Shavarath
Shavarath, the Battleground is a plane in the cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons setting of Eberron, commonly nicknamed "The Orrery". Three great armies mass eternally on the barren plains, a celestial host of Archons, an infernal regiment of Devils, and a swarming horde of Demons. Warfare defines all aspects of their existence. Alliances come and go – usually involving the devils aligning with one or the other of their enemies and then breaking the alliance when the situation changes to their advantage – but the warfare never ends. Slain soldiers eventually return, but usually in a lower form, but the armies of the three forces remain forever in a rough balance. Fortresses dot the landscape, each one in a great siege. Every fortress eventually falls, and they all shift handas many times before finally being reduced to rubble. As one collapses, another is built to replace it. Beyond these fortresses, the rocky and barren landscape stretches in all directions, sporadically accentuated by low hills – the only distinguishable terrain anywhere on the plane.
Planar Traits
- Alignment: Areas held by the archons are mildly lawful and mildly good aligned. Areas held by the devils are mildly evil and mildly lawful aligned. Areas held by the demons are mildly chaotic and mildly evil aligned. These areas shift constantly, their borders as fluid as the tide of war.
- Enhanced Magic: Spells that create, enhance or mimic weapons and spells that excite hostile emotions are extended.
- Impeded Magic: Compulsions that calm or pacify hostile creatures are impeded.
- Whirling Blades: Creatures not native to Shavarath are subject to attack by whirling blades that travel the plane like flocks of birds. For every hour a visitor spends on this plane, there is a 70% chance of encountering a cloud of blades that attack for 2d6 rounds and then disperse. In each of these rounds, the blades attack all characters, using an attack bonus of +10 and dealing 2d6 points of damage per hit. The blades are treated as magic and evil aligned when dealing with Damage Reduction.
- Shavarath Inhabitants: Hound and trumpet Archon, Babau, Dretch, Glabrezu, Hezrou, Marilith, Quasit, retriever, Barbed, Bearded, Bone, Chain, Horned Devils, Erinyes, Imps, Varguille, Bladeling, arrow Demon, Deathshreiker, Mivilorn, Ragewalker, Shredstorm.
- Coterminous: When Shavarath draws near, echoes of its endless battles manifest on the Material plane. In any area embroiled in battle, the enhanced and impeded magic traits of Shavarath come into play. Casting an impeded spell requires a spellcraft check vs DC15 + spell level. Storms of whirling blades have been known to appear on the sites of great battles, both past and present. Shavarath is coterminous for one year out of every thiry-six.
- Remote: When Shavarath is remote, no known effects manifest on the Material plane.