Editing Eberron (section)

===The Kingdom of Galifar===
Just over 3,000 years before the official start of the Eberron campaign, various races starting being born with mystical tattoos on their bodies, giving them access to strange powers depending on the complexity of the tattoo.  These dragonmarks were called that because the dragons who actually spoke to lesser beings about them said they were a manifestation of the Prophecy that they obsess about.  However, one of the dragonmarks, the Mark of Death, is wiped out because an elf and a dragon made sweet, sweet love and produce a half-dragon with the mark, which was considered a total abomination.

That's right, kids, all you dragon-kin types who think it would be so cool to be a half-dragon in D&D?  Best keep that shit to yourself in Eberron: you are a living insult to the purity of dragons and the Prophecy (and, apparently, elves if that's your other parent), and you will be ethnically cleansed from the world.  This isn't a joke, it's part of the setting.  Certain other draconic races may or may not be treated similarly.  Kobolds are basically the same (though they come in three breeds based on Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber that only other kobolds can tell the difference of), and spellscales are seen with confusion and annoyance (they are basically a kind of mutation found mostly among arcane practitioners who have kids), but half-dragons are basically a big no-no.  Dragonborn of Bahamut are okay, though the dragons do grumble that Bahamut doesn't really need their kind running around. The template is still used, but it's for things like the fiendish "blessing" of [[Tiamat]] than literal half-breeds.

Anyway, while this dragonmark shit is happening, this chick named Lhazaar leads a shitload of refugees and/or colonists from Sarlona to Khorvaire.  Lhazaar first lands in a bunch of eastern islands (which will collectively be named after her one day), and humans start spreading out.  Fast forward a thousand years, and this human named <s>[[Kharn]]</s> Karrn the Conqueror goes out, kicks nine kinds of goblin ass, and created the nation of Karrnath.  (Making him a much more ambitious sort than Conan.  I mean, I love that goofy Cimmerian, but he did dawdle a bit on becoming king.  Karrn went out and got shit done.)  Karrn tries to conquer everyone else, but they aren't having his shit, so he fucks off back to Karrnath.  But his efforts do basically establish dozens of human city-states and nations around the continent, so there's that.

A thousand years after, a guy named Galifar is born, and at the ripe age of 45 has taken control of the Five Nations and established a kingdom in his name.  His kids each get control of a single nation.  This is basically the "golden age" for humanity, because under Galifar, magic is used not just as a weapon but a kind of utility.  The dragonmarked Houses start to realize they can create magic items that really "do" stuff, like empower vehicles to travel faster, or send messages instantly, or whatever.  Keith Baker keeps saying this isn't a magi-tek society - what he means by that is it isn't the Final Fantasy style of things. They're using magic to do things in the real world we did with mechanical/chemical technology, instead of mashing magic and technology together haphazardly. Stuff like a stone that casts prestidigitation to clean shit - functions like a laundromat would in the real world, but it's a magical solution to the issue. Or using weather control spells to make boats go real fast.