The Chamber consists of dragons from Argonnessen who want to take a more active role in the world, and their servants, many of whom don’t realize they work for dragons. This secret organization watches for the emergence of dragonmarks on the lesser races, and believes that the draconic Prophecy should not just be studied and contemplated, but actively assisted so that its verses come to pass sooner rather than later.
The Chamber was formed by younger Argonnessen dragons who believed that the Prophecy demanded their participation in the world beyond their continent. Older dragons reluctantly allow the Chamber to exist, so long as it keeps a low profile and doesn’t do anything to endanger the Prophecy or the dragons themselves. To this end, dragons belonging to the Chamber either watch the activities of the lesser races from afar or use magical means to disguise their true nature when they move about in the world of humans.
The Chamber has little structure or organization. Members share knowledge as warranted, even keeping dragons that aren’t part of the group informed about their findings and observations. Some dragons of the Chamber spend decades disguised as members of the lesser races, serving as advisors to kings or silent observers. Only when a Chamber member reveals his true nature do the leaders of Argonnessen take an interest in their group’s activities, and if any dragon is believed to threaten the entire community, it is dealt with harshly.
Members of the Chamber or its agents among the lesser races may approach adventurers to help in some long-ranging scheme or plan to propel the Prophecy forward. Most often, the adventurers never realize that their patron in such situations is a dragon.
The Chamber is a loose alliance. Its members share resources (including their agents), and have established a network of safe houses and support across Khorvaire and Stormreach. The dragons gather and share information, and those with common goals sometimes work together. Still, the dragons of the Chamber have divergent interests. Some wish to recover lost artifacts from the Age of Demons. Some want to observe the lesser races, to see the role they play in the unfolding Prophecy. Others oppose the Lords of Dust and other forces who seek to manipulate the Prophecy. A few wish to manipulate the Prophecy themselves. All dragons of the Chamber are working in the interests of Argonnessen and the dragons as a race—the Eyes of Chronepsis quickly eliminate a dragon who threatens his homeland. But an outcome that is good for Argonnessen might be devastating for Khorvaire.
Although the dragons of the Chamber cooperate, each dragon has his own network of agents. Dragons of the Chamber rarely fight one another, but if they are competing over a particular turning point in the Prophecy, they have no difficulty setting their agents at odds.
The Chamber is a young organization by draconic standards, fewer than four thousand years old. Most Chamber observers are mature adults or younger. Some older dragons are tied to the Chamber, including those who founded the organization. Most of these elders, however, have returned to Argonnessen to guide activities from the Tapestry, leaving their children to directly manage their interests.
The Chamber can be an excellent patron for adventurers, because its members possess wealth and the knowledge required to draw adventurers into the Prophecy. The key is that the Chamber is unpredictable even as a patron. These dragons are always looking to the distant goal, and even a friendly dragon might sacrifi ce nondragon lives for what she sees as the greater good.
Each DM must decide exactly how much influence the Chamber has had on the course of history, but any number of critical events could have been set in motion by the Chamber. It’s quite possible that a precursor to the Chamber instigated the migration of humanity to Khorvaire because that group knew it was the only way humans would develop dragonmarks. Likewise, the cabal might have encouraged the formation of Galifar to place limits on the power of the dragonmarked houses. Such discoveries are part of the tone of Eberron—how much of what you take for granted is the result of draconic manipulation?
ADVENTURE SEEDS
Here are a couple of ways to involve the PCs with the Chamber.
Conflict of Interest: The PCs have established a strong working relationship with a Chamber dragon, and they consider her a trustworthy patron. Then they discover that she is sponsoring another group of adventurers, who are performing massacres and assassinations. What do they do?
Hazard Pay: A Chamber dragon offers the party a fantastic reward in exchange for secretly destroying a creation forge purportedly hidden beneath Sharn. Can the PCs find the forge and then overcome the traps laid by Merrix d’Cannith? And are they willing to risk the wrath of the dragonmarked lord?
Source: Dragons of Eberron
Related Articles: Dragonmarks and The Chamber
Typical Chamber Observer
Young adult silver
dragon; CR 14; Large dragon (cold); HD 19d12+79;
hp 202; Init +0; Spd 40 ft., fl y 150 ft. (poor); AC
27, touch 9, fl at-footed 27; Base Atk +19; Grp +29;
Atk +24 melee (2d6+6, bite); Full Atk +24 melee
(2d6+6, bite) and +22 melee (1d8+3, 2 claws)
and +22 melee (1d6+3, 2 wings) and +22 melee
(1d8+9, tail slap); Space/Reach 10 ft./5 ft.
(10 ft. with bite); SA breath weapon, frightful
presence, spell-like abilities, spells; SQ
alternate form, blindsense 60 ft., cloudwalking,
damage reduction 5/magic, darkvision
120 ft., immunity to acid, cold, magic
sleep effects, and paralysis, low-light vision,
vulnerability to fi re, spell resistance 20; AL LN;
SV Fort +15, Ref +11, Will +15; Str 23, Dex
10, Con 19, Int 18, Wis 19, Cha 18.
Skills and Feats: Balance +7, Bluff +14, Concentration
+18, Diplomacy +18, Disguise +23,
Heal +9, Hide –4, Intimidate +6, Jump +31, Knowledge
(arcana) +14, Knowledge (nature) +14, Listen +24, Perform
(act) +9, Search +24, Sense Motive +24, Spellcraft
+16, Spot +24, Tumble +5; Ability Focus (breath weapon),
Flyby Attack, Hover, Multi attack, Power Attack, Toughness,
Wingover.
Languages: Common, Draconic, Elven, Giant, one other.
Breath Weapon (Su): 40-ft. cone, 10d8 cold, Refl ex DC
25 half; or 40-ft. cone, paralysis 1d6+5 rounds, Fortitude
DC 25 negates.
Alternate Form (Su): This ability functions as the polymorph
spell, except that the dragon does not regain hit points for
changing form and can only assume the form of an animal
or humanoid of Medium size or smaller. The dragon can
remain in its alternate form until it chooses to assume a
new one or return to its natural form.
Cloudwalking (Su): Silver dragons can tread on clouds
or fog as though on solid ground. This ability functions
continuously but can be negated or resumed at will as a
free action.
Frightful Presence (Ex): 150-ft. radius, HD 18 or fewer,
Will DC 23 negates.
Spell-Like Abilities: 2/day—feather fall. Caster level 5th.
Spells: As 5th-level sorcerer.
Sorcerer Spells Known (6/7/5; save DC 14 + spell level):
0—dancing lights, detect magic, detect poison, mage hand, mending, prestidigitation;
1st—chill touch, expeditious retreat, protection from good,
protection from evil; 2nd—invisibility, web.
