Falkovnia: Domain Besieged by the Dead

Zombie Apocalypse

Information About Falkovnia

Characteristic	Information
Darklord	Vladeska Drakov
Domain Characteristic	Domain Besieged by the Dead
Genre	Disaster Horror
Hallmarks	Dwindling resources, fickle hero worship, impending disaster, suspicion, totalitarianism, zombies
Population	64,300
Races	Mainly humans, some halflings, elves, gnomes and a handful of other races
Settlements	Lekar Morfenzi Silbervas Fort Watten Aerie Delmunster Hunger’s Hollow Stangengrad

Characteristics of Falkovnia

Every month, on the night of the full moon, hordes of zombies will enter Falkovnia, destroying everything in their path. They will emerge from different parts of the mists every time they emerge, and always head towards the largest pockets of cvilisation (this often being Lekar, the capital of Falkovnia).

To defend against this foreboding evil, the Darklord, General Vladeska Drakov, has implemented a state of martial law. The military controls this domain and its citizens work at the behest of these harsh taskmasters. Everything done in Falkovnia is done to survive the oncoming undead. When not defending their homes and their cities, the people of Falkovnia perform strenuous manual labour, repairing walls and battlements, providing armaments for the soldiers or producing the food required to sustain the remaining survivors.

The army rule with harshness, whipping the people mercilessly to motivate them to work harder and faster. Some talk quietly of escaping, but there is nowhere to go. Of course, any that speak such dissent too loudly will be made an example of, usually with their head on a spike the next day.

After each attack, the Falkovnians burn their dead quickly and recontinue their efforts of hopeless survival, ready for the next attack.

Darklord: Vladeska Drakov

In Vladeska’s land of birth, she was known as the Crimson Falcon; the leader of a mercenary group known as the Falcon’s Talons. In her land of quarreling royal families, her mercenaries were hired to exterminate those that caused offense or animosity between the nobility. Her mercenary group caused many atrocities in the name of this cause but at the end of it, Vladeska knew that she could retire young and buy herself a title and a realm to rule.

This all changed when she attacked Yeivere. It was a job like most others, but her mercenaries went too far. No-one knows exactly who was killed – a prince, an angel, a saint – but whoever it was, that persons death caused the whole of the land to turn against Drakov and her mercenaries.

The ruling families all turned against Vladeska so she in turn, turned against them. Taking the upper hand by attacking first, the Falcon’s Talons went about burning the towns and villages of their previous employers. They would kill any noble they found and press citizens into their service. Once the entire empire had burnt in her wake, strange mists enveloped Vladeska and her people transporting her to a strange land.

This new land was ripe for the taking and Vladeska spared little time subjugating its citizens to her will. She soon took the capital city of Lekar and made herself ruler of her new empire; Falkovnia.

It wasn’t long before the full moon rose and the dead of vladeska’s conquest rose again as zombies. They quickly destroyed the villages and all who lived in them and laid siege on the city of Lekar. This siege lasted for 4 days but despite Drakov’s brilliant and desperate strategies, most of her soldiers were lost. This was not the end however; every month, the zombie hordes return again to destroy Falkovnia’s people, and each month, Vladeska and her soldiers repel their enemy. But slowly, her soldiers dwindle in number and morale, fighting ceaselessly this endless enemy.

Vladeska is tormented by the zombies. Upon each, she sees the grotesque faces of fallen soldiers and civilians that she has known. In this state of constant war, she is left with only bad decisions. Implementing a strict martial law, the people are oppressed, but Vladeska sees little other option than to rule with an iron fist upon the nation she has claimed as her own.

Locations in Falkovnia

Lekar

Lekar is the final remaining city of Falkovnia. Its old city walls have since overflown with refugees from other parts of the empire as people flee settlements for its relative protection. Its walls have expanded to accommodate these large additions but at the constant threat of zombie invasions. The slums are packed and the streets and walls are patrolled by the Falcon’s Talons and other soldiers keeping the peace and being ready for the next zombie invasion. Outside the walls, and in between invasions, the people farm the fields to try to feed the burgeoning population, but there’s never enough food to go around. At least if you subscribe to the army, you’ll be guaranteed rations.

Morfenzi

Morfenzi was once a rich, rural community that has since been abandoned by its inhabitants. The soil here though, is unusually rich and productive making it a prime farming spot for Lekar’s farmers. The Talons also keep an outpost here beneath the ruins of the community led by the arcanist Vjorn Horstman. Vjorn uses the outpost as a personal laboratory, striving to invent new weapons that can help Drakov succeed in her war.

Silbervas

Silbervas was once a small city that is now in ruins. Survivors here have split into factions that constantly compete for dominion of the ruins. All factions, while constantly aggressive to one another, are all united in their efforts for silence to avoid attracting zombies to the region.

Vigila Forest

Huge, black, deciduous trees loom over this dense forest. Locals call the forest “The Whispering Forest” and the outer trees are known as the sentries of death. Grim stories are inspired by this place with locals claiming that all who enter never return, including the zombies with no undead ever emerging from this forest, except occassionally, completely skeletonised beings. This leads many to believe that the roots of the trees reach down to the realm of the dead itself.