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Five Nations details the five nations at the core of the continent of Khorvaire. These five nations were the main contenders in the Last War as each fought for the right to rule the mighty kingdom of Galifar. Five Nations provides ample setting material on these lands in the post-war setting of Eberron.
Introduction
This short chapter provides a quick recap of the Last War and the resultant realms. For those unfamiliar with the Last War, this conflict arose when King Jarot died and a five-sided civil war tore the kingdom of Galifar into pieces.
Aundair
Each chapter in this book provides considerable support material for a specific nation. Aundair is the nation that is most like an idealized medieval country, with proud citizens farming their lands and the shrewd Queen Aurala leading the nation. There is a good deal of information on the typical resident of Aundair, such as favorite foods or stereotypical outlooks. One thing that is a nice touch is a list of five things every Aundairian knows. Each chapter has this list, and it serves as a quick barometer to gauge the overall atmosphere of each nation.
Aside from Queen Aurala's dreams of a united Galifar (under her throne, of course), there are several other factions within Aundair. Lord Darro wants to continue military efforts to capture lands from Breland; First Warlord Adal wants to take land from Thrane. The Mosaic Committee works to prevent a coming apocalypse by destroying magical artifacts and prophecies while Lords of Dust seek to release a massive plague of demons.
The foreign relations between the other nations are discussed at some length, and serve to provide opportunities for diplomacy or battle. A short list of notables in Aundair includes the queen, the prince, the spies of the Royal Eyes, and a few other important figures.
Possibly the most valuable section of this chapter is the section on adventures in Aundair. A brief summary of many different adventuring grounds goes for several pages, providing a DM with a variety of locations for interesting encounters or extended campaigns.
Every chapter contains a prestige class. The Aundairian prestige class is the knight phantom, a spellcasting fighter able to mount a phantom steed and use a deadly mix of magic and melee. The opportunities are interesting, and with the end of the war, many of these knights have turned mercenary or adventurer.
Breland
A benevolent monarchy and home to Sharn, the City of Towers, Breland is an excellent homeland for player character heroes. With decidedly democratic leanings and the wisdom of Beggar Dane, the pragmatic yet hopeful citizens of Breland make great adventurers.
King Boranel tries his best to be fair and just, but the influx of refugees from the devastation of Cyre have taxed his patience greatly. Rumbles of uprisings are starting to be alarmingly frequent, and there are those who advocate taking part of Breland to start a New Cyre. Worse, Breland is also home to the Swords of Liberty, a band of freedom fighters who carry out violent acts against the nation. Cannith South is less dangerous, hiring adventurers for expeditions to the dark continent of Xen'Drik.
As with the other chapters, there are several interesting locations and people, and opportunities for adventure abound. The city of Wroat is explored in minor detail, and the chapter presents Three, the king's warforged bodyguard.
The dark lantern, a spy and assassin for Breland, is an interesting prestige class. Like many other prestige classes, it essentially combines aspects of basic classes to make a single class that is a combination of rogue and fighter. However, being a dark lantern is more than just being a dual-class brigand – the dark lanterns serve their nation through subterfuge and murder, and are beholden to the throne.
The chapter finishes off with a description of the magebred animals, which are essentially powerful versions of standard large predators. Magebred bears and tigers are listed here, and both the scarecrow and the tin man would like to know why there are no lions.
Cyre/The Mournland
The event that effectively ended the Last War was not a huge final battle. It was the cataclysm on the Day of Mourning, which swallowed much of the nation in a magical, deadly mist, that prompted the treaties of Thronehold. This massively devastating magical event mutated and reshaped Cyre, until it is a land of nightmares and horrors.
Discussions on the people of Cyre are limited almost entirely to refugees, as there are very few inhabitants of this cursed land any more. While there is a map to the city of Metrol, the capital of Cyre, exploring this city is incredibly dangerous, as bizarre undead wander the streets and horrid monsters lurk around every corner.
One notable inhabitant of the Mournland is the Lord of Blades, the warforged who insists on freedom for all warforged through the destruction of just about everyone else. Finally, this elusive and powerful figure has a stat block and a proper description, along with an excellent illustration.
The prestige class for this chapter is the Cyran avenger, a survivor of the Day of Mourning who wanders the continent, avenging wrongs against his displaced brothers and sisters. The entry requirements are not particularly stringent, and while the class is not particularly potent, it does have some interesting abilities that are well-suited. The Cyran avenger can speak with the dead, thereby finding out just who killed a particular Cyran refugee, and gain bonuses for hunting down those offenders.
This chapter includes several monsters particular to the Mournland, such as the mourner (an undead made mostly of deadly gray mist), the steel kraken, and the shroud of death and despair (a living spell that seeks only to extinguish life).
Karrnath
Possibly the most interesting nation explored in Five Nations, Karrnath once fielded massive armies of the undead. Vampire cults permeate the nation, with proponents all the way to the top of the government. In fact, the king of Karrnath, King Kaius III, is actually Kaius I, a powerful vampire who replaced his descendent on the throne.
This warlike nation draws a strong similarity to Germany just before World War I. It is a splendid source of villains, but can also generate heroes of exceptional depth. Internal plots and underground cults permeate the entire land, in a nation reminiscent of a Ravenloft domain.
The Order of Rekkenmark is a military organization in Karrnath, essentially devoted to honorable and skillful soldiering. The graduates of the Rekkenmark Academy go on to become great generals, and while stern and possibly unfriendly, get considerable credit for being opposed to the recruitment of the dead.
The bone knight is easily the most interesting prestige class in this chapter. This knight is loyal to Karrnath, and uses his necromantic powers to raise and lead armies of the undead. He forges his own armor from bones, and protects his nation with legions of skeletons and zombies. He is an elite warrior, loved by those he protects and reviled by his enemies.
Thrane
As if to counter the dark fascination of Karrnath, the kingdom of Thrane is an almost stomach-turning theocracy rules by the Silver Flame, a painfully rigid religion full of bigoted leaders and violent knights. On the other hand, it might just be full of really good people. Either way, it's nowhere near as interesting as Karrnath.
Of course, any nation headed by a religion is bound to have some corrupt leaders, and Thrane is no exception. While the Keeper of the Flame (the religious leader) seems benign enough, there are plenty of bad guys around her to use as unlikable enemies.
The silver pyromancer seems to be another prestige class essentially created by combining two base classes. This time, the two classes are clerics and magic-users. The silver pyromancer specializes in fire magic, but can also turn undead. Of course, the silver pyromancer finds his origin in the Church of the Silver Flame, and therefore tends to serve the church.
Observations
Five Nations is a good summary of the middle lands of Khorvaire. It is relatively well-written and has a decent amount of useful content. A DM wishing to create adventures and intrigue would be quite pleased with the information contained in this book.
However, this is not an essential tome. If you are not interested in exploring the politics of Eberron in more detail than you have seen before, or if you spend most of your adventuring time in Xen'Drik, this may not be particularly useful. And if you don't play Eberron, there is almost no reason at all to own this book.
Five Nations is attractive, with beautiful illustrations and great design, as befits a publication from Wizards of the Coast. It is easy to read and contains many fascinating places, and will make a great addition to the library of the Eberron DM.
Style: 5 – Just about as pretty as a setting book can get.
Substance: 3 – About average for a setting book, with great information for the Eberron DM, and not much for anyone else.
