Eberron: A Chronicle of Echoes

Nanosaurus make up the majority of the small, antelope-like positions in Talenta. They are not particularly social, but do hang around larger herbivores when eating or sleeping. They are the quickest and most perceptive of the fastieth. Killing one and wearing its pelt is considered a mark of a hunter’s speed and keen eye. Nanosaurs are jumpy like deer, able to leap about 6 feet in the air and out-speed any other fastieth by a country mile. Being able to outrun predators means these fastieth live all about the plains, dry and wet season. They make their presence known by their distinctive scent, somewhat like fish oil. Nanosaurs rarely go into the forests, where their feet are not so sure as on the flat ground. The single variety that does live in forests are smaller and quieter, with stout legs and demure pelts. During the dry season they breed, markedly different from other fastieth. They dig small foxholes with their back legs. Females with their sandy pelts hide in it and puff up the long, thin feathers on their back, disguising themselves as dry plants to protect the eggs. Several subspecies exist around the plains. One prefers the hilly, mountainous terrain around the Mror Holds and is adapted for cold climates. Another, larger one is even more adapted to the cold, sometimes encroaching on the fields of Karrnath. Those that live in the forests are noted above. The final is otherwise similar to the plains subspecies but is smaller and more brightly colored, with orange and blue facial markings in the males. Most males have slate gray plumage that may look black or blue depending on the lighting. They also have white marks, but these are unrelated to dryosaur masks. Females are a monochrome sandy color. But males actually have a better chance at evading predators. Their plumage is very different from their scaly back halves, making them look like two different animals stitched together. This throws off predators. Females don’t have such luck and are more likely to be spotted and hunted outside of the breeding season. So now a third, distinct gender is appearing in the plains subspecies, with females possessing male plumage, but not the elaborate orange dressings. They get the benefit of avoiding predators, but are often overlooked during mating. To fix this they often become aggressively flirtatious with males to get the idea across.

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Camptosaurus is the most populous species in all of Talenta. While not as diverse or large as the sauropods, they make a successful living by cleaning up after them. Behind the usual gamut of high-browsers which keep the trees from taking over the plains are bison-like herds of camptosaurus browsing on the mid-level vegetation left in their wake. The long, pillar-like legs of the sauropods make bending down an exhausting challenge, so they leave quite a bit for them. Herds can be up to 15,000 members strong and current estimates place the total number alive between 20 and 30 million. While very large and robust compared to cows and deer, they rely on these numbers against the myriad carnivores of Talenta. Allosaurs and Torvosaurus normally prefer sauropods but will double-back to hunt the smaller camptosaurs if need be. Near forests Ceratosaurus will not hesitate to deliver unseen strikes. But the most regular hunters are Marshosaurus and halflings. Smaller than the ginormous sauropods but still large enough to put up a fight, camptosaurus are the primary food-source for most nomadic halflings. Since time immemorial their life-cycles have been intertwined. When the wet season comes, halflings enter a period where hunting is taboo (unless in self-defense), to allow their prey’s numbers to rise once more. Their striped hides are adapted in almost anything made of leather, from tents to saddles to scrolls. Their nature as a facultative biped has also worked its way into their traditions. When going on two legs the camptosaurus is free-game, and when on four legs (normally done to eat or drink) it is considered worse. Its meat will be forever tainted because it was killed in the coward’s position. Hunting camptosaurus is the main method of food acquisition among halflings, also leading to dietary changes. Almost all of their flesh is red meat. Because of this, halflings have an incredibly high tolerance to red meat and usually do not see the health risks associated with it. Camptosaurus is not a domesticated animal, however. Though entwined in their life and death, halflings have never taken them from their herds to breed them. To their minds, it would be an undeserving fate. Hunted wild the beasts can prove their merit in combat. Halfling animal-worship places much importance on the dignity of their bestial neighbors.

Physically similar to camptosaurus, Uteodon is marked by few, noticeable quirks that make it unique. Somewhat larger than their cousins, they possess darker, duller hides and live lonesome lives. Uteodon do not live in herds. Instead they inhabit the forest edges, making equal use of the trees and mid-growing ferns. Halflings consider them to be the camptosaurus’ evil cousin because of their other major difference: their temperament. Uteodon rely on their size and bulk to dissuade predators, but sometimes they need a little extra help understanding. They will bowl over predators in blind charges regardless of whether or not they were looking at the herbivore. Only those too nimble to escape or too large to truly knock over are spared. Which includes the Talenta riders. When hunters see a Uteodon among a herd of camptosaurus, they consider it a bad hunting day. They know it will fight the hunters if they try to hunt anything near it. Smaller camptosaurus herds actively encourage the presence of a single Uteodon in their ranks to defend the rest. Offering a bull first-dibs on any food and water is likely to make it happen. Still, they are rowdy and cantankerous; it’s just as possible they’ll be driven from a herd for accidentally killing a calf. Uteodon-Camptosaurus hybrids are uncommon. They tend to be larger, with dark bodies and dark stripes, and inherit their Uteodon parent’s temperament, but with a better social instinct.

Last month Eberron Archaeologist published an exhaustive look at how characters are named in Eberron. It's a great resource for getting right fit for a character's background and situation.

Last month Eberron Archaeologist published an exhaustive look at how characters are named in Eberron. It’s a great resource for getting right fit for a character’s background and situation. In this Library of Korranburg episode we delve deep in all of the materials written about naming conventions for characters in Eberron – with guides based on race, nation and factors like social class to…

Hablemos de las cuatro razas que Eberron introduce al juego.

Tanto el escenario de campaña original como la Guía del Jugador para 4e nos ofrecen diferentes puntos de vista y mecánicas para las cuatro nuevas razas que forman parte del mundo de Eberron: desde los replicantes hasta los cambiantes, pasando por los kalashtar y sus poderes psiónicos. Para mí, sin embargo, son los forjados quienes se roban el centro de atención. Construidos durante la Última…

La mayoría de los escenarios de fantasía tienen panteones complejos con miríadas de deidades mayores y menores, pero en Eberron la mayoría de los habitantes siguen a la Hueste Soberana, un grupo de deidades relacionadas entre sí que nunca interfieren directamente en el mundo. Más allá de esto, una fe relativamente nueva ha estado creciendo en los corazones de una de las naciones, una con muchas…

¡Celebremos el mes de Aniversario de Eberron con eventos, aventuras, artículos, entrevistas y regalos!

Hace dieciocho años, el entorno de campaña de Eberron fue publicado por Wizards of the Coast, dos años después que Keith Baker escribiera la propuesta original en una página que ganaría el concurso creado por la compañía. Desde que fue anunciado, seguí todos los avances en la Dragon Magazine, y me enamoré de este nuevo mundo, sus nuevas razas, su nueva clase y toda la magia que estaba imbuida en…

Todos necesitan un pasatiempo, pero algunos pasatiempos llevan a ciertas obsesiones poco sanas.

Bienvenidos a nuestra nueva serie de artículos sobre «Villanos de Eberron», en la que construiremos diversos conceptos de villanos centrándonos en elementos particulares de ese entorno de campaña, ofreciendo a los DMs algunas piezas clave en caso de que les provoque incluirlo en su campaña sea como monstruo o como NPC de cualquier clase o raza. Cada artículo en esta serie estará dividido en tres…

Expressive Valen sketches! Maybe someday I'll post other characters on this blog...

One thing that's been very fun for me with Valen is that, because I wanted to draw him more expressively, that's enabled me to really dig into a cartooning style in a way that I haven't in years.

I'd been so burdened with the notion of only making art that I felt people wanted from me (highly detailed, painterly, nature-focused illustrations), that I hadn't taken time to branch out and try anything that was really different for me in probably years.

It's been nice to have a character make me really feel something about making art, the way that I did before art college.