Drak on Heim City of Bones

8/19/2019 Drak on Heim City of Bones

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Drakonheim: City of BonesWhy are we called the City of Bones?

At height of the empire, the hero slew the dragon Ignomia and used her bones to build

the first walls of Drakonheim. isitors couldn!t help but see the dragon"s ribs

surrounding the city. #hat was the first time it was named the City of Bones.

#hen the empire fell. It broke into s$uabbling city%states. &lague, famine, and war cut the

population in half and half again. #he white marble palaces became nothing but the

skeletal remains of a ci'ili(ation. #hat was the second time it was named the City of

Bones.

)ow there is a third reason. #he bones of the dead walk the street. *keletons and

(ombies. Why don"t we fear them? We do, of course. But what choice do we ha'e?

Drakonheim is a fantasy city full of intrigue and surrounded by dangers. Goblins dwell in the

sewers, undead walk the streets, and aristocrats scheme for greater power. Hobgoblins ride

across the northern plains, lizardfolk rule the southern swamps, and all manner of monsters

hunt in the western mountains.

Drakonheim is a system-free setting; you can use it with any fantasy roleplaying game. It

can sere as a !uick stopping point, or as the center of an entire campaign.

History"he history of Drakonheim is long and bloody. Here are #ust a few of the key eents from its

past.

The Dragon's HomeIt began with a dragon.

$he might hae had another name, something she called herself in her own tongue, but

the humans of the %eali &mpire called her Ignomia, the 'other of (ire. Her skin was armor, her

teeth were swords, her breath the fire of hell itself. In her wake she left nothing but ash and

smoke."reasure) *es, she had a mountain of treasure stolen from her many ictims. +

mountain of gold and an armory of magic blades. 'en and women came, tempted by the

treasure hoard. "hey were nothing but kindling to Ignomias flame.

It ended with a hero.

"he nameless hero. ith spear and shield he challenged the beast. "he battle lasted for

days. + forest burned to ash. + lake dissoled to steam. n the third day, the hero thrust his

spear into Ignomias eye, but that was not her end. $he recoiled, pulling the spear with her. $he


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plucked it from her orb, snapped in in twain and under her breath reduced the haft to ash and

the head to a useless hunk of molten metal

"he hero leaped at the blind side of her face. He tore from her mouth, the longest of

Ignomias terrible teeth. "hen took that tooth and plunged it into the dragons cruel heart. "he

earth !uaked with the power of the dragons death throes.

"he hero skinned the beast and made a suit of armor. He took the tooth from her heartand made it the head of a new spear. Her meat fed a feast for a hundred that lasted a hundred

days. +s to her bones, he used her bones to build the first walls of a new city, built on the site of

her old lair. "he dragons home.

Drakonheim.

The Golden Age"hose were the days of the %eali &mpire. It was so ast that while the sun set on one end, it

rose in the other. Drakonheim became the empires most powerful city in the west. "he citizens

of the empire built marble palaces and great temples with golden domes.

$maller cities sprang up around Drakonheim, like $ercaput and +tam north of the city,

and Deltanos to the south. It traded with the kingdom of Grendus in the mountains to the west

for aluable ores and precious stones. (arms flourished, and orchards bloomed. "he few

threats that challenged Drakonheim shattered against its mighty walls or fell to the blades of its

noble heroes.

The Band of Four "he golden age saw many heroes. "he greatest will always be the unnamed hero who slew the

dragon Ignomia and founded Drakonheim. +fter him, the most renowned heroes are the /and of

(our. &ach of these heroes had a different talent0 sword, spell, prayer, and stealth. &ach of them

was attuned to one of the four elements0 fire, wind, earth, and water.

/ards and minstrels tell many tales about the /and of (our0 "he "roll 1ings 2ast Head,

"he /arbs of the 'anticore, and the 2oe $ong of Ikor and 3esail. "he greatest epic is the story

of their death. $tanding against the 2ich 1ing &zarion. "hey destroyed the lich and his

phylactery, but his death unleashed a wae of necrotic energy that killed the heroes as well.

+s the 2ich 1ings army melted away, a seer prophesied that they would return again in

Drakonheims greatest hour of need.

Decline of the Empire

"he %eali &mpire died the death of a thousand cuts. "he process took centuries, such thatpeople could only label it the fall well after it had happened. &en in the present day, many in

the far-flung reaches still consider themseles to be %eali in culture and heritage, if not in

terms of political boundaries.

In the heart of the empire, the rulers and bureaucrats became corrupt, and incompetent.

"hey mismanaged the realm, leading to decaying infrastructure, a resentful populace, and

weakened armies. 4eolts began in the far reaches of the realm, and then spread closer to the


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center as more and more proinces gained their independence. 'eanwhile, foreign inaders

targeted the weakened cities, and monsters raaged the countryside.

3ot all the distant reaches needed to declare their independence. $ome, like

Drakonheim and the surrounding territories, simply receied less and less support until they

realized they had been abandoned. "rade dried up. (amines and plagues raaged the territory.

'onsters preyed on traelers and farmers alike. Hundreds fled to Drakonheim from the outlyingareas, all while hundreds fled away from it. 5etty kings fought for the right to claim Drakonheim

as part of any of the new kingdoms that arose while the empire collapsed.

$lowly, a new normal formed. Drakonheim became an independent city-state in all but

name. hile a shadow of its former self, it remained a patch of ciilization in otherwise wild

lands. It trades with other cities to the east, and most of the time the caraans make it alie. "he

classical %eali culture has eoled and mi6ed with a dozen others to form a new culture all its

own.

The Fall of Grendus

"he Grendane 'ountain 4ange west of Drakonheim was once home to the dwaren kingdom of Grendus. hile nowhere near the size or power of the %eali &mpire, it was an ancient kingdom

with a rich history that created many great works. It terraced large sections of the mountains for

farming, and built great cities within the mountains themseles.

+s the %eali &mpire declined, so too did the kingdom of Grendus. + ciil war between a

brother and sister weakened the dwares, and then the cherufe arried. "he cherufe came from

deep within the mountain, deeper een than the dwaren mines, they seemed to be humanoids

made of stone and fire. "hey deoured liing flesh, and demanded the dwares sacrifice their

own people to feed the cherufes raenous appetite. In the end it wasn7t enough. "he cherufe

called upon ancient magic to awaken the long-dormant olcanoes of Grendus and wipe out the

dwaren kingdom once and for all.

"he troubles in Grendus sent waes of immigrants to Drakonheim, as they fled from ciilwar, dwaren sacrifice, and finally the olcanic eruptions.

The ecent Trou!les

+ ma#or turning point in the history of Drakonheim occurred #ust si6 months ago. + hobgoblin

warlord name Hazdrol united the normally bickering clans to the north, and recruited ogres,

trolls, and een some humans to his banner. He led the army south to Drakonheim confident

that his forces could oerrun the city. "hey probably would hae, if not for a small band of plucky

heroes, and an army of undead.

+s the hobgoblins and their allies marched south, an order of necromancers called the

Gray $ociety raised hundreds of skeletons and zombies to sere as unrelenting foot soldiers inthe battle. "here are many factors that might hae turned the tide in the battle, but the Gray

$ociety was !uick to claim credit. "hey spun the story to imply that the city would hae been

doomed without them, and used that8along with ample political connections8to gain a new-

found place in Drakonheim. hile the Gray $ociety had e6isted for hundreds of years, it had

always been in secret. +fter the battle they began working in the open and their undead minions

now walk the streets in broad daylight.


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Characters in Drakonheim

"his section of the te6t is designed to help players build characters that fit into the Drakonheimsetting.

aces in DrakonheimDrakonheim is a human-dominated city, but it is cosmopolitan enough that most fantasy races

hae a place there.

Humans0 "he %eali &mpire was dominated by humans, and humans still make up roughly two

thirds of the population of Drakonheim. 'oreoer, humans hold the key positions of power in the

city, including the lord mayors office and nearly all of the land-owning aristocracy. f course notall humans are nobles, and they occupy all roles in society.

Dwares0 Dwares are the second most common race in Drakonheim, making up nearly a si6th

of the population. 'any are the descendants of dwares who came from the now-ruined

kingdom of Grendus, and a few of the oldest can remember fleeing from the kingdom as the

mountain erupted in fire and ash. 'ost of these dwares lie in the section of the city dubbed

2ittle Grendus, a dwaren enclae within the city that in many ways is a city within a city.

&les0 ood eles are more common than high eles in Drakonheim and the lands around it.

"he forests to the north of Drakonheim used to be home to many bands of eles, but as trolls,hobgoblins, and other monsters e6panded their realms, the eles were pushed further and

further south. $ome of these eles #oined the tribal humans #ust north of the city; many lie in

the /one *ards, the ruined parts of the city that are slowly being reclaimed by nature; and some

of the gae up their forest ways completely and integrated into the city proper. +t the height of

the %eali &mpire, a small number of high eles came to Drakonheim, and a few of their

descendants still remain, though many intermarried with wood eles or humans.

Halflings0 + few of the farming illages south of Drakonheim are home to about a hundred

halfling families. 'ost halflings are happy to stay on the farm their kin hae worked for

generations. Howeer, eery few years some of the young halflings get the urge to e6perience

the big city. 'any end up moing back to the farm after a year or two, but others stay inDrakonheim as eerything from peddlers to thiees to adenturers. +s a result, a handful of

halflings are born and raised within the city walls.

Half-&les0 +s humans outnumber the eles of Drakonheim by ten to one, it was not uncommon

for eles to take a human spouse, especially after the empire declined. In fact it may be that

half-eles now outnumber full-blooded eles, and occasionally two people who look completely

human hae #ust enough elen heritage between them that their child has half-elf traits.


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Half-rc0 rcs were among the first waes of monsters that descended on the lands around

Drakonheim as the %eali &mpire fell, but these inaders soon found that more terrible

monsters were on their heels. "he orcs were crushed between humans from the south and

hobgoblins from the north, such that now few if any true orcs remain. + few of the more prudent

orc tribes, #oined with some of the tribal humans in the area and their bloodlines intermingledsuch that half-orcs are now common among those tribes.

Goblins0 "housands of goblins lie in the sewers below Drakonheim, though many people in the

city aboe are completely unaware. (or the most part these goblins keep to themseles, but

there hae always been a small handful that creep into the city-aboe under coer of darkness.

4ecently a few hae grown so bold as to come out in broad daylight, though they are careful not

to trael alone, and stay away from the fancier parts of town.

Hobgoblins0 Hobgoblins are plentiful in the areas north of Drakonheim. hen they come south it

is usually to raid the humans and other allied races, so they are not welcome in the city. It is

possible that a few hobgoblins might rebel against their own kind, but they find no loe in

Drakonheim. hile citizens might consider goblins ermin or dirty retches, they are on par with

some of the human scum that lies in the Docks. Hobgoblins, on the other hand, are the enemy

and nobody would bat an eye for a hobgoblin that was killed on sight.

ther 4aces0 ther races are rare in Drakonheim, though not unheard of. If a player wants to

run a character of another race, it might be the last of a shrinking dynasty, or a traeler come in

search of fame and fortune.

Classes and Archetypes5eople from all walks of life lie in Drakonheim. "his section describes how some of the typical

fantasy classes might be part of a Drakonheim campaign. &en if you don7t use a class system,

you can use these guidelines to find archetypes that are similar to the character you want to

create.

/arbarians0 3orth of Drakonheim lie seeral communities of tribal hunters and gatherers. "hey

are primarily humans, with a few eles, half-eles, and half-orcs among them. "he braest and

fiercest warriors often take on totem animals and learn to channel their anger into a berserker

rage.

/ards0 &ntertainers are popular in Drakonheim, from the parlor concerts in High "own to the

taerns of the Docks. "he dwares of 2ittle Grendus hae a long tradition of passing down oral

history through songs, and using war chants to rally their troops. (rom these performers, a few

true bards arise, able to weae magical patterns in songs to heal, bolster, or entrance. 'ost of

these are self-taught or learn as an apprentice to another bard. "here are no bardic colleges

near current-day Drakonheim.


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%lerics0 "here are fie ma#or temples in Drakonheim dedicated to the gods of learning, life,

battle, trade, and creation, and there are dozens of smaller congregations and cults that meet in

unused buildings or back rooms. 3ot all the priests are spellcasters, but all of the temples hae

clerics who can channel the power of their gods, and een some of the minor faiths hae one or

two.

Druids0 (ew in the city proper of Drakonheim follow the old ways, though they are common

among the tribal people to the north. In particular, the illow "ribe enerates druids and

shamans and trains seeral in each generation. + few wood eles who fled their forest homes

also brought druidism with them and practice it alongside the tribal humans or in the /one

*ards.

(ighters0 "here is plenty of work in Drakonheim for somebody who knows their way around a

sword. "he town watch patrols the streets and the noble houses hae their own guards.

'ercenary work is common enough as anybody who entures far from the city is likely to run

into one kind of danger or another. In the lead up to the hobgoblin attack, the city trained many

new militia members. 'ost went back to their preious lies afterwards, but a few decided their

new martial skills were more aluable.

5aladins0 Holy warriors are rare in Drakonheim as no knightly orders remain in the city.

ccasionally such knights arise from warriors who train at the great temples or spontaneously

from those with a particularly pious heart. $ometimes paladins trael from other cities or other

lands, hoping to sae the declining city. 'ost are oerwhelmed by how deep the decay runs.

4ogues0 "here7s no end of opportunities in Drakonheim for somebody with !uick hands and few

moral compunctions. "he Docks district is a haen for the ethically fle6ible, but that is far fromtheir only home. High-class con men dine in the best inns of High "own, and some dwaren

locksmiths from 2ittle Grendus can use their knowledge to open locks instead of #ust crafting

them.

4angers0 /ecause the lands around Drakonheim are wild, there are plenty of people who lie on

the edge of ciilization. $ome lie in town and #ust go off to hunt during the day, while others lie

in the semi-wild areas called the /one *ards. "he tribal humans who lie to the north of the city

are also known for their skills as trackers and hunters.

izards0 "he +cademy of 3alan was once among the most renowned wizard academies in the

land. hile it has declined, and the wizards who now teach are only moderate spellcasters at

best, it still produces a handful of mages each year with enough skill in the arcane arts to ply it

as their permanent trade. "he Gray $ociety also trains wizards, though all of them specialize in

necromancy.

Gods in Drakonheim


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"o allow you to easily drop Drakonheim into a larger campaign setting, this book doesn7t use

specific names for gods, but instead refers to them by their archetypes. "he most prominent

gods in the city are the fie who still hae standing temples0 the $age, the 2ifegier, the arrior,

the 'erchant, and the $mith.

"he $age is a god of knowledge and study, and likely is associated with arcane magic.

He is popular with the well-educated, including wizards, scholars, and many members of theGray $ociety

"he 2ifegier is a goddess of healing and growth, including raising crops and animals.

$he is popular among all classes in Drakonheim, but especially with the farmers south of the

city.

"he arrior is a god of battle, as well as strength, honor, and alor. 3aturally he is the

patron of soldiers and the city watch. 'any who hae neer been in battle but romanticize the

idea of it also enerate him. In the wake of the hobgoblin attacks he has gained een more

popularity.

"he 'erchant is a goddess of wealth and trade, as well as ciilization in general and

things related to it like cities, laws, and industry. $he is well liked by the upper classes of

Drakonheim, and the lord mayor is a regular at her serices.

"he $mith is a god of creation, and popular among craftsmen and artisans. He is

especially well-loed by the dwares of 2ittle Grendus.

"ey #uestions

"he following !uestions will help ground characters in the city based on recent eents 9as

described on page ::. e recommend all characters answer them as part of creating their

backgrounds.

here were you during the battle to defend Drakonheim)

How did you react to undead walking the streets of your city)


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$a%or &oers in the City

Drakonheim is a city full of many competing interests. hile 2ord 'ayor /randon %rote mayseem to hae the ultimate authority in the city, his rule is really balanced on the edge of a knife,

as other powers8open and secret8prop him up or threaten to tear him down.

City Go(ernmentWe li'e in the finest city in the realm. +ust stay away from the bad parts.

During the height of the %eali &mpire, the goernment of Drakonheim was a model of efficient

administration. "he mayor was appointed by the proincial goernor and city officials were

chosen based on merit and integrity.

In the wake of the empire7s fall, rule of Drakonheim became a hereditary title, and thelord mayor the most powerful position in the region. ith rare e6ception, political patronage is

now more important than competence, and corruption runs rampant among city bureaucrats.

"he lord mayor is the ultimate authority in Drakonheim, but in practice he delegates

much of his responsibilities to the mayors council, all of whom he appointed.

Crime and &unishment

Drakonheims laws are similar to that of most fantasy medieal cities. "heft, murder, and slaery

are all illegal, as is the ery serious crime of failing to pay ta6es. 'any other actiities, like

running a market stall or carrying a weapon re!uire a license, but this is really #ust a way for the

lord mayor to generate reenue rather than to protect the public good."hose arrested hae the right to stand before a magistrate, all of whom are appointed by

the lord mayor. In theory any citizen can appeal their #udgment directly to the lord mayor, but he

usually only renders #udgment when the crime inoles members of the aristocracy.

5unishments are swift. Depending on the seerity of the crime, it might be a fine, a

brand, or e6ecution. 2ong-term imprisonment is rare. "he watch has a small #ail in its arena

head!uarters, but they only use it to hold criminals before trial or to let drunks sleep off their

stupor.

/ecause the watch is underfunded and partially corrupt, crime runs high in the city,

especially in the Docks district, and igilantes sometimes take the law into their own hands.

"he dwaren dominated part of the city called 2ittle Grendus has its own parallel system

of laws and punishments. "he laws are !uite similar, but the #ustice focuses more on public

shaming and community pressure. Days in the stocks and e6ile from the district are common

punishments.

Bureaucrats and Ta) Collectors

"he hite 1eep, the heart of the city goernment, is filled with clerks and bureaucrats. "hey are

responsible for granting licenses to endors, approing new construction, oerseeing the


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budget, and all other manner of mundane tasks. 'ost got their #ob because of who they know,

and they are almost neer dismissed, so most are complacent and corrupt. "he wheels of

goernment turn slowly, unless of course somebody greases that wheel with a few coins.

5erhaps the only officials who are not lazy are the ta6 collectors who make sure to get

eery cent the hite 1eep is owed8and then some. "he collectors are paid based on how

much money they bring in, which encourages them to sometimes oercharge the citizens ofDrakonheim. "hey are far from popular, and are occasionally attacked, despite the fact they

always trael with at least two members of the city watch.

*ord $ayor Brandon Crote

#his middle%aged man is dressed in fine clothes embroidered with a golden dragon. is

fingers glitter with golden rings. is chin is clean sha'en but he has bushy side burns,

and his brown hair has been cle'erly arranged in a futile effort to co'er his bald spot.

"he title of lord mayor of Drakonheim is passed down from parent to child. "he current ruler is a

middle-aged human named /randon %rote. He is well liked by the upper crust of Drakonheim,but not loed by the common man. +t best, most commoners try to go about their lies without

thinking about him. +t worst, they curse his name and blame his ta6 collectors for ruining their

lies.

Its not that the lord mayor is an especially cruel man, or eil in the classic fantasy 45G

sense of the word. He is simply self-inoled and self-centered. He cares foremost about his

own well being, then for his family, and then for his friends and social contacts. He simply

doesn7t hae enough time or energy to care about the plight of the common man.

"he lord mayor relies heaily on his council to handle much of the day to day operations

of the city. "hey are all people he appointed, and like most of his decisions he thought more

about currying faors than the competence of his councilors. $ome like 2ady $aldor want to

improe the city and bring it to a new golden age, but most follow the lord mayors e6ample andthink primarily about lining their own pockets.

*ord $ayor's Council

"he lord mayors council is a small group of councilors appointed by the lord mayor to aid him

and offer him adice. In practice they make most of the key decisions in Drakonheim, and only

seek the lord mayors approal on the most important or most controersial !uestions.

2ady $aldor0 2eader of the Gray $ociety, described in detail on page ::

/oroff &meraldeyes0 + leader among the dwares of 2ittle Grendus, and sometimes called the


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*cream all ye like. )obody"ll come f"r ye. #his ain"t igh #own.

-nidentified mugger in the Docks district.

"he city watch in Drakonheim is oerworked and understaffed. "hey hae only a few dozen men

and women charged with protecting a city of seeral ten thousand. $o they hae been forced to

make some tough choices.Different parts of the city receie different amounts of protection. High "own has the

most, not because it needs it, but because the lord mayor insists on it. "he +rena District and

'arket District also hae a decent presence, though not enough to catch half the crimes that

happen there. 2ittle Grendus has set up its own patrols, so they receie only token support,

mostly because the lord mayor wants to make sure the dwares know they are still part of

Drakonheim.

nly a few patrols enture into the Docks district, and then only in daylight. "hey used to

patrol the Docks at night, but after a few too many members of the watch disappeared; they

gae up and let the people of the Docks fend for themseles. "he city watch doesn7t recognize

the /one *ards as part of the city proper, so any


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pleas taking matters into their own hands. +ll %aptain +nathor wants to do is help the city. He

#ust doesnt know how.

The Gray ,ociety*ome call it the dark art, as though all necromancy is inherently e'il. /f course it isn"t.

&eople 0ust fear what they don!t understand. 1ou don!t blame the hammer used to

murder a man. 1ou blame the one who swung the hammer.

If you think I did something wrong when I raised the dead to defend our city, then

blame me. If you think I do something wrong now that I ask those corpses to rebuild the

city, then blame me. But do not blame necromancy. It is only a tool.

-2ady )alyka *aldor

"he Gray $ociety is a gathering place for necromancers, but they are not worshipers of a dark

god or crazed wizards bent on world domination. "hey are intellectuals, drien by curiosity. "hey

are fascinated by the gray land between life and death, and see the reanimation of the dead as

the ultimate art.

"he Gray $ociety traces its roots back to the height of the %eali &mpire. +t its peak, the

society had member halls in nearly eery city in the empire, but #ust as %eali itself declined, so

did the Gray $ociety, until only the branch housed in Drakonheim remained. "hey operated in

secret for a thousand years, poring oer ancient te6ts when no one was looking, and performing

rituals on nights of the new moon. "hey long ago learned to animate skeletons and zombies,

and stroe for higher necromantic arts. "hen they stroe for acceptance.

"he Gray $ociety was tired of working in shadows. =nder the leadership of 2ady 3alyka

$aldor, the group laid the groundwork to promote tolerance of necromancy within Drakonheim.

+fter years of planning, they made their goal a reality when they used an army of undead todefend Drakonheim from a hobgoblin inasion. In the wake of that battle, they continue to put

their undead to good use repairing the attack7s damage to the city.

f course, reactions to the Gray $ociety are mi6ed. $ome welcomed them as heroes,

some cursed them as betrayers, but most aoid the society and try to get along with their lies.

"hey might fear them, but feel they can do nothing about it. "he Gray $ociety has the support of

the lord mayor and his council, and they hae an army of undead.

*ady -alyka ,aldor

#his woman"s gray hair is wo'en in a tight braid that runs down to the small of her back.

*he stands tall, wiry, and toned despite her ad'ancing years. *he has a slender nose,

and dark brown eyes that look like they could cut you to the bone.

2ady 3alyka $aldor is used to power. $he comes from a long line of aristocrats who own great

swaths of land to the south. $he studied wizardry at the +cademy of 3alan and her talent

!uickly outpaced her teachers. It was there that she first heard whispers of the Gray $ociety.

$he uncoered their secrets and #oined the society by the time she was si6teen.


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(or years she cultiated political connections until she gained a spot on the lord mayors

council where she is now one of the most powerful oices. +fter the preious leaders of the

Gray $ociety passed away, her peers elected her to lead them for life. hen word of a massing

hobgoblin army reached her, she was the one who hatched the plan to moe the society into the

open.

2ady 3alyka is highly intelligent, and a oracious reader. $he is a skilled necromancer,but that is #ust one of her passions. $he also studies history, especially the %eali &mpire. In her

heart, 3alyka dreams of returning Drakonheim to its former glory and forging a new empire that

will endure for centuries to come.

Ci(ic .n(ol(ement

+ ma#or part of the Gray $ocietys plan to gain acceptance is to demonstrate that the city is

better off with them than without. "he battle against the hobgoblins was only the first step in the

plan. "he ne6t step is to help rebuild areas of the city that were destroyed in the attack8from

the breached walls to the burned houses.

&en these plans upset people in the city. 'any of the builders and day laborers whowould be paid good coin to complete the work aren7t happy to compete with the undead that

work for free and need not worry about feeding themseles let alone three whelps at home with

another on the way. hen she realized this, 2ady $aldor directed the undead to focus on the

poorer parts of town where people were less likely to hire laborers and repairs might be

neglected.

.nitiation ights

"hough no longer secret, the Gray $ociety is still e6clusie. $ince the society reealed itself, a

droe of potential members hae petitioned to #oin. In the wake of the e6panded interest, the

society has altered its initiation process.

%andidates must first conince an e6isting member to sponsor them. "he sponsor then

argues the point before a group of elders. If coninced, the elders inite the pledges to meet

with them and answer a range of !uestions. "he society looks for a number of things from new

members. (irst the candidates must hae a true interest in the study of undeath, not #ust a

desire to make powerful contacts. "he society also looks for candidates who will strengthen the

organization, be it magical talent, access to arcane libraries, or wealth and power. (inally, they

want to weed out anybody who might besmirch the society in the eyes of the public.

If the elders are sufficiently impressed, they induct the new member in a ceremony at

Graystone, the societys head!uarters. "here, the initiate swears to protect the Gray $ociety

and guard its knowledge. nce they swear the oaths, they become initiates of the Gray $ociety.

"hey are permitted to access Graystone, but certain knowledge and arcane te6ts remain offlimits until the initiates hae


14/55

3ecromancers are always looking for corpses to animate or e6periment on. hile the Gray

$ociety once stooped to grae robbing, now that they operate openly they7e turned to a new

source for their bodies.

"he society offers contracts to any permanent resident of Drakonheim or the

surrounding countryside. In e6change for a handsome sum of money, the society gains the right

to that persons corpse after he or she dies, and #ust to put people at ease, if there7s anysuspicion of foul play, the suriors may cancel the contract without returning any funds.

+lready, hundreds of people hae signed these contracts, though only a few of those

hae passed away. 2ike so much else about the Gray $ociety, the contracts are e6tremely

controersial. "hey hae led to seeral fights within families. +t least one signatory agreed

without informing his ne6t of kin, and his children attacked the representatie of the Gray

$ociety who came to collect the corpse. +nother time, the widower of a woman who signed was

so upset about his wife becoming a zombie that he burned the corpse before asili and

members of the society operate in similar social circles. $ome members of the society haeeen re!uested that he turn them to ampires, though to date he has refused all such re!uests.

In fact /aron >asili has become so popular among the society that 2ady $aldor worries that he

might make a power play to wrestle control of the group away from her. He has not made any

such moe yet, but he is doing eerything he would need to lay the groundwork for such a

confrontation.

/aron >asili gets his blood from seen young women that he calls his asili rotates his feeding

among the seen such that none eer risk dying from it.

"nights of the Eclipse


15/55

When the law is un0ust, when monsters walk the streets, it is the duty of e'ery righteous

man to break the law, and take to the shadow. #hey might brand us outlaws, they might

hunt us down, but we know the truth. #he gods are on our side.

-*ir Arturo ales

Despite all the efforts of the Gray $ociety, many in Drakonheim do not trust them. (or too longnecromancy and the undead hae been a source of terror and the proince of dark gods and

demon lords. 'ost who feel this way simply aoid the Gray $ociety as they feel powerless to

stop it.

"he 1nights of the &clipse, howeer, are fighting back. Despite what the lord mayor and

the city watch say, the abominations are eil and must be destroyed. "he 1nights of the &clipse

wage a crusade that started by attacking the skeletons and zombies that roam the streets at

night. "wice now they hae also killed minor members of the Gray $ociety.

"here are a few paladins and clerics among the 1nights of the &clipse, but most are

common folk who simply cannot abide what has happened to their city. "hey organize

themseles into small cells that work independently so that if captured they cannot diulge who

are in the other cells or what the others are plotting.

,ir Arturo /ales#his young man has hair of golden curls that fall to the base of his neck, and blue eyes

that shine brighter than any sapphire. e wears a sword at his side, the crossbar styled

like angelic wings.

+rturo >ales was the second son of one of Drakonheims aristocrats. +t a young age his parentssent him to a monastery of the arrior in a distant city where he trained as a holy knight. "here

he learned about healing and warfare, about the words of the gods and the faces of eil. He

shone as the ideal knight, and his superiors belieed him destined for greatness.

n the day when $ir >ales finally completed his training and was anointed a paladin of

the order, he receied a letter from his parents. +n army of hobgoblins marched toward his

family home in Drakonheim. $ir >ales rushed to Drakonheim. &erywhere he saw scenes of

destruction and ruin. alls had been smashed and homes burnt. "he hobgoblins were nowhere

to be seen, but in their place was an attacking army of undead. r so he thought. &er the holy

knight, >ales attacked the zombie horde without thought of his personal safety.

"hat is when the city watch arried. "hey broke up the fight and brought $ir >ales before

a magistrate. "hanks to his parents influence, and the ales swallowed his

pride and accepted the #udgment, but he knew he had been in the right. It galled him to see

these eil creatures so easily accepted, and een praised. $ir >ale sought out like-minded

indiiduals, and before long the 1nights of the &clipse were born.

"hough $ir >ales despises the necromancers, his family station means he regularly

comes in contact with members of the Gray $ociety at social eents. "his obligation is only


16/55

magnified by the fact that his elder brother died in the hobgoblin attack, and +rturo now stands

to inherit the >ales land and titles.

,eekers of the First

#he schemes of men and dwar'es, e'en el'es are nothing compared to the great ones.

#heir naps last longer than men"s lifetimes. And the power3 Blood and fire. 4agic anddeath. We shall harness that power, and make it our own. We shall be kings among men.

)ations will $uake in our presence. #he schemes of men and dwar'es and el'es, will be

nothing to us.

-4artin Crote

2egend says that the Drakonheim was founded aboe the lair of the dragon Ignomia. "he

$eekers of the (irst want to find that lair.

3early eerybody in Drakonheim has heard rumors that much of the dragons treasure

still lies somewhere nearby or buried under the city, and if anybody eer catches a member of

the $eekers e6ploring below, or inestigating plans, thats what they say they are doing.In truth, they beliee that Ignomia didn7t die in the battle against that first champion of

Drakonheim. Instead, she was wounded and fled back to her cae. "here she fell into a deep

slumber that would last a thousand years. "he $eekers want to find Ignomia in her slumber.

"hey beliee that through her blood they can perform magic to make themseles immortal and

gain the power to rule the world.

In addition to looking for Ignomias resting place, the $eekers also look for any magic or

artifacts related to dragons, including ways to control dragons, befriend them, or draw power

from them, and items crafted from parts of dragon corpses.

"he $eekers are a clandestine organization, een more secretie than the Gray $ociety

was in its day. It has become so secretie, in fact, each member can only inite one other oer

the course of their lifetime. "ypically membership passes from parent to child, though it isn7talways the case. 9If a member dies without declaring an


17/55

pledged his life to the organization. He dredged through ancient tomes, e6plored caerns below

the city, and used his goernment influence to aid the group and its mission. "he other

members noticed his hard work, and he became the de facto leader of the group.

,erio $ontague

#his man looks as though he was once a handsome youth. e is tall with dark hair, tanskin, and piercing brown eyes. e has an ample gut that protrudes o'er the waist band

of his tailored trousers, and soft hands that are uncalloused e5cept for a recent scar that

runs 0aggedly across his left palm.

2ike most of the $eekers, $erio 'ontague lusts for power. =nfortunately he doesn7t want to put

in the work that amassing power often re!uires. He grew up coddled in a large aristocratic

family, but as the youngest child, he stands to inherit little or nothing. He enrolled at the

+cademy of 3alan, assuming he would easily master the arcane arts, but after years of study he

managed only the most basic leel of spells.

hen he #oined the $eekers, 'ontague thought this finally was the key to power thathed searched after, but een there he was frustrated that his fellow cultists e6pected him to

pore through dusty tomes and een trael to wild lands. It was during one such #ourney to these

wild lands that $erios life changed.

'ontague was following a rumor passed through oral tradition by one of the barbarian

tribes that a hundred years ago a clan of orcs worshiped a dragon god. 'ontague, along with

guards and scouts, followed rumors until he came to a hidden caern in the Grendane

'ountains. "here he discoered, and awoke, a terrible and ancient dragon called 1olra6.

'ontagues guards were foolish enough to challenge the dragon, and were !uickly immolated.

'ontague begged for his life and swore to sere the dragon.

1olra6 accepted and forged a magical link to 'ontague. 3ow the dragon speaks to

'ontague in iid dreams that the human always remembers the ne6t day. 'ontague ischarged with gathering intelligence on Drakonheim, and slowly preparing the $eekers of the

(irst to accept 1olra6 as their lord. 'ontague also discoered that the link with the dragon has

increased his magical talent and he can now perform more powerful spells than anything he

could accomplish on his own.

'ontague is a talented liar, which he needs because of all the secrets he hides. He

hides 1olra6 from his fellow $eekers, #ust as he hides the $eekers from the city at large.

The +ido Augusta

#his woman"s long golden hair falls down to the small of her back, and her eyes sparkle

like sapphires. er dress is simple, yet elegant and e5pertly tailored. er laugh soundslike a choir of fairies.

/orn +ugusta >ales, later +ugusta Dedrici and then +ugusta 2orenz, to sae confusion people

now #ust call her 2ady +ugusta to her face, or the idow +ugusta behind her back. +ugusta

grew up in one of the wealthy land-owning families in Drakonheim. $he married young to a man

twice her age, and was a widow less than a year later. ith no other heir, +ugust inherited her

late husbands considerable wealth, which only attracted more suitors for her ne6t marriage.


18/55

$he soon remarried, again to a wealthy noble with no heir. "his marriage lasted longer, almost

three years, but again her husband died under mysterious circumstances, and again she

inherited all his wealth.

5eople now whisper that the widow +ugusta murdered both her husbands, though

nobody says it to her face nor makes a public accusation, and no hard eidence has eer come

forward. &en with the rumors, her youth and wealth mean she is still courted by many suitors,but she has yet to find one that matches her.

+ugusta styles herself as being concerned with the common folk, giing out bread to

feed the hungry and wood to warm the cold in winter. $hes publicly !uestioned some of lord

mayors decisions, saying ta6es are too high and the watch too small. $hes been especially

critical of the recent decision to unleash a horde of undead upon the city.

"hough she acts as though she cares about the little people, and to some e6tent she

does, she really sees them as a tool to increase her own power. (or too long, +ugusta was a

tool for men to use and she will neer allow that again. $he hopes to one day unseat 2ord

'ayor /randon %rote and take power for herself, but she won7t moe until she has gathered

sufficient allies and power. $he has already made deals with aristocrats %rote has upset,

dwares seeking independence, and common folk of great skill but little political power.


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The City and .ts Districts

"he %eali built walls to protect Drakonheim, but before long the city oerflowed beyond thewalls, and thus new walls were built. "his occurred again and again, creating natural diisions

within the city which were later codified into districts. "hese districts eoled oer time, and

many fell to ruin. 3ow fie main districts remains, High "own, 'arket District, +rena District,

2ittle Grendus, and "he Docks.

High Ton"he streets of High "own are clean and safe. "he buildings are well maintained, and those too

old to fi6 are demolished and replaced with something more stable. &en the undead are well

dressed. $keletons are preferred of course, as theye had the decency to dispose of that

rotting flesh and dont leak the occasional puddle of bile.In short, High "own is where the wealthy of Drakonheim lie. It is in the oldest part of the

city, the central ring that surrounds the hite 1eep. "hose who look out of place in High "own

are often followed by members of the watch to ensure that they arent up to no-good.

+hite "eep

"he hite 1eep was originally built as a last defense against inasion, but oer the years it has

become Drakonheims center for goernment. "his is where the lord mayor meets with his

council, and where bureaucrats manage the citys day-to-day functions like issuing permits,

collecting ta6es, and distributing funds. "hese bureaucrats are mostly the friends and family of

the city rulers, and they pad their modest city wages by taking bribes. +ny who fail to gie theclerk a few coins find their efforts delayed, while large bribes e6pedite the matter and might

keep it off the official record.

Temple of the ,age

"he temple to the $age is an impressie stone building that dates back to the golden age of the

%eali &mpire. hen the public enter, they pass through a narrow entryway into a large

sanctuary. $tained glass windows depict scenes of diine inspiration attributed to the $age. "he

temple holds serices once per week, but the sanctuary is always open and there are always at

least a few of the faithful within. In addition to the sanctuary, the temple contains meeting rooms,

offices, priests7 !uarters, a kitchen and dining hall, and an impressie library.

&riest 0!er the eader

#his rotund man boasts a bushy mustache that connects to his sideburns. e wears

priestly garments and his fingers are stained with ink.

ber #oined the "emple of the $age at a young age in hopes that he could lie off the church

rather than the familys dwindling fortunes. ber took to the priesthood readily and before long


20/55

was an ordained member of the temple. He iews learning and gathering knowledge as part of

his holy duty. He does not contemplate the


21/55

enchantments, both of which she uses to make herself seem more powerful than she really is.

hile she is one of the most powerful wizards in Drakonheim, thats not saying much. $he owes

her position at the school #ust as much to her charisma and social contacts as to any arcane

prowess. Gelisa is a charming and gregarious woman, and though now well oer seenty years

old, her elen heritage keeps her looking young and radiant.

$arket District3amed for the great s!uare at its heart, the 'arket District is the center of Drakonheims

economy. In addition to the daily throng of endor stalls that fill the s!uare, the district is also

home to many craftspeople and shopkeepers who hae a store at street leel and a home

aboe.

"he 'arket District is the most populous district, and contains a wide range of people,

from beggars to well-off trades people, though none rial the wealth to be found in High "own.

Drakonheim's $arket ,2uare

"here is a wide flat open area in the heart of the district. &ach day before dawn, peddlers and

merchants arrie to set up shops. 'any come from the southern illages, while others are city

folk who do not own their own shops. 5erhaps once a month, traeling merchants from other

cities arrie to hock e6otic goods.

+ll the enders must buy a license from the hite 1eep, and the watch patrols the

market s!uare looking for thiees and illegal goods, but otherwise the sellers are left to fend for

themseles. "hough it seems chaotic, a kind of order emerges as the lines of booths and stalls

form across the s!uare. 2ong-time sellers hae regular locations, and fights hae broken out

when somebody new tries to take the spot of an old-timer.

Godrick 0ls!en#he halfling has straight brown hair fashioned in a simple bowl haircut. is clothes are

well made, and he wears a pair of glo'es. #hose who obser'e him closely notice that the

pinky finger on his left hand ne'er mo'es.

Godrick lsben is one of the few halflings who left the southern farms and neer went back. He

has a reputation as an eccentric, and fre!uently goes on tangents, telling allegories that seem

completely unrelated to the topic or recalling the many recipes hes eaten throughout his

lifetime. He has uncharacteristically little to say about his left pinky. If asked, he will take off his

gloe, reealing that it is missing and the #oint where it should be is coered with scars.


22/55


23/55

market s!uare opposite the "emple of the 2ifegier. $ome of the 2ifegiers faithful iew this as

an attempt to undermine that gods power in the city, though the clergy of the 'erchant

ehemently deny this. +fter all, serices are on different days, so people are free to worship the

2ifegier and the 'erchant e!ually.

"he "emple of the 'erchant draws a smaller crowd than the other temples, e6cept the

$age. 'ost are peddlers, merchants, and aristocrats. "he number of aristocrats is bolstered bythe fact that the lord mayor is a regular attendee.

"he temple is a large stone building with a large arched entryway and two tall steeples

on either side. "he interior is full of stained glass showing the teachings of the 'erchant. In

addition to the central temple hall, there are two priate chapels as well as many small rooms

for storage, meetings, and office space.

,aucy $ermaid

"he $aucy 'ermaid is the kind of taern where its a good idea not to look too closely at the

food and drink youre sered, but its popular with many crafters and shopkeepers in the district.

$alty 5yte owns the $aucy 'ermaid and tends bar. Hes a !uiet man who knows thatmost customers #ust want to talk, not an opinion about what they say. He employs a few serers,

the best known a half-orc named Dorah. $he flirts with the customers and responds well to

flattery. $he is also up on all the latest gossip about town, from the dealings of the high lords to

the romances of the common folk.

Arena District +s the name implies, the +rena District is home to a massie arena where the ancient %eali

used to hold gladiatorial games. "hough it no longer seres this purpose, the arena is such an

impressie landmark that people still use it to naigate."he city watch has taken oer the arena itself and now use it as their head!uarters,

barracks and training ground. "he district is also home to others with martial training, such as

caraan guards, mercenaries, and adenturers, as well as those who support them like weapon

smiths, fletchers, and leather workers. "he +rena District is one of the least populated districts

in the city, and oerall tends to be bleaker than the 'arket District.

The Arena

"he oal arena is the largest structure in Drakonheim. During the %eali &mpire, it hosted

regular gladiatorial matches, but as the population dwindled death matches fell out of faor. "he

arena was abandoned for many years, until the man who then led the city watch decided to usethe open central field as a training ground for new recruits. +s their old offices became

dilapidated and the city refused to build new ones, the watch eentually moed their

head!uarters into the arena, as the centuries old %eali architecture held up better than newer

buildings only decades old.

"he city watch has at least one small station house in eery official district, but the arena

is now its central home. It houses offices, an armory, barracks, and a #ail, and there is still plenty


24/55

of e6tra room that it left empty. 'embers of the watch regularly check the empty rooms and

corridors, as it would not do to hae criminal s!uatters in their own home.

Temple of the +arrior

ne of the first buildings the hero of Drakonheim constructed was a temple to the arrior. "he

original structure was destroyed a few centuries ago by a fire, but a new temple was built nearthe arena. "he new building was constructed toward the end of the %eali &mpire. It is rare in

that the building is circular with a domed roof, rather than the normal rectangle with a slanted

roof. 2ike most %eali temples it features a ring of pillars around the outside with a smaller brick

building within.

"here are two sorts of people who regularly attend the "emple of the arrior. $ome are

the types of people who normally identify with the arrior0 guards, mercenaries, and

adenturers. /ut the ma#ority of the congregation comes from the aristocratic class in

Drakonheim. 'any are trained in swordsmanship, and some are trained as heay caalry, but

few had seen true combat before the recent hobgoblin attack, and some aoided combat een

then. &ach week there are two serices at the temple0 an early morning and an afternoon

serice. hile there is no official rule or een a erbal suggestion, by tradition the actual

warriors attend the early serice, while the aristocrats attend the later one.

Dead $an's Tap

"he Dead 'ans "ap is the most popular taern in the +rena District. "he food and drink are

reasonably priced and filling. Its also one of the safest taerns as half the clients are off-duty

members of the city watch, and most of the others work some kind of martial employment. "he

walls are adorned with swords, spears, and shields, all of which once belonged to former

patrons who perished in the line of duty.

"he owner and operator of the Dead 'ans "ap is %ordelia 5inel, herself a former

member of the watch. +fter many years protecting the streets of Drakonheim, she finally

decided shed gotten too old for that stuff, so she put her saings into the taern and with the

help of some friends turned it into a profitable business. %ordelia is a no-nonsense woman who

is still !uick with a sword. $he remembers eery person who comes into her taern, but wont

talk about them unless shes got a darned good reason.

Earl's Garden

&arls Garden is a tea house constructed oer the buried ruins of a temple from the height of the

%eali &mpire. Its original purpose was a front for the Gray $ociety, whose true base was in the

temple ruins below. /ecause many members of the society were also tea enthusiasts, it is aworking business with a wide ariety of imported teas.

hen the Gray $ocietys true nature became public, it wasn7t long before most people

guessed the establishment7s true purpose. hile there are a few people who still come for the

tea, most of the patrons are either members of the Gray $ociety or aspire to be.


25/55

Graystone

Graystone is the head!uarters of the Gray $ociety. It is built in the subterranean ruins of a

%eali temple. "he wooden building on top of it is a tea house called "he &arls Garden, and

members of the Gray $ociety enter through a trap door in one of the back rooms. nly

members of the Gray $ociety or their special guests are permitted into Graystone, and liing

and undead guards are always stationed outside the entrance."he head!uarters below is far larger than the tea house aboe, and it includes a meeting

hall, library, offices, and areas to e6periment on the undead. +t any time of day, there are always

at least a few members of the society present, and dozens of undead serants follow their

orders, or simply wait to be called upon.

*ittle Grendus#was then we felt the mountains ache.

#he stones did scream the ground did $uake.

/ur halls became a funeral pyre.

All on the the day of ash and fire.

-#he *ong of Ash and 6ire

"he dwaren enclae in Drakonheim began in the days of the %eali &mpire. +t its height, the

citys population grew fast and infrastructure needed to e6pand faster than local workers could

manage. Dwares from the kingdom of Grendus came to build the roads, bridges, a!ueducts,

and great buildings needed to support Drakonheim. $ome of these workers moed to

Drakonheim permanently and brought their families with them. "hey congregated together in a

section of the city that came to be called 2ittle Grendus. In the wake of the many disasters that

struck Grendus, thousands more dwares fled to 2ittle Grendus, such that is now the largestdwaren settlement in the region.

2ittle Grendus is a city within a city. $ome of the most insular dwares spend their whole

lies within the confines of 2ittle Grendus, neer een learning the human language. "hough

officially it answers to the lord mayor, and /oroff &meraldeyes is on the lord mayors council to


26/55

Grendus should handle its own ta6es and oersee their distribution. "hey already do #ust about

eerything else themseles. $he has gathered !uite a popular following, but of course 2ord

'ayor %rote doesnt gie her demands a second thought.

(or /rimstone, the last straw came when the lord mayor welcomed the undead into the

city. $he tells eeryone,


27/55

"he dwares of Grendus had a rich tradition of passing on their history through songs.

heneer clans gathered, the elders sang the great tales while the younger dwares listened

and learned. 3ew songs and erses were written and reised oer generations.

"he music itself is normally either sung completely a cappella, or as oice plus

percussion. "he dwares use drums, but are #ust as likely to simply stomp their feet or bang

their shields."his oral tradition continues in Drakonheim. $ome humans heard the songs of the

dwares, and were enraptured by the rich harmonies and throbbing bass notes. $ome dwares

started performing at temple serices, priate parties, and public concerts. "he most successful

performers are a group of twele dwares called the >oice of the 'ountain. "hese dwares are

now household names throughout the city, and music aficionados from other cities een risk the

dangerous trek to Drakonheim to hear them perform their annual public concert.

The Temple of the ,mith

"he "emple of the $mith is a large stone building with massie s!uare stone pillars in front.

hile there is no official prohibition against other races, nearly all of the regular congregants aredwares. "he building was constructed after the ciil war in Grendus by those who fought on the

losing side, and anybody who knows about architecture can identify the dwaren style of the

building with no difficulty.

"he "emple of the $mith holds serices twice weekly, and most congregants attend one

day or the other, but not both. "he temple is open eery day of the week, and dwaren crafters

fre!uently come to ask the priests to bless their iron, stone, or lumber as they begin work on a

new pro#ect.

"he head priest of the temple is an elderly dwarf named alf $ilerstar. He aoids

politics and focuses on the spiritual health of his congregation.

The DocksDuring the height of the %eali &mpire, Drakonheim shipped barges up and down the rier, but

now there is nowhere to go. %iilized people hae abandoned the territory north of the city, and

the canals that the empire dredged through the delta hae long since been clogged up.

"he rierfront has become home to the less desirable elements of the city. It7s the place

to go when you need somebody to do a #ob and not ask !uestions.

The #ueen's Guard

$eeral gangs battle for turf and the right to control arious criminal enterprises in Drakonheim.

ne of the most successful calls itself the ?ueens Guard. "hey hae their hand in #ust abouteerything from smuggling to assassinations, and little goes on in the Docks without their

knowledge.

"he ?ueens Guard are always interested in ac!uiring new talent, from lookouts to cut

purses to agrants not opposed to a little murder. 4ecently the ?ueens Guard started dealing

with the goblins from the 4at 1ingdom using the sewers to moe silently through the city, and

conincing goblins to perform tasks that een people from the Docks find distasteful.


28/55

The #ueen of Beggars

Dressed in the tattered remains of a once elegant ball gown, this woman looks both

ancient and youthful at the same time. er skin is smooth, but her hair is streaked with

gray, and her posture, eyes, and e5pression suggest many decades of e5perience.

3obody knows the real name of the ?ueen of /eggars. $ome say she neer had one. $he hasperpetuated a hundred stories about where she came from, that she was raised by rats, that

she is the runaway daughter of some far-off king, that she is a demon who clawed her way out

from the depths of hell.

hereer she came from, seeral years ago the ?ueen of /eggars started gathering

power and absorbing smaller gangs through a combination of diplomacy, guile, and a well-

placed blade or two. $he rules with an iron hand in a elet gloe. "hose who please her are

rewarded, and those who upset her disappear without een leaing a corpse floating in the rier.

The "notted /ine

"aerns dont get much lower than the 1notted >ine. %hoices for drinks include watered-downale and a clear li!uid that burns terribly as it goes down. (ood is a thin brown soup, and if you

are lucky, a tough bread cut with sawdust. 'ice dart in and out of holes in the common room,

and the furniture is infested with fleas. $till the 1notted >ine attracts a crowd eery eening.

'any are criminals, others are #ust hard-working folk looking to forget about their troubles.

"he owner of the bar is a tanned half-elen man named 1orelus. He employs a goon

s!uad of bouncers who deal with fre!uent unruly patrons, but no serers. If people want

something they can damn well get it themseles.

Father Gisepi

#his short human has a bushy beard and short curly hair. e wears simple clerical robes.e uses a cane as he walks, supporting his left foot.

(ather Gisepi grew up the son of a miller, but soon found a calling to become a priest of the

2ifegier. He beliees his calling is to help the least fortunate of all, and in Drakonheim, those

are the people of the Docks. He preaches to criminals, agrants, and the poor. 'ore importantly,

he tries to help them lie better lies. (ather Gisepi tries to teach the people how to take care of

themseles and to find an honest days work without resorting to a life of crime. He also seres

the community by tending the sick and in#ured, and easing the dying.

(ather Gisepi lies in the ruins of a %eali pailion. "he ground floor holds beds for the

sick and needy and a simple shrine to the 2ifegier. His own meager residence is on the second

floor. 3early all the gangs and criminals consider (ather Gisepis home neutral territory, and puttheir endettas on hold when they enter. "he few times people hae ignored this unwritten law,

they disappeared soon after.

Thrandell Blooda)e


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#his dwar'en man has dark skin and dark features. is long black hair is held together

with a single golden clasp. is beard is short and neatly groomed. e has se'eral

golden, 0eweled piercings in his ears, and a single gold and ruby stud piercing his nose.

"hrandell /looda6e was born in 2ittle Grendus, but left #ust after reaching adulthood for reasons

he does not discuss. $ince then hes done a little bit eerywhere, and gotten to know a bit abouteerything. +ctually, hes gotten to know a lot about eerything.

"hrandell /looda6e is an information broker. He has eyes and ears throughout

Drakonheim and beyond. If you need to know something and /looda6e doesnt already know,

he can find out, assuming you can afford the price. %ommon knowledge is cheap, but rare

secrets are e6tremely e6pensie, making /looda6e a wealthy man. (or those who cannot pay in

coin, he sometimes accepts a trade in kind of secrets for secrets, but the secret he gains must

always be more aluable than the one he gies away.

/looda6e gathers most of his information through contacts all oer the city, the watch,

the temples, and the criminal gangs all hae informants who report to him. He also has an

e6tensie library of ancient tomes to consult for more esoteric knowledge. hen een that is not

enough, /looda6e has one more trick he can play, one that he keeps a guarded secret. He is, in

fact, a self-taught diiner. "hough ancient tomes of magic, he learned how to read omens and

contact spirits of the dead.

The ed &ier

"he 4ed 5ier takes its name from the rusty-red stone that the pier it is made out of. /oats

seldom dock there, but it has become a gathering place for anybody looking for a day7s work

and anybody willing to hire them. &mployers come from all parts of the city, from aristocrats of

High "own looking for cheap labor, to the crime lords of the Docks, looking for people who wont

ask !uestions.

The Bone 3ards#he Bone 1ards are nature"s way of keeping us in our place. 72ook at us,7 we say. 7We"re

so great. We built a city3 We built a statue3 We built a monument3 We"ll li'e fore'er37 #hen

look how $uick it all comes tumbling down. In the end, e'erything you"'e done,

e'erything you"'e lo'ed, all your children, and your children"s children, and your

children"s children"s children. It"s all 0ust dust.

-Ilsa )oorin

+t its peak Drakonheim housed oer a hundred thousand people, and now it has less than a

!uarter of that. hole sections of the city are completely abandoned. 'any of the old stone

buildings still stand as monuments to the ancient empire.

"hese abandoned sections of the city are collectiely called the /one *ards.

"hese sections of the city are oergrown, with weeds and shrubs, and some of the

longest abandoned hae small copses of trees. ildlife is common to the area, from s!uirrels to

feral dogs. hile most people consider it abandoned, a small number of people lie in the /one

*ards. $ome work in the city while others hunt and trap the nearby game, or gather wild plants.


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.lsa -oorin

#his el'en woman mo'es with the grace of a wild creature. er hair is chestnut brown,

her skin is tan, and her eyes are dark 'iolet. er e5pression betrays no emotion.

Ilsa 3oorin grew up among one of the tribal communities north of Drakonheim. Her parents

were wood eles who fled lands further north as the monsters encroached on their forests. Hernew tribe fought a series of small wars with the 'oonless "ribe, and lost badly. "he suriors

fled south and settled in the /one *ards of Drakonheim. "heir number dwindled as youngsters

left the tribe and the oldest died off, but 3oorin with her elen blood outlied them all.

3ow Ilsa 3oorin lies alone. $he sleeps in a ruined %eali pailion and hunts or gathers

eerything she need. 3obody knows the land near Drakonheim as well as 3oorin, and

sometimes city folk can conince 3oorin to work as a guide. $he doesn7t care for coins or gems,

and asks no payment. Instead she aids people that she beliees are honest and kind-hearted.

Green Bough Cemetery

During the %eali &mpire, this necropolis was the resting place of the citys wealthy and well-connected citizens. It is filled with stone mausoleums, and while the once well-maintained lawns

hae gone to weeds and copses of trees, most of the stone structures remain.

"he Gray $ociety fre!uently uses the cemetery. 'embers first came to loot bones to

animate as skeletons. 2ater they started performing e6periments and rituals there that they were

unable or unwilling to perform at Graystone. "hey hae also used it to meet with unsaory

characters, and they warded seeral mausoleums to trap undead which they cannot control but

wish to obsere.

hile the Gray $ociety tries to keep Green /ough safe for all, the many years of

necromantic magic sometimes causes unpredictable results, and eery now and then their

wards of binding fail and the undead they were holding escape to work their own raenous will.

,eersDuring Drakonheims golden age, the city planners designed an e6tensie sewer system

beneath the city. "he wealthier homes connected directly to these sewers, while the poorer folk

used public latrines. In their time, the sewers were marels of engineering, but as the empire

declined they fell into disrepair.

'any sections of the sewers hae collapsed while others hae become blocked. 'any

people still dump refuse into the city sewers without thinking about where it goes, thus there are

many large midden heaps below the city streets. "he waste of the city aboe has spawned a

whole ecosystem in the sewers. 4ats, centipedes, and slimes of all sizes feed off the trash andoff of each other. ccasionally these ermin wander into the streets aboe, or an unlucky

e6plorer becomes lost in the sewers, but for the most part the people of Drakonheim are

blissfully unaware of the dangers beneath them.

,eer Go!lins


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When 8o((y was a child, 8o((y thought humans were angels. umans gi'e us gifts from

the sky. #hen 8o((y learned that they think it is trash that they gi'e us. 8o((y thought

humans were blind. #hey miss so many things. #hrow away shiny things e'en. 8o((y

saw some humans stumbling around in the dark. #hey walked right into rat"s nest.

4issed all the signs. Who does that? 2ots of biting. 8o((y had to sa'e them.

)ow 8o((y knows the truth. umans are not angels. #hey are not blind. +uststupid. It"s not their fault. #hey were born that way. It"s 8o((y"s 0ob to sa'e them.

48o((y the 9uiet

4ats and bugs weren7t the only things that moed into the sewers. + few hundred years ago a

small band of goblins entered one of the drainage pipes and found the sewers to be a perfect

home. "hey hae been thriing and multiplying eer since, and now nearly a thousand goblins

lie beneath the streets of Drakonheim.

'ost sewer goblins make their liing scaenging trash and hunting the other creatures in

the sewers. + few warrens within each kingdom also cultiate mushrooms. 'ost are simple food

mushrooms, but some are hallucinogenic, and one ariety grown by members of the 4at

1ingdom is a powerful poison. + few brae goblins try to steal food, tools, and weapons from the

city aboe without being seen. (ewer, braer goblins actually attempt to trade with humans.

"he goblins organize themseles into


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"he current king of the %entipede 1ingdom is a wrinkled old goblin called Drek $harp

1nife, and hes ruled the kingdom for as long as most goblins can remember. $ome think his

age would make him weak, but those who challenge him soon find that hes still deadly !uick,

and twice as smart as any other goblin.

at "ingdom"he 4at 1ingdom has the most warrens of the goblins, but each indiidual warren is smaller.

"his tends to lead to more infighting than in other kingdoms, but they are !uick to unite against

an outside enemy. "he 4at 1ingdom is also full of diggers, and they hae added many side

tunnels to the already conoluted sewer system. "heir tunnels are less stable than the cement-

lined %eali passages, so collapses are common, but any goblin who cant dig his way out

doesnt desere to surie .

"he 4at 1ingdom is the most accustomed to working with humans, though most humans

they work with are of the seedier element. + few of the warrens hae standing relationships with

garbage collectors, smugglers, and thiees. "hey appreciate human craftsmanship and will

work for !uality goods, especially weapons. "heyll take #obs that are too dirty, dangerous, ordespicable for most surface dwellers.

"he goblins in the 4at 1ingdom used to proide bodies to the Gray $ociety, but since the

latter has gone public, they no longer use goblins to get their corpses. "his has pushed the 4ats

to seek more criminal work, and many now work with the street gang called the ?ueens Guard.

"he king of the 4at 1ingdom is a olatile title, but right now it belongs to a warren leader

named @arky 2ong &ars. @arky took oer his warren after killing the preious leader, and then

bullied the other warrens into accepting him as king. He is always watching his back, and has

allied himself with the ?ueens Guard after they gae him a suit of dwaren-made armor 9sized

for a halfling that he hopes will keep him alie.

Gelatinous Cu!e "ingdom"he Gelatinous %ube 1ingdom is the most social of the three kingdoms. "hey acknowledge that

two goblins are stronger than one, and a hundred are stronger than two. 'ost of them at least

try to sole their problems with words before resorting to iolence, though iolence is still !uite

fre!uent.

(or some time a few members of the Gelatinous %ube 1ingdom hae been in contact

with the surface city, but that contact has increased lately. +fter they heard word that humans

accepted zombies and skeletons on the streets, they figured it would be safe for goblins too.

'ost goblins prefer their lies in the sewers, but a few are e6ploring the city aboe, and the king

has appointed an ambassador to the surface world.

"he king of the Gelatinous %ube 1ingdom is /ig 1ing (lur6. He rose to power aftermaking some deals with some humans in the city aboe to proide new gear for the goblins in

his warren. "his attracted new goblins and soon his warren was the biggest and most powerful.

"he former king acknowledges /ig 1ing (lur6s ictory, but now plots to regain his crown, one

way or another.

Go11y the #uiet


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,urrounding Territory

"hough many city dwellers forget it from time to time, Drakonheim is at the mercy of the landsaround it, whether it be the farmers who feed the city or the hobgoblins who try to inade it. "he

following are #ust some of the most important people, places, and creatures near the city.

FarmlandsCity folk make a big fuss about wol'es. A pack goes after somebody"s flock and all o"

sudden there"s big%shot wolf hunters down from the city. )ot that I like the wol'es o"

course, but it"s the least o" our troubles. Blight. Drought. #a5es. #hose kill tenfold what

any wol'es do. *till a better life than li'ing up in some dead city walled in with a bunch of

brain eating (ombies. 8i'e me the farmer"s life any day.

-Anonymous 6armer

Drakonheim used to be surrounded in all directions by farmlands, but now the fertile land to the

north has been completely abandoned. 'any farms remain to the south of the city, stretching

down to the southern swamps, and close to the foothills of the Grendanes.

2ife for the farmers is hard, and hardest for those near the outskirts. oles and worse

enture from the hills to prey on liestock and occasionally farmers who go out after dark. "he

farms are clustered around small illages that are claimed by the aristocrats of Drakonheim.

&ach illage has a mill, and the miller and the nobles always take a cut of the farmers7 harests.

&ery year it seems like they take a little bit more.

Cornilia ,paro

#his short and s$uat but powerful woman seems to be co'ered in a layer of flour. *he

has green eyes, and her hair is sandy brown and worn in a simple bun.

%ornilia $paro runs the largest mill in the area, #ust half-a-days walk south of Drakonheim along

the $erpenes 4ier. $he answers directly to 2ord 'ayor %rote, collecting a share of the crops

as payment from the farmers, and of course, collecting her fair share. 2ately shes been taking a

little more than her fair share. In her reports to the lord mayor, she blames the farmers for

withholding crops, while to the farmers she blames the lord mayor for increasing ta6es.

Tri!al *ands'any bands of tribal humans lie in the area north of Drakonheim. 'ost once lied further away,

but hae been pushed south and east by other dangers. "he 'oonless "ribe and illow "ribe

are the two largest tribes, but there are many smaller groups in the area.

$oonless Tri!e


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"he 'oonless "ribe is the most fearsome of the nearby tribes. "hey lie primarily by hunting,

but fre!uently also raid other tribal communities. "hey alue strength, martial prowess, and

hunting skills. "hey tattoo themseles as part of their religious rituals, and many tattoos hae

special significance that other members of the tribe can read.

"he 'oonless "ribe aided the hobgoblins in their recent attack against Drakonheim, and

suffered heay losses, including their former leader. $ince then, they hae withdrawn into thewoods to lick their wounds, but it7s only a matter of time before they regain their strength.

+olf Brother

#his man"s eyes are yellow and seem to shine with a light of their own. #hey are the eyes

of a hunter and watch e'erything as though it were prey. e wears animal leathers and

furs, and carries a bow and arrows behind him with a sword at his side.

"he tribes preious leader, /one %racker, died in the attack against Drakonheim. +fterward,

seeral brae warriors tried to gain control of the tribe. olf /rother won that contest.

olf /rother earned his name because he seems able to communicate with, andpossibly control, wild woles. He started with #ust one wolf companion, but now has a whole

pack that aids him in battle and on the hunt.

olf /rother was found in the wild, only a few years old, dressed in city clothes. "he

tribe assumed his parents were dead and took him in as one of their own. He was always a bit

of a loner, and when he started talking to woles he became een more so.

3ow that he leads, many in the 'oonless "ribe are nerous about what he will do, but

those who were brae enough to !uestion his leadership are all dead, so the liing follow his

orders.

+illo Tri!e

"he illow "ribe is larger than the 'oonless "ribe, but much less aggressie. "he illow "ribe

relies primarily on gathering plants to eat, along with some fishing and trapping. "hough most

know something about combat, few are true warriors. "hey do, howeer, possess a rich

shamanistic tradition and hae a number of spellcasters among their ranks.

"he tribe moes their settlements fre!uently, both to preent oer-haresting one area,

and to stay out of the way of the more aggressie tribes. "he people of the illow "ribe are

suspicious of city folk, though not outright hostile. $ometimes youths from the tribe are intrigued

by the wealth and power that they see and leae the tribe to e6plore Drakonheim. 'ost later

return to the tribe, but some find a permanent home in the city or follow the wandering path of

an e6plorer or adenturer.

"he illow "ribe is led by a middle-aged woman named inter /reeze. inter /reezeis a shaman and reered as the wisest woman in the tribe. Her goals are to keep her people

safe, and she beliees that staying away from conflict is the easiest way to do this

uins of Atam3orth of Drakonheim lie the ruins of +tam, another city built by the %eali. It is the smallest of

the cities in the region. In the days of e6pansion, it was a built as a fort. It attracted a small


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number of settlers, but neer as many as Drakonheim to the south or $ercaput to the north. +s

the empire waned, the number of troops assigned to the fort steadily decreased, until at last the

garrison was abandoned. ith no troops to support them or protect them, the rest of the

population !uickly fled.

3ow +tam lies in ruins, uninhabited e6cept by wildlife and the occasional troll that takes

up shelter in the long abandoned stone buildings. "he most notable feature of the ruins is +tam/ridge. + marel of engineering, it crosses the +tam 4ier alley, spanning ABC feet 9AC m in

length, and at its highest is CC feet 9EC m aboe the rier. "hough it was built oer FCC years

ago, the bridge still stands strong.

,ampland"he $erpenes 4ier flows south from Drakonheim until it reaches the sea. "here, the rier delta

forms a murky swamp. "he swamp is home to alligators and enomous snakes, but the lords of

the swamp are the lizardfolk.

uins of Deltanos

+s Drakonheim grew, the people of %eali hoped to use the $erpenes 4ier to trade. "hey

dredged channels in the delta so rier craft could freely trael, and built docks to transfer goods

between rierboats and ocean-going ships. "hey built a fort to protect the port and a small city8

Deltanos8grew up around it.

+s the %eali &mpire declined, less trade came through Deltanos. 4ier dredging

stopped and sediment piled up in the rier beds, making the delta again dangerous to naigate.

+ll this weakened the city of Deltanos, but the final straw came from a powerful

hurricane. $trong winds knocked down buildings and tore off their roofs. orse, storm surges

and rainwater flooded the city. "he empire didn7t hae funds to rebuild the city, so most who

suried the storm fled. + few stayed, because they were unwilling or unable to trael, but theirnumbers soon dwindled until no humans were left in the swamp.

>ery little of Deltanos remains, though small hints of the ancient city still dot the swamps.

"he heads of stone statues peek out aboe the water. Half-submerged pillars reach for the sky.

Here and there one can een find a stone building or two coered with moss and ines. Despite

this, treasure hunters comb the swampy ruins looking for caches of aluables that ancient

residents left behind, and once in a while they find something.

Trade

"he rier delta is difficult to naigate, and only a small boat can manage it at all, so transporting

anything from the rier mouth to Drakonheim is only profitable if it is small but aluable. Inpractice #ust about the only people who ship goods this way are smugglers, bringing in some of

the few things that are illegal in Drakonheim.

4ecently, some merchants hae started trading with the lizardfolk, offering worked metal

items in e6change for plants and animal products found only in the swamp. "hese efforts are

still small-scale as the lizardfolk hae no interest in long-term contracts or mass production.

*i1ardfolk


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2izardfolk are natie to the swamp, and hae dwelt there since before the %eali &mpire. hen

Deltanos was at its height, they were displaced and marginalized, but neer run out of their

swamp completely. "he empires loss was the lizardfolk7s gain, and they now inhabit all of the

swamp.

hile lizardfolk fre!uently clashed with humans at the height of the empire, those days

are long gone and forgotten. 3ow they hae little to do with the humans to the north, and theylike it that way. "raelers through the swamp likely encounter lizardfolk patrols, but small groups

are usually left alone, especially if they bring gifts. 'etal tools and weapons are some of the

lizardfolks faorite presents.

"he lizardfolk subsist primarily by fishing and gathering rier plants, and they en#oy #ust

about anything pickled. + few times, when bands of lizardfolk were staring, they hae raided

human illages to the north, but these instances are e6tremely rare.

'ost lizardfolk lie in single-room houses made of clay with thatched roofs, though a few

hae taken oer the ruined buildings built by the %eali. "he lizardfolk lie in small bands

scattered throughout the delta, though there is a great amount of trade and socializing between

the groups. "he most powerful lizardfolk is gien the title of king or !ueen. "he monarchs chief

duty is to settle disputes amongst other lizardfolk that cannot be resoled among themseles.

"he king or !ueen is also responsible for making decisions about outsiders, though the need to

do so is much rarer.

"ing ,a1ro1

#his male li(ardfolk stands tall and broad. is scales are brownish green flecked with

patches of darker scales here and there. e carries a bron(e trident and wears a battered

bron(e breastplate.

"he current king of the lizardfolk is named $azroz. He earned the title after the preious king

died and he defeated all other challengers. He is a powerful warrior with a bronze corslet andtrident that he discoered in the ancient %eali ruins.

$azroz is also a pragmatic leader. He is intrigued wheneer he sees humans traeling

through his lands, and always has scouts keep a close eye on them. He hopes to gain gifts from

the humans to increase his own power, but also fears that they might try to take his land by

force someday. $azrozs iews of humanity are colored by the fact that most humans he sees

are smugglers or treasure hunters.

Tom! of the Four hen the heroes known as the /and of (our died fighting the 2ich 1ing &zarion, a soothsayer

foretold that they would come again in Drakonheims greatest hour of need.

"he prophecy is not e6actly true, and it is not e6actly a prophecy. "he soothsayer was a

friend of the four, and he helped them design their tomb, which is one of the greatest wonders

magic has eer achieed.

"he tomb is hard to find, because it doesn7t hae a fi6ed location, and is often not een

in this world. 'ost of the time it resides in one of the elemental planes, cycling between them.

"hrough powerful diination magic the tomb can


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Drak on Heim City of Bones