Drakkenheim

## What is Drakkenheim

Drakkenheim is the capital of the kingdom of Westemär, one of the three main powers on the continent alongside Elyria and Caspia. However, the political state of Westemär is uncertain. The destruction of Drakkenheim by the meteorite 15 years ago caused a Civil War for succession that ultimately left the nation with no central power. You might have heard references to “the war” made by some of the hooded lanterns, as before returning to Drakkenheim the Lord Commander fought in the civil war for the Restorationists.

## Data About the City

Drakkenheim is a large city of approximately ~4 square miles (~10.4 square KM), and had a population of ~100,000 beings before the meteorite struck.

Drakkenheim's colours are burnished gold and forest green. The sigil of the city is a dragon roosting on a castle tower with its wings unfurled.

Since the meteorite struck the city, bodies no longer decompose. In fact, along Shepards Way lies  a horse, ten-years-dead, which traditionally people that are entering the city kick for "good luck".

## Intro to each Session of the Dungeons of Drakkenheim campaign

Drakkenheim is no more. Struck by a falling star, the city bathed in eldritch fire on that woeful eve. The tumultuous aftermath brought chaos, families torn asunder, and the kingdom shattered. Fifteen years later, monsters stalk the haunted streets of Drakkenheim. Caught amidst rival factions struggling to rule the rubble, three unlikely partners venture forth into the crumbling city in search of riches, renown, and revenge.

Written by Monty Martin

Voiced by Hundredyearsboar [1]

## The Map

The map has changed over the course of the campaign. Here are several examples:

## The Gates

There are five major gates leading into the city proper, through the city walls.

* Kings Road
* Market Street
* Shepards Way
* Temple Road
* Champions Way

## The Wards and Features of Interest Inside the City Walls

* Castle Drakken
* Inscrutable Tower (Amethyst Academy Tower)
* Queen's Park Garden
* Old Town
* Market Square
* Middle Ward
* Temple Ward
* South Ward
* Cathedral of Saint Vitruvio
* Drann River
* St. Selina's Asylum
* Great Crater
* Clock Tower
* Slaughterstone Square (contains the Well of the Dead and the Corpse Collector)
* Buckledown Row
* Champions Bridge
* Temple Bridge
* Noble's Quarter
* Royal Opera House
* Altstad Market
* Hall of Justice
* The Guildhall
* Distillery District
* The Foundry District
* Temple Bar District
* City Watch Barracks
* Rose Theatre
* Black-Ivory Inn
* Bark and Buzzard Tavern

## Places of Import/Interest Outside of Walls of Drakkenheim

* Westemär (Kingdom for which Drakkenheim is the capital)
* Elyria (home of the Silver Order)
* Caspia (Pluto's motherland)
* Emberwood Village (Sebastian's childhood home)
* Reed Manor
* Crowe Manor (original home of he Crowe family)
* The old Eckerman Mill (Meeting place for Drakkenforce and River, abandoned with graffiti)
* The Spokes
* The Sprawl
* Sprawl Market
* Rats Nest Tavern
* Cairn Hills
* Northcastle
* Camp Dawn of the Paladins of the Silver Order
* Lenneth Eventide's Eldritch Sanctum

## Monty Martin Describes the City for the First time

Monty Martin, in  Episode 1, introduces the Players and the audience to the city with this eloquent description of the view Drakkenheim have from the Eckerman Mill, shortly after meeting and while awaiting their first meeting with their contact and employer, River:

*The Eckerman mill is on a low hill overlooking the city of Drakkenheim. From here you can see the rolling Cairn Hills, where the many graveyards and burial sites of the people and the nobles that once lived in the city are. And from there you can see the outskirts of Drakkenheim and the city walls looming in the distance.*
*Drakkenheim itself was built on this rising rocky hill that kind of borders the elbow in the Drann River, the major river that is the great way for trade. That was the really the lifeblood of the kingdom when it was still alive.*
*But now you look out at a dusky, night sky, as dusk begins to fall over the city, over billowing purplish clouds. They cast the city kind of in this iridescent light. There's very rare moments when the clouds part in Drakkenheim these days and when there is daylight the sunbeams almost scorn upon the city like they don't want to shine on it directly. There really hasn't been a clear day in Drakkenheim for 15 years since the meteor fell.*
*As night is beginning to fall you can see in the distance there's an oscillating corona of octarine light (octarine, the color of magic) which blossoms around Drakkenheim and erupts from various points in the city the most prominent of which is where the crater is. The spot where the meteor landed in the city, in the city's south ward 15 years ago- and wiped out most of the people in the city leaving behind a twisted and ruined landscape.*
*But much of the city still remains. In fact, the towering buildings of the cathedral, of the castle, still loom over the city, and the city walls for their most part are still intact.*
*There are the cobblestone streets that weave through crumbling stone buildings and slate shingle roof tops. The city walls now are covered with ash and soot because most of the city was on fire for quite a while afterwards and in time since places become overgrown as more buildings have collapsed and fallen over.*
*But of course, like nothing else there are the three great buildings of the city that loom out over Drakkenheim.*
*A great castle perches on a cliff at the heart of the city. The castle has imposing stained black towers topped by high steeples and spear points and the massive central spire of the castle (you can see even though it's a few miles away) it's decorated with intricate stone gargoyles that once were said to watch over the city walls. Veo, you've seen them every day that you've lived in the city but you've never seen the resting in the same place twice.*
*Veo: they're pretty creepy*
*Pluto: yeah so creepy yeah*
*Looming almost as high actually higher still than the castle itself is the shattered Tower of the Amethyst Academy, the tallest building in Drakkenheim, which has a massive hole in the side of the tower. Yet the top side of the tower floats still in the air in defiance of gravity even after, it is said, a piece of the meteor crashed right through the building and yet it did not fall.*
*Finally, there are the great spires of the old Cathedral of the Sacred Flame from which, even now, the bells still chime at midnight.*