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Session 01 Recap — The Road to Drakkenheim

Session Date: 2026-01-20
In-game Dates: 1126 Springtide 4-25
Location: Altberg → Emberwood Road → Emberwood Village

The Player Characters

Augustine Chotek, Human Bard
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Doc Skizzet, Variant Human Apothecary
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Drakzen Velrith, Dragonborn Paladin
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Rustar Mayiishan, Dragonborn Monk
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Six, Human Sorcerer
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"Tough Luck" McDonald, Dwarven Barbarian
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The Job

In the city of Altberg, the party accepted guard work from Eren Marlowe, a seasoned caravanner hauling much-needed supplies south to Emberwood Village—the last settlement still standing near the ruins of Drakkenheim. Each was promised 25 gold (which later became an additional 5 gold per hired mercenary) upon safe arrival.

Over the long road, Marlowe proved a chatty companion, asking questions about motives, faith, loss, and unfinished business. Stories were shared—some openly, others carefully avoided. It became clear that while everyone had their own reasons for heading toward the ruined city, Drakzen’s public call for aid on a sworn pilgrimage had been the spark that brought this particular group together.

As the days passed, the land itself told its story: abandoned farms, dead forests, failed crops, and rain that never quite washed the road clean. Drakkenheim loomed closer, its presence felt long before it was seen.

Rumors on the Road

As the party neared Emberwood, whispers and half-truths about the city circulated among them:

The Bandit Shakedown

Two weeks into the journey, the caravan was stopped by armed brigands emerging from roadside ruins. Their leader, Bogdan, demanded horses, alcohol, supplies, and coin “for safe passage.”

The party chose force over parley.

The fight was swift and brutal. Several bandits were killed, others fled into the countryside. No ransom was paid, and no mercy was offered. Though victorious, the encounter left survivors—and word of the party’s violence would not vanish with the rain.

A Night on the Road

On the final night before Emberwood, three exhausted adventurers approached the campfire seeking shelter: Ludwig von Graff, Endra Jansen, and Rikard Vos—all returning from failed ventures into Drakkenheim.

Vos was clearly ill, barely conscious beneath a heavy cloak. His companions insisted it was not contagious and would likely clear up outside of the haze—it was only the result of prolonged exposure to the city and its strange crystals.

They were wrong.

During the night, Rikard Vos succumbed to contamination, mutating into a tentacled dreg. In the chaos, Ludwig von Graff was killed almost instantly. The creature was put down quickly by the party, but not before the truth of Drakkenheim’s corruption was made horrifyingly clear.

Endra Jansen survived—shaken, grieving, but disturbingly pragmatic.

Marlowe immediately began harvesting the creature for components, offering what he took for sale. Before leaving at dawn, he warned the party plainly: Drakkenheim does not forgive mistakes.

Marlowe, deeply unsettled by what they witnessed, admitted that stories of contamination had never prepared them for the reality.

Arrival Looms

Despite everything, the caravan pressed on. Eren Marlowe refused to turn back.

By the end of the session, Emberwood Village lay just ahead—and with it, factions, conflicts, and choices that will not be so easily escaped.

Session Outcomes