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illathid wrote:

I found another change in the setting. Apparently the Stillborn faction in Aerenal has been renamed Skullborn for some reason. Personally I much prefer the original name, although I do wonder why it was changed.

I dunno about the stillborn faction because I'm unfamiliar with Aerenal lore, but I'd say if it has been renamed, it's because stillborn means something that can be quite depressingly reminiscent to a lot of women who failed to be mothers.

pseudonym wrote:

I may be misremembering 3.5, but in the 4e EPG kalashtar speak only common and not quori. Is this a change? Shouldn't they also speak Riedrian?

They spoke common and quor, with bonus languages including Riedran. However in 4E Quor is not the language of the Kalashtar people, it's the language of their scholars. Kind of like latin is to us: nobody uses it, except in academic circles.

Riedran would make sense, except Kalashtar don't need language in their homeland. They can have two-way communication with anyone with a mind and a language. And since all races who don't normally speak common get it if they're PCs, think of it not as:

"Kalashtar speak common, and are also telepathic."

but

"Kalashtar are telepaths in their homeland. But PCs in Khorvaire learned common as a second (first?) language."

Sarlona campaigns are, by definition, house-ruled by the DM, since most of the available races aren't available, their languages aren't spoken, most classes aren't available... so in the circumstance a Sarlona campaign comes up, it's only one more house rule to make them speak Riedran instead of Common.

And it'll never really impact play, either, because the only other people they'd meet who MIGHT speak Riedran are other kalashtar or inspired, who are all telepathic =P

EDIT: Also, I'm really tired as it's late. All that made some sort of sense to me at the time.

Misterfido wrote:

Sarlona campaigns are, by definition, house-ruled by the DM, since most of the available races aren't available, their languages aren't spoken, most classes aren't available... so in the circumstance a Sarlona campaign comes up, it's only one more house rule to make them speak Riedran instead of Common.

I agree with this. Riedran is essentially "Sarlonan Common". Most humans, shifters, changelings, etc in Sarlona shouldn't speak Common at all. Conversely, a kalashtar raised in Sharn is unlikely to know Riedran, because he's grown up in a culture that speaks Common.

With that said, as a DM, I would probably let a PC whose background is that he's from Sarlona take the Riedran language as a background benefit, along with a +1 bonus to one of the associated skills instead of the usual +2. So it does essentially translate to "Lose a skill point to gain a language." This is actually weaker than, say, the Aglarond background in the FRPG, which grants a language, a class skill, and a +1 to that class skill... but there it is.

And yes, while it is my belief that telepathy plays an important role in kalashtar culture, it's too limited to be their sole form of communication, especially as they share their communities with non-telepathic humans; I'd have their langauges be Riedran and telepathy.

Quor is something we decided makes more sense as an obscure language. The INSPIRED know it, because the Inspired ARE quori spirits. It's their native language. But the kalashtar are not communicating with their quori spirits through conversations; the communication between kalashtar and spirit is one of empathy, memory, and dream, and as such more like telepathy than a language. Kalashtar have learned it to better understand the history of their kind and for dealing with the Inspired, but it has no place in the daily life of, say, a kalashtar born in Sharn.

Nived wrote:

I love their role in the last war (even if our home games implied that relationship between Deneith and Ghallanda already) but its the sanctuary aspect that really struck me. It makes perfect sense, and it takes Ghallanda from 'those halflings that own the inns' to major players in the information trade and changes their enclaves into some of the most lurid adventure sites within the major cities.

Yes, I like this as well. I do want to clarify, however, that they are also still those halflings that own the inns, too. A sanctuary enclave is a special place designed for that service, and fortified and garrisoned to be able to enforce its neutrality. Ghallanda Hall in Sharn is a hotbed for intrigue and a haven for scoundrels and mysterious strangers. The Gold Dragon Inn, on the other hand, is just an inn; it doesn't have a garrison, unless a troop of dishwashers count. Getting a Ghallanda license and putting the silver dog on your sign doesn't mean that you suddenly have to pledge yourself to protect fugitives. Essentially, a city may have a lot of different Ghallanda-licensed inns and taverns - but it likely only has a single sanctuary enclave.

The key point here is that PCs could find an enclave almost anywhere, as Chervina the Architect follows her own visions. But there's still lots and lots of traditional inns, and you don't get sanctuary at every place with the seal of the helpful dog.