Breland

Location

Breland occupies a large swath of land nestled between Zilargo to the east and Droaam to the west while sharing its northern border with the Eldeen Reaches and Aundair, and even touches Darguun and The Mournland in its far eastern area. The Straits of Shargon stab into Breland with the Dagger River, while the Graywall Mountains in the west prevent monstrous invasions from Droaam. Other geographic boundaries are Lake Brey, Silver Lake, Lake Galifar and the Blackcap Mountains to the north, and the Howling Peaks and the King's Forest to the east.

Society

Breland’s citizenry is divided almost equally between rural and urban communities. Along Breland’s northern expanse, farms and ranches stretch from the Graywall Mountains in the west to the Seawall Mountains in the east. Rich soil and moderate rainfall make the lives of the farmers relatively easy, and all but the farms nearest the Mournland have stayed prosperous through times of war and peace. The southern section of the nation, dominated by a number of tropical forests including the great King’s Forest, houses plantations and hunting reserves.

Rural life resembles that in the other nations, with perhaps a bit more emphasis on personal freedom and a drive to succeed and improve one’s station in life. Much of Breland’s rural citizenry never experienced firsthand the horrors of the Last War. Only the regions to the extreme northeast and those communities closest to Droaam ever participated in actual battles, and no foreign power ever penetrated very far into the nation. Every village and town and city, however, sent soldiers to the front, and every family knows someone who never returned from the war. Memorial markers are found around every thorp and hamlet, and the great cities have extensive memorials dedicated to those who perished defending Breland from its enemies.

What makes Breland different from most of the other nations is the number of urban centers that have grown up within its borders. Not only does it boast the largest metropolis in all of Khorvaire, Sharn, but even its smaller cities and towns have a cosmopolitan and worldly air to them. The Brelish attitude of acceptance and tolerance naturally attracts people of all races to its confi nes. Hence, the nation boasts large populations of most of the common races, as well as goblinoids, orcs, and a variety of intelligent monster races. This mix of people from different regions and of different cultures is much more dramatic in Breland’s urban centers, particularly in Sharn.

Northern Breland enjoys a mild climate. Wet springs give way to warm summers that blend into mild autumns and relatively temperate winters. The temperature rarely drops below freezing, even in the dead of winter, except in the highlands around the Blackcaps. In the south, from Wroat to the Straits of Shargon, the weather ranges from hot and muggy to hot and rainy, with only occasional periods of warm and dry.

The roads throughout Breland are well maintained and constantly patrolled. In addition to the House Orien trade roads, the crown maintains the original king’s roads that date back to ancient Galifar. Lightning rail lines connect Sharn and Wroat with Aundair, Thrane, and Zilargo, for those needing to travel at a faster pace.

Breland has welcomed a large contingent of Cyran refugees, providing them a place to call home since the destruction of Cyre and the creation of the Mournland. The Cyrans have set up their own town of New Cyre to the southeast of Starilaskur, where they hope eventually to gather as many of the survivors of their doomed nation as possible. Other Cyran communities can be found in Wroat, Sharn, Shavalant, and Ardev. Most of the Brelish feel obliged to make a place for the refugees, but there are factions within Breland whose members recall the bitter battles the two nations engaged in over the course of the war. For these factions, the doom that Cyre experienced was just punishment for the evil it had committed during the long years of war. They have no love to show the refugees, nor pity in their hearts; just a burning hatred and a desire to drive them from the nation—or, in some cases, to finish the job that Cyre itself started and wipe them from

the face of Eberron

Religion

Breland’s citizens mainly belong to the Church of the Silver Flame or the Sovereign Host, though as a whole the nation isn’t strongly religious—the Brelish have more faith in themselves and their king than in gods who never walk the land. Nevertheless, Sharn’s eclectic cosmopolitanism extends to faiths as well; in the great metropolis can be found representatives and followers of almost every religion and faith. Some devotees simply pass through on their way to some other part of the continent. Others remain (although a lot of them still plan to leave when the opportunity presents itself) in the City of Towers and try to provide spiritual sustenance to the masses that flow through the city.

A few of the more violent and dangerous cults have forged hiding places within the nation. A Blood of Vol temple has been established, quietly and in secret, somewhere deep within the towers of Sharn. A number of separate groups devoted to the Dragon Below have long held positions of power and influence within the nation, though they rarely reveal their true nature or intentions.

Industries

Breland’s agricultural output ranks it among the top crop-producing nations. It doesn’t export many of its crops, however; much of what it produces goes to feed its growing population. The northern half of the country consists of rich farmland, while the southern climate is perfect for cultivating a diverse selection of tropical crops.

The rest of Khorvaire knows Breland for its manufactured goods and heavy industry. The smelts and forges of Sharn, for example, produce relatively inexpensive weapons and armor. While these aren’t as well made and ornate as those turned out by the Mror Holds or Karrnath, they work just fine and cost significantly less. Sharn also turns ore and other raw materials into processed goods; House Cannith and the shipwrights of Zilargo purchase much of Sharn’s output for use in the construction of ships and vehicles. Other industrial centers can be found in Wroat, Galethspyre, and Starilaskur.

All of the dragonmarked houses maintain emporiums and outposts throughout Breland, and all of them have extensive operations in Sharn, the City of Towers. House Medani, House Phiarlan, and one branch of House Cannith all maintain headquarters in Breland; House Vadalis has an important enclave here as well.

Government and Politics

King Boranel rules Breland. A direct descendant of the independent nation of Breland’s first leader, Wroann, daughter of Jarot, Boranel carries on the traditions of both Galifar and the Brelish crown. A monarchy, Breland also has a partially elected parliament that works alongside the king and the royal court to govern the country. The parliament makes the laws in Breland, the crown enforces them. The crown also conducts all business related to foreign affairs and national security, sometimes informing the parliament, more often not.

The people of Breland love their king, his vassal lords respect and even revere him, and the parliament sees him as fair and just. It is said that the people of Breland will follow Boranel anywhere, and this has been demonstrated many times in the course of his thirty-seven-year reign. As Boranel gets older, concerns revolving around succession begin to manifest. One plan mostly discussed quietly and in secret, suggests that the nation abandon the monarchy after Boranel’s death and turn over more power and authority to the parliament. Another plan hopes that one of Boranel’s children will fill the vacuum and become a leader in the same vein as his or her father. So far, none of the heirs has demonstrated more than a passing ability at ruling the nation.

To further spread the tenets of democracy, Breland regularly holds town meetings throughout the realm. At these meetings, the common folk are recognized and allowed to state their opinions for the crown and parliament to hear.

Power Groups

House Cannith

The humans of the Mark of Making currently have a minor crisis of leadership. Three different leaders oversee the operations of House Cannith, and each refuses to yield to the authority of the

others. While this division of power has not yet led to an actual splintering of the house, it has made it difficult for the family to put its full power and influence behind any single initiative. One of the three leaders makes his headquarters in Sharn, where he oversees the house’s efforts in Breland and Zilargo, as well as the newest house initiatives in Darguun. Baron Merrix d’Cannith, the patriarch of the southern branch of the family, has a pet project that goes beyond the day-to-day activities of his house. He operates a secret creation forge deep within Sharn. In this hidden location, Merrix carries on the experiments of his father and grandfather, continuing to turn out new warforged on a slow but regular basis. He also has a fascination with the Mournland, often hiring adventurers to explore the blasted land and bring back relics related to his family.

House Medani

The patriarch of House Medani maintains an enclave in the capital city of Wroat, near to the royal court and the parliament hall. The leader of the house has been a friend to King Boranel for many years and even joined the king on an adventure or two before Boranel inherited the throne. The house provides a small group of retainers to aid the king, using their detection

skills and abilities to keep the king safe and secure. Baron Trelib d’Medani, a half-elf of great power and influence who has lived in Breland his entire life, has a fondness for the nation and its king that sometimes gets in the way of his dealings with the other nations.

House Phiarlan

The original elf family to carry the Mark of Shadow, House Phiarlan maintains its matriarchal enclave in Sharn and has outposts scattered throughout Breland. The Baron Elvinor Elorrenthi d’Phiarlan has ruled over the house since the early days of King Jarot’s rule. She is the perfect leader for the gregarious and artistic members of the Entertainers and Artisans Guild, moving among the ruling class with affable ease. Most see her elves as artists and entertainers, not as the eyes and ears of her network of spies. She regularly dines with the movers and shakers of Breland, Aundair, and Thrane, and conducts most of her house’s espionage business on their behalf.

House Vadalis

Though the family that holds the Mark of Handling operates out of the Eldeen Reaches, one of the patriarch’s sons oversees an important house enclave in Breland. This enclave gives the house a bit more access to the central nations than it can manage from the Eldeen wilderness. Located outside the village of Shavalant, the enclave raises magebred creatures as well as mundane stock. It also boasts a remarkable animal healing center that serves many of the farms and ranches scattered throughout northern Breland. House Vadalis has a number of annexes connected to the enclave in other parts of the nation, including a major center in Sharn and a smaller ranch on the outskirts of Wroat.

The Brelish Crown

King Boranel leads the royal family of Breland. His immediate family consists of six sons, five daughters, and his surviving siblings—three younger brothers, four younger sisters—and their wives, husbands, and children. Boranel’s brother Kor serves as his royal advisor and the commander of the Citadel, while his son Bortan serves as the royal steward and controls most of the crown’s finances. Boranel’s youngest son Halix and his daughter Borina have been sent to the court of Kaius in Karrnath to study and as part of an exchange to solidify the current peace; King Kaius’s sister Haydith has been sent to the Brelish court in their place; after a shy start, she is proving to be very popular with the nobility.

The king rules from the family’s ancestral home in Wroat, the halls of the mighty Brokenblade Castle. Named after the events surrounding the legendary King Galifar I’s conquest of the nation, when (as the story goes) his sword blade shattered in the battle but he managed to win the day anyway, Brokenblade Castle rises alongside the Howling River, near where it empties into and merges with the Dagger River. Parliament Hall, the meeting place and offices of the elected legislators of Breland, is located but a short walk from the battlements of Brokenblade Castle.

Boranel also maintains working residences in Sharn and Starilaskur, and keeps Castle Arakhain, in the western part of the country, as a retreat.

The Breland Parliament

Breland’s parliament consists of both elected legislators and hereditary noble legislators. The citizens of Breland elect legislators every two years. These elected lawmakers, selected by popular vote (one from each village or town, two from each city, and three each from the metropolises of Sharn and Wroat), are sent to the capital to participate in all parliamentary proceedings. The noble legislators gain their seats in the parliament based on the status of their families; each noble family holds one seat in the parliament. Each year, the recognized head of the family appoints a family member to parliamentary duty. In many cases, the yearly appointment is symbolic, and each family has one representative who serves a year in and year out. Twenty-seven noble families serve the crown of Breland.

The Breland parliament usually works in concert with the crown, but the two branches of authority have disagreed and even clashed on occasion. One noble in particular, Lord Ruken ir’Clarn, doesn’t want to see the monarchy continue after Boranel’s death. He and a few trusted conspirators seek to remove the crown’s authority with the passing of Boranel, thereby giving all ruling power to the parliament. The parliament, in turn, would elect a prime minister to preside over the council and the nation. Ruken envisions himself initially filling that role.

Nobles and Vassal Lords

The nobles granted land and title by the crown of Breland perform a number of functions in the running of the country. In addition to protecting their farmers and managing their estates, the nobles provide troops and taxes just as do their counterparts in the other nations. In general, the noble lords respect and admire their k ing, and they have a fierce pride in the accomplishments of their nation. If Boranel had asked them to keep fighting instead of ratifying the Treaty of Thronehold, most of the nobles would have gladly continued the war. A handful of noble Lords, while respecting Boranel’s leadership, secretly believe that his children have a mere shadow of his skill and charisma.

For this reason, they meet occasionally to draw up plans for replacing the monarchy—or at least the royal heirs—when Boranel finally expires.

The King’s Citadel

The elite agents of the Citadel operate in the interests and at the behest of the crown of Breland. Originally formed as an elite unit of spies and scouts during the Last War, the Citadel became the eyes, ears, and sword of Breland’s ruler. The Citadel operates throughout Breland as the ultimate agency for dispensing the King’s justice. Local watches and constabularies can call on its agents when a crime or situation poses a threat that spreads beyond their jurisdiction. Agents, on the other hand, can insert themselves into any situation they deem appropriate since they wield the authority of the crown. The Citadel also conducts operations beyond Breland’s borders, gathering intelligence, performing covert missions, and vigilantly working to keep Breland safe from its enemies.

Part spy, part inquisitive, and part soldier, the agents of the Citadel serve crown and country with heart and soul. The agents have their oath and their duty to guide them, and they are expected to operate always with the good of Breland in mind.

Today the Citadel’s main headquarters can be found in Wroat, not far from Brokenblade Castle. The agency has another base of operations in Sharn, as well as numerous roving agents working throughout Breland and, discreetly, beyond the nation’s borders. Lord Kor ir’Wynarn commands the Citadel, assisted by the Citadel captains who each head up a division of the agency. For

example, Captain Ellanar leads the King’s Swords, a unit of elite warriors trained to undertake special missions. Other divisions include the King’s Shields (charged with protecting the king and his closest family members and associates), the King’s Wands (an elite unit of wizards and sorcerers), and the King’s Dark Lanterns (the intelligence branch of the Citadel).

History

During the reign of Galifar’s last king, Wroann ir’Wynarn governed the nation. King Jarot’s youngest daughter, Wroann was the exact opposite of her twin brother, Wrogar of Aundair. She was thin and agile, serious, and a lover of the finer things in life. She also cherished freedom above all things and promised to make Breland a place where people would be judged by word and deed instead of social class. When Jarot died, Wroann broke with her twin regarding the line of succession. Instead of supporting Mishann of Cyre’s claim to the throne, Wroann gathered her vassals and declared her own intention to rule the kingdom. Ironically, the freedom-loving nation of Breland was one of the key instigators of the Last War, for her leader wanted to spread her ideas of liberty and increased democracy to all by force and sword. Prior to the Last War, the nation of Breland covered all the land it holds today, as well as what is now Zilargo, Droaam, and the Shadow Marches. Currently, the kingdom consists of the land between the Graywall Mountains and the Howling Peaks, reaching as far north as the Blackcaps and Lake Galifar, and as far south as the southern coast of the continent.

Major Settlements

Sharn (Metropolis, 200,000)

There has been a major settlement on the Hilt of the Dagger River since before recorded history. The current metropolis, Sharn, has existed since the formation of the original Five Nations, about seven hundred years after humans rose to prominence on the continent. For more than two millennia, the towers of Sharn have grown, rising thousands of feet into the sky. This vertical expansion has given the metropolis its title: The City of Towers.

A riot of architectural styles and designs play through the city’s impressive skyline. From its deepest foundations to its highest spires, Sharn displays the history of the continent for all to see. Heavy, oppressive goblinoid architecture provides the base for much of the city, its stonework reaching back to a time when humans did not exist on this continent. Atop this ancient foundation, the periods of human civilization stack one on top of the other as the city reaches for the clouds.

The City of Towers can be as impressive as it can be oppressive. The same skyscrapers of stone can make one person laugh with excitement and another weep from the size and weight and impossible heights. Whatever emotion the city inspires, the place remains a bustle of activity at all hours of the day and night. With a tremendous array of cultural, culinary, and commercial delights to sample, and its position as the gateway to Xen’drik, Sharn attracts visitors and adventurers from around the world. It is a hotbed of activity, known in equal measures for its wonders, its crime rate, its amazing amount of corruption, and its genuinely exciting atmosphere.

Sharn rises from the cliffs overlooking the Hilt, a wide bay at the mouth of the Dagger River. This inhospitable outcropping of rock allowed the city to grow in only one direction—up. The ports at the base of the cliffs load and unload cargo and passengers from seafaring vessels, raising and lowering goods and travelers alike on massive lifts operated by ropes and pulleys that travel through the neighborhood of Cliffside. This workingclass region is built into and upon the steep cliffs overlooking the river and bay. At the top of the cliffs, the rock walls seamlessly blend into the earliest stonework laid in ancient times. Here, the city and its amazing towers really begin.

The City of Towers is rumored to sit atop a massive lake of molten lava. Those who work in the bowels of the city, a subterranean region known as the Cogs, claim to feel the heat rising off the lava streams, but few have ever gone below the great furnaces and foundries of the Cogs to seek for the fiery lake itself. In the Cogs, heat and magic cooperate to allow workers to process

ores and other raw materials needed to sustain Sharn’s industrial machine.

Also within the depths, ancient ruins, labyrinthine sewers, vertical shafts, and forgotten chambers pile level upon level, climbing higher and higher until the inhabited regions are reached. These higher levels, made up of towers growing like trees in a forest of stone and brick, contain most of the city’s residents and visitors. Poorer members of society live in the deeper portions of the

towers, while those above gain wealth and status the higher up they live. The uppermost levels feature open-arched towers, balconies, bridges, and platforms that form a strange lacework of “solid” ground high in the air. Above all of this floats the neighborhood known as Skyway, where the most affluent citizens live and play.

Sharn is situated within a manifest zone linked to the plane of Syrania, the Azure Sky. The manifest zone primarily enhances spells and magic items that permit levitation and actual flight. Outside the zone, most of these items either grow weaker or lose the ability to function altogether. Without the zone, the city’s great towers and spires would crumble, its transportation systems would

collapse and the neighborhood of Skyway would plummet to the ground.

Sky coaches slowly move from tower to tower, transporting people. Other ways to get around the city include walking (almost every tower can be reached by multiple bridges that connect the platforms and walkways at different levels), lifts that ride up and down and side to side along magical strands of light, and magebred animals trained to carry passengers within the city’s limits.

There’s a popular saying on the elevated streets of Sharn: “If it can be bought, it can be bought here.” Shops and trading stalls abound, usually gathered in trade districts, open-air markets (called “exchanges”), or merchant halls (called “tower markets,” often multileveled) found within many tower and building complexes. Some shops jut from the sides of walls and bridges, ramshackle structures of wood hastily thrown together or built around a crack in the stone. Others occupy prime space set aside for such purposes and leased from tower landlords. The tower markets present the most elaborate market exchanges, where shops selling different wares sit side by side and one atop the other inside the open cavity of a tower or multistory blockhouse. Beyond these more or less legitimate business ventures, Sharn boasts a thriving black market where everything from exotic fruits and animals to illegal spell components and stolen goods can be traded. Sharn’s authorities do their best to curtail this activity if for no other reason than so proper taxes can be collected, but supply and demand make it next to impossible to really control. This leads to

another popular saying: “If someone wants it, someone sells it in Sharn.”

Morgrave University, with its glass walls and rough-and-tumble approach to scholarly pursuits, was founded in Sharn and to this day maintains its main campus in the City of Towers. The Institute of “learning, relic hunting, and grave robbing,” as it is called by the administrators of the more respected University of Wynarn, provides many opportunities for adventurers new to the craft and

calling, and it isn’t hard to get a letter of marque from Morgrave to explore ancient sites. A particularly capable group might also receive sponsorship or patronage from the university.

The City Watch enforces the Galifar Code of Justice throughout Sharn, but in practice, residents are more likely to encounter a law officer among the higher spires than in the lower bowels of the city. Constables conduct regular patrols along the higher bridges, platforms, and walkways, venturing lower only when necessity or prudence warrants. Watchtowers can be found in every ward, though there aren’t really enough constables to adequately serve and protect all of Sharn’s populace. The Watch, reluctantly, calls on agents of the King’s Citadel (who maintain a presence in the city) when an incident appears to be more then they can handle. More often, however, the Watch turns to adventurers when it needs additional deputies for a short amount of time.

Many merchants and sailors who live or work in Sharn pick up some amount of the Sahuagin language due to the proximity of sahuagin settlements beyond the Straits of Shargon. While many of these tribes remain hostile to travelers, a few sahuagin settlements have made it a practice to trade with and sell their services as guides to those making the trip through Shargon’s Teeth to reach Xen’drik. It helps in dealing with these tribes if one can speak their language, whether or not the guides can also speak Common.

The criminal element thrives in Sharn. It’s all about location, location, location, and the city serves as a crossroads for both legitimate and illicit trade. Indeed, some crime lords run extensive and respected legitimate businesses as cover for their illegal activities. A few of these enjoy the privileges of high standing in the community and even donate a portion of their wealth to various charities and charitable organizations. If the City Watch knows about their double lives (and many believe that it must), it is content to pretend that the good they do outweighs the evil.

Other than one woefully inadequate attack from the sea that barely scratched the cliff walls rising from the bay, the Last War never reached Sharn—at least not in the sense of marching armies and occupation forces. The City of Towers did have to contend with spies, saboteurs, terrorists, and waves of refugees as the years of bloody conflict dragged on. Perhaps the worst event during those years occurred in 918 YK, when unknown saboteurs (no one ever claimed responsibility for the act) caused the Glass Tower to fall from the sky, killing thousands.

First Tower (Thorp, 64)

At first glance, First Tower doesn’t appear to deserve a mention alongside such massive population centers as Sharn and Wroat. If a settlement were judged solely on the number of people it contained, then the place might not even appear on a Brelish map. As the gateway to Sharn from the northern land passages, however, First Tower earns prominence and notoriety befitting the number of travelers who regularly pass through its humble environs.

The thorp grew up around a single stone tower, maybe thirty feet high, that legends claim was the first tower built in the greater Sharn region. Long before any of Sharn’s massive structures climbed into the sky, the people of First Tower believe, the stones of their ancient spire were stacked one atop the other. Historians dispute this legend because the tower and the ramshackle inn that has been built around it are clearly not as old as the ancient goblinoid foundations upon which Sharn grew. The people of First Tower nod, smile politely, and leave the scholars to their delusions, for they know in their hearts that they live in a historic and significant location.

Regardless of the accuracy of the place’s history, First Tower serves an important role in the cycle of life around Sharn. Those traveling to or from Sharn by land, whether walking, riding, or as passengers in a caravan or lightning rail, have only one route they can take. This route cuts through the crags and cliffs upon which Sharn sits, slices north, and passes through the settlement of First Tower.

Whether coming from or going to Sharn, if you travel by land you must pass through First Tower. All the residents of First Tower earn a living by catering to the travelers moving through the settlement. The inn employs most of them, for travelers need to eat, drink, relax, and have a place to stay while waiting for the next outbound caravan or for their papers to clear so they can

enter the City of Towers.

The lightning rail station, the caravan stables, a general store, and the crown’s checkpoint make up the rest of the thorp, as well as a scattering of houses where the locals live. Royal clerks stationed at the checkpoint examine the identification and traveling papers of everyone seeking to travel to Sharn proper. The checkpoint maintains a small garrison that enforces order in First Tower and keeps the place safe from bandits and marauders who sometimes slip out of the King’s Forest.

Wroat (Metropolis, 80,870)

The second largest city in Breland, Wroat serves as the Brelish capital and a center of trade and commerce. Not as densely populated or as overwhelming as Sharn, Wroat nevertheless holds its own as one of the great cities of Khorvaire. Wroat, whose skyline stretches along both sides of the Howling River, is located at the junction where that waterway meets the Dagger River. Two large temples—one dedicated to the Sovereign Host, the other to the Silver Flame— dominate the Street of Worship. Other impressive structures include Brokenblade Castle, Parliament Hall, the Citadel, the Wroat campus of Morgrave University, and the Galifar Museum.

As the nation’s capital, Wroat is a hotbed of political activity. The aristocracy and the elected members of parliament spend a lot of time here, debating the issues of the day and keeping the wheels of government turning. Diplomats from all over the world maintain lodgings and embassies in the city’s Foreign District. The crown operates out of Brokenblade Castle, where King Boranel and his family live and work for a sizable portion of the year. The heads of all the royal agencies also operate out of Wroat, where they can be close to both the king and the

parliamentary leaders.

Boranel’s court travels with the king, but it displays all of its grandeur and majesty here in the capital city. Keeping most of the traditions of ancient Galifar alive, the court conducts business, plans festivities, engages entertainment, and otherwise handles the duties of serving the crown and king. The Brelish court is known far and wide for the lavish celebrations it holds, as well as for the fair and just treatment it dispenses to its subjects.

Vathirond (Large Town, 3,100)

The town of Vathirond, situated on the southern banks of the Brey River, serves as a watch post and trading center. It sits across the border from the nation of Thrane, and near the line that once separated Breland from Cyre. If a place in Breland suffered more than its share during the Last War, Vathirond would be that place. It constantly struggled against both Thrane and Cyre at different times during the war and even contended with river raiders from Karrnath once or twice over the century of fighting. Now the town tries to put aside its hatred for Thrane as it works to honor the Treaty of Thronehold. With one eye kept toward the north, it turns another eye to the Mournland. Nameless horrors have begun to slip into Breland from the east at an alarming rate, and Vathirond border patrols seek to either prevent this or raise an alarm when something they can’t deal with appears out of the dead gray mist that seems to mark where Breland ends and the

Mournland begins.

The Brey River provides the main transportation into and out of Vathirond, though an Orien trade road connects the town with Starilask ur to the west. The eastern end of the road stretches into the Mournland, disappearing beyond the mist as though beckoning travelers to visit the ruins and wreckage of Cyre. While the mist has not moved any closer since the Mournland came

into existence, the presence of the dead nation eats away at the inhabitants of Vathirond. The town has lost more than a quarter of its population to disease, rampaging horrors, or because the people have fled to find safer, less desolate ground elsewhere in the kingdom. Since the death of Cyre and the birth of the Mournland, Vathirond’s population has dwindled from more than four thousand to its present level of just over three thousand. King Boranel sees this development as a trend he must find a way to change before this strategic location turns into a ghost town.

New Cyre (Large Town, 4,200)

What started as a refugee village in the wake of the destruction of Cyre has rapidly grown into a large town with over four thousand inhabitants. While the disaster that destroyed the nation to Breland’s east wiped out much of the Cyran population, those living near the western border had enough time to cross over into the Brelish countryside ahead of the strange wall of dead-gray mist that eventually stopped just a few miles to the east of Vathirond and Kennrun. King Boranel took pity on the refugees and established the camps that evolved into a village and then a town.

Today, New Cyre sits on a trade road southeast of Starilaskur, in the middle of Breland’s eastern farm country. The prince of the city, Oargev ir’Wynarn is the last son of Cyre’s ruling family. He was serving as an ambassador to Breland when the mysterious disaster befell his nation and has since become the unofficial leader of the Cyran refugees scattered throughout the other domains. He hopes to one day gather all of Cyre’s homeless children to this refuge in Breland. His other desire revolves around discovering the truth behind the destruction of his kin and country, and exacting revenge on the guilty parties. Until then, he graciously accepts the hospitality of Breland (even if the Brelish has given him unwanted land in the middle of nowhere) and works to rebuild the confidence and honor of his subjects. He serves as mayor of New Cyre while also playing the role of a king in exile.

The people of New Cyre work as farmers while their prince plots and plans the future glory of the Cyran crown. Prince Oargev regularly seeks out news and information from those foolish or brave enough to venture into the Mournland. He has been known to fund expeditions into the blasted, wasted remains of his once-proud nation, hoping to discover some hint or clue that points to the cause of Cyre’s demise. In the meantime, Oargev works to improve the plight of his people and dreams of rebuilding Cyre—either in a restored Mournland or someplace else entirely.

Argonth (Small Town, 1,600)

Once, the mighty forges of Sharn churned out new and amazing weapons of war. With the help of Cannith makers and other arcane crafters, the great forges crafted various types of warforged, powerful vehicles, and the wondrous moving cities. Of these latter creations, only two remain active to the current day. The most famous of these is Argonth, the mobile fortress.

Argonth, a massive structure that appears to be a part fortress, part cliffside, and part cityscape, floats above the ground and slowly moves from place to place. The town might be along the shore of Silver Lake one day and sliding beside the Droaam border the next time someone tries to find it. The floating town was designed as a mobile fortress to help defend Breland during the Last War. Now it serves as a border patrol, circumnavigating the Brelish borders as it moves north, then east, then south, and back again, tracing a slow but steady path along the lines that divide Breland from Droaam, the Eldeen Reaches, Aundair, Thrane, the Mournland, and Darguun.

The Captain of Argonth is Alain ir’Ranek. He leads the troops and support personnel that makeup Argonth’s citizenry. The mobile fortress moves at a steady two miles per hour as it traces its patrol route, but its speed can be increased to as much as ten miles per hour when the need arises. The increased speed requires a lot of power and puts a strain on the fortress’s resources, and thus such speed is called upon only in emergency situations.

The citizens of Argonth are all in the Breland military, and the town operates under military protocols. In the past, it has served as a base of operations for enemy engagements, as a support center for stationary castles, and as an attack platform when Brelish troops crossed into enemy territory. Now its role is to patrol and protect Breland from raiders, marauders, and the potential threat of hostile armies from neighboring nations. It also spends a lot of time near the border with the Mournland, using its offensive and defensive capabilities to deal with creatures emerging from the obscuring mists.

Every few weeks, Argonth stops to take on supplies. When this occurs, a market grows up around the town where those nearby can come to trade and share the news with the soldiers harbored within the mobile fortress. Visitors rarely receive permission to enter Argonth, so the next best thing for them is to interact with the soldiers and support personnel at a market festival. Argonth has become home to a number of warforged veterans who have pledged their swords to the Brelish crown. Two of the more influential warforged are Big Bara, who commands a company of scouts known as Bara’s Breakers, and Finias Wandhand, who never fought in the Last War but instead became fascinated with the arcane arts. Currently, Finias is under the tutelage of Eera ir’Jalon, Argonth’s master of magic.