Adventures in Falkovnia

I n the world of her birth, Vladeska Drakov was known as the Crimson Falcon, leader of a peerless mercenary army called the Falcon's Talons. She and her troops executed a thousand ancient grudges and petty atrocities in a land of bitterly feuding royal families. I nfamous but respected, Drakov amassed a fortune and planned to retire young, buying a title and a realm to rule.

The sacking of Yeivere changed her plans. During that city's razing, Drakov's mercenaries went a step too far. The Falcon's Talons killed a unique soul during their slaughter. None can say who the soul was-a prince, a saint, a witch, an angel-but with its death, the world turned against them.

The ruling families united to hunt the Talons. Thanks to her tactical genius, Drakov repelled her pursuers and went on the offensive. One by one she attacked her former benefactors, burning villages, pressing citizens into service, and impaling anyone with a drop of noble blood. Though it took years, Drakov forged a bloody empire. But while sacking the burning city of her last remaining foe, D rakov and her troops were engulfed by strange smoke. When it cleared, everything they knew was gone.

Transported to an unfamiliar land, Drakov and her troops wasted little time subjugating it. The realm fel l quickly, even easily, and upon taking the city of Lekar, Drakov prepared to name herself ruler of her new empire: Falkovnia.

Then, under a moonless sky, the dead rose against the land's invaders. The surrounding villages fell to the zombies with hardly a sound, and undead claws scraped Lekar's walls before the first alarms were raised. The First Siege of Lekar raged for four days. D rakov's strategies, both brilliant and desperate, eventually turned back the zombie horde, but at the cost of most of her veteran troops.

Since then, Drakov has lost nearly her entire nation. Every month a new desperate battle unfolds. She prepares ceaselessly for each, certain of her plans and ultimate victory, but doubting the mettle of her troops. With threats and public, impalings she tries to keep her people more terrified of her than of the undead. And with every new moon she faces an unconquerable foe, never revealing to anyone that each zombie bears the familiar, rotting face of an innocent her soldiers once put to the sword. VLA D E S KA S POWERS A N D D OM INION

Vladeska Drakov is an experienced military commander with statistics similar to those of a knight. While her martial skill is considerable, her true might comes in the form of the obedient army that unquestioningly enacts her every whim.

The Falcon's Talons. Vladeska's military forces are both completely overwhelming and entirely outnumbered. As an occupying force, the Talons are terrifying. Their numbers are relatively few, but they're organized enough to oppress Lekar's ragged survivors and enforce Drakov's totalitarian laws. In the face of zombie hordes, though, they're fighting a losing battle against foes whose numbers only grow. And every time a Talon falls, Lekar's final defeat grows closer. Talon soldiers use the guard stat block, while commanders are veterans.

Martial Law. Lekar-and, to an extent, all of Falkovnia-is a martial dictatorship. Drakov's troops carry out example-setting impalings as punishment for even the slightest crimes. These executions serve the greater good and impose necessary order, but make it clear that zombies aren't the realm's only monsters.

Only Bad Decisions. There is one simple truth in Falkovnia: the dead are about to kill everyone. This sets the stage for countless bad decisions, from leaders making terrible sacrifices or permitting amoral acts to individuals making fatalistic choices. Everyone in Falkovnia behaves as if it's their last day alive-because it probably is.

Closing the Borders. Unlike most Darklords, Vladeska Drakov can't open her domain's borders, so Falkovnia's borders are usually closed. Anyone who enters the Mists surrounding Falkovnia encounters an endless number of zombies. Even if travelers somehow avoid these shambling corpses, they emerge from the M ists back in Falkovnia, pursued by an undead mob. For one week every month, though, following the night of the new moon, the Mists surrounding Falkovnia are empty of zombies and the borders open. During this time, Drakov sends patrols of Talons to sweep the edges of the Mists for deserters. These patrols are difficult to avoid and battles with them often attract zombies. VLADESKA'S TORMENT

Vladeska Drakov i s close t o attaining h e r desired empire, but circumstances keep it ever out of reach: • Vladeska knows it's only a matter of time until zombies overrun Lekar. She has no time for rest or deliberation; every moment must be used to the fullest before the hordes return. Every wasted second is a life lost. • Vladeska refuses to flee. She knows doing so could save many of Lekar's people, but it would mean admitting failure-a fate worse than death. Vladeska recognizes every zombie's face, knowing they're her own fallen soldiers, the defenders of communities she razed, or murdered civilians. She doesn't understand why this is, but she knows the zombies are coming for her alone.

Steely and fierce, Vladeska Drakov views softness as weakness and resents having her time wasted. She values cold competency and makes life-anddeath decisions mercilessly. Her isolation and the stress of rule weigh heavily upon her, but daily catastrophes keep her focused on her nation's needs and not her failures. She believes a foe from her past is responsible for the endless zombie attacks and quietly looks for trustworthy agents to find the zombies' source.

Personality Trait. " I am the only one capable of making the decisions required for the greater good. This proves my excellence and sets me apart."

Ideal. "Once I 've crushed my opposition, I will claim my realm, ruling not as a conqueror but as royalty."

Bond. "All who live in my domain are my troops, and they exist to further my will. Those who deny me are traitors bound for execution."

Flaw. "I and all I command will know death before we show weakness in defeat." ADVENTUR E S I N FALKOV N I A

Falkovnia provides the perfect setting for disaster horror, particularly of the zombie apocalypse variety. Characters might be harried by zombie pursuit across the empty countryside or asked to defend the last holdout of civilization against a relentless horde. The zombies could serve as direct threats or motivate others to monstrous deeds, with the ends supposedly justifying the means. You determine the composition and behavior of the zombie hordes of Falkovnia. The zombies emerge from the Mists on the night of the new moon and trudge toward the last holdouts of civilization. Whether they move i n a single wave or scatter into smaller bands, this surge brings a monthly threat to besiege the walls of Lekar. When creating zombie encounters, consider the average level of your group and what threats you want to represent. The "Zombie" entry in chapter 5 presents a variety of zombie types to complement the shambling zombie of the Monster Manual, posing greater threats or terrifying surprises. The horde can also include other corporeal Undead such as skeletons, ghouls, or wights. Alternatively, the "zombies" might not be Undead at all but another group attempting to lay claim to Falkovnia-perhaps a forgotten human culture or relentless giants.

Falkovnia is one of the few domains where the characters and the land's Darklord theoretically represent the same side, united against the zombies. The characters might defend Drakov's people and enact her defensive measures, but might also try to subvert her Pyrrhic strategies or attempt to smuggle survivors to safe locations outside Lekar. Consider exploring plots in which the characters rise in the Darklord's esteem as Trueborn of Falkovnia, but then must walk the line of both keeping Drakov's trust and upholding their principles. Consider the plots on the Falkovnia Adventures table when planning adventures in this domain.

FA L K OV N I A A DV E N T U R ES d l O Adventure

The party d iscovers a town w h e re zombies h ave begun actin g stran gely: p l owin g fi e l d s , t arryin g i n s h o p s , a n d congregat i n g i n t h e c r u m b l i n g tem ple.

W h a t ' s c a u s i n g this odd b e h avior? 2 I n M orfe n z i , Vjorn H o rstma n e n v i s i o n s an a rmy of bestial s u p e r s o l d i e rs . He works to perfect w h at he c a l l s h i s " p r i m a l s e r u m , " an e l i x i r t h at i n fl icts those i njected with a random fo r m of lycanthropy. H e seeks t o u s e the c h aracters a s test s u bjects. 3 A p l a g u e strikes t h e s l u m s of Lek a r. Those k i lled by t h e d isease rise as zombie plague spreaders (see c h a pter 5 ) . 4 A p a c k of z o m b i e a n i m als-pred o m i nantly wolves, raven s , and cattle-attacks wor k bands fro m Lek a r a n d s urvivors u p o n the roa d s . T h e c h a racters a re e n l i sted to s e rve as g u a r d s . 5 T h e c h a racters a re s e n t to i nvestigate a fal l e n star t h at crashed near t h e v i l lage of D e l m u n ster. The v i l lage proves rem a r k a b l y peaceful a n d free of zomb i e s , in l a rge p a rt because it's p o p u lated by t h e p o d l ings of a bodytaker plant (see c h a pter 5 ) . 6 A c h aracter l e a r n s t h at an i n fl u e nt i a l Tal o n p l a n s to overthrow G e ne r a l Drakov d u ri n g t h e next z o m b i e a s s a u l t o n Lekar by s a botag i n g the c i t y ' s defe n s e s a n d a d m ittin g t h e z o m b i e s to the Bastion Ward. 7 The J im s onweeds , a b a n d of s urvivors in S i lbervas, v a n i s h after atte m pt i n g to p i l lage Dekovan P a l ace. S o o n after, t h e p a l a ce's strange l ights a p p e a r a m o n g b u i l d ings formerly c l a imed b y t h e l o s t s urvivors. 8 A k n i ght n a m ed G o ndegal attacks Tal o n patrols and c l a i m s she c a n lead c o m m o n folk to a safe h o l dfast. N o n e w h o go with h e r are seen aga i n .

T h e Tal o n s h i re t h e party t o h unt down t h e k n i ght. 9 The c h a racters l e a r n of downtrodd e n citizens i n

Lek a r p l ottin g t o escape i nto the M ists fol l ow i n g t h e n e x t z o m b i e s i ege. A r e the citizens d e s p e rate n oncombatants, or are they Tal o n agents see k i n g t o d raw o u t "traitors"? 1 0 O n t h e n ight of t h e new m o o n , n o zombie h o rd e a p p e a rs at Lekar's w a l l s . I nste a d , a u nd e a d mess e n ge r a rrives with a m i s sive for General D rakov.

Falkovnia's terrors culminate monthly in t h e zombie assault on Lekar. If you plan to involve characters in Vladeska Drakov's war against the undead, first consider how they become involved. The following examples are just a few of the possibilities: Forced Conscripts. The characters run into an overwhelming force of Talons and are absorbed into its ranks. When zombies appear at the city wall, the characters are offered their freedom in return for defending the city. Last Bastion. Far from Lekar, the characters fall in with local survivors who say the city is the country's last safe bastion. Upon arriving, they d iscover the sanctuary is not what they'd hoped. Missed Connection. The characters come to Falkovnia having heard tales of it before the land's zombie uprising. An individual or item they seek is now i n Lekar, forcing the characters to search the city and then escape. Mindtaker Mists. The Mists deposit the characters' consciousnesses into soldiers, Talon officers, or unprepared peasants preparing for the siege. Consult the "Survivors" section of chapter 4 for suggestions on how to represent soldiers bound to face the horde. However t h e characters become enlisted in Lekar's defense, they face a hopeless battle. They join hundreds of unprepared defenders, including commoners holding clubs or longbows for the first time. Prior to the start of the siege, determine where the characters will be positioned among the city's fortifications or on the streets. The specifics of these locations don't matter-no precision tactics will change the characters' fortunes against the zombie horde. Allow the characters to strategize however they please, though.

Fortifications. Stairways within Lekar's 40-foothigh towers grant access to the 3 0-foot-high walls. Parapets guard both, providing defenders with three-quarters cover from those outside the walls. Fortifications around the gates hold controls for massive barred doors and portcullises. Both towers and gates contain suspended cauldrons (detailed in the Dungeon Master's Guide).

Streets. The streets are packed with poorly armed commoners and cruel Talon soldiers. Any character who succeeds on a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check finds useful materials among the carts and cargo cleared from the streets- weapons, a variety of adventuring gear, or the resources to approximate one gunpowder keg explosive (described in the Dungeon Master's Guide).