The World of Ixalan

Sun Empire

The Sun Empire is a powerful civilization that dominates the eastern coast of Ixalan. The empire's fierce warriors are supported by priests who wield the power of the sun and command the mighty dinosaurs that inhabit the continent. A new ruler has brought the empire into an era of expansion, seeking to reclaim the lands in the continent's interior that it once held. At the same time, a foreign incursion into those same lands sparks a search for the artifact known as the Immortal Sun, which the people of the empire view as a potent symbol of their identity.

Races:
Human
Suggested Backgrounds:
Acolyte, entertainer, folk hero, guild artisan, hermit, noble, sage, soldier, urchin

Suggested Classes

Consider the following class options for your Sun Empire character.

Barbarian

Certain warriors devoted to Tilonalli (the destructive aspect of the Threefold Sun—the deity worshiped by the folk of the empire) enter a berserk rage in combat. The Path of the Berserker is appropriate for these characters, or the Path of the Totem Warrior (replacing bear, eagle, and wolf totem spirits with ceratops, aerosaur, and raptor spirits, respectively).

Bard

Poetry is a respected art among the warriors of the Sun Empire, so bards of the College of Valor might be found within their ranks.

Cleric

Sun Empire clerics are typically devoted to one particular aspect of the Threefold Sun. Kinjalli, the Wakening Sun, represents the deity's creative aspects and grants access to the Life and Light domains. Ixalli, the Verdant Sun, represents its sustaining and nourishing aspects, granting access to the Life and Nature domains. Tilonalli, the Burning Sun, represents its destructive aspects and grants access to the Tempest and War domains.

Druid

Certain shamans of the Sun Empire are closely attuned to the forces of nature, and use wild shape to take on dinosaur forms. These druids typically follow the Circle of the Moon.

Fighter

Highly trained soldiers and warriors are the backbone of the Sun Empire. They are typically Battle Masters or Champions.

Paladin

Knights of the Sun Empire are drawn to the Oath of the Ancients and (increasingly, as vampires and pirates mount incursions into their lands) the Oath of Vengeance. These paladins often use the find steed spell to acquire dinosaur mounts (typically a hadrosaurus, described in Volo's Guide to Monsters).

Ranger

Scouts of the Sun Empire are often rangers, including both Beast Masters and Hunters. The pteranodon, dimetrodon, and velociraptor are all appropriate ranger's companions.

Four Peoples, One Party

The trickiest thing about playing D&D in a highly factionalized setting like Ixalan is bringing player characters together who belong to different groups and would have no obvious reason to want to cooperate—let alone trust each other with their lives. One possibility, of course, is for all the characters to belong to the same faction. An all-vampire party bent on conquest or an all-pirate party set to explore the Stormwreck Sea can find plenty of adventure in Ixalan. But if one player is intent on playing a merfolk and one is determined to be an orc, some extra effort is required to bring them together.

The most straightforward approach is to put the characters into a situation where they need to work together to survive or to achieve some goal they all share. Necessity makes strange bedfellows, as the saying goes, and characters who find themselves in a bad situation have a strong incentive to put aside their differences and work together, at least until they get out of that situation. They might all be trapped in the same place, or each character could have something that the whole group needs.

You can roll on the following table to generate ideas for bringing characters together at the start of the campaign. Ideally, by the time they have overcome whatever circumstance has thrown them together, they will have learned to trust each other and perhaps even become friends.

1d10	Reason for Cooperating
1	The characters begin the campaign captured, whether as prisoners of the Legion of Dusk, captives in a pirate ship's brig, or trapped in jungle snares.
2	The characters are fighting each other when a dinosaur attacks.
3	The characters are trapped together by a cave-in, a sinkhole opening, or some similar disaster.
4	Each character has one piece of a treasure map, or one key of several required to open a treasure vault.
5	A strange dream leads each of the characters to the same destination.
6	The characters are all hopelessly lost in the jungle.
7	Leaders of the characters' factions have ordered them to cooperate on a secret mission.
8	A pirate captain or other villain is a common enemy to all the characters.
9	A magical or natural phenomenon threatens all folk of Ixalan.
10	The characters are all trying to avert the catastrophe of a full-scale war among their peoples.

Suggested Ideals
d6	Ideal
1	Nation. The invaders must be driven out and the ancient capital of Orazca reclaimed.
2	Glory. I wish to earn great glory in battle—ideally, by making my foes surrender.
3	Poetry. Beauty is to be found in all things, from creation to destruction, and it should all be recorded in words.
4	Zeal. I am devoted to the Threefold Sun and the commands of the priests.
5	History. I seek to understand the empire's history so I can better chart a course for its future.
6	Peace. I would like to believe that peace can be forged among the peoples of this land.

Suggested Bonds
d6	Bond
1	I left behind a family (living or dead) when I set out on my journey of exploration.
2	I have ties to the imperial line.
3	I come from a noble family, and have kin who live as hostages in the imperial capital.
4	I have fallen in love with a member of a pirate crew.
5	I discovered an ancient ruin in the jungle, but I keep it a secret.
6	I will one day find the Immortal Sun and restore the empire's ancient glory

Languages

Generally, in a D&D campaign, it's a good idea to ensure that all the player characters can understand each other. That's why the game maintains the convenient fiction of a Common tongue. But Ixalan is about the clash of four cultures, so you might want to emphasize the differences among those cultures by making the folk of each speak entirely different languages.

If you go this route, Merfolk is the language of the River Heralds and Vampire is the language of the Legion of Dusk. The humans of the Sun Empire speak their own language, Itzocan, and the humans of the Brazen Coalition speak a different language—a pidgin of Orc, Siren, and a native human language that is similar to Vampire (about as closely related as Italian is to Spanish). Orcs, sirens, and goblins also speak this Brazen Coalition pidgin.

You might still wish to admit the existence of a sort of Common—a trade pidgin used in circumstances where members of different peoples do interact with each other. But such a language is almost impossible to use for discussions of matters of any depth.

River Heralds

The River Heralds are a collection of small, nomadic bands of merfolk who were the dominant inhabitants of Ixalan before the rise of the Sun Empire. They live in harmony with the land, and their shamans wield powerful nature magic to control the elements of wind and water. They believe that the power of the Immortal Sun is too dangerous for anyone to wield—including themselves. And so they seek to protect the golden city of Orazca and steer all intruders away from it.

Races:
Merfolk (Ixalan; Blue), Merfolk (Ixalan; Green)
Suggested Backgrounds:
Acolyte, folk hero, hermit, outlander, sage

Suggested Classes

Consider the following class options for your River Herald character.

Druid

Many River Herald shamans are druids of the Circle of the Land.

Fighter

The warriors among the River Heralds include cunning strategists (often Battle Masters), bold Champions, and Eldritch Knights who fuse arcane magic with their use of weapons.

Ranger

Other River Herald warriors wield the druidic magic of the forest in the defense of their lands.

Wizard

The magic of wind, mist, illusion, and misdirection is the province of River Herald wizards.

Suggested Ideals
1d6	Ideal
1	Harmony.. The peoples of this world should strive for the same harmony that exists between air and water.
2	Nature. In the midst of war, it is often the forest that suffers most—unless we protect it.
3	Knowledge. True understanding of one's self and the world is the highest good.
4	Reverence. The wisdom of the shamans and elders is our best guide in the world.
5	Cleverness. The best way to defeat your opponents is to outsmart them.
6	Defense. The golden city must remain hidden, and its power kept from those who would abuse it.

Suggested Bonds
1d6	Bond
1	I have carried on secret trade with a Sun Empire merchant for years now.
2	I am related to the shaman of my band.
3	I am fascinated by the culture and beliefs of the strangers in our land.
4	A small tributary to the Great River is in my care, and I will do anything to defend it.
5	I aspire to become the leader of my band—either as a shaman, or by supplanting the shaman as a war leader.
6	I will one day find the Immortal Sun and use its power to drive the invaders from our land.

Legion of Dusk

The society of the Legion of Dusk is built around the rites and devotion of a powerful church, led by undead paladins who sustain themselves on the blood of their enemies. After seven hundred years of war that saw them march across the entirety of their home continent, the vampires of the Legion have come to add Ixalan to their territory. Certain leaders among them also seek the Immortal Sun, which is dimly remembered in their own legends as a source of true immortality—eternal life, in contrast to the endless undeath they now endure.

Races:
Vampire (Ixalan), Human (Ixalan)
Suggested Backgrounds:
Acolyte, noble, sage, soldier, urchin (human only)

Suggested Classes

Consider the following class options for your Legion of Dusk character.

Cleric

Clerics of the Church of Dusk typically choose the Death, Life, or War domains.

Fighter

The bulk of the Legion of Dusk is made up of soldiers and knights, who might be Battle Masters or Champions.

Monk

Certain vampire clerics live under strict rules of fasting, prayer, and martial discipline, and might be considered monks of the Way of the Open Hand or the Way of Shadow. The latter often act as agents for Queen Miralda, who rules the Legion of Dusk with an iron hand.

Paladin

Vampire paladins of the Legion of Dusk typically swear the Oath of Devotion, though the tenets they follow are appropriate to their particular faith. (If you are using Xanathar's Guide to Everything, the Oath of Conquest is even more appropriate.)

Suggested Ideals
d6	Ideal
1	Conquest. The destiny of my people is to rule the world.
2	Order. The purpose of our conquest is to establish law and order in the lands we rule.
3	Devotion. Following the tenets of the church is the only way to earn eternal life in the coming age of ever-flowing blood.
4	Slaughter. I love the feeling of warm blood running down my chin.
5	Glory. Those who prove their worth in battle will win eternal life.
6	Strength. In life as in war, the stronger force wins.

Suggested Bonds
d6	Bond
1	My family has been feuding with another noble family for seven hundred years.
2	I became friends with a merfolk shaman I captured.
3	I am a knight of the Bloodstained order, and have forsaken all other bonds since the day I slaughtered my own family.
4	I carry a relic of one of the vampire saints known as the Venerables, counting it as my dearest possession.
5	I would do anything for the soldiers in my company.
6	I will one day find the Immortal Sun and use its power to supplant the queen.

Brazen Coalition

The Brazen Coalition was formed by sailors who fled across the sea, escaping the final advance of the Legion of Dusk against the Free Cities of Torrezon. These mariners originally sought to establish colonies on Ixalan and trade with the cities of the Sun Empire. But when the Sun Empire drove them off, they turned instead to piracy and plunder. The Brazen Coalition has since become a loosely affiliated group of pirate captains who seek to rule the seas and claim the riches of Ixalan—especially the Immortal Sun.

Races:
Goblin (Ixalan), Human (Ixalan), Orc (Ixalan), Siren
Suggested Backgrounds:
Charlatan, criminal, entertainer, folk hero, sage, sailor

Suggested Classes

Consider the following class options for your Brazen Coalition character.

Bard

Sirens are frequently bards, and other pirates (especially in Captain Parrish's Deadeye fleet) collect knowledge as members of the College of Lore.

Fighter

A great many pirates are fighters, including not just Champions and Battle Masters, but also Eldritch Knights who combine martial skill with the magical talents common in the Coalition.

Rogue

Scoundrels, swashbucklers, thieves, and killers make up the majority of the Brazen Coalition.

Warlock

Of all the peoples of Ixalan, the pirates of the Dire Fleet are most likely to traffic with demons. Many of its sailors become warlocks as a result of striking bargains with the Fiend.

Wizard

Orc wizards use fire and necromantic magic, sirens are fond of enchantments, and humans employ a variety of magical talents, including the invention of magic items.

Suggested Ideals
d6	Ideal
1	Wealth. Money can buy anything.
2	Freedom. The sea is the freedom to go anywhere and do anything.
3	Knowledge. I'm as greedy for secrets and lore as others are for treasure.
4	Pillage. It's not the having, it's the taking that shows who's strongest.
5	Crew. I'm committed to my crewmates, not to ideals.
6	Coalition. I believe we're not just stronger but also better when we join forces in unity.

Suggested Bonds
d6	Bond
1	My captain is dearer to me than any other person or possession.
2	My greatest dream is to return across the sea to the land my ancestors left.
3	I abandoned a child to be fostered in a city somewhere.
4	I was shipwrecked on an island with a vampire, and we became good friends.
5	I buried a great treasure somewhere... and lost the map.
6	I have one piece of a treasure map, and no idea where the other pieces are.

Sun Empire

Races:

Suggested Backgrounds:

Suggested Classes

Barbarian

Bard

Cleric

Druid

Fighter

Paladin

Ranger

River Heralds

Races:

Suggested Backgrounds:

Suggested Classes

Druid

Fighter

Ranger

Wizard

Legion of Dusk

Races:

Suggested Backgrounds:

Suggested Classes

Cleric

Fighter

Monk

Paladin

Brazen Coalition

Races:

Suggested Backgrounds:

Suggested Classes

Bard

Fighter

Rogue

Warlock

Wizard