Session 5: Down the Row#

Summary#

The party spends a restful morning before heading into Drakkenheim with a single objective: find Buckledown Row so Cory can complete her business with the Queen’s Men. After a brush with a wailing undead spirit, they spend the afternoon exploring the Row’s rival gang taverns, placing wagers in underground fighting pits, and gathering intelligence — and Cory quietly pays the Queen’s dues. On the way back, a nest of mimic crates nearly swallows Margareta whole.

What Happened#

Scene 1: Help from the Cleaning Staff#

The party assembles in the morning with a plan: head to Buckledown Row, where Cory has unfinished business. Theobroma introduces her newly summoned spider familiar, Krum, to the group before they set out.

First stop — the Skull and Sword tavern to find Blackjack Mel. At this early hour the bar is empty save for a young janitor mopping up broken glass. The janitor, Francis, doesn’t know where Mel is, but gives directions to the Row: east of the crater, just off a road running a quarter mile south of the Drann River.

Scene 2: The Wailing Undead#

The party enters the city stealthily from the east, through quiet residential streets. Sixty feet ahead, a cloaked figure drifts into the middle of the road — too smoothly to be walking. It carries a lantern burning with arcane purple light.

Heda’s Divine Sense immediately identifies it as undead with a powerful, dark presence. As the party prepares, the figure turns, its jaw unnaturally stretching downward until it releases an ear-piercing psychic scream, and combat begins.

The creature proves resistant to mundane weapons and phases straight through Margareta’s fire shackles. Its wail finds purchase in Heda, leaving him frightened and unable to advance — yet he fights through his fear long enough to land a javelin throw that clearly weakens it. Theobroma’s Mind Sliver proved effective against the spirit while Cory’s blade shreded its cloak despite not harming the creature itself as much as hoped. Margareta eventually delivers the killing blow with her maul.

“It’s very rude to phase through people.” — Margareta, dispatching the undead

The creature’s garb dissolved into mist. The party harvests ectoplasm from the shattered purple lantern, the creature’s animus, and several strands of hair before moving on.

Scene 3: Arrival at Buckledown Row#

Following Francis’s directions, the party finds the Row: rough-shod fences and makeshift barricades blocking off a muddy street of ramshackle taverns. Crudely made bridges stretch between rooftops; crooked streetlamps glow in the mist. Two bugbear bruisers stand watch at the gate, with sharpshooters keeping watch on the street from the rooftops.

Cory does the talking. She invokes Blackjack Mel’s name, is identified as one of “Mel’s recruits,” and waves off suspicion about Silver Order affiliation when the guards question Heda based on his armor. The bugbears point her to the well out back of Smee’s Palace and wave the party through.

Walking the Row, the party takes in the five taverns that line the street: a ramshackle taphouse missing its door (the Sweaty Bugbear); a three-story building with a neon ram’s skull sign and cobra-motif door (Sneaky McGee’s); a tavern whose door is covered entirely in keys of every shape and metal (the Padlock Tavern); a polished blue-painted inn with a coat-of-arms above the door (the Old Imperial); and at the far end, the grandest building on the street with ornate painted signage reading Smee’s Palace.

Scene 4: Smee’s Palace and the Well#

The party settles into Smee’s Palace, the Wounded Hearts’ domain. Inside it’s startlingly refined — carved wooden features, a chandelier of over a hundred candles, red wax tapers on every table. The server, a tall elf with white hair and hazel eyes named Tilda, seats them and explains the Row’s politics: all five gangs operate under the Queen, paying monthly dues into a well behind Smee’s Palace. The Hooded Lanterns are expressly unwelcome as they consider the Queen’s claim illegitimate.

“In my opinion, she runs the city better than any of the previous royals ever did.” — Tilda, on the “Queen”

While the party takes a short rest and the first act of that evening’s Shakespearean performance plays out, Cory slips out to the terrace with a note and a bag of 100 gold. The ancient fieldstone well is guarded only by a skeleton nailed to a nearby tree and a sign reading “Make a Wish.” She drops her payment and returns to her seat. Theobroma, suspicious, sends Krum to watch undetected.

After the show, Margareta approaches Mr. Lament — a tall blond elf in ornate clothes, seated front and center, who finances Smee’s Palace on the Queen’s behalf. She pitches hill giant physical comedy. He declines, but expresses minor interest in something more refined: storm giant observational humor. Margareta signs up for the open mic.

Her set — a Jerry Seinfeld-style account of navigating Drakkenheim streets only to be ambushed by an undead witch, closing with “Grandpa’s not dead, he just lives in this house” — earns polite applause from Mr. Lament and genuine laughter from the rest of the room. She walks away with 18 gold from the crowd.

Cory takes the opportunity at this point to chat up Mr. Lament about joining the Wounded Hearts. He tells her their champion, Dorian Dare, fights in the pits beneath the tavern and would need to be bested for the group to be offered membership. They would need a sponsor to arrange a bout, something Blackjack Mel could help with.

Scene 5: The Old Imperial#

While the others take in the entertainment at Smee’s Palace, Heda crosses to the Old Imperial, the Rose and Thorns’ base of operations, to distance himself a bit in case Margareta ends up offending Mr. Lament. The dragonborn barkeeper confirms that all the crews in Bukcledown Row work for the Queen, then gestures Heda toward the raised section of the bar — entirely occupied by women bristling with sharp weapons.

Their leader, Rose, sizes Heda up and offers straightforward terms: 5% commission on jobs she sends the party’s way, in addition to the standard Queen’s dues.

Scene 6: The Fighting Pits#

Tilda leads the party down a staircase behind the bar into a basement fight club atmosphere. The current bout has just ended and a hobgoblin named Bloodhound (fighting bare-chested with a Howlin’ Dogs logo branded across his back) stands over an unconscious armored human. The ring master announces next up, Mamba Jones of the Catacomb Cobras — a nondescript halfling in black leather who draws a roar from his fans.

The Mamba Jones bout lasts seconds. Before the elf challenger can react, Mamba appears behind him, drops him with two quick cuts to the backs of the legs, and holds a knife to his throat. The crowd erupts.

Theobroma had bet on the challenger and suspects Mamba may have used poison. The rest of the group walk away with 11 gold each from the bookies.

Scene 7: Leaving the Row — Rumors and Mimics#

On the way out, a few pieces of overheard intelligence are shared: Theobroma overheard someone say that many of Drakkenheim’s monsters are actually former inhabitants — and that showing them a token of their former life can make them docile. Cory heard about a monster in the Inner City referred to as the Lord of the Feast and that a religious artifact has been recovered at the Chapel of Saint Brenna, and that delivering it to the Queen would earn significant favor.

The party then spots a building more intact than most, with crates outside bearing Hooded Lanterns insignia. Investigating, Theobroma lifts a lid — and is greeted by a very large set of teeth.

All four crates are mimics.

The fight is chaotic. A mimic grapples Theobroma; Heda physically wrestles her free. Theobroma’s Flaming Sphere starts to scorch the two trapped behind the front line; Margareta and Cory’s blades splinter them apart. The last mimic gets one final act of revenge: it bites Margareta rendering her unconscious and begins to devour her. Heda’s Lay on Hands revives her in the nick of time, and Cory and Theobroma finish it off together.

The party harvests mimic teeth, tongue, and contaminated fluid from the four puddles of goo before walking back to Emberwood.

Scene 8: Nathaniel Flint at the Chapel#

Returning to Emberwood Village at dusk, the party finds unfamiliar figures outside Flamekeeper Bella’s chapel who turn out to be members of the Falling Fire in burlap robes, offering pamphlets. Flamekeeper Bella introduces Nathaniel Flint, chaplain of the Falling Fire’s local chapter, who has also heard word of the Scepter of Saint Vitruvio.

His request is earnest: reassembling Saint Vitruvio’s vestments would help the Falling Fire in their mission of “embracing the flame.” He directs the party to the Chapel of Saint Brenna: north on Champion’s Way, about a mile into the city, just south of where the road forks.

“Embracing the flame is the only true way that we’ll ever be able to survive Drakkenheim and what might lie beyond.” — Nathaniel Flint, to Heda

Key Discoveries#

The Queen is real: The leader of the Queen’s Men — known only as “the Queen” — is alive and active within Drakkenheim. Her court’s location is a closely guarded secret, but all five gangs of Buckledown Row answer to her
Buckledown Row’s five gangs: Pins and Clubs (Padlock Tavern), Howling Dogs (Sweaty Bugbear), Rose and Thorns (Old Imperial), Catacomb Cobras (Sneaky McGee’s), Wounded Hearts (Smee’s Palace)
The dues system: Operating in Buckledown Row requires a 100 gold monthly fee, dropped into the well behind Smee’s Palace
Hooded Lanterns vs. the Queen: The Hooded Lanterns consider the Queen’s claim to Drakkenheim illegitimate, leaving the two factions in direct opposition with each other
Former inhabitants: Many monsters in Drakkenheim may be former citizens; a token of their past life could make them docile
The Lord of the Feast: A powerful monster in the inner city goes by this title; “all who dare enter become his prey”
The Scepter’s location: Rumored to be at the Chapel of Saint Brenna just off Champion’s Way, the main road running north into Drakkenheim, about a mile in, just before the road forks — it is now wanted by the Silver Order, the Queen’s Men, and the Falling Fire

Loot & Rewards#

Uncommon undead: ectoplasm (x2), animus, hair (from the wailing spirit)
18 gold (Margareta’s open mic earnings)
11 gold each (Mamba Jones fight payout)
Uncommon monstrosity: teeth, tongue (organ), contaminated ichor (x2) (from the mimics)
All characters level up to Level 4 (Cory received bonus XP for completing the Contact the Queen faction quest)

Memorable Moments#

“This is Krum. Everyone.” — Theobroma, introducing her newly summoned spider familiar

“I don’t think you should fight this guy. I think he’s fighting dirty.” — Margareta, after watching Mamba Jones dispose of his challenger in under two seconds

“I would like to come in to find your well, please.” — Cory, to the bugbear guards at Buckledown Row’s gate

“Let’s wait on that a couple of hundred years. For now I think we’re good.” — Heda, declining the undead spirit’s invitation to join her in the afterlife