The Path of Light. The Dreaming Dark. The struggle between the Unknown and the Unknown. What is at the root of it?
The war between the kalashtar and the Inspired has little to do with Eberron. It is a struggle to determine the fate of Dal Quor, the region of dreams. Dal Quor is a mutable plane. When mortals dream, they mold their own pockets of reality along the fringes. The heart of the plane is shaped by a force greater than any mortal soul, a force that can be seen only in the reality that it creates. This is the Quor Tarai, the spirit of the age, and the age it has created is a nightmare. The quori are the children of the Quor Tarai, and they call their creator il-Lashtavar (the Darkness that Dreams, or the Dreaming Dark). The organization known as the Dreaming Dark is composed of the personal agents of il-Lashtavar.
Quori are immortal, yet they don't know their entire history. They have no recollection of events that occurred before the Age of Monsters on Eberron. Studying this, quori sages concluded that Dal Quor itself undergoes cataclysmic cycles. When the cycle turns, the plane implodes and explodes. The Quor Tarai is transformed and reborn, as are all the spirits tied to the realm. Dal Quor and the quori will always exist in some form, but the quori of the future might have nothing in common with the quori of the present. In fact, evidence suggested that the next age could be radically different. One of the wisest of the quori was a kalaraq named Taratai, and she claimed that il-Lashtavar would be replaced by il-Yannah—a great light that would banish the nightmare at the heart of the realm.
The raw energy of the quori might survive the turn of the age, but personality and memory—everything that defined them—would be destroyed. For a race of immortals, this was truly terrifying, and it galvanized the quori to action. They were determined to find a way to stop the turn of the cycle, to preserve the darkness forever. A few quori disagreed, saying that the cycle must be allowed to run its course; chief among these was Taratai. Those loyal to il-Lashtavar hunted these heretics until the spirits were finally forced to flee Dal Quor, in time becoming the kalashtar.
Even after hounding the heretics from their plane, the quori continued to study the problem, finally coming to the conclusion that the answer must lie in Eberron itself. One of the few things the quori know about the previous age of Dal Quor is that as it came to a close, the quori entered Eberron and came into conflict with the giants of Xen'drik. The lords of the Dreaming Dark believe that control of Eberron might allow them to control the destiny of Dal Quor. Opinions differ as to how this can be accomplished. The dominant belief is that two steps are required. The first is to realign Dal Quor with Eberron, repairing the damage done at the end of the Age of Giants. The second is to gain control of mortal society and, more important, mortal dreams. Every night, the dreams of sentient beings shape Dal Quor. The lords of the Dreaming Dark believe that if all mortals can be forced to dream one dream, Dal Quor will never change.
It is this philosophy that shapes the nation of Riedra. The Inspired do not conquer for the sake of riches or even power; most quori prefer the nightmare realm of Dal Quor to Eberron. Serving as one of the Inspired is a chore most would just as soon avoid. They do so to preserve the Quor Tarai and thus themselves. Inspired provide their subjects with food, shelter, and security. The price for that is freedom. If the Lords of Dust or the daelkyr achieve their goals, they will tear the world apart. By comparison, a world under Inspired rule would be safe and stable, but without freedom.
The kalashtar are the spiritual descendants of Taratai and her allies. They believe that the Quor Tarai must turn. Furthermore, they feel that the nature of the Quor Tarai reflects on Eberron, and that if they can transform darkness into light, they can bring a new age of enlightenment to Eberron. They have believed that they don't need to defeat the Inspired to attain victory. For most kalashtar, prayer, meditation, and simple survival keeps the world moving on the Path of Light. Recently, however, doubt has begun to rise. Many young kalashtar think that their people must be more active in the world, taking the battle to the Inspired.
When dealing with the kalashtar and the Dreaming Dark, a few important points should be kept in mind. First is the arrogance of these races. Both believe that their struggle transcends Eberron. Most kalashtar are noble persons who seek to battle corruption and evil, but they still feel that humans have no place in their war. The Dreaming Dark, on the other hand, sees humans as tools and playthings. Second is that even the potent quori don't have all the answers. They don't know exactly why their predecessors invaded Xen'drik. They don't know what caused the end of the last age, and this is one reason the Inspired are acting carefully and cautiously. Many feel that the dramatic action of the quori in Xen'drik might have hastened their downfall. So the quori are seeking knowledge in the ruins of Xen'drik, and plenty of mysteries exist that only the DM can answer.