Primer: Religions of Eberron

Deities don't take an active hand in Eberron — in fact, there's not any proof that the deities even exist, except that divine powers come from somewhere. Deities never appear to their followers, and they have no exarchs or aspects that manifest (though some angels claim to serve the gods, none of them have seen them either). Still, faith is very important to many different people, and there are a multitude of religions to choose from.

The Sovereign Host

The nine deities that make up the Sovereign Host find worshippers from all walks of life; in fact, the Sovereign Host is the most worshipped religion in Khorvaire. They represent all that is good about people and civilization, and prayers to each of the members are commonly offered in day to day life. There is no one unified church of the Sovereign Host or any of the individual deities, but they are an integral part of Khorvaire culture.

There is no afterlife for worshippers of the Sovereign Host; all souls, good or bad, go to Dolurrh, the Realm of the Dead, when they die, but priests urge members to live good lives for their own sake, to enjoy the precious gift of life while they have it.

Members of the pantheon: Arawai, goddess of fertility and life; Aureon, god of knowledge and magic; Balinor, god of beasts and the hunt; Boldrei, goddess of community and the homestead; Dol Arrah, goddess of honor and sunlight; Dol Dorn, god of courage and physical prowess; Kol Korran, god of commerce and wealth; Olladra, goddess of luck and celebration; and Onatar, god of fire and industry.

The Dark Six

The counterparts to the Sovereign Host, the Dark Six represent the darkness of the wilderness and anarchy. They are cruel, passionate, and wild. Though most people don't actively worship them, prayers for mercy or supplication are commonly offered.

Member of the pantheon: the Devourer, god of nature's wrath; the Fury, god of vengeance and wrath; the Keeper, god of greed and necromancy; the Mockery, god of betrayal and war; the Shadow, god of ambition and corruption; and the Traveler, god of cunning and deception. While the first five are explicitly evil, the Traveler is mysterious and unaligned; in particular, he is revered by changelings.

The Silver Flame

The Church of the Silver Flame is the largest organized religion in Khorvaire. 700 years ago in Thrane, an ancient demon broke out of its prison and rampaged across the land. A paladin named Tira Miron and a couatl merged with a silver pillar of flame to imprison the demon, and on that spot the everburning Silver Flame manifested. Through the centuries, Tira acts as the Voice of the Silver Flame, whispering to the Keeper of the Flame, the head of the church. The Keeper is called from a young age, hearing the voice of Tira Miron; the Silver Flame chooses its own Keeper.

The Church of the Silver Flame is engaged in a never-ending quest to rid the world of evil, particularly entities such as undead and demons. The Church exhorts its members to convert others to the Flame and to fight evil wherever it can be found; as such, Silver Flame missionaries can be found in all corners of Khorvaire.

During the Last War, Thrane deposed its aristocratic rulers and instituted a theocracy, making the Church the official government body of the nation and the Keeper the ruler.

The current Keeper of the Flame is Jaela Daran, who heard the call of the Flame when she was 6 years old. She is now 11, and she is served in her position of head of state by the Council of Cardinals. Most of the true governance is done by High Cardinal Krozen.

While the Church of the Silver Flame is a strong force for good, it has its fair share of unpleasantness. The Church controversially went on a crusade to wipe out lycanthropes more than a hundred years ago, leading to great animosity with the shifters. Some priests are corrupt and use their positions of power for their own ends. And a few even say they can still hear the voice of the bound demon in the Silver Flame, urging them to evil.

The Blood of Vol

The worshippers of the Blood of Vol are fascinated by blood, which they consider to be "the divine within"; most of their rituals involve blood offerings and sharing. Followers shun the deities and focus on self-improvement, saying that the key to divinity is inside one's self. They say those who master their abilities can even become immortal. Many falsely believe the Blood of Vol worships the undead (who have achieved immortality); however, the teachings are dark and driven, but not evil. Many look to the Blood of Vol to improve their abilities and further unlock their powers.

The Path of Light

Most kalashtar follow the Path of Light, equal parts philosophy and religion. They pursue paths of self-improvement and meditation, seeking physical and mental perfection. They believe in a universal positive energy called il-Yannah, "the Great Light," which can grant peace and serenity. However, those who follow the Path of Light are not pacifists; they use their abilities to fight evil wherever it arises, and they seek to purge all of Eberron of corruption.

The Path of Inspiration

The people of Riedra, across the sea in Sarlona, worship the Inspired, god-like beings who are the pinnacle of mortal perfection. Riedrans obey every whim of the Inspired, and they believe that if they work hard enough in this life, they can be reincarnated in their next as an Inspired in a cycle of spiritual evolution. The religion also teaches that the kalashtar, who also hail from Sarlona, are dangerous magicians who consort with devils.

Cults of the Dragon Below

Not a unified religion, cults of the Dragon Below venerate creatures from the depths of Khyber, deep beneath the earth. Illithids, beholders, creatures from the nightmare realm of Xoriat, and others are objects of worship for these dangerous and often insane cultists.

Elf Religions

Elves generally follow one of two faiths: the Undying Court or the Spirits of the Past. Elves who follow the Undying Court typically hail from the nearby continent of Aerenal, where they worship the wisdom of their ancestors. However, on Aerenal, this extends far beyond worship; worthy ancestors are made literally immortal in complex rituals, and they hold court within giant temple-cities. Very few non-elves have ever seen the secret cities of the Undying Court.

Elves who worship the Spirits of the Past are typically from Valenar, a cultural offshoot of the Aerenal elves. These elves also follow their ancestors, but rather than venerating their undying forms, they wish to emulate their great deeds. As such, they pursue glory in battle and constantly pursue war, that they might follow the great tales of their predecessors.

Druidic Traditions

The Eldeen Reaches are the heart of druidism on Khorvaire, but there are a wide variety of druidic traditions. The Wardens of the Wood protect the Reaches from evil forces. The Gatekeepers, dating back thousands of years, are an orcish tradition focused on fighting aberrations and preserving the natural order. The Greensingers are a chaotic group with close ties to Thelanis, the realm of fey. The Ashbound consider themselves nature's avengers, and they violently attack arcane magic users; as such, they are reclusive and generally considered dangerous. Also considered dangerous and evil are the Children of Winter, who embrace death and decay. Other, varied sects exist all across Eberron.

Warforged Religions

The warforged, built by man, sometimes pursue man's faiths, but a few specific to warforged have sprung up. The most dangerous is the cult that worships the Lord of Blades, a dangerous warforged megalomaniac dwelling in the Mournland who plans to wipe out all beings of flesh so that warforged, the superior form, can rule supreme. Some even whisper that the Lord of Blades might have had a hand in the destruction of Cyre, though no proof exists.

Another warforged religion is the faith of the Becoming God. Not content to worship an abstract concept, these warforged, calling themselves the Godforged, debate whether they have souls and believe that the Becoming God is the great soul of the warforged people. They pursue creation forges to create more warforged (and thus more warforged souls), strengthening the soul of their people; some also travel into the Mournland, where they are working on constructing a giant body for the Becoming God to inhabit.

Finally, not so much a religion as a philosophy, the Reforged embrace that they have sentient life, believing they should act more human in order to enjoy their souls. These warforged act human, wear clothes, eat, create art and music, and live their emotions to the fullest.