IFAQ: Whaling in Eberron
As time permits, I like to answer interesting questions posed by my Patreon supporters. Questions like...
Where and how do you see whaling playing a part in Eberron?
The immediate question is are there whales in Eberron, because there's no particular reason to assume that any random thing that exists in our world does exist in Eberron. As it turns out, whales have been mentioned; Exploring Eberron has this to say.
When dealing with the Thunder Sea, remember that it’s just as civilized as the Five Nations. It does have wilderness regions with feral beasts roaming at will, and you might find wild plesiosaurs, a scheming sea hag, or a hungry scrag. But in the areas above and around sahuagin city-states, such beasts have been tamed or destroyed. All cultures of the Thunder Sea farm fish like the people of the land farm sheep or cattle; a pod of whales may be carefully managed and cultivated, and their farmers will be quite angry with dryskins who poach their ichthyic livestock.
So first of all, I don't see whaling as being a common practice in the Thunder Sea, because blundering out and killing a random whale is a great way to get your ship sunk by an angry Karakala stormcaller. We've called out that agreements between the Five Nations and the powers of the Thunder Sea do allow fishing in close coastal waters, so you have Brelish fishing villages on the southern coast, but I wouldn't make them whalers.
So, where and how do I see whaling playing a part in Eberron? I see it as being focused on the Lhazaar Principalities, but the twist is that it's not whaling. In our world, whales are the largest and most dramatic denizens of the sea, but this isn't our world. In the Lhazaar Sea, the mighty creatures bold sailors hunt are dragon turtles. They aren't the SAME dragon turtles described in the Monster Manual; they're slightly smaller and weaker (commonly huge, though they can reach gargantuan size), they're omnivorous, and they're less intelligent, notably not speaking Draconic; we can call them drake turtles or softshell dragon turtles. But they are still built on the model of the dragon turtle. Building on this, I'd say that drake hunting is a major part of the Lhazaar economy. Drake (turtle) blood is a crucial component in industrial alchemy, part of what allows Jorasco and Cannith to produce mass quantities of healing and other potions. Drakebone could be used in everything from corsets to weaponry. In the Principalities, most medium armor makes use of drake turtle scales and heavy armor is typically made not from metal, but from drake turtle shells. Essentially, this not only creates an industry that parallels whaling, it also creates a unique flavor for Lhazaar fashion and tools and introduces the disturbing idea that many mass-produced potions use components drawn from a deeply questionable source. Because I've said that these are as intelligent as the standard dragon turtles of the Monster Manual... but less intelligent doesn't mean they aren't intelligent. They don't perform magic. They don't speak Common or Draconic. But they sing... and anyone who knows the language (which very few land-dwellers do) will realize that they are singing in Aquan.
Part of the point of Eberron is that stories don't always end well and that good people can do bad things. A druid adventurer may realize a drake turtle is singing in Aquan. But even if the character speaks Aquan, the drake turtles may not think or communicate the same way humans do—even if it is clear to the ADVENTURER that the turtles are intelligent, it may not be a simple matter to prove it. And there could always be the chance that while the turtles appear to sing in Aquan, they aren't actually intelligent by the typical measures. Even if adventurers can prove it, the response of the common Lhazaar sailor will be "Who cares if drake turtles sing in Aquan? They're MONSTERS. I need to feed my family. The healing potions Jorasco will make using that drake's blood will save countless HUMAN lives. I chose my family and my species over the well-being of alien sea monsters." Personally, I like the idea of placing player characters at the very forefront of this issue—making it THEIR discovery, because it's their story—but you could also say that it's something that's been known for decades and is being actively debated. Druid activists could be blocking drake hunting boats. Principalities could be split, with some princes forbidding drake hunting, while other principalities are deeply dependent on the drake-hunting economy. It could be that ending dragon-hunting would be a major blow to industrial alchemy, unless Cannith and Jorasco can be pushed to find new methods of production. Ultimately, it's a more dramatic and bloodier version of the ethical questions of elemental binding... and it could be that fighting over this issue could force people to reevaluate Zil binding as well.
So, going back to the original question, I'd place whaling in the Lhazaar Principalities and I'd make it an industry that has great impact within the region but also to the greater economy of Khorvaire, but I'd also make the creatures hunted an variant form of dragon turtles as opposed to whales. Not with that said, there's nothing wrong with saying that there's also traditional whaling in the northern Lhazaar Principalities. But personally, I'm more interesting in adding something that's unique to the world—and in doing so, being able to add a unique twist to the economic impact of that creature. But if you want a story focus on traditional whaling, tell that story!
Do drake turtles have blowholes?
No, they don't. However, they do have steam breath—though it's weaker than that of a dragon turtle and takes longer to recharge. They need to vent this occasionally, and common drake hunter practice is to wait for such an exhalation before attacking, to strike while the breath is discharged. So you can still have a "Thar she blows!" moment.
Does Riedra have any interest in drake turtles?
Certainly! I think that drake's blood is a useful basic alchemical component and that the shell, scales, bones, and teeth all have their uses. I definitely think fishing rights in the Lhazaar Sea is an lingering point of tension; it's even possible there's been an open conflict—similar to the Cod Wars—between Rhiavaar and one of the Principalities at some point in the past.
If drake turtles sing in Aquan, how can there be any doubt they're intelligent? Why don't people just use the Tongues spell or similar magic to talk to them?
A parrot can recite a poem in English; does that mean it possesses human intelligence? The drake hunters argue the same thing of drake turtles; it's exotic behavior, but that doesn't mean they're PEOPLE. Which comes to a key point in my description: Even if the character speaks Aquan, the drake turtles may not think or communicate the same way humans do. My point is that if you know Aquan, when you hear the drake's song you'll recognize it as, for example, "Bluuuue sorrow delving deeeeep." But if you row up to the drake turtle and say "Hi! My name's Keith! What's yours?" in Aquan (or using tongues) it will ignore you. Perhaps it doesn't recognize the tiny non-turtle as a creature. Perhaps it doesn't respond to simply spoken words; you need to SING your statement at a particular pitch for the drake to recognize it as an attempt at communication. Or perhaps it's a parrot—it produces words it's picked up from passing elementals but it doesn't actually understand their meaning.
D&D has a tendency to treat any creature with a language as communicating exactly as humans do. I like to explore the idea that alien creatures may communicate in very different ways, something I've discussed in articles relating to elementals and lizardfolk. The point is that your Aquan speaker/tongues caster can understand the words the drake turtle is singing; but that doesn't mean that you understand the meaning or how to effectively communicate back. The point of all this is because I'm interested in exploring the question of drake turtle intelligence as a STORY. Consider the movie Arrival; it wouldn't have been much fun if the protagonist just walked in, cast tongues, and it was all over. I like the idea that people KNOW the drake turtles sing in Aquan, but because no one's ever managed to have an effective conversation with one, the hunters can dismiss them as parrots. If the player characters get involved, their challenge is to figure out how the turtles communicate, beyond simply the words that they're using. In OUR world there's considerable debate about cetacean intelligence; my point is that I want it to be a possible story that adventurers can be a part of, because player characters are remarkable. If drake turtles are fully sentient, I want your character to be the protagonist of Arrival or Spock mind-melding with a whale; I want YOU to be the one who solves a mystery others have abandoned or dismissed. But if that's not a mystery you want to explore, you can definitely resolve it one way or the other using NPCs or have it have been clearly established in the past.
That's all for now! Thanks again to my Patreon supporters for making these articles possible!