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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9470428" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/qd1ILEk.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Chapter 2, The Western Frontier is also the longest one in the book. It comes with a gorgeous full-page map, some sample random encounters, and is broken up into several sections: Towns, Distant Cities, Landmarks, Famous and Infamous People, and Faiths of the Western Frontier.Towns cover the major population centers, 11 to be exact, and we have quite the assortment of neat places along with notable figures and adventuring opportunities as well as connections for how a PC’s backstory may involve that place.  Some of the more interesting entries include Argonth, a Brelish mobile battle fortress designed as a counterbalance against Droaam’s aggression, the monstrous hub of Graywall and Droaam’s primary economic center, the Eldeen border town Sylbaran whose druidic sects allow Dragonmarked outposts to operate albeit under intense restrictions, and the citadel of Turakbar’s Fists whose minotaur warlord is but the latest in a long line of local rulers afflicted by the tyrannical influence of the fiendish Overlord known as the Horned King.Distant Cities covers population centers that aren’t in the Western Frontier, being further inland in Droaam. But they are major centers for various races that have a presence in the frontier as immigrants, so the entries merit talking about where certain characters come from, such as the medusa city of Cazhaak Draal or the mobile hidden changeling village of Lost.Needless to say, all of these places have hooks and problems to serve as springboards for adventures. For example, the town of Shavalant relies heavily on Vadalis-backed ranching, and Asbhound druids recently carried out a violent assault on them and may be hiding out in the nearby forest, or that Vadalis has a secret farm breeding poisonous animals to serve as assassins. The lack of a central authority, the vague geopolitical delineations preventing either Droaam or Breland’s forces from committing to widespread “taming” of the region, and that the more fortified military outposts can’t cover and protect everyone from raiders and other dangers creates an environment where PCs are needed more than ever to make a difference in meting out justice.Landmarks focus on geographic terrain prominent in the Frontier. There’s less and shorter entries than the towns and cities, and are more big-picture than local. Their entries generally talk about the lay of the land, things of historical and economic significance, and interesting things about them for adventure ideas. The Graywall Mountains’ many tunnels is a boon for smugglers and hidden places far from the reaches of the surface, be they rumored tombs of Dhakaani kings who test intruders the right to wield their weapons. Or a supposed portal to Irian, which dissident harpy flights retreated to after losing battles against the Daughters of Sora Kell. And we even have some more supernaturally-touched regions, such as Nasaar Kol that lies within an extensive Mabar manifest zone that makes it a dark, spooky place that necromancers, restless spirits, and others consumed by death venture to.Famous and Infamous People covers the big names in the Western Frontier, household names of heroes, villains, and those of more undecided allegiance in the public eye. We have 12 figures constituting 10 entries (the Daughters of Sora Kell are grouped as one), and run the gamut. For example, Beggar Dane isn’t a real person but a folkloric hero of Brelish legend, and a high-ranking member of the Swords of Liberty has taken the title for propaganda purposes against that country’s monarchy. Breggan Blackcrown is your stereotypical ruthless outlaw leader, whose Company of the Blackcrown is equipped with wands and military-grade magic weapons meaning that most law enforcement doesn’t start trouble with them when they pass into town nonviolently. There are two blatantly heroic characters, although they aren’t omnipotent to the point that they present the Elminster problem, and have flaws of their own that hold them back from changing things on a large-scale. Epitaph is one of them, a tiefling priestess of the Silver Flame who seeks to guard the good folk of the frontier against evil forces, and is trying to make goodwill gestures to Droaamish citizenry due to the tragedies of past crusades. Even on the Brelish side there aren’t many Flamers, so Epitaph usually has nobody to rely on but herself a lot of the time.Faiths of the Western Frontier rounds out the chapter, covering common religious beliefs. The Sovereign Host is the most popular among Brelish citizens, while the Cazhaak Creed interpretation of the Dark Six is the most popular among Droaamites. There is a peculiar secret society known as the Three Faces of Coin that helped found the town of Quickstone. They, along with other tripartite cults, view the Sovereign and Six as being supplementary aspects, often holding three deities from both pantheons as part of a related whole. For the Three Faces of Coin, they honor Onatar (for creating goods people desire), Kol Korran (inspires honorable deals and trade), and Kol Turrant/the Keeper (who represents ambition to get what you want). While the Three Faces tend to be secretive, their membership is high enough in Quickstone that their presence in town is more of an open secret than a deeply-held one. The Cults of the Dragon Below are another active group, and much like elsewhere in Eberron they’re a bonafide villainous group often in thrall to some daelkyr or fiend lord. The Horned King is the most significant Overlord worshiped in the region, while various daelkyr such as Orlasssk and Dyrrn are rumored to have historical ties to the area.Further regarding the Cults of the Dragon Below, daelkyr worshipers are much more disliked than fiend worshipers among Droaamites. As to why, the Cazhaak Creed of the Dark Six views celestial/fiend distinctions as more arbitrary, and combined with taking a more positive view of the Six in general and how many warlocks can draw from fiends yet be non-evil, some of these cults can operate with more acceptance, particularly the Horned King. That being said, that overlord’s followers still have a reputation for malevolence. Turakbar’s Fist is their biggest center of worship, and often raid Brelish settlements. The daelkyr are treated as just as much a threat by the Daughters of Sora Kell as they are anywhere else.Overall, this is a really strong chapter, and I have few if any complaints about it. It does a great job of painting the Western Frontier as an interesting place to set a campaign, and you can pick just about any area and come up with multiple adventure ideas.We’ll cover Quickstone in the next chapter, the major hub settlement of Frontiers.</blockquote>

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