Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

Atagua Pronunciations

Dreams in Atagua

Fire at the Mill

When the characters reach the mill, they see the full scope of the disturbance:

The mill is in chaos as a dozen workers make disorganized attempts to douse the fires. Over the noise, a character who has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 18 or higher notices an eerie, whistling emanating from no place in particular.

Nene

Nene is a macaw from the Feywild. He uses the hawk stat block but has the Fey type, has Intelligence 7, and can speak and understand simple phrases and concepts in Common. Nene has a boisterous personality but is easily distracted. He can mime straightforward responses to questions, tap objects to get his point across, scratch simple images in the dirt, and so forth. The macaw is confused by the process of passing through the rift but is eager to get back to the Feywild and can lead the characters to a portal to the Ghost Orchid Tepui (see the "x" section).

[image: Yarana and Nene]

Alfonz "Sugar Man" Rubinaz-Zumdi

The venerable Alfonz (neutral, human noble) reminds everyone he meets that he is the patriarch of a great estate and the landlord of every sugarcane field surrounding the city of El Caparazón. In just three generations, the razor-tongued Sugar Man has transformed his clan, the Zumdi, from farm laborers into the closest thing to nobility that Ataguan society has yet seen. From the stately old hacienda he calls the Sugar Alcázar, the Sugar Man hosts dazzling galas and subtly manipulates local farm owners and bosses from across Atagua to his service.

Assessing the Situation

Workers quickly describe to Alfonz what happened. The Sugar Man asks the characters to join in the conversation, forgoing introductions to get to the heart of the situation. Use the following to guide the discussion:

• The Sugar Man is astonished to hear of the sinkhole. He's thoughtful if the characters suggest a planar disturbance was responsible for it.
• He pays particular attention to any report of Yarana's words. A worker mentions this to the Sugar Man if the characters don't.
• In response to any description of the whistlers, the Sugar Man scoffs openly. He is taken aback if a character shows him evidence of a whistler.

Once he has a grasp of the situation, the Sugar Man orders his bodyguards to help the survivors, assess the damage to the mill, and leave him to speak with the characters alone.

The Sugar Man's Offer

Alfonz leads the characters into the privacy of a storehouse and thanks them for their aid. He focuses in on what Yarana told them and asks what they know about the Ghost Orchid Tepui. He can reveal any information from the "x" section, but he insists that whistlers are folk tales to frighten children.

He shares the following as he sets out an offer for the characters:

• This Yarana person seems to think the macaw can lead the characters to the legendary Ghost Orchid Tepui. The Sugar Man wants the characters to undertake a mission for him if they find a way to that mysterious mountain.
• Legends say that mythical plants called ghost orchids grow on the tepui. The white seed pod of a ghost orchid is said to have the power to bring the dead back to life. The Sugar Man wants the characters to bring him one of these white seed pods.

The Sugar Man's excitement is obvious. If pressed as to why he wants the seed pod, he says only that someone dear to him was once lost, and he wishes to see that person live again. He doesn't share the details, but the Sugar Man plans to use the power of the seed pod to resurrect his son, Endis, who died a year ago. In exchange for procuring a white seed pod for him, the Sugar Man promises to pay the characters 1,250 gp each. Whether or not the characters take the Sugar Man up on his offer, Nene the macaw is anxious to return to Yarana. He begins repeating what the characters and the Sugar Man say in mocking tones until they move on.

Lean-To Items

The Giant Mound

Nene's excited squawking confirms that the giant mound is where the portal to the Ghost Orchid Tepui stands, and the macaw flies straight for it. Characters who investigate the 18-foot-tall mound find it crawling with termites but also discover a sizable crack in one side. This supernaturally dark gap is wide enough for a Large creature to squeeze into. A character who casts detect magic finds the gap radiates an aura of conjuration magic. A creature who passes through the gap enters a planar portal that transports them to the Ghost Orchid Tepui.

A1: Waterfall Pool

As the characters approach the base of the tepui, read or paraphrase the following:

The water of the pool, the waterfall, and the stream that feeds them in x has been magically tainted, causing creatures that touch it to rapidly decay. Any creature that enters the water for the first time on a turn or that starts its turn in the water takes 44 (8d10) necrotic damage. A character who investigates the water and succeeds on a DC 16 Intelligence (Nature) check, or who tests the water by submerging any sort of organic material, recognizes the water's magical corruption. The detect magic spell reveals that the water has an aura of necromantic magic.

A2: Ancient Statue

The ruins here belong to an elven tribe that once dwelled in this region. They moved on long ago but left behind a statue of a forgotten healer.

A3: Waterfall Ascent

The walls of the tepui rise 1,000 feet but boast plentiful handholds, making the tepui easy to climb without an ability check. The waterfall's water is deadly, as described in x.

A4: Tepui Plateau

The stream's waters are deadly, as detailed in x.

The cleft in the ridge is the opening to a short, narrow canyon. Within lies a cave with green-tinged vapor flowing from it. This passage leads to x of the x (see below) and the source of the gas. A creature that enters this trail of gas or the cave into the Crystal Caves suffers the effects of the mist, as detailed in area A3.

As soon as the characters arrive, Nene flutters excitedly toward the cleft in the ridge, leading them toward the entrance to the Crystal Caves while avoiding the toxic vapor.

A5: Crashed Airship

A crashed airship rests precariously atop the tepui. Those who ascend an additional 30 feet up the mountainside reach the deck of the shattered vessel.

This airship found its way to the Ghost Orchid Tepui decades ago and became stranded. There is no evidence of its former owner. A character who succeeds on a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check surmises that the scraps of fabric and rope are all that remains of a blimp-like balloon the ship was once suspended from.

C1: Pool of Skins

A tunnel filled with noxious gas runs 100 feet from x on the Ghost Orchid Tepui before opening into a larger chamber. Read the following description when the characters enter the cavern:

The pool in this room once served as a reflecting pool for a pillar sculpted with images of serene, intertwined snakes with glowing crystalline eyes. The waters have since been despoiled by rotting skin shed by the spirit snake Chimagua.

The stone table bears two empty stone candle holders.

C2: Meditation Nook

Students and guests of Chimagua once rested and meditated here.

C3: Whistling Hall

Two whistlers (detailed at the x) lurk in this hall. If creatures make considerable noise in area C2, the whistlers attempt to teleport behind the intruders, following them into area C4 to ambush them with the other whistler in that area. Otherwise, they attack when the characters enter this passage.

C4: Orchid Cavern

A whistler (detailed at the x) lurks at the western edge of the northern platform. It waits to attack until intruders appear vulnerable—such as when they're crossing the rope bridges.

C5: Ghost Orchid Tree

The ancient tree is a sacred plant that Chimagua cultivated. It rises 20 feet to the cavern ceiling.

C6: The Sleeping Stone

Chimagua, the guardian spirit of the Ghost Orchid Tepui, lies here. Tainted by foul Far Realm energies, the coiled, 40-foot-long anaconda is unconscious. A character who has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 14 or higher sees that Chimagua is incorporeal, fading in and out of existence with each slow breath.

C7: Polluted Pool

Two aboleths, Glol and Kilzilg, lurk in the brackish but mundane waters of this pool. These servants of the Drought Elder infiltrated the tepui and used their master's magic to corrupt Chimagua and the Sleeping Stone. When Yarana arrived, they took control of her. They are using the warrior to watch Chimagua's final days.

The aboleths prefer to stay in the cavern's foul water, which heavily obscures them while they're below the surface. If the aboleths are revealed or the characters enter the water, the aboleths attack. Both use their telepathy to threaten foes, promising eternities of desiccated doom within the Drought Elder's immortal corpse.

Yarana's Hope

Yarana thanks the characters for undertaking her mission. She shares the rest of the story she began when she first contacted the characters, along with any information in the "x" section:

• The Sleeping Stone, a focus of Chimagua's power, has sent the spirit visions of a Far Realm terror known as the Drought Elder that's trying to exert control over Atagua.
• Recently, creatures from the Far Realm slipped from Atagua into the Ghost Orchid Tepui and attacked Chimagua.
• The invaders broke the Sleeping Stone and spirited a piece of it away. This put Chimagua into a deathlike slumber.
• Yarana believes they returned the fragment to the Drought Elder, which is using it as a way to draw power from the nightmares of Atagua's people.
• Only by recovering the missing piece of the Sleeping Stone might Chimagua be saved.
• Yarana believes the Drought Elder is vulnerable to Chimagua's magic, such as that of white ghost orchid seeds.

Yarana beseeches the characters to help by stealing into the Drought Elder's domain and recovering the stolen Sleeping Stone fragment. She has little to offer them except for two potions of healing (supreme) and a pouch of Feywild herbs that functions as Keoghtom's ointment, but she suspects Chimagua will reward them handsomely if they aid the spirit.

If pressed about the Drought Elder itself, Yarana knows only that it is a terrible being of desiccation and ruin. She doesn't know how to combat it, but she suggests the characters takes the white seed pod from the Ghost Orchid in x. Since the white seed pods hold the power of rebirth, perhaps it can be used against an entity of decay.

Consulting with the Dawn Mother

Once the Dawn Mother comes to her senses, she apologizes for her rage and explains that she's been suffering terrible dreams. If asked for the Hammock of Worlds, she rummages amid the vines covering her and produces it. If the characters explain why they need it, she's eager to help them and not only gives them the hammock but also leads them to the Silver Tapir Monastery.

If the Dawn Mother is calmed or defeated, Cht-Chak thanks the characters and rewards them. If the characters kill the giant, Cht-Chak helps them retrieve the Hammock of Worlds from the giant's body and directs them to the Silver Taper Monastery.

D1: Egg Chamber

Characters who pass through the Hammock of Worlds have the feeling of jolting awake from a dream, then emerge into the Drought Elder standing up. Read the following description:

A character who investigates the walls and succeeds on a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation or Nature) check realizes they're inside some gigantic creature, though it doesn't seem to be alive.

D2: Dead End

If a creature approaches what appears to be the tunnel's end, hundreds of saucer-sized eyes with fanged pupils open and begin repeating a random character's name. The wall is a gibbering mouther controlled by the Drought Elder. It moves out of the way for any Aberration, revealing a 5-foot-diameter gap in the wall, but it attacks any other creature. Destroying the gibbering mouther leaves the gap in the wall unguarded.

D3: Void Striders

Part of the Drought Elder's body has been shattered, reduced to a mass of broken chitin islands floating between the two halves of its body.

D4: Vestige of Consciousness

A vestige of the Drought Elder's obscene consciousness lingers here. Beyond, its maw opens into the void.

D5: Mandible Walk

Approximately 40 feet from the Drought Elder's maw hangs the Sleeping Stone shard, twinkling between the being's two gigantic mandibles. The Drought Elder's servants avoid this area, fearing that their master might awake and consume them.

Escaping the Drought Elder

Once the characters have claimed the shard of the Sleeping Stone, they must still return to Atagua. The Drought Elder does nothing to physically impede the characters, but it telepathically urges the creatures inhabiting its massive corpse to attack the intruders. At your discretion, additional pairs of whistlers (detailed at the x) and groups of 2d4 gibbering mouthers menace the characters as they return to the portal.

The Grassroads

The Grassroads are a system of elevated, 15-foot-wide roads ranging from 5 to 20 feet in height and punctuated by lean-to shelters; the roads and shelters alike are constructed from wood, reeds, and stone. The folk of Atagua use these roads to ensure safe passage above the many hazards of the Llanos. Traders and farmers walk the roads day and night, protected by the elite fighter-scouts known as Cababa warriors, who patrol constantly for poachers and bandits. Thri-kreen can often be found scavenging the ground beneath the pathways for items dropped from above. They then trade these items for panela—cones of brown sugar cooked in mills across Atagua.

El Caparazón

Hundreds of farming villages dot the Llanos, bordered by sugarcane fields and orchards of cacao trees. El Caparazón ("The Shell") is the largest of these settlements and the capital of Atagua. It was named for a latticework partial dome built by the Flood People hundreds of years ago. The dome provides precious shade to the central square known as the Mercado Sucre and to a grand hacienda roofed with amber-hued tiles. Called the Sugar Alcázar, this hacienda is home to Alfonz Rubinaz-Zumdi, the powerful landowner known as the Sugar Man.

About 5 miles outside the city, Port Panela serves as Atagua's port. It boasts dozens of wooden docks as well as thatched huts on stilted platforms, and the harbor teems with sleek trade boats returning or departing with sugar, cacao, goods, and travelers.

The Outposts

Three remote settlements, collectively known as "the outposts," are home to the most notable factions of Atagua. One is a busy encampment that serves as a base for the Tribe of Builders, the engineers and workers who repair and extend the Grassroads. Every six years they rebuild this encampment, which they affectionately call the Devil's Hammock. The second outpost was once the El Chapán rum distillery; after it closed down long ago, it became a trading post for the thri-kreen of the Llanos. The third outpost is the Silver Tapir Monastery, which serves as the sanctuary and school of the Green Doctors.

Hard-Won Independence

Nearly five hundred years ago, an invading force rolled across the Llanos of Atagua, thereafter invading the neighboring region of San Citlán. But after three centuries of occupation, the mixed descendants of the Flood People who first settled Atagua and former invaders who made peace with them decisively expelled their would-be rulers after a thirteen-year war of independence. Atagua's people are the result of the multigenerational intermingling between the native Flood People, the descendants of invaders who rebelled against their leaders and settled here, and a steady stream of new immigrants and adventurers drawn to the freedom and challenges of life on the Llanos.

The aftermath of war was marked by a vibrant rebuilding period. Large settlements such as El Caparazón retained some of the cultural aspects of the long colonial occupation, while rural villages primarily drew on the legacy of the Flood People.

Even after two centuries of peace, tensions sometimes arise between clans and factions due to feuds and the revival of ancient grudges. These conflicts flare but are resolved through hard work, patient negotiations, and compromises by all sides. Overall, the people of Atagua embrace the idea that they form a complicated, diverse culture—and that together, they will shape a hopeful future.

Lives of the People

Sugar and chocolate are abundant in the cuisine of Atagua, especially in the favored beverages: drinking chocolate, strong coffee, and even stronger rum sweetened with panela—the cooked-down juice of sugarcane. Corn, black beans, and plantains are the cornerstones of every meal, and arepas—grilled buns made from ground corn—are eaten by the wealthy and the poor alike.

The folk of this land work hard by day, but they mark each noon as the start of the siesta, which offers a much-needed respite from the midday heat. People retire to the shade of haciendas or huts, to rest or quietly gather with their closest kin, for it is said that only the untrustworthy conduct their affairs under the blistering midday sun. And when work is done, evenings explode with social activity and music.

Cropped cotton trousers, long-sleeve tunics, long and loose sleeveless jackets known as gilets, full skirts, and straw hats are everyday dress for people of all genders in Atagua. Geometric tattoos or angular designs painted with butterfly-based pigments are commonplace on faces and hands. And the Cababa warriors and the workers of the Tribe of Builders bear accessories made from feathers and flowers, paired with snakeskin kilts.

Faith and Fortune

Religion in Atagua revolves around the Suwa, a shifting pantheon of hundreds of folk heroes. Small, colorful statues of Suwa heroes are found everywhere in Atagua and are honored with offerings of rum or sweets. Ataguans are tolerant of different beliefs and often adopt legendary figures from other cultures into the Suwa.

The Green Doctors

The collective of mystics known as the Green Doctors weaves together knowledge of magic and herbal medicine to heal the people and creatures of Atagua. The leader of their order is an elf named Melecio. Green Doctors are recognized by the green sash they wear around their waists, but any healer, mage, or storyteller can study medicine at the order's home, the Silver Tapir Monastery.

Names

Some Ataguan names honor the ancestral heroes of the Flood People, while others are derived by mixing those names with ones from the colonial past. In addition to given names, insightful nicknames from a person's childhood often linger into adulthood. The following are examples of such names:

• Feminine. Cruz, Tibísay, Yamaira, Zulibeth
• Masculine. Estwaldo, Jecson, Oru, Payaro
• Gender-Neutral. Ara, Riaguey, Tamí, Zamiri
• Nicknames. Arrow, Little Toucan, Orchid, Quipper
• Surnames. Periro, Secuentes, Táreru, Zárates

Atagua Adventures