Falk-fury rages on!

[tomokaicho]

That's one way you could go. I'm more inclined to view Falkovnia as a state directed command economy. Therefore, capitalism operates among the lower rungs of society, while major operations are owned and run by the state.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Making them Lamordian would probably be better than them being a Falkovnian family; their assets would have been seized and put at the disposal of the ministries of science and trade, I'd wager.

[Speedwagon]

The stuff so far on here has been really helpful to me to developing my own Falkovnia, so I very much appreciate it! I was going to chip in by adding that in my Falkovnia, Drakov has not only developed an army and made overtures to Blaustein for a surrogate navy, but that he's also developed something of an 'air force', along with other modifications to the Dead Man's War with Darkon. Gryphons and Hippogriffs and Wyverns are common enough in the skies of my Falkovnia that a joint venture between the Ministries of Science and the Arcane have had success in creating breeding programs and training specific soldiers to take the skies so as to firebomb their enemies with alchemical grenades and what not. I also used the idea of Drakov being one of the few Darklords (like Bluebeard) to be able to step outside of Falkovnia to do certain things like wage war, while using Mistmaster's take of Drakov having to be called back to the homeland/homefront to put down a rebellion and thus leaving the front lines outside of Falkovnia vulnerable to collapse.

Here's the full write-up I did for the Discord Server for one of my groups (it's a heavily homebrewed version of Ravenloft similar to Mistmaster's Mistworld that I wanted to try with one group while my other two groups are playing in the campaign setting as of 760 BC):

The year of 1305 AGC, for a Darkonian, was like any other, until the screams echoed through the Forest of Shadows. For the first time in all of Darkon's (unreliable) history, a full-scale invasion of its sovereign territory was underway. Led by the mercenary king known to us know as The Hawk, Vlad Drakov, Falkovnian troops marched from Stangengrad into the Forest of Shadows, towards Nartok. They had one goal: claim Azalin's crown and subjugate Darkon to the Hawk's will. But the screams were not only of the peons and serfs that populated the villages within the forest, like Creeana and Malanuv (both of which were leveled extensively), but of the Falkovnians themselves. The First Dead Man's War lasted for only a week at most, ending with a crushing defeat for the Falcon of Strife. Drakov's armies massively outnumbered the Darkonian defenders. Yet such a force could not endure the full might of Azalin Rex's necromantic prowess. As the troops slaughtered each other on the battlefield near Nartok, Azalin Rex reached out from Castle Avernus and animated the broken corpses of the fallen. Every soldier cut down--be they under the banner of Darkon or Falkovnia--rose again to rend Falkovnian flesh. The invasion ended with the decimated Falkovnians breaking into a panicked retreat at the border. To this day, many of the Eyes and Ears of Azalin bear the frayed remains of Drakov's brand somewhere on their bodies. But this would not be the end of the Hawk's dream to conquer Darkon...

The First Dead Man's War brought war to Darkon's front door and led to a massive increase in defensive measures by the kingdom. Nartok, which had traditionally been heavily defended, became a veritable fortress city, always wary and vigilant of a sudden Falkovnian offensive. Their fears were made true in the summer of 1314 AGC, the start of the Second Dead Man's War.

The Falkovnians had waged prior wars with a then-united Borca in 1307 AGC and Dementlieu in 1308 AGC. In those conflicts, they were soundly defeated by economic sanctions and bank manipulations (in the Borcan conflict) and by the gunpowder weapons and cavalry of the Dementlieuse coupled with their fomenting of color revolutions within Falkovnia's borders (leading to the existence of Reishmar, an unofficial protectorate under the Falkovnian regime despite its autonomy in all other cases). Due to these disastrous conflicts, as well as the beating suffered in the First Dead Man's War, conventional wisdom believed that Drakov would think twice before attacking Darkon. He did indeed, having completely re-organized his military forces. Now, instead of shunning gunpowder weapons as a tool of the weak that did not do war the right way, sizable platoons were outfitted with them. Additionally, to better counter mind-control techniques like mesmerism/hypnotism that were encountered in the Falko-Dementlieuse War of Annexation, each soldier was given magical bracers to render them loyal only to Drakov. Coupled with the recruitment and creation of a fledgeling Ministry of the Arcane to fight alongside the soldiers in the push towards Darkon, along with the creation of a nationalized industry of potion-making for battlefield healing and 'increasing the haste of soldiers in combat situations'; truthfully, such potions were combat stimulants to enhance the soldiers' capabilities. With these 'improvements', along with greater understanding of Darkonian tactics and of the undead, Drakov boldly sent his troops to war.

The Second Dead Man's War lasted from 1314 AGC to 1318 AGC. It, like the First Dead Man's War, was a failure.

The Falkovnians made their way into the Forest of Shadows and put Creeana and Malanuv to the torch once again, while doing the same to Pound, S'Realm, and Glymshire; those latter three villages never recovered and their ruins are found within that region today. The Falkovnians made their way towards Nartok, Rivalis, and Mayvin, with small contingents stealthily moving through the countryside towards Devering and Tempe Falls. Their lightning-fast advance stopped after the second year, with the remainder of the war spent entrenched in their prior positions against the waves of the undead. This was only compounded by the upswell of national unity amongst Darkonians, with living forces harrying the Falkovnians at every turn through guerilla warfare in the Forest of Shadows and in the hills and tunnels and caves near the Mountains of Misery. This coordination was overseen by Azalin Rex and handled through his generals and close confidantes within the Kargat, which carried out their own espionage and assassination operations on Falkovnian soil (mostly concentrated in Stangengrad and Lekar). Drakov himself participated in the first two years of the war, until he was called back to Lekar due to domestic unrest (most likely fomented by the Kargat). The ensuing deaths of his senior generals and other competent military commanders within the Darkonian theater of war led to the war ending with a complete Falkovnian rout in 1318 AGC. The border had advanced only a mile, but the King-Fuhrer was still able to sell the war as a victory to his local populace, if only for a little while. Despite the failure of the Mercenary King, the length and bloodshed of this war compared to the first deeply unsettled the upper class of Darkon. Drakov had truly learned from his first encounter and, if the first war could be considered a 90% victory, this was a 75% victory. His tactical prowess was unrivaled and his strategic acumen, while initially sloppy, was only getting better.

The Third Dead Man's War was waged in 1339 AGC to 1345 AGC. Once again, Drakov had learned from his previous defeats. His Ministry of the Arcane was now an institution that could rival Darkonian mages, and his Ministry of Science was collaborating extensively with Lamordian researchers (who deny any and all involvement in most cases and claim to have been under duress in others) to create wonder weapons to better handle the undead and win the war. Additionally, the creation of a Falkovnian navy to counter the Darkonian navy that patrolled the Jagged Coast. It was a fledgeling navy but it was still worth noting. Furthermore, the improvement of Falkovnian gunpowder weapons, combined with new advances in siege technology, made this war the deadliest yet. In practice, however, the Third Dead Man's War was a repeat of the second, with the only notable exceptions being the Siege of Nartok and the Defense of Rivalis. Once again, the fears of Darkonian nobility and upper classes were confirmed, as the war was even tougher to win than before. The conventional wisdom amongst the generals was that eventually, either Drakov would win or he would grow too old to fight. This did not stop the Fourth (and so far final) Dead Man's War.

The Fourth Dead Man's War was a war unlike any other.

The Ministry of the Arcane had finally caught up to Darkon. The Ministry of Science had created 'wunderwaffe' (wonder weapons) that were rumored to be guaranteed to bring Darkon to its knees, from artificial plagues that could rival the Red Death to "artificial zombies" that were created by the Ministry and capable of spreading their condition by bite, as well as not being under the control of Darkon's necromancers. The guns of the soldiers modernized as well, requiring less time to reload and being far more destructive and accurate than they ever were before. The Falkovnian navy, once considered a minor factor at best and a laughingstock at work, was completely modernized and retrofitted with steel hulls and long-range coastal bombardment weapons. The trebuchets, mangonels, onagers, ballistas, bombard cannons, battering rams, siege towers, organ guns, and scorpions of the King-Fuhrer were improved upon greatly, to the point that a trebuchet fired from Stangengrad could hit Martira Bay and Il Aluk (no thanks to the various Dwarves working under Falkovnian slavery). Special squads and platoons were 'modified' by a joint venture between the Ministry of the Arcane and the Ministry of Science to create what Drakov deemed 'the ideal soldier'. The Falkovnians shocked even the likes of Azalin Rex with a fledgeling attempt at what they called an 'air force', consisting of various Talons and the troopers beneath them riding upon griffons, hippogriffs, giant eagles, and other domesticated avian species. Advances in metallurgy and recent mining discoveries in the Crumbling Hills near Morfenzi found veins of Adamant, that was quickly processed into Adamantine armor that became standard issue for the troopers.

And yet, even with all of these advantages, the Fourth Dead Man's War ended just like any other: defeat.

The Fourth Dead Man's war stretched from 1352 AGC to 1358 AGC. The Falkovnian forces trudged through the Forest of Shadows onto the Jagged Coast and into the Boglands. With their merciless march and the help of traitors from within, they successfully took the cities of Nartok, Rivalis, and Mayvin with far less bloodshed than before. Led by Vlad Drakov and his sons, Vlad Drakov the Second and his brother, Vigo Drakov, the warmongers consolidated their gains and prepared to take Corvia and Viaki, before launching an all-out assault on Il Aluk. The Falkovnian navy fought the Darkonian navy to a standstill out on the waters of the Grey Sea by the Jagged Coast, with neither side gaining nor maintaining complete naval dominance throughout the war. The Falkovnian 'air force' brought terror from above with regular bombing runs on far away cities in the east of Darkon like Nevuchar Springs, Maykle, Delagia, Sidnar, Karg, and Neblus. Trebuchets and other siege engines fired ceaselessly into the night, bombarding battlefields and towns whenever possible, crippling civilian infrastructure and demoralizing the population. The dead rose up, as always, but the necromancers commanding them were caught on the backfoot by the new alchemical zombies that confused their once-orderly regiments. The very guns the Falcon of Strife despised using were coated and blessed with holy water (much to his irony, as Drakov is an outspoken misotheist) that greatly reduced the usual casualty rates. All seemed lost for Darkon.

But Darkon persevered. Darkon resisted. Darkon lived when it was all but dead.

Castle Avernus was too good a target for Drakov to not try take himself. He nearly lost his life, and he most definitely lost an entire battalion's worth of soldiers, from the castle being rigged to explode by Azalin Rex's magic. Castle Avernus would be rebuilt by Azalin Rex after the war had ended, through magical means that preserved most of the original structure. The wizard-king of Darkon had relocated himself to Karg and oversaw the war effort from there, with his strategic prowess and great charisma rallying the Darkonian people together against the war Hawk's scourge. With Dwarven forges and metallurgy, High Elven archers, mages, and battle tactics, Halfling guerilla fighters, Gnomish science, Wood Elven logistics and supply running, and Human diversity and cunning, the Darkonian forces were able to slowly but steadily beat back the invaders. Similar tactics as in the Third Dead Man's War, of whittling away at Drakov's top brass and senior military officers while harrying Falkovnian logistics, were put to full and outstanding effect. Darkonian mages worked with Dwarven engineers to create their own long-range siege engines, returning fire towards Falkovnian cities like Morfenzi, Lekar, Stangengrad, and Aerie by the midpoint of the war in 1355 AGC. And in response to the airborne threat, Azalin Rex personally journeyed to the Mountains of Misery to awaken the great dragon Ebb from her slumber, and ride upon her in battle against the enemy air force. She summoned the other draconic kin, like wyverns, and was instrumental in reclaiming the skies of Darkon. Things turned even more hopeful for Darkon when Drakov was recalled back to the homefront in 1357 AGC. That very year, almost all of the Falkovnian gains into Darkon were reversed due to enemy lines collapsing (no thanks to Kargat efforts, most likely kept out of the official records). By the waning days of the war in the spring of 1358 AGC, the Hawk and his men were pushed all the way back to Nartok. The recapture of Nartok only invigorated the defenders, who under Azalin's orders made a push into Stangengrad to further humiliate the Hawk. Never before had Falkovnia been the invaded as opposed to the invader, but the message was sent: "if any should plot against our beloved Darkon, our wizard-king may just wish and they will fall dead"

This victory against the Hawk did not come without a great cost. The Falkovnians pushed far into Darkon throughout the war, only being beaten back when Vlad Drakov himself was no longer on the front lines. Scholars generally agree that, had it not been for Drakov's hasty departure back to the homefront to help quell what would have been an impending Third Falkovnian Civil War orchestrated by his eldest daughter Vladeska Drakov, along with eradicating the runaway alchemical zombies of the Ministry of Science in the blighted region now known as Talonica (ruled over by the very same Vladeska Drakov mentioned above) and dealing with the arcane meltdown at Chernaya, the war would've been lost.

The Fourth Dead Man's War would be observed by other nations in the Corelands/Corrope/The Core. In response to Drakov's war-mongering, the nations of Borca, Richemulot, Dementlieu, and Mordent would form a collective security alliance known as the Treaty of the Four Towers in 1359 AGC, in reference to the ruling families that were signatories (the Boritsi Family, the Renier Family, the Guignol Family, and the Weathermay Family). This was not a surprise to most observers of geopolitics, but what was truly unprecedented and completely unforeseen was the Falkovnian-Darkonian Pact of Nonaggression signed by Vlad Drakov and Azalin Rex in Castle Avernus in 1362 AGC, followed by the Falkovnian "Axis Treaty of Iron and Silver" of 1363 AGC being held in Lamordia, with signatories like Falkovnia, Lamordia, Invidia, Blaustein, Nosos, Tovag, Talonica, Freienbauerland, Nova Vaasa, and diplomatic overtures to Barovia (which have gone unanswered) and Hazlan (same as Barovia). What omens these events portend is unknown, and beyond the scope of this gazetteer.

Regardless, the failed invasions would eventually be known as the "Dead Man's Campaign". In 1305 AGC, full open warfare in Darkon was unheard of, and Darkonians were terrified of Drakov's soldiers. By 1358 AGC, Darkonians feared that the only true victor in these bloody battles was Death, who claimed the slaughtered for the armies of the Gray Realm.

[KingCorn]

I love it!

[KingCorn]

Considering how horrible a death impailment is, and how death curses have power in Ravenloft, would it be likely then that either Falkovnia and especially Lekar is just plagued by ghosts and curses? And would this justify the existance of some sort of ghost/curse-busters? It even adds the misery: sure, your ghost might get some vengance, but then the Ministry of Arcane just captures your ghost, tortures it assuming you were really a kargat agent your whole life, and kills whats left of your family after obliterating you or putting you in storage.

Hell, Drakov might have his own version of the death-stone disaster: a vault of pissed-off ghosts locked somewhere in the Radient Tower that could blowup the whole damn city.

[Speedwagon]

Considering how horrible a death impailment is, and how death curses have power in Ravenloft, would it be likely then that either Falkovnia and especially Lekar is just plagued by ghosts and curses? And would this justify the existance of some sort of ghost/curse-busters? It even adds the misery: sure, your ghost might get some vengance, but then the Ministry of Arcane just captures your ghost, tortures it assuming you were really a kargat agent your whole life, and kills whats left of your family after obliterating you or putting you in storage.

Hell, Drakov might have his own version of the death-stone disaster: a vault of pissed-off ghosts locked somewhere in the Radient Tower that could blowup the whole damn city.

Idk if Drakov would have his own version of the death-stone disaster necessarily, but I do think it's a fun plot hook so go ahead and that to your campaign if you want! I'd say that while Lekar is certainly haunted, Stangengrad might be even worse off. And in the Falkovnian chain of command, there's probably a side-group of ghost/curse-busters that are put to work on keeping Falkovnia relatively secure, if only because Drakov is not going to have some "sore losers and cowards too afraid of death" ruining his kingdom. They could be a special unit of the Talons or something detached from the Talons (like the Eyes of the Falcon, as they can see into the ethereal?).

[KingCorn]

If I recall correctly, Drakov is either from Thenol or was stationed there.

Ιt was written that he and his group of mercenaries were often employd by the fanatics of Hith in Thenol.

Thenol is a human theocracy not under the thrall of minotaurs, although later (after Drakov arrived in Ravenloft), it was apparently conquered or militarily defeated by the minotaur empire.

This may be proof of Vlad's and his Talon's efficiency as mercenaries, when he was kidnapped by the Mists the Thenolites began to lose and eventualy they were conquered.

Might be possible, cause the captial of Thenol was called Hawkbluff, in a forest called the Hawkvale (seriously), and it was at this place that the Thenolites where conquered and the bluff was destroyed. This place is too perfect to not be connected to Drakov. That the main god of the Minotaurs is Sargas (their version of Sargonnas), makes it even more perfect. His love of facism and hatred of the undead comes from his growing hatred of his Thenolite employers (even as he gains his name from their semi-capital), while gains his love of facism from his conflicts with the Minotaurs.

edit: Did a little more looking and made a longer post on piazza: https://www.thepiazza.org.uk/bb/viewtopic.php?t=31441

[Speedwagon]

If I recall correctly, Drakov is either from Thenol or was stationed there.

Ιt was written that he and his group of mercenaries were often employd by the fanatics of Hith in Thenol.

Thenol is a human theocracy not under the thrall of minotaurs, although later (after Drakov arrived in Ravenloft), it was apparently conquered or militarily defeated by the minotaur empire.

This may be proof of Vlad's and his Talon's efficiency as mercenaries, when he was kidnapped by the Mists the Thenolites began to lose and eventualy they were conquered.

Might be possible, cause the captial of Thenol was called Hawkbluff, in a forest called the Hawkvale (seriously), and it was at this place that the Thenolites where conquered and the bluff was destroyed. This place is too perfect to not be connected to Drakov. That the main god of the Minotaurs is Sargas (their version of Sargonnas), makes it even more perfect. His love of facism and hatred of the undead comes from his growing hatred of his Thenolite employers (even as he gains his name from their semi-capital), while gains his love of facism from his conflicts with the Minotaurs.

edit: Did a little more looking and made a longer post on piazza: https://www.thepiazza.org.uk/bb/viewtopic.php?t=31441

Drakov's relationship with the Minotaurs definitely deserves some more examination. Mephisto's article regarding the Spawn of the Lizard and the gladiatorial arenas made me think that perhaps Drakov uses the gladiatorial arenas (which were established by "Falcon the Great" in the False History of Falkovnia) to bring back a bit of the "good times" he had in Taladas. I could see Minotaurs in that arena. Perhaps the "primal serum" is meant to be Drakov trying to channel some of the stuff mentioned above regarding Minotaurs and his possible respect for them?

(Also, I totally believe that there's a settlement in Falkovnia called "New Hawkbluff" that Drakov either ordered the construction of for his ego or that was made by the Dark Powers when Drakov first "conquered" Falkovnia).

Drakov's hatred of undead has been looked at by the likes of user HuManBing, who has made a few posts on the Cafe de Nuit way way back when about his take on Drakov. Essentially, one can draw parallels between Bishop Trandamere and Azalin Rex, at least in Drakov's POV, and he may view his wars against Darkon as "better to be ruled over by humans (tyrannical as they may be) than the damnable undead!"

Finally, a lot of the False History of Falkovnia with the dwarves and their scattered tomb complexes and ruins being littered about the landscape gives Falkovnia a "pulp fiction" sort of feel; think of the Nazis in Indiana Jones, HYDRA in the Captain America comics, the Ahnenerbe in real life & the Thule Society (which we saw with Mephisto's Teustenorden in QtR 28), and more. So that sort of "adventure horror" can be tied back to some Dragonlance/Taladas connections, especially those that touch on Southern Hosk where Drakov originated from.

[KingCorn]

While I do tend to favor the 'Horror of Facism/Militarism' flavoring of Falkovnia (complete with WW2/Nazi-party connotations), I do find that this tends to overpower the other monsters that could be used in falkovnia. After all, according to Gazetteer 2, they have not only plenty of dire animals but also Dread Trolls, Hags, Shadow Fiends and Shadow Unicorns, and even the Quevari. Each of these is a potential monsters to use in Falkovnia they are sadly ignored.

Have you guys ever used these other monsters, even if only to be connected to Drakov and the Talons? So long as they are used.

[Speedwagon]

While I do tend to favor the 'Horror of Facism/Militarism' flavoring of Falkovnia (complete with WW2/Nazi-party connotations), I do find that this tends to overpower the other monsters that could be used in falkovnia. After all, according to Gazetteer 2, they have not only plenty of dire animals but also Dread Trolls, Hags, Shadow Fiends and Shadow Unicorns, and even the Quevari. Each of these is a potential monsters to use in Falkovnia they are sadly ignored.

Have you guys ever used these other monsters, even if only to be connected to Drakov and the Talons? So long as they are used.

I haven’t had the chance to use Falkovnia (due to the strong fascist connotations my PCs, especially the non human ones, do everything they can to avoid it), but I agree. I’ve wanted to use the monsters you mentioned as throwbacks to the past of the Silver Kingdoms of the land’s false history, as well as to give some encounter variety. NeoTiamat’s Kaiserreich interpretation of Falkovnia, imo, makes it easier for PCs to dare to adventure in the land without getting apprehended by the military, so I was thinking that these monsters are a common enough menace for small settlements (nothing like Lekar or Silbervas) that the Talons and the broader military would either not care or be stretched too thin to handle them. Things like the Green Lady by Aerie can give plant monsters to work with (like the doppelgänger plant in Delmunster).


On another note, the NeoTiamat focus on military horror reminds me a lot of Starship Troopers and the recent Helldivers 2 video game. So PCs, if seeing Falkovnia in that lens, might actually want to go there more! And if you take cues from Warhammer Fantasy, you can take modules that focus on the Germanic dark fantasy themed Empire of Sigmar and reflavor it to Falkovnia (the brutality mostly matches).

[KingCorn]

I figure hags have the role of a pseudo-empowerment for the abused women of the domain. Any green-hag or annis-hag could create a coven from women looking for mutual protection, with some even seeing their only way to success being to get the ear of a Talon by becoming a favored mistress of one. Just as well, the sheer number of corpses in the domain means it would be easy for a hag to create any number of Hands of Glory, or just reanimating them as little servants.

Trolls I see as something the Talon occasionally would have to put down to save some abused peasants, if only so they can survive long enough to harvest the grain. Or be captured as gladiators, only to escape into the sewers and become a long-term problem.

As for the Shadow-Fiends and Shadow Unicorns, those could be tied either to the Radiant Tower and its dark history (as well as its connections to the Fraternity of Shadows). The Shadow-Unicorns could actually be favored mounts for Talons thanks to their ferocity, or could be rumored to be the ghosts of the mounts of the knights of the silver kingdom. Actually, all the shadows could be the rumored ghosts of the Silver Kingdom, and assumed to be the worst afterlife imaginable to a Falkovnian Peasant: to be bound to Falkovnia, forever.

[Speedwagon]

The note of hags being pseudo-empowerment for the downtrodden women reminds me of a relatively well-received (if controversial) module by the Lamentations of the Flame Princess crew ("Better Than Any Man" iirc). So you've got my vote on that!

And the shadows being a potential teaser for a worst afterlife for a Falkovnian makes a lot of sense. Same for the trolls being something to put down. In fact, trolls and ogres are also common in Invidia, so Falkovnian mercenaries in Invidia might be pretty used to dealing with such giant-kin. Falkovnian mercs might have a reputation for being effective at handling such jobs, and can even fight trolls in the Musarde Delta of Lamordia, or scrags in the rivers of the Core.