The feyspires are a series of eladrin and gnome cities in Thelanis that regularly appear on Eberron.
Most are now bound to the Material Plane in a single location. This event is possibly connected to the Day of Mourning, which among other things caused the ancient magic hiding the spires to be dispelled, exposing them to the rest of the world.[2]
Known feyspires[]
The known feyspires are sometimes called the seven jewels of the Faerie Court.[3]
Shaelas Tiraleth[]
A map of the Court of the Silver Tree.
Shaelas Tiraleth, also known as the Court of the Silver Tree, is the first and greatest of the feyspires, ruled by Shan Tira, a gifted diviner and head of its council, in which archfey from other domains gather for important occasions.[4] The spire itself is a gargantuan and magnificent tree of gleaming metallic bark and golden leaves, with ivy rising up along the trunk, inside of which people live.
Shaelas Tiraleth was in the southeastern part of Cyre, northeast of Seaside and near Lorn; it could be seen from Kraken Bay when the Mourning started, and after the mists covered it no one has been able to find it again. Due to their connection, the other six feyspires reacted, rocked with tremors the moment the mist reached the Silver Tree.[2] Since no explorer has been able to locate the Silver Tree, some believe it was completely lost to the devastation, while others wonder if it still exists physically, but haunted by deadly perils.[5]
In the novel The Fading Dream Keith Baker delved even deeper into the importance of Shaelas Tiraleth in relation to the rest of the ghaele settlements, comparing it to the trunk to which the "boughs" of the other feyspires are connected. In the canon of this specific novel, part of the plot revolves around the idea that the corruption that has plagued the Silver Tree since the Day of Mourning[note 1] is what harms the other feyspires too, preventing them from hiding or returning to Thelanis.[6]
The best-known fairy tale in Eberron (a mortal man visiting a fey city falls in love with an eladrin woman but is unable to find his way back to her when he leaves) has an ancient variant that identifies Shaelas Tiraleth as the feyspire that the protagonist visits.[6][7]
Shae Loralyndar[]
Shae Loralyndar, also known as the City of Rose and Thorn, is one of the most prosperous feyspire, whose known rulers are the King of Summer[8][9] and the Queen of Rose and Thorn.[6][10] The spire itself looks like a perfect example of the artistry and grace of the eladrin, with peak-roofed houses surrounded by gardens and connected by slender bridges, and the towers of the local eladrin lords rising above everything.
Shae Loralyndar is in the center of a valley in the Twilight Demesne, in the Eldeen Reaches;[2] however, due to the connection of this region with Thelanis as a whole, many stories of the Faerie Court are told, and others fey domains (such as towers of silver and crystal) manifest in the Demesne along with the City of Rose and Thorn.[11] While historically Shae Loralyndar had stronger ties with Eberron than other faerie settlements, finding allies among the Greensingers and other local druids (some of which are even allowed to live there),[12] after the Day of Mourning they were unable to return to Thelanis. This forced permanence made the eladrin uneasy, as they struggled finding their place in Eberron, and caused some bitterness towards the citizens of a rival feyspire, Pylas Pyrial, who adapted to the change more easily.[13]
In 798 YK, Jaunt, the eladrin daughter of explorers from Shae Loralyndar, decided to abandon her feyspire to explore Eberron, and ended up joining House Orien. She became a respected wizard who uses traditional magic and her own innate abilities to unlock the secrets of teleportation.[14]
Shae Joridal[]
Shae Joridal, also known as the City of Emerald Lights, is a feyspire known for its mages and legendary illusionists,[15] ruled by Taranel Tanaer, the Prince of Emerald Lights. The spire itself looks like a settlement of otherworldly beauty, with high emerald towers around which green lights drift, and surrounded by whorled walls that look like they're made of iridescent seashell.
Shae Joridal is in Darguun, standing a lot in its savage land. When the Mourning caused the feyspire to get stuck in Eberron, tension began to grow between the fey and the goblinoids. Historically there had always been conflict between the inhabitants of Darguun and the Valenar elves, so the appearance of a city full of eladrin was seen as a threat, and they laid siege to it. While some fey fled in search of new, safer homes, others stayed, and managed to defend the City of Emerald Lights with their magic; despite this, the situation became increasingly critical, and the Lhesh Haruuc and the local clans were relentless in their effort to annihilate the feyspire. Taranel Tanaer tried to keep spirits up among her people, but he also sent agents and emissaries to create alliances with other nations or search for adventurers willing to fight for the Shae Joridal; the archfey himself rarely left his home so as not to leave it vulnerable.[6][16][17]
Pylas Pyrial[]
Pylas Pyrial, also known as the Gate of Joy, is a feyspire known for its high gnomish population, ruled by the Summer Council and represented by Shan Pyrial in the Council of the Silver Tree.[6] The spire itself looks like a tower made of alabaster and threads of gleaming gold, with a glittering crystal surrounded by a golden cage at the top.
Pylas Pyrial is in Zilargo,[18] in a forest known as the Glimmerwood.[19] It is believed by the Zil gnomes that they are related to those of the feyspire, either because their ancestors originated there or because there was enough contact with the spire and its inhabitants to make those in Zilargo more fey-like. Whatever the case, the Gate of Joy is a place of celebration, filled with artists, artisans, and artificers, where gnomes are welcome and other visitors gain access more easily than in other feyspires (which makes some fey, like those of Shae Loralyndar, consider the Pyrial citizens traitors). When the Mourning caused Pylas Pyrial to get stuck in Zilargo, its ties with the local mortals made coexistence easier, and the gnomes and eladrin from Thelanis adapted to their new lives, even if they still missed the Faerie Court. However, in order to have eyes inside the spire, the Triumvirate had the Trust send agents who successfully infiltrated there.[20]
Taer Syraen[]
Taer Syraen, also known as the Winter Citadel, is a militant feyspire, ruled by Shan Syraen, the Lord of Winter.[6][21] The spire itself is entirely made of ice and blue-white stone, with multiple slender towers that sparkle in the light, connected by bridges that form a crystalline web, and surrounded by elegant walls that melt, solidify, and repair themselves as the winter fey see fit.[21]
Taer Syraen is near the western edge of the Karrnwood, in Karrnath,[2] in the domain of Count Jadan Thul, a warlord whose envoys have been ignored by the winter fey.[22] They have a rivalry with the fey of Shae Loralyndar (now in the Eldeen Reaches) because of their opposed natures.
One of the feyspire's most remarkable secrets are the Shadowmarked Assassins: elven and half-elven descendants of dragonmarked heirs of House Phiarlan, now working for the local archfey. Although absent during the Shadow Schism, and unhindered by the Korth Edicts for generations, since Taer Syraen got stranded in Karrnath these mortals have begun to make contact with their distant Phiarlan and Thuranni kin; both houses were unaware of these long-lost faeryvar ("children of summer", as they are called by the winter fey), and of the fact that First Snow, a local ghaele fascinated by dragonmarks, has been experimenting with them for generations trying to produce eladrin or half-elves with the Mark of Shadow.[23][24]
Taer Lian Doresh[]
Taer Lian Doresh, also known as the Fortress of Fading Dreams, and originally as Shae Doresh (the City of Dreams), is a feyspire that was lost for millenia, and is ruled by Shan Lian Doresh, a bitter and terrifying leader who was a winter eladrin once. The city itself was reconstructed in the past to be more war-like, and although it still retains some of its beauty, a dark citadel with six great towers, it becomes more disquieting the closer one gets, shifting and confusing visitors at the whim of its ruler, and adapting to manifest fears.
When the Cul'sir Empire attacked the City of Song and Silence in Xen'drik, the archfey of Shae Doresh and his eladrin forces were the only ones who dared to avenge the fallen spire. They weren't strong enough to defeat the Titan King, who used a ritual to banish the forces of the City of Dreams, along with the settlement itself, to Dal Quor, where they spent centuries, becoming increasingly corrupted by nightmares (Shan Lian Doresh calls these subjects wyrds, "the fated").[25][26] When the feyspire, now a fortress of nightmarish fey, returned to Eberron, it appeared in the Whitepine Forest, in the Lhazaar Principalities,[2] although it still exists connected to Dal Quor.[27]
The Knights of Terror (fey warriors serving other archfey that joined the Lord of Dreams in his campaign against the giants) still live in the fortress, but are able to leave it and travel across Eberron, even visiting other feyspires without Shan Lian Doresh's knowledge. It is known that one of them witnessed Shae Joridal being sieged by goblins, and disturbed the attack because of the fear he engendered; another traveled to the Karrnwood to see Taer Syraen, and killed any person that discovered her presence. Despite these occasional journeys they still return to Taer Lian Doresh, for they are loyal to its ghaele lord.[26]
Shae Tirias Tolai[]
Shae Tirias Tolai, also known as the City of Silver and Bone, and known in the past as the City of Song and Silence, is a feyspire detroyed thousands of years ago, whose ruler is unknown.[6][26] This place, called the City of Tears by some,[28] has been reduced to ruins, allegedly haunted,[note 2] that remain where it once stood.[29][note 3]
During the times of the Cul'sir Empire the giants attacked the city when it shifted from Thelanis to Xen'drik; some stories said they found Shan Tirias Tolai by chance, others that their army had been waiting for it to appear in their world.[30] The feyspire was destroyed, its treasures taken, and many of its citizens killed.[25] Those eladrin who survived but weren't able to escape were enslaved for a long time, and became the ancestors of the elves of Eberron.[31]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
in Exploring Eberron it is implied that the "seven jewels" aren't all the feyspires of Thelanis, but the most notable of them.[32]
- ↑ The novel describes the tree as still alive, but at the cost of consuming the energy of some of its inhabitants. Members of the supporting cast, such as sprites, became carvings in the walls, being part of the Silver Tree itself; however, some of them were still active, and eladrin warriors such as Sir Casoran were still serving the ghaele.
- ↑ In The Gates of Night Xu'sasar mentions that when she was young she visited the City of Tears, a place haunted by ghosts, according to the Teller of Tales of her tribe. The City of Tears has been confirmed to be this feyspire by Keith Baker in a Q&A. However, at the moment that content is Patreon exclusive.
- ↑ In his blog, Keith Baker developed the concept of Shae Tirias Tolai and its traits before its destruction. The City of Silver and Bone was known for its connection to Dolurrh, and ghosts and shades passed through there before leaving the world, making the feyspire the perfect place to recover lost knowledge, contact the dead, and even bring them back to life; the forms of necromancy practiced by both the Qabalrin and the Aereni elves would have evolved from the arts of the destroyed feyspire. Keith Baker also suggested the identity of the archfey that once ruled the city and might still claim the ruins as its domain: an entity that stands between life and death, obsessed with memories, served by ghostly elves (an equivalent of the Raven Queen and her shadar-kai in Eberron).
External links[]
- Domains of Delight article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Fane article at the Critical Role Wiki, a wiki for the Critical Role campaign setting.
References[]
- ↑ Keith Baker (October 2010). The Fading Dream. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 133. ISBN 0-7869-5624-0.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 48–49. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ Rodney Thompson, Claudio Pozas, Steve Townshend (2011). Player's Option: Heroes of the Feywild. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10. ISBN 978-0786958368.
- ↑ Jeff LaSala (November 2010). “Explore Taer Lian Doresh: Villains and Vendettas” (PDF). Dungeon #184 (Wizards of the Coast) (184)., p. 46.
- ↑ James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 92–93. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Keith Baker (October 2010). The Fading Dream. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-5624-0.
- ↑ James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 48. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ Keith Baker, Jeremy Crawford, & James Wyatt (2019). Eberron: Rising from the Last War. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 116. ISBN 0786966890.
- ↑ He and Lord Eversun, from 4e, might be the same archfey.
- ↑ See Keith Baker's comments on the subject.
- ↑ Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, & James Wyatt (2004). Eberron Campaign Setting. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 174–175. ISBN 0-7869-3274-0.
- ↑ Keith Baker, Imogen Gingell, Alex D'Amico (September 2024). Frontiers of Eberron: Quickstone. (DMs Guild), p. 76. Stillwater, a Khoravar druid, spent most of their life in the feyspire before moving to Sylbaran.
- ↑ James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 134–135. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 225. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ Keith Baker (2020). Exploring Eberron. (Dungeon Masters Guild), p. 197.
- ↑ James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 113. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ David Noonan, Ari Marmell, and Robert J. Schwalb (2009). Eberron Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 134. ISBN 0-7869-5100-1.
- ↑ David Noonan, Ari Marmell, and Robert J. Schwalb (2009). Eberron Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 148. ISBN 0-7869-5100-1.
- ↑ Keith Baker, Imogen Gingell, & KB Presents (November 2022). Chronicles of Eberron. (DMs Guild), pp. 60–62.
- ↑ James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 170. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Keith Baker, Jeremy Crawford, & James Wyatt (2019). Eberron: Rising from the Last War. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 232. ISBN 0786966890.
- ↑ Keith Baker (October 2010). The Fading Dream. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 45. ISBN 0-7869-5624-0.
- ↑ Keith Baker (November 2011). “Taer Syraen, the Winter Citadel” (PDF). In Steve Winter ed. Dungeon #196 (Wizards of the Coast) (196)., pp. 32–35.
- ↑ James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 226. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Jeff LaSala (May 2010). “Explore Taer Lian Doresh: Fortress of Fading Dreams” (PDF). Dungeon #178 (Wizards of the Coast) (178)., p. 79.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Jeff LaSala (November 2010). “Explore Taer Lian Doresh: Villains and Vendettas” (PDF). Dungeon #184 (Wizards of the Coast) (184)., p. 50.
- ↑ James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 143–144. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ Keith Baker (2006). The Gates of Night. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 255. ISBN 0-7869-4013-1.
- ↑ Keith Baker (08/27/2018). Dragonmarks: The City of Silver and Bone. Retrieved on 02/14/2019.
- ↑ James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 143. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ David Noonan, Ari Marmell, and Robert J. Schwalb (2009). Eberron Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 35–36. ISBN 0-7869-5100-1.
- ↑ Keith Baker (2020). Exploring Eberron. (Dungeon Masters Guild), pp. 196–197.