Falkovnia (fol-KOV-ni-a) is a sinister realm crushed by the iron fist of military tyranny. It is a region of rolling lowlands swathed in dark forests. The woods are wild, shadowy places filled with vicious predators and unspeakable horrors. The towering trees of Falkovnia have bark so dark it's nearly black. In the eastern parts of the realm, dead trees are unusually common. Stripped of leaves and bark, they stand bleached white like driftwood. Falkovnian legend says that a tree dies for every person executed by the realm's merciless ruler. The realm's mighty forests are slowly shrinking as the fertil land is cleared for agriculture. Grain is an important export in Falkovnia, and in the late summer, the countryside transforms into fields of swaying gold. Tributaries of the Musarde River skirt the borders of Falkovnia but don't penetrate the dark interior. Lake Kriegvogel, with its abyssal waters of midnight blue, is the domain's only notable body of freshwater.

Falkovnia's cities are dark and unfriendly, free of any aesthetic sensibility whatsoever. Homes and shops are squat, efficient structures of unfinished timber and brick stacked densely next to one another. Stone city walls and fortresses are towering, gray, and featureless. Garbage, offal, and mud cover every surface, and the air swarms with horseflies and yellow jackets. Falkovnia's climate is one of extremes, characterized by bitter winters and hot, humid summers. The realm has a serious problem with disease, especially during the summer and in the congested cities.

Major Settlements

Aerie (pop. 2,600), Lekar (pop. 15,900), Morfenzi (pop. 1,500), Silverbas (pop. 5,800), Stangengrad (pop. 6,500)

People

Population: Humans (93%), Halflings (2%), Half-Elves (2%), Gnomes (1%), Elves (1%), Other (1%)

Languages: Falkovnian*, Darkonese, Balok, Mordentish, Halfling, Gnomes, Elven, Dwarven

Religions: Hala, Ezra

Falkovnians are fair skinned and usually visibly underfed and overworked. Dark blond to medium brown hair is typical, as are hazel to deep brown eyes, though green eyes aren't unheard of. Men wear their hair in savage crew cuts, while women grow their hair long, wild, and unkempt. Falkovnians dress in deliberately drab clothing; to stand out is to draw the attention of the realm's soldiers, which can mean death or worse. Dull earthen colors are common, with men favoring tunics and breeches and women blouses and long skirts. Most commoners wear rag wrappings instead of shoes. Folk who don't belong to the soldiery are usually filthy with mud, dung, lice, and fleas. All Falkovnians are branded on their foreheads at birth with the ruler's seal, a hawk's head. This clearly identifies Falkovnians in other lands and reminds every citizen of his true status: property.

Falkovnians are a downtrodden lot. Overtaxed and overburdened, they have little to look forward to but death. The unending horrors of military brutality have eroded any sense of beauty or hope they once harbored in their hearts. Some acquire a brutal personality, taking on the qualities of their military oppressors. Most Falkovnians, however, are simply passive and just a little paranoid. They tend to be reticent and inhumanly jaded to violence and gore.

If life in Falkovnia is cruel for humans, it's a nightmare for nonhumans. Although Falkovnia has almost no native nonhuman races, all those who pass through the region are slapped into irons. Such "subhuman" races are considered state property, to be treated as chattel slaves. To breed out the taint of nonhuman blood, racial intermarriage is encouraged by the state, though Falkovnian custom forbids it. Those unfortunates with only one human parent are also deemed state property.

The Law

Falkovnia is a military despotism. Vlad Drakov, the mercenary-king, rules Falkovnia with an iron hand. Drakov is infamous not only for perennial aggression against his neighbors, but his unwavering cruelty towards his own people. A restless and bloodthirsty warrior, Drakov seems to oppress his people simply for the sake of doing so, just to see how monstrous he can be. It's widely known that he's a sadist; he's said to demand a nightly execution by impalement to accompany his evening meal.

Falkovnia is a military state, pure and simple. There is no civilian government or police force. There is no true aristocracy; soldiers are the highest social class. Drakov's army not only maintains the peace, but also oversees nearly every aspect of public life. Military tribunals conduct all trials and justice is universally swift and harsh. Punishments are usually shocking public displays of torture and execution, crowned with the unspeakable practice of hanging the bodies of slain criminals to rot on city walls.

Not every individual in the army is a warrior. Bureaucrats and other civil servants also receive military commissions and titles. Falkovnians, however, reserve their greatest hatred and fear for the Talons, Drakov's elite soldiers. Shock troops with a fanatical loyalty to their lord, the Talons are themselves cruel sadists and are whispered to possess nearly superhuman battle prowess.

Trade and Diplomacy

Resources: Wheat, oats, barley, hops, rye, potatoes, cattle, hogs, dairy, falcons, beer, dye, timber, salt, weapons

Coinage: Falconhead (gp), falconclaw (sp), falconeye (cp)

Falkovnia produces a tremendous amount of grain, especially wheat, and it's rapidly solidifying a position as the breadbasket of The Core. Falkovnian merchants - guarded by Falkovnian soldiers, of course - maintain trade outposts througout the domains of The Core. The exportation of cereals generates a king's ransom for Drakov, which he then uses to fund the maintenance of his army.

This vital contribution aside, Vlad Drakov has made it quite clear that his is to be a throne of conquest. The mercenary-king has tried his hand at invading every bordering realm at one time or another, but without success. Nearly every campaign has met with disaster - some spectacularly so - which only enrages Drakov further. It may be that Falkovnian conquest is destined to fail. Regardless, the realms of Mordent, Dementlieu, Borca, and Richemulot have agreed to a mutual defense pact to safeguard against future Falkovnian aggression.

Magic

Falkovnians are aware of the existence of magic, but view it with a mixture of awe and fear. Some citizens may accept the divine magic of clerics, but the majority see magic as simply another tool of the oppressors.

Through the Ministry of the Arcane, the state rigidly controls arcane magic. Based in the Radiant Tower in Lekar, the Ministry watches Falkovnian citizens for signs of arcane aptitude. Those who follow the path of the wizard or sorcerer are brought before the Ministry to swear oaths of loyalty to Vlad Drakov and the kingdom of Falkovnia. The Ministry of the Arcane may then call upon any Falkovnian arcane spellcaster to aid the Ministry's mages in their work. The number of actual spellcasters remains low and Vlad Drakov possesses a general disdain for the magical arts. This keeps the resources of the Ministry from being put to more effective use. The people of Falkovnia fear the Ministry of the Arcane and thus treat all arcane spellcasters as objects of trepidation.

Falkovnians tolerate divine spellcasters, but their belief in benevolent and worship worthy divine beings finds little acceptance among the populace. Still, Falkovnians are willing to turn to clerics for aid, once their divine magic proves legitimately helpful.

Characters

Falkovnian heroes are usually fighters, rangers, rogues, or wizards.