Foreign Powers in Fairhaven

PUBLISHED ON September 6, 2016

A long time ago I started a project to make a full description of cities in

the Eberron Campaign Setting along the lines of Sharn: City of Towers. It
quickly ballooned out of control and I burnt out somewhat. Mostly,
the limiting factor for these sorts of things is audience feedback and I
just didn’t get enough to sustain my massive ego and keep things
going.

Cities of Khorvaire (as I like to call it) was put on the back-burner,
taken off, put back, and then left to cool for a little bit. I want to pick it
back up, though, so here’s some new info to get things going!

You can find much, much more information on Fairhaven here and the rest
of the sections that are only half-finished will be completed in upcoming
weeks.

The complex bureaucracy of Fairhaven does not run itself and there
are many different forces that contribute to its motions, not
necessarily all in concert. The city’s government is a multi-faceted
machine but foreign powers also influence city policies through
indirect means.

The Government of Fairhaven

Though the city of Fairhaven is an independent political entity from
Aundair itself, the city and nation are inextricably linked. The tall,
brilliant towers of Fairhold in the city’s center hold the powerful
individuals who shape the future of Fairhaven through many different
avenues.
Queen Aurala
The resplendent Queen Aurala is the quintessential monarch,
beautiful and poised atop her shining throne in Fairhold. Depending
on who you ask, however, Aurala is either a skilled and formidable
ruler or a pretty but rather weak one who lets her nobles do as they
please. She is an outspoken proponent of the Treaty of Thronehold
alongside her distant relative King Kaius, and the inevitable
comparisons rarely show Aurala in a fortunate light. Whereas
Karrnath backs its wishes for peace with a strong military and solid
home rule, Aundair is still deeply scarred from the Last War and many
of its rulers keep strong military forces under their own control with
the queen’s permission. Behind the scenes, things are much more
complex and Aurala has arguably a tighter reign on her nobles with
her web of favors and schemes than Kaius has over his warlords with
his undead legions. If war was to break out all over again, however, it
would be difficult to know who would come out on top.
See Also: More information on Queen Aurala can be found in Five
Nations pages 18-19 and 21-23, as well as the Eberron Campaign
Guidepage 67.

The Governor for Capital Affairs

Lord Governor Aurad ir’Wynarn, cousin of the queen, is the direct
ruler of Fairhaven. From his residence in Nealford he takes care of the
day-to-day activities of the city, oversees taxation and civic works,
and oversees the Fairhaven Watch in their duties. He is a quiet man
and easily lost in the bright glow of Aurala‘s court, but Aurad has
ambition of his own. Taking after the family business, Aurad is a
careful and skilled schemer who maintains his own information nets
even though he is fiercely loyal to his queen. He is a patriot and easily
provoked to nationalist rhetoric on the topics of either the lost lands
of the Eldeen Reaches or occupied Thaliost, but he has not thrown his
lot into either of these causes and remains the queen’s man in all
matters.
This does not mean he is easily dismissed, however, and his devotion
could ultimately prove to be his downfall. Not all of the Lord
Governor’s aides are advising him without motive and at least one
secretly serves the rakshasa lord Ki’axianol and is attempting to
manipulate Aurad by making him believe he is working in the queen’s
best interest. The rakshasa has only a shadowy influence in Fairhaven
and his hold on the Lord Governor’s office is not nearly as strong as
the one he has on Commander Erben Alyea in Northcall, but the Lords
of Dust are crafty and think in sideways directions. This indirect
avenue to Queen Aurala may prove less detectable and so much more
dangerous than the strong allies of other schemers with agents in
Fairhold itself. The Lord Governor is no fool but his eagerness to serve
his country is a tool that Ki’axianol is well-suited to use.

The Royal Eyes

Other nations have impressive covert operatives who know better
than anyone what happens within their borders. Aundair has one
which knows what happens all over Khorvaire and beyond. The Royal
Eyes are an elite force of spies and operative who see Queen Aurala‘s
will done wherever she deems it necessary. During the Last War, the
Royal Eyes were rivalled only by House Thuranni and House Phiarlan
in terms of secret information and it was probably this which allowed
Aundair to keep from being overwhelmed by its enemies even though
it faced devastatingly brutal beasts from the Eldeen Reaches and
armies of similarly vicious fantatics from Thrane. Today, the
organization has been repurposed to a degree as they have moved
from wartime to peaceful operations. Royal Eyes agents once spied on
battlefield formations and gathered tactical information from their
opponents, but now they are chiefly concerned with court politics
abroad and at home. Agents report back through the network of Eyes
to keep Fairhaven informed of everything happening across the
continent, a funnel of information that keeps Queen Aurala and the
Royal Eyes’ own Spy Master Thuel Racannoch at the center of every
scheme and plot which cuold affect Aundair.
See Also: Information on the Royal Eyes can be found on pages 24-28
of Five Nations and pages 70-72 of the Eberron Campaign Guide.
Fairhaven Watch
The Fairhaven Watch is a streamlined, efficient organization that
maintains the peace throughout the city. It’s soldiers, in their
burnished mail stamped with the dragonhawk of Aundair, walk the
streets in standard patrols and are reinforced with enchantments
provided by knowledgeable magewrights. The Watch’s most famous
emblem, the patrol lanterns, come from these magewrights, as does
the Watch’s generally impressive comfort with magical threats and
crimes. The specialized training that Fairhaven Watch members get is
both the strength and weakness of the city’s defense. Fairhaven’s
guard numbers are somewhat smaller than other cities of similar size,
though they are especially loyal and capable soldiers. Whereas Korth
and Sharn were both able to field guard members during desperate
years of the Last War, Aundair was always careful to prevent battles
from reaching Fairhaven because the monarchy knew that the local
forces were not nearly close enough to what was necessary to defend
against a siege.
For this reason, the City Watch frequently hires mercenaries for when
it needs sudden influxes of forces. In the early days of conflict they
hired Eldeen rangers to assist when propaganda wars were launched
on the streets of Fairhaven, but hindsight shows that this was a
perfect training ground for the groups that would eventually lead the
Eldeen rebellion years later. More recently, mercenary corps from
central Fairhaven were hired part-time for defense during some close
campaigns in the last years of the war, and during state visits which
the Lord Governor felt might create strife in the streets. During a
diplomatic visit by Archbishop Telest of Thrane last year, the presence
of these corps proved prescient.
Some specialized forces within the Fairhaven Watch are given below.
● Sky Knights: Officially a branch of the Knights Arcane, the First
Legion of the Sky Knights garrisoned in Vaucote has a long
history of cooperation with the City Watch. Dragonhawk riders
from Vaucote often combine their excercises with scouting
missions around the perimeter of the city or across the roofs of
the ward. Contrary to popular belief, in the tangled streets of a
 city the street patrols can usually see more than the soaring
dragonhawk riders of the Legion but more than once unruly
demonstrations have been seen and reported by riders before the
Watch could have got word to reinforcements. Besides which,
the sight of the mighty dragonhawks has an important
impression on the minds of those dissidents living in Fairhaven.
● Hawks of Fairhaven: The Watch’s inquisitive division styles
themselves as hunting birds of prey, seeking their quarries and
then pouncing without mercy. Though not arcanists like those in
the Watching Sigil, the Hawks readily employ magic items and
rituals in their pursuit of criminals. Master inquisitives of House
Medani are employed to teach the Hawks advanced techniques
in reading magical auras and the Hawks of Fairhaven are
probably the most knowledgable law enforcement officers in the
whole of Khorvaire when it comes to enforcing the Caliastan
Code governing the use of magic in the Five Nations.
● Watching Sigil: The arcane corps of the Fairhaven Watch
specializes in clairvoyant surveillance, as evidenced by the
staring eye of their badge of office. The Sigil-mages are hardly
bookworms, though, and a good percentage served as
aides-de-camp to Aundair‘s generals during the Last War,
assisting the military experts with enchantments to help their
tactics, communication, and scouting. Many consider the
Watching Sigil as a training ground for such arcanists, in fact,
including members of the corps who have mixed feeling about
the cessation of hostilities after the Treaty of Thronehold.
Unlike other city watches’ magical divisions, the Watching Sigil
is not the only corps within the Watch that knows about magical
concerns. The common Watch soldiers receive training on these
matters as well and, while they still are not as competent as the
Watching Sigil, they can handle magical threats confidently until
the specialists arrive. In situations where the Watching Sigil uses
common soldiers to help combat magical threats, they often
employ the specialized Watching Sigil helm in place of standard
issue to protect the common soldier from druidic or Khyber
threats to the populace.
 ● Knights Arcane: While the Sky Knights garrisoned in Fairhaven
commonly work with the Fairhaven Watch, other knighthoods in
the Knights Arcane remain strictly separate. They see
themselves as elite soldiers and have more important things to
do than police work in the streets. Still, their garrison in Fairhold
cannot help but be concerned with the safety of the city and if
Fairhaven were ever truly threatened by an outside force the
Knights Arcane would rush to defend it, likely commandeering
the forces of the Watch on the way.

Foreign Powers
As with most major powers in the post-war world, Aundair has a
complex relationship with many powers in Khorvaire and beyond.
Most of those relationships have direct effects on the city of
Fairhaven, whether its citizens are aware of them or not.

Aerenal
Though the elves of Aerenal take great stock in their ancient magical
rites, they do not have too much hubris to consider others’ works. The
Aereni wizards in Fairhaven style themselves as teachers and mentors
of the Aundairian mages here and at Arcanix, but they regularly take
interest in innovative new rituals and spells that can be sent back to
Aerenal. In this quiet, theatrical relationship the Aereni are frequently
at odds with the agents of the Mosaic Commitee which leads the
Arcane Congress. Each side needs something from the other but sees a
definite and frustrating rival as well.
The other Aereni party interested in Fairhaven is much more sinister.
The Skullborn, heretical rebels who seek to overthrow the Undying
Court, have begun to send agents into the city to build a power base. In
Aundair they see a ready population of allies in the khorovar of that
nation and opportunity in the arcane traditions which already exist
there. Their necromancers hope to convince the Aundairian half-elves
of the opportunity that awaits a new and united Aerenal where both
elves and half-elves live forever with the rites of the Transition.

Breland
The Brelish ambassador to Aundair is Lord Cornwell ir’Hourn, a
gregarious and vocal individual known in Fairhaven primarily for his
parties. In the past the Brelish ambassadors had reputations as
difficult and stubborn nobles so Lord ir’Hourn is a breath of fresh air
to the population and his masked balls are highly sought events
among Fairhaven socialites. Unfortunately, he is not the real
representative of the Brelish crown in the city. Lord ir’Hourn may
bring official statements to Fairhold and receives proposals from
Queen Aurala as well but the real political maneuvering happens
between Sir Desmon Krantz of the King’s Dark Lanterns and Lord
Thuel Racannoch of the Royal Eyes. While Lord ir’Hourn entertains
the Aundairian nobles, Sir Krantz trades intelligence reports and
clandestine operatives to Lord Racannoch for the same services from
the Royal Eyes. The relationship is so fruitful that they have continued
cooperating even when relations between Breland and Aundair are
frosty.

Cyre
Though Cyre is gone, her people remain. The old Cyran embassy in
Ambassador Court is much-reduced but it still negotiates with
Aundair on behalf of Prince Oargev of New Cyre and helps the Cyran
refugees of Craelia to establish there new lives here. The Cyran
ambassador, Lord Irasta ir’Bensk, has served his country for decades
(well before the Day of Mourning) and he has a much broader view of
the world than other Cyrans and doesn’t like the tendency for Cyran
goals to be subsumed by other nations’. He is especially bitter about
the influence that Breland has over New Cyre and the Prince, and Lord
ir’Bensk is well-aware of the special relationship between Sir Krantz
at the Brelish embassy and Lord Racannochof the Royal Eyes. He’s
waiting for the chance to do something about this and embarrass both
men without putting Cyran interests in danger.

Droaam
While many nations are reticent to open active relations with Droaam,
Queen Aurala granted an embassy to the Daughters‘ representives
without hesitation. In truth, she was ambivalent over the decision but
the Commander of the Knights Arcane, Lord Darro ir’Lain, lobbied for
their inclusion. Few know the real reason for the lord’s efforts but
ir’Lain saw the chance to wrest access of the Droaamite mercenaries, a
devastating force during the Last War, from Breland. Like many, Lord
ir’Lain is convinced that the Last War will start again soon and he
remembers the horrors of the battlefield well from the Crying Fields
and other bloodbaths. He would much rather see the gnolls, ogres, and
harpies of Droaam fighting alongside Aundairian troops than Brelish
and he has cultivated a strong partnership with the Droaamite
ambassador, a sadistic shifter named Retharr, in anticipation of this
day.

Eldeen Reaches
The Eldeen embassy in Ambassador Court is a recent addition and
many are uncertain what to think of the nation to the west that was a
large portion of Aundair until a few decades ago. The Eldeen people
have been few in number and independent of spirit since the earliest
days of Aundair but the loss of this territory has been difficult for the
nation to bear well. Eldeen folk living in Fairhaven, the majority of
which can be found in the Grangehall Ward, are sometimes targeted
with violence by nationalistic groups and the Eldeen representative to
the crown, Dusklighter, spends much more of his time complaining to
the queen’s representatives than he’d like. Dusklighter, an awakened
giant owl, spends much of his time in the Wardens’ Glade (as the
embassy is known) or flying with a retinue to Fairhold or the
Grangehall Ward to meet with officials and constituents. He is a
cunning diplomat and sometimes seems frustrated that most of his
talents are spent on damage control between his nations rather than
negotiating fruitful treaties or alliances.

Karrnath
Aundair and Karrnath would be mortal enemies if the tensions
between Karrnath and Thrane didn’t overshadow the eastern nation’s
relations with all other lands. The natural border between Aundair and
Karrnath is the northern branch of Scions Sound, leading from the
heart of Khorvaire to the Bitter Sea, and at one point the White Arch
Bridge spanned the waters to join Thaliost and Rekkenmark. Thaliost
has been lost to Thrane now in the last stages of the Last War and the
eastern reaches of Aundair are made up of the Starpeaks and the wild
moors to the northeast of there. Thaliost is a major sticking point
between Aundair and Thrane and the Karrnathi ambassador in
Fairhaven, Lord Efran ir’Mensk, has been offering his country’s help
in securing the return of Thaliost to Aundair. Lord ir’Mensk is an
accomplished necromancer and has been trying to win the support of
First Warlord Adal who is very focused on Thaliost. The two have long
conversations when Lord Adal is in Fairhaven about magical theory
and practice but so far the First Warlord has resisted a formal
partnership with the Karrn whom he doesn’t fully trust.

The Mror Holds

The dwarves of the Mror Holds are far from Aundair but their
concerns often overlap. Both are nations with wild lands on their
doorstep and both ended the Last War with relatively few wounds and
great ambitions. The Mror ambassador, Lady Dena Mroranon, is a
younger sister to the leader of the powerful Clan Mroranon and she
deftly maintains strong relationships between all three members of
the Aundair Triumvirate. Lady Dena’s primary focus, however, is kept
secret and is limited to herself and the small cadre of Kundarak
Ghorad’din loyal to her in the embassy. These agents work for Lady
Dena finding and destroying orcish and Dhakaani artifacts before they
can be misused by the descendents of the ancient civilizations. The
Mroranor hatred of orcs and Dena’s own ties to the Aurum have
shown her just how powerful the magics of the Dhakaani and the
northern orcish tribes can be. Clashes with theKech Volaar and Kech
Motrai have threatened to expose this operation but it also has
convinced Lady Dena of its necessity.

The Lhazaar Principalities

Being two northern, coastal nations, the Lhazaar Principalities and
Aundair have much to discuss. In a reversal from their relationship
during the Last War, Queen Aurala has forged an alliance with High
Prince Rygar ir’Wynarn of Regalport to patrol the Bitter Sea and defeat
the bands of pirates that prey on Aundairian shipping. The
relationship is pragmatic and hasn’t thawed ties between Aundair and
the Principalities in general but Rygar sees it as a start and has
instructed his nephew Korre ir’Wynarn to represent him in Fairhaven
and try to convince Aurala to afford the Principalities more
concessions or at least to let him know what other Aundairian nobles
might be more amenable if they were to ascend to the throne.

Thrane
Matters between Thrane and Aundair are very strained. Besides the
political arguments over Thaliost, the longest shared border that
Aundair has is it’s southern and eastern one with Aundair meaning
that the sheer number of people moving back and forth as well as the
bandits, wild beasts, and natural disasters that affect both nations
demands cooperation. The Thranish ambassador, Lady Netron
Elanno, walks a narrow path between taking a firm stance with
Aundair and keeping talks open so that the nations can work together
when needed. Though a devoted paladin, Lady Netron has had the best
success in this regard with the mage-knight Lord Darro ir’Lain who is
willing to secure Aundair’s eastern borders in order to focus on
retaking the Eldeen Reaches. Lord ir’Lain’s Knights Phantom have
been sent on more than one ocassion to the Thranish border, this time
with the help of Lady Netron’s paladin allies to defeat bandit lords and
prowling packs of gnolls. While these efforts saved many lives,
opponents on both sides of the border were quick to label it betrayal.

Dragonmarked Houses
House Cannith
The concerns of House Cannith are overseen by Jorlanna d’Cannith, as
are the house’s efforts throughout western Khorvaire. She is a divisive
figure in House Cannith given her checkered past but she has attracted
other Cannith heirs who aren’t afraid to push boundaries as well. The
Cannith enclave in Dragonhold is full of free thinkers and innovators
making new artificed wonders and keeping the energetic spirit of lost
Metrol alive. It also attracts heirs who have burned bridges in other
Cannith enclaves, however, and have left the traditionalist enclave in
Sharn or the strict enclave in Korth to find a more permissive
environment in Fairhaven.

House Jorasco
The House of Healing has a presence in all of the Five Nations, made a
powerful ally during the many bloody years of the Last War. The
Aundairian armies had Jorasco healers on the front lines but few
battles happened anywhere near Fairhaven. Instead, the Jorasco
Citadel in Dragonhold was a safe haven where Jorasco heirs could
experiment and research their magic. Collaborating with the famed
Aundairian arcanists they made significant advances in magical
healing items from wands and protective rings as well as alchemical
potions. The Citadel, run by Haneela d’Jorasco, is known as a scholarly
site but also as a center of the guilds-fairhaven.

House Lyrandar
The center of Lyrandar power in Fairhaven is the Airship Tower in
Rordan’s Gate and the towermaster Erix Nailo d’Lyrandar is a capable,
if embittered, leader. Airships lead regularly to destinations
throughout the wester Five Nations including Flamekeep, Sharn,
Stormhome, Trolanport, and Wroat as well as larger cities farther
away including Taer Valaestas, Krona Peak, and Korth. This hub of
activity is also a place of commerce and just as many merchants set up
stalls below as airship captains dock above. The mix of ambitious
traders, eager travelers, and house rivalries make this a frequent spot
for Fairhaven adventurers to head.

House Orien
Across Chalice Center from the Lyrandar Airship Tower is the Orien
lightining rail station. Fairhaven Station is overseen by Sithov
d’Orien, a nasty man with few allies among the other Orien heirs in
the city but with a fine reputation among house leaders in Passage.
Given many Orien agents’ distaste for the Fairhaven stationmaster,
other notable heirs have their own smaller spheres of influence in the
city, including among the caravan tents of the Feast Sojourn, the
warehouses and docks of the Whiteroof Ward, and the rumor-laden
inns ofLyresong.

House Phiarlan
One of the two dragonmarked houses of the Mark of Shadow, House
Phiarlan operates as an entertainment and guild of artists. The city of
Fairhaven is the headquarters of the Demesne of Memory and the
house’s enclave, the Halls of Memory, has a massive library of
historical texts but other Phiarlan members work as talented spies for
the many organizations in Fairhaven. The Royal Eyes, the Dark
Lanterns, the Karrnathi embassy, and even the guilds-fairhaven and
guilds-fairhaven have made use of House Phiarlan’s operatives in the
past… sometimes against each other.