Citadel of the Sun-Kings Campaign Diary
Session 8: The Old Cistern
The Party
Also present:
Missing this week:
What Happened
The session began during downtime in Najad. While roaming the bazaar, the party came across a traveling minstrel retelling tales of Cassim the Thief-King. After his performance, they approached and asked for more. The minstrel offered to share the rumored location of Cassim’s lost hideout—for 50 gp. Ramu, always eager to empty his purse due to his Ranger oath, paid the fee. The minstrel informed them that the hideout is said to lie somewhere southeast of Najad, in the Pillars of Marnak: the misty gorge region they’d explored back in session 2.
With Hasoom absent, the group decided to hold off on traveling and instead wanted to explore the well at the center of town, having long suspected something lay below. To pass the time until nightfall, they visited the Lantern House, a notorious gambling den and brothel. On the lower level, roughnecks drank and gambled while upstairs, more refined patrons enjoyed paid companionship. The group spotted Kashri, the mistress of the house, being doted on by Saweer, the obnoxious owner of the Caravansarai.
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| Kashri, Mistress of the Lantern House |
Once night fell, they returned to the empty bazaar and approached the well. Before they could climb down, a group of ten drunk ruffians appeared, looking to start trouble. The party, uninterested, ignored their provocations. Idrusa declared it beneath his dignity to engage. The thugs grew bored and left. The group then descended the well without incident.
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| The party's map of the Old Cistern. |
Under Najad
At the bottom of the dry cistern, they found a few scattered coins and a damp passage leading north. Foul-smelling rubble hinted at some kind of creature den, and the group (fearing “sewer beavers”) opted not to disturb it.
The next chamber had murals of ancient figures holding gemstones up to the sun. A large gem was embedded in the ceiling, and the mural showed sunlight shining through it to reveal locations in the desert. Kheperkare noted the torch wouldn’t be enough, and suggested Idrusa cast light on the gem. When he did, the gem projected an image onto the floor: a spectral map of the Red Wastes with several holographic locations: a Dome (clearly the one they had explored), a temple, a step pyramid, and a tomb. The group now had rough bearings for multiple new sites of interest.
Crossing a narrow causeway, they reached a partially flooded crypt with a skeleton laid on a bier and a bronze mace on its chest. Writing in Endyric lined the floor, but no one could read it. Ramu pulled the mace free, and the group braced for skeletal combat but instead, a wraith emerged from the floor and attacked. Amazingly, the creature failed to land a single hit before the group cut it down with their two magic weapons. No one suffered level drain. Ramu claimed the mace, unsure what it actually does.
The next chamber held a churning cistern with a raised central platform surrounded by fast-moving water. Some manner of strange console stood in the center, but with no safe way to cross, the party moved on.
They passed a bricked-up wall, noted it, and continued. At the end of a damp tunnel, they encountered six crocodiles nesting on the sewer ledge. Ramu fired a poison arrow at one, and did 25 damage when the reptile failed its save. The rest failed morale (I rolled a 12 on 2d6) and fled. No thrilling croc fight on a precarious ledge over fast-moving water for us...
The Dragon Door
The proceeded to a door beneath a looming bronze dragon head. Soot stains and scorch marks on the ceiling suggested a trap. Kheperkare opted to not try opening the door, instead throwing the Titan Spear with a mighty blow. The door shattered, but burning oil gushed from the dragon’s mouth. Fortunately, no one was in range. They waited for the flames to die down and proceeded.
The Rebel Hideout
The broken door led into a large meeting room. Pallets of supplies and a table with figurines on a map of Najad showed Spireguard patrol routes and regime buildings. The group quickly realized this was a rebel headquarters. Searching the room, they found a heavy, locked chest—350 pounds—and debated whether to take it. They eventually decided to drag it back to the surface… “to help de-escalate tensions,” they said. (This logic may prove questionable later.)
In an adjacent room they found weapon racks, armor, and barrels of lamp oil.
A Strange Resident
The final room down another passage was the most bizarre: a side chamber filled with steam pipes and decorated with faded rugs and mismatched furniture. Lounging amid the steam and cushions was a drunk, plump satyr named Mogesh. He was drunk, possibly stoned, and offered Idrusa a half-eaten date while making passes and winking at him. Idrusa declined the advances, which was fine with Mogesh, as he prefers trysts with married folk to "avoid feelings". The party promised Mogesh all the liquor he could ever want and declared him their new "sewer friend". It’s unclear what Mogesh thinks about any of this.
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| Your typical "sewer satyr" |
Back Above
The group climbed back to the surface with their loot (3,500 gp in the locked chest) and XP. Idrusa leveled up to 3rd and will spend the next month learning the web spell. With Hasoom expected to return, the group tentatively plans to head toward Cassim’s Hideout, though that may change at the table, as it always does.
Campaign Notes
- Notable NPCs:
- Kashri (Lantern House mistress)
- Mogesh the cistern satyr (instant legend)
- Major Developments:
- Learned the possibly location of several sites further out in the eastern Wastes.
- Found the rebel hideout and stole their funds.
Referee’s Notes
The Old Cistern proved to do what it was intended for: it provided more information to the players about the town's current state, as well as some kinds about the wider region. While it may not have had a central climactic scene, the players kept the tone fun and exploratory throughout. Lots of rooms, lots of choices, and a healthy mix of ancient mysteries and political intrigue brewing beneath the surface (literally).
Also, shout-out to my dice for making the wraith feel more like a haunted Scooby-Doo costume than a true undead threat. I keep saying the party's luck will eventually run out, but at this rate who knows? Next time: Cassim’s Hideout? Or, as usual, maybe not.
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