D&D: A Look Inside ‘Radiant Citadel’s First Adventure
Journeys through the Radiant Citadel comes out in a little under a month. Today we’re taking a deeper look at the 1st adventure.
In the midst of all the Dragonlances and Spelljammers, don’t forget we’re still getting a brand new setting for D&D 5th Edition. In Journeys through the Radiant Citadel, we get a new location in the Deep Ethereal Plane. The Radiant Citadel is a cosmopolitan city built around a massive crystal.
And the book itself is an adventure anthology. Collecting together thirteen adventures that span levels 1-14, Radiant Citadel is WotC’s latest foray into the planes. It’s also the first book WotC has released led and written entirely by black and brown authors. Which is a pretty big step for a company that committed itself to being more diverse and inclusive.
Today we have a look at the first adventure, The Salted Legacy, which takes place in a massive night market inspired by Thai culture. Grab your dice and let’s check it out.
The Salted Legacy
We know a little about the adventure so far. Like most 1st-level adventures and introductory adventures its goal is to give you the lay of the land. But unlike starter adventures like Lost Mines of Phandelver or Dragon of Icespire Peak, it’s meant to be short and contained. An intro to D&D that can be played in a single session with just enough meat to sink your teeth into.
And what a meal this first adventure is. You can see in the interview with designer Surena Marie, the adventure takes on a different vibe from the usual go fight rats in basement. Salted Legacy is all about two rival families who have a generational feud. And it’s played out in this Night Market.
It starts with a string of sabotages that impact both of the families. Players will have to figure out who’s behind it. Maybe they can resolve the feud, but if not, they can enjoy some fine-dining.
In the adventure, which graces the cover of the new book, we’ll get to see at least one new monster: a windling. Windlings are like flying lemurs. All of the mischief, but also a bit of veneration.
There are many different ways that the adventure can play out. But Marie wanted to “welcome new adventurers” and get people on the same page real quickly. In order to figure out what’s happening, players will have to participate in market games. These games will introduce players through the rules in low-stakes scenarios that might be silly, but that should help players gel.
It’s a way of giving players to focus on playing with each other. And having the permission to be messy and silly and get it wrong. All of this awaits in The Salted Legacy.
Journeys through the Radiant Citadel releases June 21st
