Categories
DM Resources Eberron

Secrets of Eberron Revealed (Part 2)

War and political intrigue aren’t the only things brewing in Eberron. With the war over, various different groups are looking to profit during the new found peace. Of course developments over the course of the war have led to new barriers and opportunities in the pursuit of wealth.

In our second segment of Secrets of Eberron Revealed we take a look at a plot hatched by House Orien and a gambling scheme developed by the Wayfinders Foundation. In Secrets of Eberron Revealed (part 1) we featured the House Sivis Repository and the House Tharashk Fields of Blood.

Discover more Secrets of Eberron Revealed in our latest installments of this ongoing series.

House Orien’s Project Ascent

With the advent of the Lyrander Airship House Orien has seen its fortunes decline. With bridges destroyed and the Mournland impassable, many of House Orien’s main Lighting Rail routes have been irreparably altered. While House Orien artificers look for ways to traverse the Mournland and its diplomats seek to convince nations to rebuild bridges, house elders need to keep the services of House Orien in demand. To this end they have developed Project Ascent.

The official mandate of Project Ascent is to research ways to increase the profitability of the House. Unofficially, the directive is to sow fear and discord amongst the consumers of House Orien’s competitors. Elders of the house hope that if there are enough accidents on board airships and elemental galleons that the nobility will turn back to House Orien for safer passage.

To this end house elders have contracted adventurers through a third party to sabotage Lyrander airships. It’s a risky proposition and if the House is discovered there will be devastating consequences, but if successful it will put them back in business.

Adventure Hooks

  • The party has been approached and asked to sabotage a Lyrander airship.
  • The party is on board an airship that’s whose elemental ring has just exploded. The party must now help to bring the ship safely to the ground.

The Nymph’s Laugh

The Wayfinders Foundation has long been associated with expeditions into Xen’drik. While expeditions have increased since the war ended the Foundation has found a new way to increase its fortunes. The Foundation recently acquired the Nymph’s Laugh, an otherwise unassuming tavern located in Sharn’s Middle Plateau. While this isn’t so unusual what’s located below the Nymph’s Laugh is.

The Wayfinders Foundation built a gambling den in the bowels of the tavern. By using powerful dragonshards imbued with the power of scrying the Foundation takes bets on expeditions into Xen’drik which the Foundation has sponsored. Bets range from success of an expedition to how many members of the expedition will survive.

While gambling dens aren’t taboo per say, the dual nature that the Wayfinders Foundation holds with this venture could land it in trouble with the very adventurers it seeks to hire. Admittance to the Nymph’s Laugh and the gambling den is restricted to a very select group of clientele and their guests.

Adventure Hooks

  • A PC finds himself in the Gambling Parlour and is about to make a bet when they realize the adventurer he’s betting on is an old war comrade. How will the PC react?
  • While on an expedition in Xen’drik at the behest of the Wayfinder Foundation the party’s Wizard perceives that someone is spying on the party through powerful scrying magic. Upon returning to Sharn the party wants to know who was spying on them and why.

13 replies on “Secrets of Eberron Revealed (Part 2)”

as always, Wimwick, cool stuff. i love the idea of secret cults and saboteurs within the dragonmarked houses. it’s easy to think of them as just regular companies, but like an good multi-national corporation, they often have fingers in a lot of pies. in my campaign, i’m having house vadalis run a century-long human breeding program, a la the kwisatz haderach.

@ focusgents
Glad you liked the idea. Your idea for House Vadalis is very nice! Perhaps they are working with abberant dragonmarks trying to harnass the arcane energy of the draconic prophecy?

An interesting novel that touches on human breeding is The Black Order by James Rollins. It’s not fantasy, but you might draw some inspiration from the expirements that are conducted in the book.

Hi,
I have been reading your site for the past months and just wanted to say it’s awesome! I’ve been running an Eberron Campaign since 3e and managed to get everything running in 4e, so those hooks are welcome to keep the game fresh.

Keep up the good work!

@ The Last Rogue
Glad you are enjoying the series, the articles are a lot of fun to write so look for more!

@ FlyNet
Welcome do Dungeon’s Master. I’m glad you’ve found us and that you are enjoying this series on Eberron.

Comments are closed.