In theory, all the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons are part of a multiverse in which parts are echo across different versions of the material plane. According to the lore of Fizban’s Tresury of Dragons, the dragons Tiamat and Bahamut worked together to create The First World– but that world was sundered and the realities of the material planes were split. There are, supposedly, methods of travel between these planes– Spelljammer would have you use a spaceship.
BUT, imagining that the lore of the First World is True, three dragons separated after the First World’s end and created a new pocket realm. Siberys, the Dragon Above; Khyber, the Dragon Below; and Eberron, the Dragon Between, worked together to ensure that the evils they saw throughout the multiverse did not encroach on their creation. They created a barrier around their creation which should be neigh impassible– but with a few specific methods a traveler might.
No Spaceships to Eberron
One of the ideas I like the least about Spelljammer (I’m not a huge fan, personally) is that players might simply fly from Toril to Eberron on a magic space ship. The entire point of the creation of Eberron according to the Progenitor Dragon myth is that it cannot be reached that way; they created a barrier they did not intend to be permiable.
Three Truths the Progenitor Dragons Didn’t Count On
The only idea I like for travel to and from Eberron requires an acceptance of three truths:
- Though the barrier separating Eberron and the rest of the multiverse is difficult to get through, it isn’t impossible (nothing ever is).
- Dragons of Eberron (and other worlds) can develop dragonsight, as described in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, in which they are aware of multiverse versions of themselves. This MEANS that a dragon in Eberron could have a multiversal version of themselves on Toril. This also MEANS that other beings could have multiversal versions of themselves on Toril.
- If multiversal beings can be connected, multiversal versions of planes might be connected as well– arguably more so.
The Multiverse Echoes in Eberron
Regardless of the fact that the Progenitor Dragons sought to cut off their beautiful creation from the rest of the multiverse, the multiverse still echoes within Eberron. As much as Siberys, Khyber, and Eberron sought to keep the evils of the world out, a version of Tiamat is known to have manifested in Eberron as the demonic Overlord known as The Daughter of Khyber. This may even be an explanation as to why Khyber, the chromatic dragon of the three, decided to betray the others as creation neared completion– the power of Tiamat from the multiverse outside Eberron still echoed within her heart. (It is of interest that there is no Bahamut equivalent in Eberron, though there is an echo of Tiamat.)
It is important to note that not every being likely has an echo in every multiverse– but the more powerful they are, such as a powerful dragon, the more likely it is. The powerful dragons who develop dragonsight prove that like calls to like throughout the multiverse– a fundamental truth that even the Progenitor Dragons couldn’t withstand.
The Powers Which Cross Into Eberron
The Progenitor Dragons, in creating their own cosmos apart from the rest of the multiverse, still drew from the same ideas. And those ideas, when strong enough– and when they manifest in certain ways– could call to each other…
If all the above is true, then there are only a few possible ways into Eberron; one is more likely than the other.
Most of the cosmos of Eberron, the planes like Shavarath (war), Syrania (air), Irian (light), Fernia (fire), Risia (ice), Lamania (nature), and Dal Quor (dreams), are too broad of ideas, too elemental to call to each other. Dolurrh, the plane of death, is distinctly cut off from the rest of the cosmos (as far as anyone can know about death– perhaps one dead in another realm may find themselves reincarnated in Eberron, or perhaps the dead of Eberron may find themselves passing through Dolurrh to be reincarnated in the multiverse beyond).
But… perhaps there are powers within some of these planes which are powerful enough to call like to like– or that the plane itself is so powerful that it breaks through the barrier and connects to the multiverse itself.
Kythri and Xoriat, the realms of Chaos and Madness, could be such realms– and if a spaceship were to come spelljamming through to Eberron, it would surely be through the chaos of Limbo into a secret passage to Kythri before finding their way to the new material realm.
Perhaps, most likely apart from dragons, the Archfey have connections to versions of themselves beyond the Progenitor Dragons’ veil. Or, even more likely, the odd turns of Thelanis, being a fairy world centered on stories, can lead a group of heroes out to a land they’ve never been to before– akin to a Gulliver’s Travels expedition.
But, the most likely break in the barrier is the worst option: Mabar.
Mabar and Ravenloft
In Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, it is stated several times that the world of Ravenloft, a multiverse of horror surrounded in mists itself, is controlled by mysterious Dark Powers. As the idea of Tiamat could not be held out of Eberron, surely neither could the ideas of Darkness– especially as Mabar appears similar to the Shadowfell found elsewhere in the multiverse. But Mabar seems to draw for more than just the ideas of the Shadowfell; it appears to draw from Ravenloft as well. It is a plane which is also ruled by Dark Powers, according to Exploring Eberron– though this description makes them appear to be more akin to Ravenloft’s Darklords. But it is also described as having countless iterations… like Ravenloft. And they appear to be separated, in the end, by walls of fog…
It is for this reason (and not just because it would make for the most harrowing journey) that the most direct route in or out of Eberron is through Mabar, which is at least connected to the wider realms of Ravenloft, which can connect to other material planes. These mists could also be the same mists which now envelope the nation of Cyre…
Thank you for reading!
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This is part of my continued love for the world of Eberron. Though I’m distinctly not going to recreate anything which belongs to Wizards of the Coast or Keith Baker, I want to make Eberron a more interesting and accessible place for players and Dungeon Masters! With that in mind, I’m start another ongoing series: Eberron Encylopedia. I’m hoping that this culminates in a couple of biggers works down the line, but for now it’s enough to share my favorite setting with you fine people.
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