People of Color in Eberron?

[Olgar Shiverstone]

There are people of color all over Eberron. There are pink people, and light brown people, and dark brown people, and yellow people (with a dietary deficiency), and green people (got motion sick on the lightning rail), and blue people (drowned, oxygen deprived, or just very depressed), and red people (left in the sun too long). There's even the occasional white person, but there aren't many, and they stay in the shadows because the sun bothers their pink eyes.

 

[Nifft]

No, everyone on Eberron is white. People of color live on Ivorron.

Ironically yours, -- N

 

[LoneWolf23]

The humans that came to Khorvaire from Sarlona were from all over the continent, and they spread out to cover all of Khorvaire. As a result, you can find any variation of human ethnicity in any nation of Khorvaire. This was stated by Keith Baker in either a Dragonshard or the Ask Keith Baker FAQ at the WotC boards.

That's how I'm handling it in my own Eberron campaign. Back on Sarlona, humanity was originally divided into different skin-colored ethnic groups seperated into different regions. But when humanity migrated to Khorvaire, the various groups came together for mutual protection, land eventually the concept of human skin color was seperated from culture altogether in Khorvaire. A human's skin color is considered as yet another familial trait, like hair color or distinctive facial features.

Back in Sarlona, the Sundering also lead to massive migrations of human racial groups across the continent, and the Quori manipulated different groups into interbreeding as part of their eugenic experiments. This, along with the dominance of the Path of Inspiration, also lead to humanity being integrated, with skin color being considered just a familial trait.

 

[DonTadow]

I dont think I'd play any campaign world that didn't have people of color. Its best to asume that the ration of people of color is what it is in the world.

What I love about fantasy is that such statistics aren't neccessary.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Xendrik. It's an analogue of Africa and also home to black elves aka drow.

 

[Remathilis]

Xendrik. It's an analogue of Africa and also home to black elves aka drow.

I specifically avoided Xen'drik as an answer because

a.) Humans have no historical contact with the continent.
b.) Drow fill the stereotyped "Africian savage"
c.) it strikes me a cliche.

 

[Arkhandus]

But Xendrik isn't a human-inhabited continent (besides the outpost of Stormreach). The only 'native' humanoid inhabitants are drow (who were suffused with shadow by the giants long ago), aren't they?

 

[Imaro]

Xendrik. It's an analogue of Africa and also home to black elves aka drow.

What? Wow..uhm..is this true. Is Xendrik suppose to be analogous of Africa, cause if so that's disturbing to me on so many levels.

 

[Dragonbait]

If you look at the art in the Eberron books, you will see a large variety of human ethnicities.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

What? Wow..uhm..is this true. Is Xendrik suppose to be analogous of Africa, cause if so that's disturbing to me on so many levels.

I'd say it's not supposed to be analogous to actual Africa (and certainly it's not supposed to be the source for the Keeper of the Flame's skin color ).

However, it's pretty clearly analogous to pulp Africa: an exotic place filled with ancient (and alien) ruined civilizations, savage cannibals, lost treasures, undreamt monsters, and steaming jungles.

Whereas Sarlona seems to be the pulp Orient: also equipped with ancient civilizations (some ruined) and undreamt monsters, and the occasional steaming jungle, but also home to cyclopean mysticism and an immensely ancient civilization that's still around (and is generally sinister).

Eberron sticks surprisingly close to its pulp roots in this regard. The biggest difference is that Khorvaire, in its relationship with Xendrik and Sarlona, is more late 15th century than early 20th century: people in Khorvaire are aware that such places EXIST, but the vast majority have never had any contact with Xendrik's native inhabitants and, if they are aware of Sarlona's inhabitants, regard them as the masters of an awe-inspiring, much mightier civilization.