Radiant Citadel
In the heart of the Elemental plane of weave lies an ancient and mysterious city called the Radiant Citadel. Through tradition, cooperation, and ancestral magic, Gith are bound to this wondrous site.
Against the unending mist and unseen terrors of the plane of weave, the Radiant Citadel stands bright as a bastion of hope. It’s a living relic of the ingenuity and collaboration of the gith.
The Radiant Citadel is a miracle of architecture, a floating city carved out of a single, massive fossil that snakes around a colossal gemstone shard known as the Auroral Diamond. The luminescence of the Auroral Diamond is mirrored in the constellation of fifteen structure-sized gemstones, the Concord Jewels, which orbit the city. In the haze of the plane of weave, the Auroral Diamond is a scintillating beacon visible from leagues away. The diamond itself seems to have moods, changing colors unpredictably, but it is always visible for wanderers lost and in need. Just beyond the city whirls a massive, ever-threatening, ethereal cyclone known as the Keening Gloom—a looming threat that’s a grim reminder of the Citadel’s precarious position.
Heroes and paupers meet on equal footing in the Radiant Citadel. By common agreement, power and resources are equitably shared. Dignity is afforded to all, and great need is met with great aid.
Geography
Society
Commerce
History
Others
Getting There
It’s possible to find the Citadel through exploration of the elemental plane of weave. The Auroral Diamond acts like a beacon for the lost and hopeless, and many who seek the Radiant Citadel within the plane of weavel find their way there within a few days of searching. There is only one official entrance to the Radiant Citadel: the Passage of Respite. At any time, six guards are stationed at the Passage of Respite. They are led by a mage responsible for accepting tolls. These guards often employ magic items, such as helms of telepathy, when suspicious of the motives of a visitor. A priest from the House of Convalescence also attends the gate, ready to assist the ailing. It’s possible to bypass the Passage of Respite by teleporting or flying into the city, but anyone caught doing so faces massive fines, and repeat offenders risk banishment.Description
The Radiant Citadel is a testament of extraordinary magic and mythical beasts. The city rises from a gargantuan fossil, and every road and building has been carved from it. The Citadel is a place of beauty and wonder, with a vast array of vegetation and a multitude of sites and inhabitants.Auroral Diamond
The Auroral Diamond is the heart of the Radiant Citadel. A massive gemstone of unfathomable power, its life-giving magic runs through the entire city; the city’s vegetation, water, light, and unique artifices depend on the Diamond. The Auroral Diamond changes color for unknown reasons. Sometimes it holds a color for an entire year, while other times it shifts twice in a single week. Rarely does it ever repeat a color. Some scholars hypothesize the changing colors are a countdown to some unknown event. The Auroral Diamond is indestructible. Whatever magic hollowed out the gemstone’s center and created the Preserve of the Ancestors (described later) is unknown.Court of Whispers
The denizens of the Court of Whispers barter for current knowledge. Heralds, criers, bards, and griots buy and sell information. Skilled scouts and spies can also be hired for short-term reconnaissance or long-term infiltration. The Court is a mixed outdoor-indoor space with quiet alcoves and open plazas, and plentiful work is available here for talented adventurers. The Speakers for the Ancestors—the leaders of the Radiant Citadel—employ freelancers from the Court of Whispers to keep track of potential threats to the Citadel, while the Shieldbearers of the Citadel (see the “Palace of Exile” section) seek information so they can identify crisis points where their operatives are needed. Even common citizens might hire folk from the Court to find missing loved ones, locate lost family treasures, or gather information on rivals. Powerful organizations and individuals from across the planes send agents to the Court of Whispers to collect information and do business on their behalf.House of Convalescence
The House of Convalescence focuses the life-giving energies of the Auroral Diamond, allowing for incredible feats of healing magic. This makes the House of Convalescence an oasis for the sick, the injured, and the desperate. It also draws clerics and healers of many traditions. Most come to serve those in need, but some seek to understand the magical properties of the place itself. Magic is affected in the following ways in the House of Convalescence:- Diamond Components. When the spells raise dead, resurrection, revivify, or true resurrection are cast in the House of Convalescence, a diamond material component is never required.
- Hit Point Maximum. When creatures would normally roll one or more dice to restore hit points with a spell, they instead use the highest number possible for each die. For example, instead of restoring 2d6 hit points to a creature, a spellcaster restores 12.
The Keening Gloom
Just beyond the light of the Radiant Citadel rages the Keening Gloom, a massive magical cyclone. Nothing that enters the cyclone is seen again. In times of turmoil within the Citadel, the cyclone ominously draws closer. Scholars have studied the Keening Gloom for decades but have only theories about its nature, its connection to the Radiant Citadel, and what befalls those caught in its terrible throes. Many fear the cyclone cannot be held at bay forever.Palace of Exile
The palace was named in honor of Socorro the Exile, its founding leader. He was a refugee of war, and he selected one of the most beautiful complexes in the Citadel to house the needy as they arrived. He swore that while his homeland was occupied, he would be an exile and would make his home in the Palace, alongside any others with nowhere else to go. The Palace of Exile has spacious living quarters with adjoining gardens and recovery centers, where refugees are cared for physically, mentally, and emotionally as they make the transition to either living in the Radiant Citadel permanently or relocating to a new land. The Palace’s staff coordinate with the House of Convalescence to provide the best possible aid to the sick and wounded. The Shieldbearers, the Radiant Citadel’s dedicated search-and-rescue force, are headquartered at the Palace of Exile. Where there is a need, the Shieldbearers help.Preserve of the Ancestors
The Preserve of the Ancestors is a sprawling, domed wilderness cut into the heart of the Auroral Diamond. Lush vegetation grows directly out of the diamond, and the expanse is dotted with jackalberry trees, whistling thorn, and zebrawood. Insects, small birds, and the occasional hare make their home here. In the center of the Preserve is a circular, in-ground amphitheater that serves as the meeting place of the Citadel’s ruling council, the Speakers for the Ancestors. While the Preserve has little indigenous wildlife—mostly birds and small mammals—a sect of druids frequently brings injured animals here to be healed and rehabilitated. The Preserve is where the druids keep animals that can no longer survive in their native habitats, creating a menagerie of rare creatures from across many planes.Trade Discal
Encircling the Auroral Diamond, the Trade Discal is a massive marketplace designed to trade on equitable terms. It serves the needs of cities and nations or major trading companies, rather than individual sellers or producers, which is enforced by its high taxes and fees. The Trade Discal is a vital outlet; if something were to happen to it, the impact would be severe for both the Radiant Citadel and the civilizations that depend on it. Adventurers are sometimes hired to oversee the transport of commodities to and from the Citadel or to negotiate on behalf of a major trading company or government. Normally this is a smooth process, but when large amounts of gold are involved, trade is never risk free.Dyn Singh Night Market
Hundreds of temporary stalls, tents, and vendor carts fill the Dyn Singh Night Market with wonders to tempt even the pickiest customers. The shops surround three golden tents in a sunken plaza. Merchants set up during the afternoon, but most don’t open until twilight when the evening’s cool air attracts customers.Society
Government
The Radiant Citadel is governed by a council known as the Speakers for the Ancestors. They are chosen by their community and affirmed into office. The Speakers for the Ancestors meet openly in the amphitheater in the center of the Preserve, and Citadel residents often watch their debates. All laws and major decisions of the city are decided by majority vote of the Speakers. Debates can become heated; because each Speaker represents very different constituents, consensus and compromises might take days or even months to reach. Governance is public, transparent, and participatory. Laws are not static but evolve to meet new challenges and needs. Subcouncils and committees manage the city under the guidance of the Speakers. Complexities persist in governing a highly diverse city with varied customs, beliefs, and social norms, but robust civic engagement helps the city overcome adversity.Culture
Law
Public safety and peacekeeping are administered through a variety of councils and organizations designed to address specific issues. The House of Convalescence helps those living with mental illness, while inspectors investigate nonviolent crimes and use nonlethal methods of detainment. Theft is uncommon in the city, and rehabilitation and restorative justice are preferred methods of addressing wrongs. Highly trained local guards mobilize to handle the rare incidents of violence, and citizens are expected to proactively intervene if needed. The worst offenders are sentenced to a controversial punishment wherein the criminal is subjected to a ritual that prevents them from repeating their crime and then is banished from the city.Factions
Several groups hold influence within the Radiant Citadel, guiding and protecting the city’s peoples.Speakers for the Ancestors
The Speakers for the Ancestors are the ruling body of the Radiant Citadel. Candidates are chosen through an election among the diaspora of the people they represent.Shieldbearers
Since their founding, the Shieldbearers have led the Radiant Citadel’s rescue and relocation missions. Typically organized in cohorts of four to six members, they are deployed to lands in crisis. Strict rules of engagement prevent them from impacting local conditions or taking sides in a conflict; their mandate allows them only to extract those in danger and defend themselves if attacked. They are among the bravest of the Citadel, and heroes who die in service to the Shieldbearers receive the city’s highest honors.Diplomatie
The Citadel sends diplomats abroad and houses embassies from foreign governments, but this goodwill is not always reciprocated. The Citadel’s uniqueness makes it a target of foreign actors who seek to exert subtle or overt control over it. At the same time, political activists, dissidents, and revolutionaries seek to exploit the city’s neutrality to their advantage, even staging incursions against their home governments from the relative safety of the Citadel.Defenses
The Radiant Citadel’s location within the Deep Ethereal makes it difficult to assault. It keeps no standing army, but its council for defense has contingency plans it frequently refines based on intelligence from the Court of Whispers. The city’s primary protection is a powerful ward that can be activated by the Speakers for the Ancestors. When all fifteen are assembled in the council room at the center of the Preserve, by unanimous consent they can erect a diamond sphere that envelops the entire city. The diamond sphere resembles the Auroral Diamond in texture and color and deflects all attacks. Nothing can pass or teleport through it. If the diamond sphere cannot be erected for any reason, the Radiant Citadel is not helpless. Due to its many mysteries and its magical properties, the city attracts an unusually large number of powerful adventurers and spellcasters. If the citadel is attacked, no fewer than a dozen archmages and twenty mages rally. If required, the commander of the Shieldbearers also mobilizes his Shieldbearer veterans, while the other Speakers for the Ancestors call on the citizenry to bolster the city’s defense. The Auroral Diamond’s illumination also provides strong protection. It radiates bright light throughout the city and dim light 1,000 feet beyond the city’s borders. This light is akin to sunlight, which many natives of the Ethereal Plane and evil Undead abhor.Economy
Commerce and Fiscality
Taxes are progressive to help reduce the gap between the most affluent and the poorest. High tariffs on imports keep the public coffers full, but the Speakers lower or remove tariffs for civilizations in trouble. Similarly, visitors to the Radiant Citadel pay a toll to enter. Those who come with nothing except good will pay no fee. Those with big pockets and big hearts give more according to their conscience rather than risk the rebuke of the city’s guards. Rich and poor alike can instead offer something unique that might be to the liking of the speakers, such as a lost song, a secret tale, or a rare piece of art. Those who choose this option may present their gift to the speaker of their choice. If their toll is accepted, the visitor is allowed to stay in the Citadel.Wealth
Denizens of the Radiant Citadel strive to sustain an egalitarian society. Every citizen is entitled to a basic income that affords them the necessities of living and dignity in lifestyle. Food, water, and green spaces are equally accessible throughout the city. The House of Convalescence turns no one away; healing is priced according to one’s means, and the poorest are served without charge. All housing is public, distributed, and administered through the city’s councils. Since the city’s resources are limited due to the Citadel’s relatively small area and its strange nature, foodstuffs and other materials are carefully conserved, and goods are reused or recycled when possible. Similarly, most food is vegetarian and is grown in green spaces throughout the city. Whether served in a home or an eatery, most animal products must be imported and so are subject to high tariffs.Map
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