Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

Djaynai and Janya Pronunciations

Atiba-Pa

Atiba-Pa (lawful good, human priest) is a former Lightsea Lancer and Djaynai's current regent. He is known not only for his falcon-eyed shrewdness but also for his compassion and kindness.

Those close to him know he suffers bleak moods, during which it is challenging to obtain an audience with him. Yet during those times, he is still kind to those he meets, even as he speaks sparse and sorrowful words. Atiba-Pa fears that the Djaynaians' ancient traditions are lost forever, and that their loss puts his homeland at risk. Hearing of others' commitment to reclaiming lost lore acts as a balm for his bleak moods.

The Regent's Mission

Atiba-Pa admits that finding the Girscamen won't be easy. No one in Djaynai knows where the ship sank. However, the People's Regents know the undersea folk of Janya have detailed records of wreck sites and other points of interest around their undersea city. A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (History) check knows that Janya is an aquatic city populated by the Nightsea Chil-liren, an aquatic people descended from the people of Djaynai. Atiba-Pa can also share this information and details about Janya from the "x" section. He solemnly speaks of the importance of recovering his people's lore:

Characters who succeed on a DC 14 Intelligence (History or Religion) check know the Night Revelers are local philosopher-hedonists who embrace new ideals and oppose the People's Stewards. Atiba-Pa can also share this information. He clearly views the group as misguided and encourages the characters to avoid contact with them.

Making Preparations

To help with the characters' journey to Janya, Atiba-Pa is having a sailboat called the Beden-Moon, crewed by Lightsea Lancers, prepared to sail at dawn. He also provides each character with a necklace of black cowrie shells. The necklaces are magic items that provide the same benefits as a cloak of the manta ray, except each is activated or deactivated as a bonus action. The necklaces are historic relics of Djaynai, and Atiba-Pa expects to get them back when the characters complete their mission.

The characters are free to do what they please for the rest of the day, and Atiba-Pa has paid for their continued stay at Anadoua's Rest House. When the characters are ready to leave, Atiba-Pa thanks them warmly and summons guards to escort the group from the castle.

The Night Revelry

Djeneba dances into the crowd, away from the characters. Soon after, nearby musicians approach and encourage the characters to participate in the festivities with them, perhaps by dancing, drumming, or joining a group of Night Revelers in a vigorous debate.

Djeneba's Offer

After the characters interact with the Night Revelers or an hour passes, Djeneba circles back to them. If none of the characters interacted with the Night Revelers, or all the characters failed at their attempts to dance, drum, or debate, Djeneba admits having forgotten about the characters and invites them to leave—clearly, they aren't Night Reveler material.

If one or more characters succeed on their checks to dance, drum, or debate, Djeneba is impressed and pulls the characters aside to share the following information:

Djeneba assumes Atiba-Pa hired the characters to seek the lore of the Blackmist Way and the Blackthrone Arts, and makes a counteroffer:

• If the characters find the lore of the Blackmist Way and the Blackthrone Arts, they should bring it to the Night Revelers instead of the People's Stewards.
• The Night Revelers hope to take these ancient traditions and forge them into something more powerful.
• With this new power, Djeneba promises the people of Djaynai will be so scintillatingly free that no marauder would dare come to their shores except to engage in the revelry.

Djeneba promises the characters a reward of 4,000 gp and a place of honor among the Night Revelers in return for the lore. If the characters seem reluctant to answer, Djeneba tells them to take their time. The leader offers the characters the use of private rooms in the Ancestors' Danse House, as well as a chance to join in the revelry until the night is spent.

If the party refuses the offer, Djeneba says the characters may yet change their minds if they see firsthand the pain the past carries with it.

Death Helms a Ghost Ship

After the party descends approximately 3,000 feet, the character who has the highest passive Wisdom (Perception) score spots something unexpected:

The name Girscamen is plainly emblazoned on the ghost ship's hull. As the ship comes alongside the characters, the first mate (use the wraith stat block) is joined by four crew members who are little more than eerie light and drifting skulls (they use the flameskull stat block). At first, it appears they are searching for something—they're hunting for the haints that escaped them, Derek and Violette. Once they see the characters, however, the hostile Undead snarl challenges and attack.

Once the Undead are destroyed, the ghost ship breaks apart as if wrecked by a spectral storm and disappears.

Nightsea Chil-liren

Xoese-Addae or any of Janya's other residents can tell the characters that the undersea city of Janya is populated by descendants of Djaynai who escaped into the sea during the Passage of Vultures. The magic of Djaynaian transmuters and that of the Nightsea itself gave these people the ability to live beneath the waves. Now known as Nightsea Chil-liren, the people of Janya look similar to the humans of Djaynai, but their brown skin is often tinged shades of gray, and eel-like fins run along their arms and legs.

Nightsea Chil-liren use the merfolk stat block with the following changes:

• They have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
• Replace the Amphibious trait with the trait below.

Zisatta

The aloof Zisatta is a member of the High Court and commands Janya's security forces, called the Billowing Patrol for their sable robes that undulate like jellyfish. She is lawful neutral and one of the Nightsea Chil-liren (see the "Nightsea Chil-liren" section). Tattoos of ancient Djaynaian symbols peak out from beneath her flowing robes—signs of her fervent desire to prove her connection and dedication to Djaynai.

What Zisatta Knows

Zisatta rises without introducing herself and is initially indifferent to the characters. She acknowledges Xoese-Addae and imperiously asks why he and his surface-world friends have interrupted her enjoyment of the performance.

Use the following points to guide the initial conversation, but see "Unexpected Interruption" below if the characters get into the details of their mission:

• As soon as a character speaks, Zisatta interrupts and orders all the characters to introduce themselves rather than first sharing her own name.
• If the characters speak about the ghost ship, Zisatta tensely reports that sightings of a ghostly vessel above Janya began several days ago.
• Zisatta remembers the name Girscamen and says the Billowing Patrol knows the location of its wreckage.

Unexpected Interruption

Before the characters can share all the details of their mission with Zisatta, the door to her suite bursts open, and a figure swims in: Brother Broumane, another member of the High Court.

Brother Broumane announces he learned of a group of surface-world heroes coming to Janya through "friends among the Night Revelers." He saw the characters arrive while he was watching the performance and wants to learn if they have come to Janya on "mercenary business from the surface."

Brother Broumane

Brother Broumane is one of the charismatic leaders of the New Janyan movement, a political group focused on Janya's self-reliance and future greatness. He secretly also heads the Untethered, a cult dedicated to chaotic philosophies. He's chaotic neutral and one of the Nightsea Chil-liren (see the "x" section). He wears robes made from a patchwork of rough-spun and fine white fabrics.

[image: Brother Broumane]

Caught in the Middle

Both Zisatta and Brother Broumane want to learn the scope of the characters' mission. They largely ignore each other as they each attempt to win the characters to their side. During the conversation, Zisatta focuses on the following points:

• Zisatta tries to discern whether the characters are working for the People's Stewards and is pleased if they are.
• She tries to get the characters to admit their mission is connected to lost lore essential to the future of both Djaynai and Janya.

At the same time, Brother Broumane focuses on the following points:

• Brother Broumane tries to find out if the characters are working for the Night Revelers and is pleased if they are.
• He tries to get the characters to admit they're seeking the outdated lore of a foreign land.
• He claims his faction has ways of learning everything the Billowing Patrol knows, and if there's information the characters need, he can provide it.

The two High Court members eventually insist the characters choose who they—and, by extension, Djaynai—will align with. Xoese-Addae, a consummate politician, keeps his opinions to himself.

A Fraught Debate

It should be clear that the characters' mission puts them in the middle of a political and philosophical debate that stretches back generations. Zisatta's group, the Djaynaists, believe in cultivating the Janyan people's connection to their original homeland, Djaynai. Brother Broumane's group, the New Janyans, want Janyans to forge their own identity. The characters are unlikely to have strong opinions one way or the other but need to get information from one of the High Court members.

Ending the Debate

Whichever High Council member the characters align with can get them directions to the Girscamen's wreck with only a few hours of work. But they pass on their information only if the characters agree to a request.

T1: Trench

The trench is 200 feet deep. At the bottom is the wreck of the Girscamen. Read the following description as the characters come within sight of the wreck:

Characters within 10 feet of the Girscamen feel a harmless supernatural chill—an effect of the unquiet spirits haunting the ship. If characters succeed on a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check, they can tell restless spirits dwell nearby.

T2: Wreck

The first time a creature that isn't a Construct or Undead comes within 5 feet of the ship's wreckage, the creature must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 21 (6d6) psychic damage and telepathically hears dozens of drowning cries.

Characters who inspect the hole in the ship determine it continues through the bottom of the vessel, and beyond that a hole punched through the bottom of the trench leads into area T3 20 feet below.

Any other search of the ship reveals nothing except for ancient, rusted chain mail and scraps of decaying armor not of Djaynaian design.

T3: Broken Entry

The hole below the ship extends through the ceiling of an ancient, hidden structure. Characters who have the Stonecunning trait can tell falling rocks punched through into the structure. The chambers below are made of interlocking, dark gray stones carved into puzzle-piece-like shapes.

T4: Obsidian Throne

This hostile wraith wears armor similar to that of the wraiths the characters battled previously. It fights to the death.

T5: Forgotten Library

Soon after the characters enter the room, the friendly haint Derek appears—he's joined by Violette if the battle in area T4 occurred. Derek and Violette have been protecting the books hidden in this chamber. Upon recognizing the characters, Derek thanks them for coming to recover the tomes he and Violette have been guarding for so long. Derek then directs the characters' attention to a shadowy shelf where rest two elegant tomes made from iron-bound pages of carved slate. These books bear the symbols the characters saw after the haunting at Anadoua's Rest House and are the Book of the Blackthrone's Aegis and the Book of the Blackmist.

Gift of the Deeps

After the characters agree to return the tomes, the throne in area T5 starts shedding dim light. Each character who bows before the obsidian throne for the first time gains the charm below (a type of supernatural gift detailed in the Dungeon Master's Guide). Once all the characters bow before the throne or 10 minutes pass, the light fades and the throne loses its magical properties.

Castle Djaynai

Castle Djaynai is made from onyx-colored mud brick studded with wooden pilasters and features a roof of sharp pinnacles. It is home to the rotating representative government called the People's Stewards, and its chambers hold ornate rugs and tapestries, the fragrance of essential oils, and performances of hypnotic music, which combine to create a warm welcome for invited guests. To deter intruders, the castle is lined with magical traps that polymorph victims into the saltwater salamanders (use the lizard stat block) common among Djaynai's mangroves.

Ancestors' Danse House

Home to the spiritual faction known as the Night Revelers, the Ancestors' Danse House in Djaynai is a mausoleum with smooth, chalky-white, mud-brick walls. Its library contains numerous scrolls of magical lore, and thousands of ancestors' bones in ossuaries throughout the site are enchanted to magically rise as skeletons and defend against would-be-thieves.

Trench of Love Lost

This great undersea trench near Janya resonates with mystery and foreboding. It is named in memory of the countless Djaynaians who vanished into its depths during the earliest days of the Passage of Vultures, before the first Nightsea Chil-liren came to be. The trench is defined by the pale-pink meadows of feathery creatures known as sea lilies that grow along its edges. Scouts of Janya's Billowing Patrol have explored only a small fraction of the trench, which contains the wrecks of numerous ships and mysterious sites.

Cerulean Lyceum

A center of culture in Janya, the Cerulean Lyceum is a great bardic college with a connected series of vaulted halls set around a broad quadrangle. Icicle-like spikes surround the Cerulean Lyceum's main conservatory, which resembles a massive blue crystal. Djaynju, opera from Djaynai, is just one of the many musical forms practiced and perfected here.

Education and Religion

Both realms' culture is tightly tied to Djaynai's historical roots as an advanced, influential civilization. Education and creativity are the foundations of the culture, and its people embrace philosophy, magic, mathematics, and the study of underwater societies. In keeping with these traditions, spirituality isn't focused on gods, but on revering and emulating forces such as liberation, fluidity, and change. As such, most people are open to the spiritual views of others, as long as those views don't embrace evil.

Food and Clothing

Meals are considered sacred in Djaynai, and wasting food is a major breach of etiquette. Key ingredients of Djaynai's cuisine include banana, groundnut, milk from several types of animals, red and black beans, and chili peppers. In Janya, edible undersea plants form the bulk of people's diet, supplemented by ingredients imported from Djaynai. As a rule, both peoples eschew eating meat.

Djaynaian clothing combines rough-spun and delicate materials, and it is common to see linen with lace or damask with crocheted fabrics in the same outfit. Most Djaynaians wear a form of shawl or cloak at all times, and their fashion favors muted colors. Headwear is typically worn in public, most commonly cowls with pointed caps, wide-brimmed hats, or tagelmusts and tasuwarts that can function as headgear and veil. Clothing in Janya parallels Djaynaian style but features materials like eel skin and elegantly woven sea grasses.

Government in Djaynai

The government of Djaynai is called the People's Stewards, whose leadership ranks change whenever a significant number of citizens publicly call for new elections. All citizens of Djaynai are simultaneously seen as nobles, workers, and potential Stewards. The anarchic spiritual group called the Night Revelers poses a challenge to the Stewards' authority, arguing that Djaynai must abandon all government to truly be free.

The security forces that protect Djaynai—including the scouts known as Lightsea Lancers—are highly effective in their roles, but Djaynaian law emphasizes redemption over punishment. In the direst criminal cases, controversial rituals are performed to prevent the offender from acting on their wicked impulses. The offender is then banished for life.

Government in Janya

Janya is an oligarchy ruled by a group called the High Court, some members of which are able to contact key leaders in Djaynai on rare occasions through magical means. Members of the High Court—and the many agents and liaisons who serve it—work in the city's magnificent Council Chamber, which is housed within the shell of a gigantic whelk. However, friction between the Djaynaist and New Janyan factions of the High Court can turn meetings into fraught debates.

The security forces of Janya are called the Billowing Patrol, named for their flowing, dark robes. Their headquarters is a looming silvery fortress guarded by imposing sentries in armor bristling with spikes.

Music

Traditional music in both realms functions to spiritually transfigure listeners. It emphasizes low tones and syncopated rhythms, utilizing stringed instruments such as the lute-like guembri, akoting, and xalam; the musical bow known as the berimbau; and the sonorous atabaque drum.

Names

Djaynaians and Janyans use only single names publicly, reserving family names for close loved ones. In both realms, those family names combine Djaynaian words focused on nature, such as Pineshadow or Misthare. The following are common public names:

• Feminine. Chainay, Fantou, Imané, Kadidia, Khonjit, Lashall
• Masculine. Adesola, Alphiadou, Bacar, D'arael, Darweshi, Mayn
• Gender-Neutral. Akkia, Evlyn, Jayvyn, Kellar, Kioné, Lakarai

Djaynai and Janya Adventures