DRAKKENHEIM IS NO MORE. An eldritch storm of falling stars devastated the city on that woeful eve, leaving behind a meteorite that would have lasting effects. Fifteen years later Fiveteen years later, Drakkenheim is a dismal urban wasteland contaminated by otherworldly magic and haunted by hideous monsters. Fantastic wealth, lost knowledge, and powerful artifacts lie ready for the taking by adventurers brave or foolish enough to venture into the ruins. However, even those who survive the dangers of Drakkenheim may not return unmarked by its terrors!
This is the place you'd go to see everything important. The stuff the the Dungeon Dudes and the DM want us to see. These include
- Four Quick Facts About Drakkenheim - Four things to know before deciding on a character concept.
- Character Creation - Notes on how we make our PCs
- Character Backgrounds - These are special D-heim-flavored background and you need one.
- Personal Quests - you need one of these
- Relationships - How the players know each other. We probably should have one of these.
- Appendix E - The World of Drakkenheim - Learn about the world and where to place your characters past.
- Unknown - Not two decades past there was a terrible meteor storm, followed by a civil war.
Delerium
Iridescent crystals of vast magical potential are found throughout Drakkenheim. Known as delerium, these lambent stones emanate unnatural energies that induce madness and monstrous transformations. Despite these dangers, delerium is ideally suited to crafting magic items and fuelling mighty new spells. Sorcerers, warlocks, wizards, and all manner of occult magicians crave its supernatural power, thus delerium commands a high price within arcane circles and underground markets alike. Many prospectors risk everything to collect a few fragments, but the true origins of the strange mineral remain unknown. The rival factions stand divided over whether the crystals should be destroyed, harnessed, or worshipped, and their simmering disagreements threaten outright war.
Broken Realm
Drakkenheim was the cosmopolitan capital of Westemär, ruled by the imperious House von Kessel. A decade of bloody civil war erupted after the city’s destruction. The realm was left shattered and the royal line broken. Now, the political order of the wider world lies in shambles, torn apart by religious schism and military conflict, and only a faint hope remains that the city can be rebuilt and the nation restored.
Rival Factions
Five factions have arrived in Drakkenheim to advance their ambitious agendas. Though their ideologies and methods differ, each seeks valuable resources and lost secrets within the city. However, the ruins present many confounding obstacles for their agents. As such, all the factions hope to attract talented adventurers to their cause, drawing would-be heroes into a fierce political intrigue that may boil over into violent struggle. Those who wish to decide the fate of Drakkenheim must choose their allies well and their enemies carefully! Chapter 3: Factions contains complete details for running each faction, but they are summarized below:
Hooded Lanterns
Formally known as the 4th Provisional Expeditionary Force to Reclaim the Capital, the Hooded Lanterns are an irregular military drawn up from veterans of the Civil War and remnants of the old Drakkenheim City Watch. Led by the dour Lord Commander Elias Drexel, they wage a guerrilla war against the monsters, bandits, and scavengers who have taken root in their nation’s capital. Each has pledged their swords and lives to rebuild Drakkenheim and restore the Realm of Westemär. Several noble houses have set aside their feuds to support the Hooded Lanterns’ efforts. These families believe once the city is restored, evidence will emerge revealing the true heir to the throne of Drakkenheim... or enable a cunning house to seize the crown.
Queen’s Men
The Queen’s Men are a loose affiliation between a hundred gangs of brigands, outlaws, and scoundrels, all of whom owe fealty to the enigmatic Queen of Thieves. These reprobates prey upon the pilgrims, prospectors, and explorers drawn to the city, extort and rob adventurers, smuggle delerium to disreputable clients in distant lands, and plunder the fantastic treasures and incredible wealth left behind in the city. The Queen of Thieves dreams of building an influential and powerful criminal empire forged in the anarchy and lawlessness of the ruins, and conspires against the other factions at every turn.
Knights of the Silver Order
The Knights of the Silver Order are an organization of oath-bound paladins and devout warriors sworn to combat supernatural evil, dark magic, and otherworldly incursions. The questing knights normally travel the realms in small bands and companies, and adhere to the Faith of the Sacred Flame, the dominant religion across the continent. They believe delerium is a contaminating blight borne of the darkest chaos, and have resolved to annihilate the corrupted crystals, slay every monster it has created, and hunt down diabolical mages who would wield its power to work evil magic. Now an entire regiment has been dispatched to Drakkenheim to carry out this righteous task, led by Knight-Captain Theodore Marshal.
Followers of the Falling Fire
The annihilation of Drakkenheim incited a serious religious schism within theFaith of the Sacred Flame. A new sect has emerged known as the Followers of the Falling Fire, who adhere to the prophecies of former Flamekeeper Lucretia Mathias. She attests that delerium is a divine gift, not a blight, and that these sacred stones will offer salvation against a greater darkness yet to come. The mainstream clergy have excommunicated Lucretia Mathias and branded her followers as an insane cult with heretical beliefs and blasphemous practices. Even still, masses of devout commonfolk now embark on a dangerous pilgrimage to Drakkenheim to take their place in a divine plan.
Amethyst Academy
The Amethyst Academy is a magical school for sorcerers and wizards, where students learn magic in remote castles and secluded universities. Directed by a shadowy cabal of powerful archmages, the Academy also operates an enterprising mage guild that controls the manufacture of magical wares, and orchestrates an influential arcane syndicate that provides occult counsel to the nobility of the continent. However, the Academy was dealt a terrible blow following Drakkenheim’s destruction, as the city was home to their greatest stronghold: the Inscrutable Tower. Archwizard Eldrick Runeweaver leads the Academy’s efforts to access the tower and safeguard the secret lore within. Meanwhile, their survey teams conduct ongoing research regarding delerium’s supernatural qualities and unknown dangers. The mages plan to harness the crystals’ vast energies to craft magical items and power new arcane spells.
“A dangerous foe, moving almost unseen, it invades your wits and saps your strength when it’s needed most.” - Pluto Jackson
The Haze
There are more hazards in Drakkenheim than monsters and rival factions. A billowing mist filled with glinting multi-coloured motes has settled over the entire city, which adventurers call the Haze. It’s like the dust never really settled after the meteor fell.
Characters gain no benefit from taking a long rest within the Haze. Adventurers should be well-rested before they head into the ruins, as they’ll need to escape the city to regain their hit points and spell slots. This effect cannot be circumvented by any mundane equipment, nor bypassed with spells such as rope trick, tiny hut, or similar character abilities.
Contamination
Characters will also encounter deadly eldritch contamination caused by creatures, delerium, and other magical phenomena in Drakkenheim. Abilities, equipment, and spells that protect against diseases, magic, or poisons do not work against contamination. It cannot be healed naturally, nor readily removed with low-level spells. Player characters will need to work with the factions and find creative solutions to manage these problems during their adventures.
Dangers of the Dark City
Finally, be warned that in Drakkenheim, characters will often stumble upon creatures and other perils far beyond what they can defeat on their own. Discretion and cunning may prevail when strength of arms fails. Adventurers must seek out like-minded allies, and be wary of making new enemies. They must have all the equipment they need before setting out on an expedition, use their resources carefully, and be prepared to retreat at a moment’s notice!