upon themselves to protect the powerful seals by which the daelkyr were banished from Eberron. It took the coming of humans to Khorvaire to repopulate the Reaches once more.

The humans who first settled the land east of Aundair came in search of opportunity, but more than a few found themselves drawn past the fertile farms and into the shadows of the Towering Wood. Deep within the forest, these folk heard the call of the Great Druid Oalian—a sentient greatpine who had watched over these woods for millennia. Teaching the druidic traditions to this new race, Oalian established himself as the spiritual center of this land and the leader of its guardians—the Wardens of the Wood.

Politics of the Eldeen Reaches

The Church of the Silver Flame has long served Khorvaire as a protector against supernatural forces of darkness. Amongst these is the curse of lycanthropy, which doesn't just transform the afflicted into animals - their alignment is irrevocably twisted to reflect the dark image of the wilds. A werewolf isn't just a half dog, but the embodiment of the fear of the predator stalking the night. A wererat is the bringer of plague that tears communities apart.

In the early parts of the 9th century, a templar was dispatched to the western wilds of Aundair to follow up on reports of increased lycanthrope activity. What she found was worse than she could have imagined. Villages lived in constant fear of attack by werewolves, while towns were undermined from within by wererats. Weretigers stalked the roads, picking off travelers. The nobles who owned these lands ignored the problems, happy to enjoy the court in Fairhaven while profiting off the labor of the masses.

Ieleen's report was widely distributed within the Church, scholars debating, researching, and divining what was happening. They found a change had occured sometime in the past 30 years that allowed those afflicted rather than born with the curse to also spread it. Furthermore, rather than simply devouring all of their victims, only spreading the curse to those that managed to escape, lycanthropes would intentionally capture and infect new victims to transform them. This meant rather than a lone threat in a region, one could become two, two become four, until a whole pack threatens to slaughter an entire town.

Seeing the evidence, Keeper Jolan Sol declared that lycanthropy utterly corrupted the soul, and that the afflicted could only be put to the sword and arrow. The Silver Crusade took up eager arms against the the threat in 832 YK. The fighting was hard, as even though the Church had enough knowledge to equip their templars with swords of silver, the material was still expensive and limited how many properly equipped soldiers they could deploy. While some templar commanders had studied at Rekkenmark, the relative peace of Galifar left them ill-equipped to face off against whatever dark power was responsible for this lycanthropic surge.

For the average party of templars or adventurers, the raw power of a wereboar is something to behold. However, those primitive beasts were not the true threat came from wererats. Spoiling and poisoning supplies was only the most elementary method of sabotage. Propaganda and misinformation were significantly more effective. The biggest coup from the wererats was planting evidence that shifters were being spontaneously transformed into lycanthropes by the spreading curse, and that their communities were harboring fugitive lycanthropes. The mistrust and hatred planted then linger to today, over a century later.

The conflict raged for decades, the tides of battle constantly shifting throughout. During the worst years, the lycanthropes threatened to spill out and infest all of Western khorvaire. Other, uneasy years had the templars press them back to the Towering Wood, uncertain if the victory would last. Eventually though, something changed - the curse could no longer be passed by afflicted lycanthropes.

With this, the tides shifted, leading to the final, bloodiest years. Eager for revenge, the communities of Western Aundair pressed into the Towering Woods to "eradicate the threat once and for all". They left nothing to chance, slaughtering entire villages of shifters they suspected were still harboring lycanthropes or might transform into them.

Eventually, the Church declared victory in 882 YK, fifty years after the Silver Crusade began. Many of the Knights Militant stayed behind, fulfilling their mission of protecting against the lycanthropic threat. The dwarven founder of this new order, Halagrad Doomhammer, returned to Flamekeep to take up a position on the Council of Cardinals, a position he holds to this day. Also left behind was the Pure Flame, a sect that followed Jolan Sol's original declaration to refuse the toleration of evil, bringing absolutist resistance.

Eberron Campaign Guide

The vast Towering Wood covers most of the Eldeen Reaches, untouched and unspoiled. Along its eastern border spreads fertile farmland ideal for farming and livestock. The Reaches are home to a diverse population, with humans, half-elves, eladrin, elves, centaurs, shifters, and others living more or less in harmony. The folk of the west are deeply steeped in the druidic traditions. Reachers in the east swear fealty to the Great Druid Oalian, but they have little direct exposure to the druids and their ways aside from the scouts and advisors who pass through their towns and villages.

The rich farmland and pasture of the Reaches has no equal elsewhere in Khorvaire. The output of Eldeen farms and ranches helps feed the populations of Breland, Karrnath, and beyond, and agriculture remains the Reaches’ primary industry.

Animals raised in the Reaches are stronger and healthier than other Khorvairian herds, putting Eldeen livestock in high demand across the continent. House Vadalis maintains a strong connection to the Reaches, and nearly all magebred animals found in the Five Nations come from Varna’s stables.

Within the Towering Wood grow exotic plants sought after by alchemists and ritualists the world over. Magical beasts also roam the forest, their organs the key ingredients in potions and poisons alike. However, the druids strictly control all harvesting and hunting within the wood, and trespassers should expect little mercy from the Wardens.

Politics of the Eldeen Reaches

Early scholars at the Library of Korranberg were puzzled by maps of the Eldeen Reaches, which showed forests throughout the entire region. The storms coming off the Bitter Sea in the north and from Crescent Bay in the west could not account for the lushness of the Towering Woods.

Later scholars, armed with a question seem to have found the answer - the Towering Woods has a high density of manifest zones to Lamannia, not only encouraging growth but even bringing in extraplanar weather. Thundering storms form out of crystal clear skies, bringing a deluge of rain before disappearing. The water stays and filters down through the Reaches until it reaches Lake Galifar, whose waters eternally flow up the Wynarn River to the Bitter Sea.

More broadly speaking, the Eldeen Reaches are a place where the magic of the planes flows more freely. The Gloamwood's connection to Mabar and the Twilight Demesne's connection to Thelanis are the largest such examples. More sinister are the Gatekeeper-suppressed Xoriat zones, the Vult moonstone seals also binding Dyrrn the Corruptor's legions. Other manifest zones dot the woods, providing both resources and threats.

The Gatekeepers

The oldest tradition of druids in Khorvaire, the Gatekeepers are in many ways a dying sect. The wards they maintain are ancient and have mostly held for millenia. The encroaching civilization of Khorvaire has drawn many defenders of the wilds to that cause, leaving behind the ancestral duties to ward against the influence of the planes. While the Gatekeepers originated in the Shadow Marches, they expanded to the Towering Wood to fight the influence of Dyrrn the Corruptor.

The Gatekeepers are only a loosely organized coalition, respecting the voices of the elders but primarily operating independently. While some of this is because members prefer the freedom to act, the truth is simply the organization is not big enough to maintain all the wards they need to while remaining highly centralized. While a few villages are led by Gatekeeper druids, members primarily live as hermits.

In the millenia since their founding the Gatekeepers have expanded their mission to counter the malignant influence of all planes. The Gatekeepers don't construct seals against all manifest zones, just Xoriat, but will still intervene against Fernian fiends and other planar invaders.

The Greensingers

The youngest major tradition of druids in the Eldeen Reaches is the Greensingers, who believe that planar outsiders are valuable sources of knowledge and potentially powerful patrons. The Greensingers are best known for their connection to the fey of the Twilight Demesne, but Greensinger circles have forged connections with creatures from all sorts of planes.

Saying the Greensingers have any form of hierarchy would be a lie. While they are united philosophically, each Greensinger forges their own unique connection to the planes. Younger Greensingers are as likely to dismiss older practicioners as they are to seek mentorship. Members that live in villages or towns rarely if ever seek leadership roles.

The Greensingers frequently come into conflict with the Gatekeepers over their contacts with the planes, although these conflicts are usually just heated arguments. The Greensingers tendency to consult with the fey and the Gatekeepers tendency to fight the forces of Xoriat means the issues are primarily philosophical, but on occasion a Greensinger sect may feel particularly liberal with what planar creatures they consort with or a Gatekeeper sect may grow particularly conservative about appropriate contact.

Though most folk of the Eldeen Reaches follow the druidic traditions, temples dedicated to the Sovereign Host can be found in all larger communities. Arawai and Balinor have the strongest following in these lands.

When humans first came to the Eldeen Reaches and were exposed to Oalian’s teachings, they created a singular devotion to the druidic traditions. Over the centuries, dozens of different factions have splintered from those traditions, spreading throughout the Towering Wood and across the continent.

The Wardens of the Wood remain the largest and best known druidic sect in Khorvaire, and within the Reaches, they enforce the Great Druid’s laws and serve as the foundation of that nation’s military. It is their task to guard the land from attack, to ensure that the Reaches’ borders remain inviolate and that its creatures are allowed to live in peace.

The largely human Wardens arose originally to replace the Gatekeepers—the ancient order of orc druids who now watch over the magical seals that keep the daelkyr threat at bay. The orcs created the druidic tradition, and all existing traditions can be traced back to their teachings. However, they were all but destroyed during the war with the daelkyr. Though they have existed for millennia, the Gatekeepers currently number fewer than a hundred, primarily orcs, half-orcs, shifters, and humans.

Lesser sects of druids are common, some supporting the Wardens and the Gatekeepers in their goals, and others embracing nature’s destructive side. The Ashbound is a militant group opposed to the use of magic. The Children of Winter embrace death as a part of the life cycle and use their power to ensure that only the strongest survive. The Greensingers maintain close relationships with the fey that were the original masters of these woods.

The war against the daelkyr devastated the Eldeen Reaches, and vast numbers of the ancient druids of the Towering Wood died in that conflict. Aberrant horrors stalk the Reaches to this day, and the Wardens of the Wood fight constantly to destroy these threats. The crusades of the Church of Silver Flame once targeted the unnatural creatures of the Reaches. However, these efforts only pushed the horrors into the deep forest, where they have long lingered out of reach of the Eldeen druids.

Eberron Campaign Guide

For the past forty years, the Eldeen Reaches have officially been under the protection and guidance of Oalian, the Great Druid of the Wardens of the Wood. Long dominant in the forest, the Wardens have spread out into the plains to ensure order throughout the region. Each village has a druid counselor (of anywhere from 1st to 7th level, depending on the size of the community) who provides magical assistance and spiritual guidance, and who advises the leaders of the community. Councils made up of representatives from each farming family govern each of the communities. Bands of Warden rangers patrol the forest, responding to threats as they arise.

The shifter tribes and druid sects have their own customs, but leaders are usually chosen based on age and spiritual wisdom. Concepts of law are guided by the ways of nature, and justice is usually swift and harsh.

Politically, the folk of the Eldeen Reaches largely ignore the events of the east and are ignored in return. The Wardens of the Wood have made clear to Breland and Aundair that they will defend the nation against any military threat and have no interest in further discussions regarding borders, treaties, or resource rights.

Politics of the Eldeen Reaches

The Wardens of the Wood represented the Eldeen Reaches during the negotiations for the Treaty of Thronehold, but this is not because they represent some kind of central government one might find in the Five Nations. Rather, the Wardens of the Wood are the only force capable of brokering the competing interests of the Reaches' diverse factions.

Nobles who lived and owned land west of the Wynarn River were given two options, similar to the choice Thranish nobles faced after the rise of the theocracy. One was to abandon their noble status in the court of Fairhaven and to live out the rest of their lives as wealthy locals. The other was to abandon their holdings in the new nation and flee to their small holdings in Fairhaven. The choice was often determined by how thoroughly they had angered the local populace - well liked nobles stayed, while those who had been cruel and neglectful wisely abandoned their land claims.

The Wardens of the Wood

Most communities in the Eldeen Reaches are advised by a druid of the Wardens of the Wood. These druidic advisors do not rule the communities, keeping a distance from the daily minutiae. The communities in return offer what support they can to the Warden rangers that roam the Reaches to protect and serve the people of the nation, whether in eager new recruits or simply hospitality to rangers that pass through.

The Wardens leadership is a loose council of elder druids headed by the awakened Greatpine Oalian, whose decisions are more suggestions than particularly binding. Still, the wisdom of the council is broadly recognized and very few choose to go against their recommendations. The actual day-to-day administration of Greenheart, where this council is located, is performed by Elder Faena Graymorn. She's known outside the Reaches as a powerful khoravar druid who led the delegation to Thronehold several years ago.

Beyond the Towering Woods

Not everyone in the Eldeen Reaches is a worshipper of the primal spirits. The communities along the shores of Silver Lake and Lake Galifar have long engaged in trade with the rest of the Five Nations, smuggling goods when Brelish boats attempted to blockade Aundair. Similarly, the people of the Eastern Reaches have long shared a culture with their former countrymen east of the Wynarn River.

While Breland is most known for its democratic spirit, the people of the Eldeen Reaches have done more to realize that dream. Communities are locally controlled, with the Wardens of the Wood providing significant autonomy. This is not a solution to all local woes - former nobles retain significant informal influence while demagogues inflame fears.

House Vadalis

The most significant presence of arcane magic in the Eldeen Reaches is in Varna, the home and headquarters of House Vadalis. While the town itself is not particularly large, the nearby enclave of Foalswood is literally where the magic happens. The rolling hills are filled with meadows and pastures for Vadalis magebreeders to observe their handicraft, pushing the limits of what is possible. Their biggest success of the past two decades was combining the Xen'drik cocoa plant with Karrnathi cows that can weather harsh winters.

House Vadalis maintains smaller enclaves throughout the Reaches, supporting towns and villages with their expertise. Caribou ranchers along the northern coast, goat herders of the central hills, and cattle farmers along the shores of Lake Galifar all depend on the Handlers Guild.

A faction of elders in House Vadalis recognizes that the current arrangement with the Wardens is unsustainable in the long term. While the Wardens currently moderate the druids of the Ashbound and Children of Winter, this faction sees escalation as inevitable and doesn't believe the Wardens will ultimately back the House. They have reached out to Aundair for help creating an equitable peace - maintaining the political independence of the Reaches, but opening up trade and suppressing the disruptive influence of the druids.