Daelkyr

> A fragment from the rites of the Cult of the Dragon Below came back to him. *They are perfect in their power. They are without flaw save those flaws they choose. Their triumph is delayed but not denied—they will hold Eberron as they held Xoriat. They are the great lords of the dark and nothing is beyond their will.*
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The **daelkyr** are extraplanar creatures who appear as preternaturally beautiful humanoids that are native to the realm of Xoriat. They are usually neutral evil.

## History

The daelkyr attempted a planar invasion during the time of the Dhakaani Empire, releasing hordes of their aberrant creations into the material plane. It took an alliance between the goblinoids of the Dhakaani Empire and the Orc druids of The Gatekeepers to repel the forces of the daelkyr, cutting off the plane of Xoriat from Eberron and sealing the remaining daelkyr and their servants within Khyber.

At least six daelkyr remain on Eberron, though they have yet to make a unified attempt to free themselves from Khyber or to restore the connection between Eberron and their home plane. Immortal, the daelkyr are endlessly patient and, as the lords of the realm of madness, their goals and motivations are unfathomable by mortals.

## Appearance & Personality

Daelkyr are said to look like remarkably beautiful and shapely humans, but with a hint of madness in their eyes and chitinous armor covering their bodies that makes them unsettling.

They are responsible for most of the aberrations in Eberron, including beholders, dolgaunts, some symbiotic creatures, and many other monsters.

The daelkyr are also known by the titles of the Lords of Xoriat, the lords of madness, or the shapers of flesh. Those few daelkyr who remain in Khyber are rumored to create new terrors to this day.

## Abilities

Daelkyr can assume the form of a small or medium humanoid. This process may not be conscious on the part of the daelkyr, and their appearance may reflect the person viewing them interpreting their form in a sensible manner.

Their thought processes are alien, and any creature that attempts to read their mind is temporarily driven mad as per the *confusion* spell.

## Notable Personalities

At least six daelkyr remain trapped in the underground realm of Khyber since the Age of Monsters. Unlike the Overlords of the Age of Demons the daelkyr are fully conscious and active, and can wander freely in this realm if they so chose.

* **Dyrrn the Corruptor:** According to Gatekeeper legend, Dyrrn the Corruptor is the mightiest daelkyr. Dyrrn is responsible for the creation of dolgaunts, dolgrims, and dolgarr from the hobgoblins, goblins, and bugbears. Dyrrn is believed to be trapped in Khyber beneath the Eldeen Reaches.
* **Kyrzin, the Prince of Slime:** Kyrzin is the daelkyr lord of slime, ooze, and disease. It is credited with the creation of gibbering mouthers and mimics, and is said to have particular influence over the orcs of the Shadow Marches and their descendants.
* **Belashyrra, the Lord of Eyes:** Also known as the Lord of Eyes, Belashyrra is said to have created beholders. Belashyrra is said to be on of the most terrifying of the daelkyr. It is said to have a chamber within its citadel covered in eyes, through which it can look through the eyes of any living creature.
* **Orlassk, the Lord of Stone:** Orlassk is credited with creating the medusas (to their severe objection), basilisks, and other creatures that petrify their victims or manipulate stone. He is skilled at manipulating flesh and stone, and has knowledge of secret *transmutation* magic. He is said to travel within a moving citadel, a giant gargoyle prowling Khyber.
* **The Master of Silence:** The Master of Silence is a daelkyr trapped in a realm of Khyber below the Shadow Marches. He only appears in *The Dragon Below* book trilogy by Don Bassingthwaite.
* **Sakrex: The Voice of the Deep:** Known to its followers as The Voice in the Deep, The Chitin Queen, The Mother of Leviathans, or simply as The Maw. Legends have it that Sakrex’s creations haunt the depths of the sea, whether they be leviathans of incredible size that could swallow ships whole, or strange, alien creatures never meant to see the light of day. Others say that it whispers to sailors that are far out at sea, enticing them to throw themselves overboard and join the daelkyr as a child of the deep.

## Notes

Keith Baker has suggested on his website that the daelkyr are perceived as a perfect paragon of the same race as the person viewing them (i.e., they may look human to humans, but would look like a bugbear to goblinoids). He further explains that their true form may not be interpretable by a rational mind and the humanoid form is the nearest approximation.

Keith Baker further expanded on this topic on the Eberron Discord that, while the daelkyr are perceived in different ways depending on the individual viewing them, that this is distinct from shapechangers because the daelkyr do not consciously change their form.

In The Grieving Tree by Don Bassingthwaite some Cults of the Dragon Below believe daelkyr appear without flaws save the ones they allow.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ***The Grieving Tree*** (The Dragon Below).
Don Bassingthwaite (2006). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3985-0.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 ***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 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 ***Eberron Campaign Guide***.
James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Keith Baker (07/04/2005). Eberron Expanded -- Lords of Madness. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 07/14/2018. Retrieved on 02/07/2019.
5. ↑ Eberron Campaign Setting Errata. Wizards of the Coast (02/06/2006). Archived from the original on 02/06/2019.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Keith Baker (08/21/2018). Dragonmarks: The Daelkyr and their Cults. Archived from the original on 01/24/2019.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Keith Baker (02/16/2019). Keith Baker on the Daelkyr and Shapechanging. “File:Keith-Baker-daelkyr-shapechanging.png”
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "**Touched by Madness**" (June 2005) by Keith Baker. *Dragon Magazine* issue 332.
9. ↑ Keith Baker (11/28/2005). Eberron Expanded -- Weapons of Legacy. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 11/01/2016. Retrieved on 02/07/2019.
10. ↑ ***City of Stormreach***.
Keith Baker, Nicolas Logue, James "Grim" Desborough, C.A. Suleiman (2008). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-4803-5.
11. ↑ Keith Baker (09/05/2006). The Medusas of Droaam. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 10/28/2017. Retrieved on 02/18/2019.
12. ↑ ***Dragonshards: Masters of Magic***. Keith Baker (July 25th, 2005). Wizards of the Coast.

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