Citadel of the Sun-Kings Campaign Diary
Session 7: A Dome Divided
The Party
Also present:
What Happened
The session began in the lower level of the Dome of the Iron Behemoth. Much of the play this week focused on cautious room-to-room exploration and the party’s spirited internal debates about which path—if any—they should commit to.
Retracing their steps, the party descended the stairs into a large, octagonal chamber. Six crystalline pods lined the walls, one of them shattered. Thin seams on each pod indicated built-in doors, and every pod had a nine-sided slot. The shattered one held orange fur clinging to the jagged glass.
Inspection revealed that three of the pods contained dead creatures, but two pods still held living occupants: a human-sized starfish creature with an unblinking central eye and beak-like mouths on each limb, and a gaunt, octopus-faced humanoid—clearly a starving illithid. The mind flayer reached out telepathically, saying, “Release me, and I can aid you in slaying the she-tiger.”
Half the party immediately said “absolutely not.” The other half suggested maybe they could trust the creature, and if it turned on them, they could just kill it. After some intense table discussion, the party opted to leave the pods as they were—for now.
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| Probably for the best. |
They continued through the lower level of the dome, eventually arriving at a strange statue: a bearded man of white marble, mouth agape, arm outstretched. Six nine-sided crystal rods rested on the statue’s palm. Without inspecting anything, Ramu was hoisted up and grabbed the rods. The statue’s mouth spewed red gas in his face. Ramu barely resisted the magical rage that surged through him, passing his save just in time.
North of the statue chamber, the group found a connecting door to the workshop and another hallway beyond. This led to a surreal chamber: red ceiling crystals dimly lit a room of cracked stone basins overflowing with yellow, dust-coated flora. Four twitching humanoids lay strewn across the floor, murmuring to themselves in a daze. Unsettled by what was clearly some sort of nightmare greenhouse, the party shut the door and moved on.
The next room reeked of stale blood. Three gnawed man-bat corpses were piled on the floor, and a pointy-toothed humanoid was seated at a table, noisily cracking bones for their marrow. The creature acknowledged the group, then resumed eating, unconcerned. Cracked frescoes along the walls depicted animal-headed automatons—bull, jackal, ibis—marching in formation beside ancient hooded priests. They recognized the association with the Behemoth, but weren't sure how to use this information at the present time.
The Tiger Lady
Continuing on, the party entered a large throne hall. Ghouls lounged on tattered divans, and a stone dais rose to a central throne where a tiger-headed woman lounged. She introduced herself as Achyshna. Hasoom (his player really) recognized this creature as a rakshasa, but when the rest of the group didn't know what that was, he shrugged and said "I guess you'll find out". Behind her, scattered treasure glittered in the lamplight.
Achyshna greeted the party with lazy menace, offering no hostility but plenty of ego. She revealed her goal: to defeat the Iron Behemoth and claim its hands, which can unlock the vault in the main chamber. The party played along, feigning interest, and promised they would look into it.
Despite the hungry looks from the ghoul onlookers, the party managed to exit the hall without bloodshed. Back in the central dome, they began a long, circuitous debate about what to do. Ideas were pitched and discarded: tricking the Behemoth into the Realm Below Night, ambushing it with traps, and building a swinging log a la Return of the Jedi. Eventually, they remembered the hands were needed to open the vault, so trapping the Behemoth in the Realm Below Night would only complicate matters.
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Journey to the Black Spire
Out of plans, Kheperkare proposed a different course: travel back through the mirror into the Realm Below Night and deliver the jar of sunfire to Ibdaya in the Black Spire. The group agreed.
During the mirror-world crossing, they spotted four winged demons at some distance (600 feet) away. Thanks to a good reaction roll, the demons did not descend, and the group passed safely. (Admittedly, a reaction roll for demons is probably pretty generous on my part, but I prefer to stick to procedures for these things if I can.)
At the top of the Black Spire, Kheperkare gave Ibdaya the jar of sunfire, and the forge flared to life in a less than ceremonious lighting. All that remains: slay one of the ancient beasts and bring back its essence. No problem, right?
With their task complete, the group returned through the Realm Below Night, this time without encounters, and ascended from the Dome, regrouping with their mounts and heading back to Najad.
Back in Najad
Back in town, the party sold their loot and delivered the bronze schematic tablet to Andaz. He promised to craft a “gift” for them using the designs recovered from the Dome. They took some well-earned rest.
However, rumors have begun to swirl. A recent crackdown by the town regime has resulted in the arrest of various local “free thinkers.” Among those detained is Jahair, the party’s apothecary contact. He has been taken to the Stillhouse, the barracks of the spireguard. It contains a jail beneath it for dissidents and agitators.
Now the group must decide—what, if anything—they intend to do about their missing potion-seller…
Campaign Notes
- Notable NPCs:
- The starving mind flayer in the pod
- Achyshna, the rakshasa seeking something
- Ibdaya, Sentinel of the Black Spire
- Jahair (now imprisoned by the regime)
- Major Developments:
- Faction introductions (Achyshna and her ghouls; mysterious greenhouses)
- Players opted for diplomatic neutrality—for now
- Ibdaya’s forge is now lit, bringing the party one step closer to crafting relics
- New threat introduced: city unrest and the arrest of allies
Referee’s Notes
This was a fun session that, unfortunately, feels like it does not translate well into recap form. There was a lot of party discussion, cautious exploration, and faction assessment; things that are rich at the table but tough to summarize. Still, the group learned a lot and laid groundwork for future conflict. They’re being selective with their alliances, and none of the NPCs so far have given them a compelling enough reason to take risks. Smart play, but it means fewer rewards.
The Behemoth encounter continues to loom large—both literally and thematically. The idea of using the Realm Below Night as a trash dimension was hilarious but flawed, and the players figured that out themselves. And now, with the apothecary behind bars, the players have a different kind of challenge to contend with. We’ll see what direction they take next.
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