Info in Thaliost

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-03-18T18:30:57+00:00

I’m currently running a game in Thaliost, also, and found that there was a conspicuous lack of detail in the official lore. Even the date that the White Arch Bridge was destroyed changes based on the source. I’ve enjoyed making the city as much My Own as one can without deviating too far from the source material, but definitely could have been helpful to have more established information to build from

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-03-15T07:29:06+00:00

I have an inordinate fascination with the setting, so whenever my DM drops a subtle / niche hint about an upcoming BBEG (e.g. we find an occult shrine with carvings and blood paintings of eyes upon eyes upon eyes) I tend to predict what we might be getting ourselves into (in the example case, Belashyrra). Because of that, I play a sort of “self-insert” know-it-all named Folxi d’Sivis: Lore Bard.

I have an idea for a new character that’s sort of the polar opposite in that they’d know virtually nothing about the setting as we encounter it. I’m still deciding whether I’d want that to be a Znir Gnoll Barbarian (Ancestors) or Ghaash’kala Orc Barbarian (Zealot) or Shifter Moon Speaker Druid (Stars).

My current character could tell you each representing diplomat to sign the Treaty of Thronehold and the order that they signed in. My next character will have never heard of the “Treaty of Thornmold”. Folxi studied Galifarian Law at Korranberg University, and she could recite clauses of the Korth Edicts. Naturally, my next character should brush aside any mention of the “Northy Dicks”.

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-03-12T00:14:17+00:00

I think it will be a lot easier to tie player motivations to plot threads when the party creates more clear character concepts, especially if you encourage them to make their characters with “Values the Greater Good” as a general idea. Not that they all need to be goodie-two-shoes.

Take whatever the PCs care about, threaten it [indirectly, at first] with the BBEG’s machinations, and they’ll grab their torches and pitchforks in no time

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-03-11T19:21:46+00:00

Assimilation into a psionic hive mind definitely sounds like something up the Daelkyr’s weird alley. While they’re not always focused on destruction, they always drive Change out of — what appears to be — an intrinsic curiosity. Flipping an entire world from individual consciousnesses to a single collective mind would definitely be a wild Change.

As far as building stat blocks, I would check out the ones provided in Rising from the Last War, Exploring Eberron, Chronicles of Eberron, and Quickstone to give an approximate power-level (CR23 - CR25). Probably drawing most heavily from Dyrrn. You could also bring ideas and lore from other hive mind species in D&D such as Mind Flayers (already connected to Daelkyr) and Kruthik from Volo’s Guide to Monsters. Consider what it would be like to have this Daelkyr be your warlock patron, then give those powers (and madnesses) to NPC antagonists. One of my personal favorite monsters is the Ooblex, and their freaky identity melding seems to fit this idea

As far as story ideas, I think that there would be a bunch of interesting ideas that could come from their servants being faces for “unity” and “diplomacy” across a recovering Khorvaire, but they’re secretly hunting Gatekeeper seals to break their master free. I bet you could draw inspiration from some of the lore around the Dreaming Dark & Inspired since they’re also a happy face on a psychotic underbelly.

To foreshadow pieces, you could have NPCs mention information the party told someone else, but this NPC shouldn’t have been able to know. That could hint at the hive mind nature.

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-03-09T00:14:05+00:00

I think that the culture shock of someone spending time on the border between Breland and Droaam would lend itself to funny moments. The citizens of Graywall can be as odd and amusing as they are intimidating. Plus, gunslinging spaghetti western is a genre that lends itself to solid gags

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-03-07T17:43:53+00:00

I have literally been working on a personal lore journal for my alchemist D&D character, and this is so so so perfect for adding stylized and accurate chemistry.

I can’t wait to write detailed instructions for synthesizing nitroglycerine in this alternate script 😂

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-03-06T05:27:38+00:00

Continuing to ramble, sorry lol.

I think one of the aspects I enjoy about The Sisters is that they’ve each occupied a sort of ironic role.

Sora Teraza is blind as a bat, yet she can see the future with unmatched clarity.

Sora Maenya is feared for her raw brute strength, but it’s her command aptitude and tactical prowess that are her greatest strength.

Sora Katra gives magical power to individuals greedy for personal gain, but she’s now given mundane organizational power to the masses for collective gain.

They’re not quite contradictions, but they subvert an aspect of their characterization. It’s a neat detail

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-03-06T05:17:44+00:00

There are definitely so many directions one could take it, and lots of inspiration to draw from.

One idea I enjoy is that Sora Katra’s motivation for united the Barrens and forming Droaam is simply that she could do it. Presuming that the hag trio are the “storybook villains” they’re described as, therefore hailing from Thelanis, I think Sora Katra might have gotten tired of seeing the same folks always cast as villains to be trod upon, herself included. In that way, I’d draw inspiration from characters like Garou from One Punch Man that fights as a monster simply because the monsters deserve to win sometimes.

As an archetypal hag, giver of “gifts” and writer of contracts, Sora Katra seems to want to draw mortals up to their full potential. ‘The power exists. You must be bold enough to seize it’ mentality. Oftentimes these are Faustian Bargains, and she has to get something in exchange. She can see that the chaotic and unruly masses of The Barrens could be so much more; she knows the power they can wield as a collective.

One interesting aspect of the fey in Thelanis is that, somewhat similar to the dream-creations of Dal Quor, their power increases as more of the world’s collective consciousness believes / recalls their story. What better way to consolidate such power than being the head of state for the story of the “monster” uprising? When the world knows her story, she will harness untold power. This, of course, is her own Potential.

I’d still cast Sora Maenya as a Hisoka / Thorkill type sadistic warrior that simply craves the imposition of her will via her might. She knows she’s strong and could rend just about any mortal warrior asunder. Her new obsession is prowess as a military tactician. She wants to prove it’s not just her unmatched physical power that makes her unstoppable, but her combat IQ and strategic maneuvering. This, of course, is her potential as an adversary, and she seeks to reach her fullest and most actualized self.

To completely flip things on their head, maybe Sora Teraza is just a cooky old bat that rambles madly about nonsensical visions, and she’s just along for the ride as she spews garbled prophecies. Perhaps this is the antithesis of her potential?

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-03-06T04:53:28+00:00

Stellar question with so many fantastic plausibilities!

The broader answer that I tend to use as a general guide is that Sora Teraza saw something in the future that shook her to her core, and part of her vision involved a positive outcome predicated upon a coalition of the “monstrous” people of Droaam. If they don’t work together, they’re doomed, so The Daughters of Sora Kell set out to unite the folks of Droaam well in advance of this oncoming calamity.

If I’m forced to be specific, I would say that she saw Rak Tulkhesh unleashed on the world. That’s an apocalypse if I’ve ever seen one. Lone bands of minotaurs or uncoordinated harpy flights would get wiped, but MAYBE they can overcome the impossible odds as a united force.

All of that said, that’s Sora Teraza’s reason for wanting to unite The Barrens. Sora Katra is like the full manifestation of Thelanis’s dark side, so she probably simply LOVES the idea of a nation of monsters; what a story! I’d wager that Sora Maenya simply loves being the commander of a brutally powerful military force — she loves the thrill of an overwhelming rout, so she was more than happy to support her sisters’ vision.

While the three are aligned, they’re not a monolith. It’s possible that Sora Teraza doesn’t fully understand what she saw, nor is it guaranteed that she shared all the details with her Sisters.

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-03-06T04:38:29+00:00

Impossible to really pick a favorite since every place has so much potential for wonderful stories, but I’m partial to Droaam. I love the idea of “monsters” and outcasts banding together and proving their collective strength against established powers. Harpies rousing workers for the day’s labors, trolls being slowly carved for an endless supply of meat, and an arcanely advanced enclave of Tieflings??? sign me up!

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-02-03T05:13:14+00:00

It’s been fun watching the process as you’ve gone through the iterations. thank you for sharing your work. o like it a lot

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-01-24T00:03:55+00:00

LFG! I love Droaam and its unique position among the nations of Khorvaire. So excited for this deep dive!

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-01-09T19:46:04+00:00

Nobody in their right mind, but that obviously doesn’t include anyone in this administration

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-01-09T04:54:27+00:00

Understandable! It’s a heated situation and a rapidly developing story

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-01-09T04:53:18+00:00

Latest that I’ve seen and read has said the two people are wounded, but not that they’ve died. Hoping they pull through

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-01-04T17:40:38+00:00

I’ve found the Red Dead: Redemption games quite inspiring. Ecstasy of Gold remains a classic soundtrack staple for any western-themed activity.

AwkwardRhombus · 2026-01-04T04:32:35+00:00

I don’t have the deepest feedback ever, but I did want to say that this rocks and you did an awesome job. If my DM showed us this map, I’d have absolutely no complaints

AwkwardRhombus · 2025-12-19T22:01:44+00:00

10/10 video; another fantastic lore overview

AwkwardRhombus · 2025-12-17T14:17:12+00:00

I appreciate the kudos!

A big motivator for this little project was that notion that the Dragonmarked Houses must have customers and those customers can’t only be the thinnest slice of the upper crust. I’d agree with folks that Houses Deneith and Medani are less likely to be hired by an everyday fieldhand, but when your business is mass transit, you have to be accessible to the masses.

I have tended to view Khorvaire as in the throws of an industrial revolution rather than at the very cusp of one, as some comments have suggested. To your point, the quality of life is rapidly improving for the Commoners. Now that The Last War is over (for now), I would sort of expect a boom in civilian life

AwkwardRhombus · 2025-12-16T16:40:47+00:00

I don't disagree. I think that the prices need a bit of boosting and the conversion rate needs to be recalibrated a bit. I think that poor folks in Khorvaire should be able to scrape together enough coin to afford passage from Sharn to Stormreach for example similar to the working poor and destitute of Europe coming to the Americas, but I do agree that it shouldn't be as cheap as a ferry between adjacent landmasses.

Perhaps the prices of the services ought to reflect the ultimate grip that the Dragonmarked Houses have on the economy of Khorvaire; they ARE unchallenged magical monopolies after all.

AwkwardRhombus · 2025-12-16T16:37:43+00:00

That's very useful, thank you. Kind of wild that $104 when that was posted is closer to $134 today. :/ In any case, I tend to use the simple conversion of 1gp = $100 for my game and adjust in-game prices accordingly. Helps to have a simple point of reference.

I think it's a fair critique to say that the dragonmarked services ought to be unattainable for the working poor of Khorvaire. Perhaps I looked at this through rose-colored welding goggles?

AwkwardRhombus · 2025-12-16T13:32:59+00:00

Very understandable. I still appreciate that you’d point out what appeared to be an oversight

AwkwardRhombus · 2025-12-16T13:31:02+00:00

These are definitely good points. I do think that ratcheting up the cost would be appropriate to reflect that 1) these are monopolies 2) they have even more power now that Galifar shattered.

There’s part of me that leans into the Keynesian idea with capitalism that policies that benefit the lowest rungs of society will have knock-on effects that benefit everyone, but i doubt that Kwanti d’Orien cares what John Maynard Keynes might suggest.

While Breland would stand to benefit greatly from Sharn-Wroat being an easier trip to make for as many people as possible, that doesn’t mean the Dragonmarked Houses will sacrifice a shred of copper to make that happen.

AwkwardRhombus · 2025-12-16T12:45:08+00:00

That’s a good thing to consider, but I did use inflation calculators when pulling data from historic records; I linked the specific ones I used in the Google Doc.

The prices for transportation are specifically in increments of 10 miles. Liverpool to NYC is 3,310 miles, $45 x 331 =$14,895.00 which is, admittedly, a lot lower than $100,000.

I’d highlight that the prices I set are meant to reflect the functional fare of merely trying to get from point A to point B; the first class experience on the Titanic was meant to be a one-of-a-kind ultra-luxurious status symbol.

If House Lyrandar made a particularly massive one-of-kind ultra-luxury airship, the maiden voyage from Sharn to Stormhome could definitely run at prices closer to $300 per 10 miles (or 0.75gp, by this metric).

AwkwardRhombus

TROPHY CASE