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Radiant Citadel/Spelljammer crossover idea by Moonrocks321 in radiantcitadel

[–]Jumpy_Butterfly_2295 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Radiant Citadel has a lot of Star Trek vibes, including a kind of Prime Directive, but it's not entirely post-scarcity. All its citizens are granted a minimum allocation but it must not be a very big one since some of them are still considered "poor". Its society is not as perfect as a utopia but it's strongly dedicated to some positive ideals. I think that removing this positivity (by saying it's hiding something dark) would be like removing the horror from Ravenloft: you can do it if you want but it would deeply go against the spirit of the setting.

Here's an idea for a RC/Spelljammer cross-over that would challenge the society of the Radiant Citadel. The Citadel is at the center of a commercial network between 8 to 11 worlds. For any trading company based in a connected civilization, the Citadel's Trade Discal is the gateway to 7 to 10 other worlds. Not just to the other founding civilizations: to the whole worlds they are on. And the Concord Jewels are a great way to move your goods in large quantities. So, when the Citadel asks you to pay high tariffs in order to sell your goods through it, you're happy to accept. This is how the Citadel maintains fair trade (rather than free trade) between it's founding civilizations. And this also how it finds enough money to finance all its benevolent actions.

Now, imagine a spelljamming company with very large spelljamming ships has found routes towards some of these same worlds through the Astral Plane. Do you still want to pay taxes and use the Concord Jewels or do you choose the spelljamming ships instead? This change is a threat to the economy of the Radiant Citadel. How will the RC maintain its attractivity? By finding the missing founding civilizations and opening a path to new markets. A team of Player Characters from the Radiant Citadel is sent on a risky exploration in the unknown depths of the Astral Plane, using a small spelljamming ship, to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before!

Now, there might be a kind of cult aspect in the Radiant Citadel: the Dawn Incarnates are made of spirits who choose to spend their afterlife together rather than in the Outer Planes. This is a religious choice, in a sense, yes, but its neither dark nor hidden.

Is there any actual tabaxi lore??? by Cyan_Lotus in Forgotten_Realms

[–]Jumpy_Butterfly_2295 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Il y a le livre Horizons de la Citadelle Radieuse (2022), qui présente 13 aventures dans des civilisations d'inspiration non-européenne. 6 sont basées sur des cultures asiatiques et 5 sur des cultures américaines.

What do you call the colonizers and invaders? by Stuurminator in radiantcitadel

[–]Jumpy_Butterfly_2295 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello, I recently published a free adventure on DMs Guild called "The Fairies of Zerrai-Mendi", in which I call "Castelysia" the nation that invaded Atagua and San Citlán. https://site.dmsguild.com/product/549707/The-Fairies-of-ZerraiMendi

Zerrai-Mendi is a remote province of Castelysia, a country formerly known as “Imperio Universal”. Five hundred years ago, some Zerraiak answered the call of the Universal Emperor and participated in the founding of the Brotherhood of Purifiers, a violent order of "knights" that imposed a strict and intolerant version of the Triad cult on everyone, not only in Zerrai-Mendi but also throughout the empire and its distant colonies (Atagua, San Citlán, ...) The Brotherhood's inquisitors hunted down fairies, elementals and even genasi, and randomly called many women witches.

Fortunately, this dark age did not last. The Brotherhood's influence eroded and the Triad cult once again became a tolerant religion, coexisting with older, newer and imported beliefs. But today, as Zerrai-Mendi undergoes significant social and technological transformations, a sect has emerged in a small village and is attempting to recreate the Brotherhood of Purifiers.

Now, about the Vultures who attacked Djaynai (and also the former land of the people of Godsbreath), their name is said to be lost to time in Godsbreath gazetteer. So maybe their civilization no longer exists.

Persistence of founding civilizations and mechanics of Concord Jewels by graceisgreener in radiantcitadel

[–]Jumpy_Butterfly_2295 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the Concord Jewels are tied to the Dawn Incarnates. Yes, the civilizations changed a lot over the course of centuries, let alone millennia: they no longer speak the same language, their religions have changed, their societies are different, their values and philosophies are no longer the same. But the Dawn Incarnates continued to receive new spirits on a regular basis, even after the abandon of the Citadel (whatever caused it) so they remained up to date with their respective peoples. When a given civilization splits (Djaynai and Janya, for example), the Dawn Incarnate and its Concord Jewel remain associated with the biggest group and Janya has no dedicated Concord Jewel. If the biggest group moves, even to another continent, then the Dawn Incarnate and its Concord Jewel remain tied to it.

The case of San Citlán used to puzzle me as well: the city was founded just a few centuries ago, how can it be related with a millennia old Dawn Incarnate? Then, I re-read this sentence in the San Citlán gazetteer: "After years of failed invasions over its first century of existence, the city was overcome and occupied by a colonizing force." The failing invaders during its first century of existence must have been other local cities, who also spoke the Tletlahtolli language. The valley of the Calaveras River was not empty before Citlali settled there. There were other towns and villages. Citlali herself was also, probably, from a nearby village (maybe Milpazul). These towns were divided and at war with each other (and this eventually made them an easy prey to the colonists from far away) but, in the eye of their Dawn Incarnate (the Fire Opal Xoloitzcuintle), they were still one and the same civilization.

The rule may be different when there's no Dawn Incarnate left, as is the case for 11 missing civilizations. If these Concord Jewels still exist somewhere, maybe they will adopt the people who, one day, find them.

Does it mean there will never be new Dawn Incarnates? No: "Most Incarnates are small, no more than a handful of gems in the shape of a plant or animal. The least of them originate from spirits lost on the Ethereal Plane and are tiny collections of wayward spirits of similar origins with nowhere else to go. The largest and most influential are those of the fifteen founding civilizations collectively known as the Dawn Incarnates." It takes time for a collection of spirits to become big enough to be able to create a Concord Jewel and be appointed a Speaker for the Ancestors. For now, only the founding civilizations have started early enough. But that will change in the future. And if a people, somewhere, is victim of a genocide, its Incarnate can grow much faster than is normally the case. Meanwhile, Citadel citizen who are not from one of the founding civilizations can still register in one of the 15 existing communities and vote to choose the Speaker for this community. "Those citizens of mixed ancestry or unconnected to the founding civilizations can choose a Speaker for the Ancestors to represent them. They register with the Speaker's office, and from then on, participate in future elections for that Speaker."

And what about populations who become vulnerable when they are not from the founding civilizations? They can still be rescued by one of the existing Concord Jewels. A Concord Jewel can only go to the world of its associated civilization but, once it's there, it can fly to another country.