Couatl

The **couatl** are type of celestial psionic, shapechanging outsider taking the form of radiant, winged serpents.

## History

The couatl are believed to be born from the pure blood of Siberys, the Dragon Above after he was killed by Khyber, the Dragon Below, before it touched the soil of Eberron.

Couatl are thought to hail from Sarlona, where they were content to let the dragons explore the new world until the rise of the Overlords. Couatls are said to have ruled over  Xen'drik during the Age of Demons.When Khyber's first children overran Eberron and claimed it for their own, the couatl supposedly fled and hid for a million years.

Eventually, they were found by the dragons, and together they declared war on the demons. Together, two of their great prophets Ourelonastrix and Hezcalipa discovered the Draconic Prophecy and turned it against the forces of the Overlords. Over millions of years the dragons and couatl were able to stand against the individual forces of the Overlords, but the immortal sage Hezcalipa knew it wouldn't be enough to permanently defeat fellow immortal beings.

As the dragons fought, the couatls finally sacrificed their immortal essence around 100,000 years ago to form the Silver Flame and bind the first Children of Khyber for all time.

## Legacy

In their final days they imparted several gifts to ensure their sacrifice would carry on without them.

The shulassakar were gifted their form and psionic ability after the couatl invested some of their power into loyal humans of Sarlona. They did so to maintain guards over the couatl ruins of the Age of Demons after they were gone from the world for good.

The couatl also touched the dreams of the lizardfolk that dwell in the jungles of Eberron. Even today, the lizardfolk of Q'barra are guided by their dreams to remember the purpose of the dragonshards that house the essence of trapped Overlords, and seek to stop the greedy and foolhardy from releasing the Cold Sun from within its prison.

Couatl are now virtually unknown, and presumed extinct after the majority of their kind sacrificed themselves to end the Age of Demons. The Silver Flame is a major force in the world of Eberron and goes by many names. The couatl can exert their will through the Children of Eberron but most sacrificed their ability to directly influence the world while keeping the Overlords bound in the Silver Flame.

## Appearance & Personality

Couatl are noble and kind creatures as well as fierce defenders of good resembling great, winged serpents. They are selfless and most of their kind sacrificed their corporeal forms as well as seemingly their individual consciousnesses to form the Silver Flame that binds the Overlords to this day.

## Notable Personalities

While nearly all couatl sacrificed themselves to form the Silver Flame and bind the Overlords during the Age of Demons, some may still reside on Eberron for a particular purpose. Sages believe that there are thirteen of these surviving couatl who did not join with the Silver Flame.

* **Hezcalipa:** The sage Hezcalipa is known to have worked with the draconic sage Ourelonastrix during the Age of Demons. Together they discovered the Draconic Prophecy and used it to bind the Overlords. Hezcalipa is believed to have initiated the sacrifice of the couatl to form the Silver Flame and the first to understand its necessity.
* **The Golden Serpent:** The Golden Serpent is one of the few remaining couatl and the celestial patron of the secret order of Miron's Tears within the Church of the Silver Flame. He communicates with the head of the order Prefect Samyr Kes, although he has not manifested physically in over 200 years. He encourages the destruction of corruption within the church wherever it exists.
* **Miklatumh**: Miklatumh is one of the few remaining couatl who survive to this day. He has been imprisoned in Ashtakala since the Age of Demons, writhing in torture from eons of punishment for the amusement of the fiends that captured him.

## References

1. ↑ The psionic couatl variant may be found on page 193-194 of the Expanded Psionics Handbook
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 ***Eberron Campaign Setting***.
Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, and James Wyatt (2004). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3274-0.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 ***Expanded Psionics Handbook***.
Bruce R. Cordell (April 2004). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3301-1.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 ***Dragons of Eberron***.
Keith Baker, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Nicolas Logue, and Amber Scott (2007). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-4154-5.
5. ↑ ***Eberron Campaign Guide***.
James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 ***City of Stormreach***.
Keith Baker, Nicolas Logue, James "Grim" Desborough, C.A. Suleiman (2008). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-4803-5.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 ***Secrets of Sarlona***.
Keith Baker, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Glenn McDonald, and Chris Sims (2007). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0-7869-4037-0.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Keith Baker (09/20/2004). Dragonshards - Shulassakar: The Feathered Servants. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 06/20/2018. Retrieved on 02/06/2019.
9. ↑ "**Poison Dusk, Black Sun: Explore Q'barra, Part 2**" (December 2010) by Keith Baker. *Dungeon Magazine* issue 185.
10. ↑ ***Monster Manual***.
Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, and Monte Cook (July 2003). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "**Eye on Eberron - Miron's Tears**" (November 2012) by Keith Baker. *Dragon Magazine* issue 417. , *p. 28-30*.