The Kalashtari are the indigenous people of Temir, the founders of Tachros and powerful psychics. Once. Now they're one of a hundred races who live and work in the First City, and the hallmarks of their civilization are buried under the weight of so many other minds. Many dream of a return to the old empires, of telepathic crystals and psychic transmutations, but most live in the here and now, using their gifts to get by in the world. 

History

Kalashtari history begins in Temir, where empire after empire rose and fell, with only the city abiding. Their stories remember numerous cataclysms, the sundering of the city, and the end of the Age of Dragons. Their history is rife with civil wars, as their dream gods drove them into conflict over and over, splintering into factions that fled south and west to make their own way. In a sense, the Kalashtari who remain in Temir are those lost and left behind, generations of abandoned telepaths. 

The one Kalashtari stronghold where they've retained their power over ages is Satu Mare, where the rulers of the Rhiast work to rebuild their once great empire. Emperor Tain Che'ghatai is determined to lead the Kalashtari to greatness once more, and has established the Ksatta Sang Empire to do so. 

Age of Dragons

The Kalashtari people were brutally oppressed by the great dragons who ruled their cities, who feared their abilities to speak and conspire where no one could listen. They passed their gifts on to humans, gave voice to their rebellion, and taught them the Rite of Ascension, a dangerous immortality ritual wrapped up as cultish claptrap. But when the last of the great dragons fled Tachros in the wake of a powerful catastrophe, as the gods themselves punished them for their pride, so the Kalashtari were also punished. The humans didn't give way, having won their own liberation. The Kalashtari would rule Tachros no more. 

Age of Prophecy

What was once called the Mind Plague, or the Wake of Hellfire, is now known as the Dragons' Vengeance. The first of the great dragons could not be contained by death, its very spirit bursting into flame. Its roar was heard in the minds of all Kalashtari, and it killed them by the thousands. This began the war with the Hungry Dead, whose masters were sealed away. Their numbers reduced, the Kalashtari were subjugated by the Church of the Ivory Throne, pushed to abandon their old gods and comply. Even now many grapple with the yoke of the Church, who so loves order more than dreams. 

Age of Peace

The Kalashtari are no longer the chosen people, the sainted dreamless. Their mystics are gone, their faiths shattered, and their gifts greatly reduced. Most of them simply do their best to get by, looking ahead rather than behind. The rest flee to the Kalashtari nations in Nafaanra, or to the Ksatta Sang Empire to reclaim their place in history. 

Culture

Many of the holidays celebrated in Temir have their roots in Kalashtari festivals. Dreaming new things in the midsummer new year and giving gifts of candles to ward off evil in the winter, for example. Homesteaders make offerings at shrines to old Kalashtari gods without knowing who they are, and inherit their vocabulary around dreams from Kalashtari traditions. 

Now, The Kalashtari still survive, and still celebrate, both in their ancient ways and more modern ones. Their culture values independence, achievement, and generosity,with Kalashtari in positions of power and strength finding their duty in looking after the less fortunate, building longer tables rather than higher walls. Some credit this to their telepathic abilities, which while they don't let the Kalashtari read minds, do let people tell them things they'd never dare say aloud. 

Politics

Kalashtari don't organize as a people, but participate actively in the political structures where they live. Many Houses are represented in the Tachros Senate, and maintain a longstanding friendship with the Great Houses of the Goliaths. The elephant in the room is the Ksatta Sang Emperor and sovereign of the Rhiast in Satu Mare, who claims to be the heart of Kalashtari tradition. The Houses of Satu Mare are a dynastic aristocracy, their names all marked by their station. 

Magic

The days of psions long gone, Kalashtari engage in magic like many others. Expert oneiromancers, their wizards often specialize in Divination and Enchantment, while their warlocks seek ways to serve their old gods, walking the path of the Celestial or that of the Hexblade. 

Religion

The Kalashtari have their own gods, shapeless and formless dreams from the beginning of days. Their gods are never represented by likenesses, but by signs and symbols to know their passing. Their temples mostly gone, they maintain quiet shrines to these dreams, leaving offerings alongside several other peoples with long memories. 

The noted exception is the Rhiast in Satu Mare. Home to the seat of power of the Church of the Ivory Throne, they have abandoned the old gods as deceased, and venerate the Lord of Law in their halls. Order, they say, is better than dreams. 

Names

Kalashtari typically have a given name and a family name, but their family name is apostrophized, and comes in two parts. The first is a marker of the individual's station, and the second part their family name. The first segment can change many times over a Kalashtari's life, but they typically retain their family name forever. 

Sample Given Names: Aley, Asha, Hul, Iro, Liet, Nia, Oma, Quei, Sayi, Strad, Sula, Tiao

Sample Surnames: bul, chos, dos, engon, ghatai, hun, kas, onam, rel, sak, tal, tov, xyn, yun

Sample Prefixes: Che' (Sovereign), Kal' (Leader), Far' (Adopted)

Notes

Page references

• Kalashtari, Eberron: Rising from the Last War p.29