Eberron - Docent Components, Xen'drik, and Ancient Warforged

[blargney the second]

I'm co-DMing an Eberron campaign right now, and I've bumped into a little problem. One of the players is running a warforged, and he recently acquired an intelligent magic item called a docent component (from the other DM). He's asking it questions about its origins, and I know nothing more than what the ECS says: there used to be warforged-like beings in Xen'drik.

What do I tell him?
-blarg

 

[Hand of Evil]

I'm co-DMing an Eberron campaign right now, and I've bumped into a little problem. One of the players is running a warforged, and he recently acquired an intelligent magic item called a docent component (from the other DM). He's asking it questions about its origins, and I know nothing more than what the ECS says: there used to be warforged-like beings in Xen'drik.

What do I tell him?
-blarg

What language does it speak, this sometimes slows up things until the language is learned. (EG) Docent means lecturer/teacher or a tourist guide, so, I would say pick a subject/place and make it sound as boring as hell.

 

[Squire James]

Um, try not to introduce an intelligent ancient item unless you have some ancient history to give them? A little late for that, I suppose!

There's some sinister reason the component's not talking about the past. Make up the reason later. Resist the urge to elaborate until you're ready.

 

[arwink]

Ask the other DM if they had any plans.

Failing that, make it a plot-point. Years of laying dorman have left the magic that powers the docent erroded, and large portions of its memories have been damaged. It can tell the warforged about the titanic warriors that wandered Xen'Drick in ages part, but now where they came from or how they were created.

From there, you have a sub-plot where the warforged has to try and track down ancient artificer tomes about the construction of docents to try and find the techniques that will repair the docent's memory. That should give you some breathing space to link the backstory to something appropriate to your campaign, if necessary, or to come up with something that sounds good.

 

[Glyfair]

there used to be warforged-like beings in Xen'drik.

That's not quite accurate. It's assumed there were warforged-like beings in Xen'drik. The existence of the docents and the like are the reasons it's assumed.

Because no one knows, you can assume that docents aren't capable of giving information out on their background. After all, there have been others found and used. If they knew, and would "spill the beans, " then that information would be out there. People wouldn't be making assumptions, they'd have the information.

More than likely, they don't remember (do you remember a lot of details from 20 years ago? Now make that time that's measure in millennia. Probably any information it had has been replaced with more recent, and more useful, information.

Of course, you could always make the docent a creative liar and have him make up all sorts of fantastical stories about what it used to be like (cities in the sky! You could travel to the moons! Wish for food and it would appear in you hand!)

 

[Len]

Resist the urge to elaborate until ...

... it's the other DM's turn to run a session. It's his docent, let him figure it out.

 

[blargney the second]

These are all great suggestions - thanks all!

I think I'll go with the "it's somebody else's problem" solution. *grin*
-blarg