The Qabalrin are an extinct faction of elves that existed and were destroyed in a time before the giant–quori war and the giants ' ultimate destruction at the claws of the dragons of Argonnessen . [1] [2] [3] [4]
History
The Qabalrin elves were the first mortals to discover the great mysteries of necromancy. They are said to be responsible for the creation of the first vampires . [4]
Their city-state was destroyed by a giant Siberys dragonshard that fell from the sky more than forty millennia ago. The resulting impact created the Ring of Storms . The elven city existed over a thousand miles south-east of what is modern-day Stormreach . [1] [3]
The Qabalrin were powerful conjurers and necromancers. [1] [4] The giants believed that the Qabalrin's magic was evil, and derived from the Shadow of their version of the Sovereign of Light and Law, Ouralon . When their city was destroyed, the giants declared that Ouralon was punishing the elves for deriving their magic from his Shadow. [1] [3]
Legacy
Long after the Qabalrin were obliterated, some remnant of their magic was discovered by the Umbragen , who live in the realm of Khyber under the Ring of Storms. They named this font of dark energy the Umbra , and the shadow elves draw power from it to fuel their civilization and fight back the aberrant forces that threaten them. [2] [5]
The traditions of the Qabalrin are rumored to have inspired the dark practices of the line of Vol , and the faith of the Blood of Vol , as first started on the island of Farlnen in the Lhazaar Principalities . [4]
The Qabalrin wheel was the oldest active calendar in Eberron , and is still in use by practitioners of the Blood of Vol. Its months are based on the then-thirteen moons of Eberron . [6]
Some vampires from the time of the Qabalrin may still exist buried beneath the vaults of their ruined cities. [4] Dekaraz was banished for his vile deeds and survived the extinction of his people. He now acts in partnership with the mad silver dragon Ketheptis to wipe out the drow of Xen'drik . [7]
Appendix
Notes
Keith Baker mentioned on the Eberron Discord server that the Umbragen campaign in the Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard video game was originally longer and included an entity known as the Blood Queen , an ancient Qabalrin vampire the Umbragen would uncover and try to use for their own purpose. [8]
The exact nature of the Umbra is never specified in canon sources, and it may be an Overlord from the Age of Demons such as Tul Oreshka or Katashka the Gatekeeper , the spirits of the Qabalrin dead, or something else entirely. [ speculation ]
Keith Baker has suggested on his website that the Qabalrin might be descended from eladrin from Shae Tirias Tolai , the City of Silver and Bone, the lost ruin among the feyspires that drifts between Thelanis and Eberron. [9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Keith Baker , Jason Bulmahn , & Amber Scott (2006). Secrets of Xen'drik . ( Wizards of the Coast ), p. ?. ISBN 0-7869-3916-8 .
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Keith Baker , Nicolas Logue , James Desborough , C.A. Suleiman (2008). City of Stormreach . ( Wizards of the Coast ), p. ?. ISBN 0-7869-4803-5 .
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Keith Baker (May 2005). “ The Ring of Storms ”. Dungeon #122 ( Paizo Publishing ) (122)., pp. 72–80.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Keith Baker (2006/01/30). Libris Mortis, Part One . Eberron Expanded . Wizards of the Coast . Archived from the original on 2016/11/01. Retrieved on 2021/08/15.
- ↑ Keith Baker (April 2005). “ The Umbragen: Shadow Elves of Xen'drik ”. Dragon #330 ( Paizo Publishing ), pp. 43–48.
- ↑ Jennifer Clarke Wilkes , Ari Marmell , & C.A. Suleiman (2006). Faiths of Eberron . ( Wizards of the Coast ), p. 80. ISBN 0-7869-3934-6 .
- ↑ Keith Baker , Scott Fitzgerald Gray , Nicolas Logue , & Amber Scott (2007). Dragons of Eberron . ( Wizards of the Coast ), p. 145. ISBN 0-7869-4154-5 .
- ↑ Keith Baker (2019-01-08). Keith Baker on the Blood Queen . Chat. Discord. Retrieved on 2022-05-05. "Just before I leave, quick note on the Umbragen and the game Dragonshard. There was an entire Umbragen campaign scripted that wasn't used in the final game, which dealt with the sacrifices they were making to fight the daelkyr. They delved into the Qabalrin ruins and recovered a number of Qabalrin undead (including the hero character the Blood Queen, an ancient vampire). So the undead units in the Umbragen forces were scavenged Qabalrin, not reflective of a strong necromantic tradition among the Umbragen."
- ↑ Keith Baker (08/27/2018). Dragonmarks: The City of Silver and Bone . Retrieved on 02/14/2019.