Citadel of the Sun-King – Session 1: Serpent’s Gold, Dragon’s Shadow

Citadel of the Sun-King Campaign Diary

Session 1: Serpent’s Gold, Dragon’s Shadow

The player-facing map of the Red Wastes.

The Party

Hasoom (Thief 1) – A former whaler turned tomb-robber. Played by Ryan.

Idrusa (Magic-User 1) – A furrier who dabbled in the arcane and never looked back. Played by Ben.

Kheperkare (Fighter 1) – A cooper’s apprentice with a talent for violence. Played by Zi.

Ramu (Ranger 1) – A strange fisherman with a terrible accent. Played by Todd.

These four wanderers know one another through a tangle of past affiliations:

• Hasoom and Idrusa are drinking buddies; Hasoom and Ramu met during a riot.
• Ramu and Kheperkare trained under the same late mentor, and Kheperkare once sailed with Hasoom.
• Idrusa and Ramu were both henchmen to the same long-dead sorcerer.

Rumors Gleaned in Najad

• Kheperkare heard of a reclusive sorcerer named Xethu, south of town, who reads arcane script and identifies magical items.
• Ramu was told about a strange black ship perched atop a plateau in the Shattered Steps, circled by white birds.
• Hasoom heard that Yazid, the innkeeper at the Scarlet Ride, has been selling treasure maps—none who followed them returned.
• Idrusa learned the Pale Mirror (a massive salt flat) was once a sacred lake, now cursed and home to something filled with rage and regret.

The map rumor was the most actionable, and the group decided to pursue it first.

What Happened

On the way to the Scarlet Ride, the group saw one of the Okaaji—the 12' tall, silent, orichalcum guardians of Najad—and diverted briefly to the Shrine of the Keepers. They were surprised to find not a temple, but a techno-magical workshop. After a brief conversation with Andaz Vesh, the Master of Bronze, they moved on.

At the Scarlet Ride, Yazid sold them the map—after some haggling—for 40 gp.

The group hired two porters, Qas and Fayzid, and a man-at-arms, Mafik, for the 4-day round trip to Thornbite Gulch. Along the way, they spotted two giant vultures perched on a half-buried stele along the river Yalga that watched the group and hissed. Ramu knocked an arrow, but they waited to see what the birds did. Eventually, when neither side blinked, the giant vultures flew away. Ominous, but no grave threat.

At Thornbite Gulch, the group found a 30' deep ravine with a small cave. Inside: bones, white snake skin, and signs of prior adventurers. They recovered three silver medallions, a green glass bottle (antivenom), and a bronze ring (magical). At the back, a black idol of a five-headed serpent stood with emerald eyes (10 in total, 150 gp each). Hasoom began prying them loose. The cave is the lair of White Fang a 20' long albino rattlesnake. [She had a 4-in-6 chance of being present in her lair, but I rolled a 5.]

After two turns of pulling out gemstones (5 at that point), White Fang returned. Fortunately, Idrusa (on watch) spotted it early. Arrows and javelins hit home. Idrusa blinded White Fang with a light spell. White Fang missed two attacks against Mafik [She rolled two natural 1s -4 for being blinded...]. The party then cut the serprent to ribbons in one round, then cut off its head as a trophy.

They claimed the rest of the treasure and returned to Najad.

On the way back, the party saw six hyenas running from something, moments before Jhanradaz, a massive blue dragon, flew overhead and snatched two of them away. The party wisely stayed hidden and moved on.

Back in town, they interrogated Yazid (suspecting snake cult involvement), but were eventually satisfied with his innocence. At Vial Concoctions, they bought two healing potions, three vials of antivenom, and traded White Fang’s head for an additional potion. They also purchased a camel at the Dusk Cloak Caravansarai for 700 gp. Ramu visited the Temple of the Flame Enduring to tithe some gold that he couldn't carry, and had a conversation with the Flame Priestess, Tirah.

After gathering more rumors from town, and starting to notice the less-than-friendly presence of the Spireguard around town, the party called it a night.

Campaign Notes

• NPCs: Yazid (innkeeper), Andaz Vesh (Keeper), Jahair (apothecary), Tirah (Flame Priestess).
• Treasure Recovered: ~2,250 gp in goods (emeralds, silver medallions, ring, etc.)
• Encounters:
  • Giant vultures (hostile, but not aggressive)
  • White Fang (combat, party victorious)
  • Jhanradaz the Blue Dragon (non-combat, too busy eating hyenas)
• Supplies Purchased:Food, water, healing potions, antivenoms, camel.

Referee's Thoughts

A great start: fast buy-in, meaningful exploration, and a scary but successful first combat. The players are already wary of the world’s dangers, and the encounter with Jhanradaz was a real surprise (only a ~3% chance per encounter). Thornbite Gulch made for a strong first foray. It could have been deadly if they’d been careless, but the party was smart. They cautiously explored the location, always on the lookout for what killed the other adventurers. Then, they made sure to keep a lookout to spot whatever might sneak up on them.

Back in Najad, they suspected Yazid was actually a serpent cultist or running some sort of murder racket, which was a fun twist I didn't see coming. I also rolled the first Regime Event, which ended up being a Dissident Attack. Now the town's guard, the Spireguard, are on edge and keep eyeing the players as suspicious out-of-towners. The players have yet to ask who this Bulat guy that they keep hearing about is, but I suspect sooner or later, they're going to start asking what's going on.

By the end of the session, they must have gathered almost 10 leads, so session 2 could go anywhere.