July 19 Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel is available now.
Dungeons and Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast has officially announced its next D&D book – Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, an anthology of adventures in the style of Candlekeep Mysteries and Tales from the Yawning Portal that, according to Wizards, “features adventures by writers drawing inspiration from their connections to various real-world cultures and mythologies”. Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel was meant to be available from June 21, 2022, but it was delayed until July 19 in May.
The anthology is co-led by Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft writer Ajit George and senior game designer F. Wesley Schneider. In a press release following Wizard’s press briefing on Friday, March 18, George says Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel “blows open the D&D multiverse with a fresh set of exciting adventures that serve as gateways to new lands, monsters, characters, and more”.
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel will feature 13 adventures, and each features locations, characters, and monsters inspired by different cultures – writers on the project have roots everywhere from India, to Iran, to Thailand, and beyond. “Talented writers from around the globe came together to make something truly special”, says George. “There’s never been anything like this in D&D before.” Each adventure even comes with its own tailor-made pronunciation guide.
The anthology features some brand new D&D monsters, including the ‘Wynling’ seen on the book’s cover, the ‘Soul Shaker’, and the angel creature known as the ‘Pari’. It was also revealed at the press event that some first and second-edition monsters will also be returning, with creatures like the Aurumvorax hinted at making an appearance. According to Schneider, there are no new subclasses or D&D races in Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, but characters can earn ‘charms’, a type of supernatural gift awarded based on a character’s heroics.
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The new sourcebook will be available digitally on June 21 with a cover designed by Evyn Fong, and physical copies with an alternative cover designed by Sija Hong will be available exclusively from game stores. In last week’s limited briefing, Wargamer saw a sneak peek of three adventures in the upcoming sourcebook, which showcased the range of tones and character levels the anthology is designed for in more detail.
‘Salted Legacy’ is a lighthearted, first-level mystery adventure that has players fighting giant prawns and entering cooking competitions in the Dyn Singh Night Market. “Players are thrown into a generational feud between two rival vendor families after a series of vandalisms and thefts begin to occur”, explains the adventure’s writer Surena Marie – who you may also know from D&D actual play projects like Rivals of Waterdeep. As well as including lighthearted, “icebreaker games”, Marie says that the adventure is inspired by the “duality” of being a first-generation immigrant.
‘Written in Blood’ is a third-level adventure by TTRPG writer Erin Roberts where players face the Gothic hauntings of Godsbreath, a region inspired by the American South that – as Roberts explains – has all the trappings of a Jordan Peele film. “Godsbreath is my personal homage to the Black experience in the Southern United states”, she says. She adds that Written in Blood promises a darker, creepier D&D adventure – plus more Crawling Claws than you’d be comfortable with in one place.
And ‘Shadow of the Sun’ has 11th-level players choosing sides amidst political tensions in the city-state of Akharin Sangar, which is ruled by the mighty angel Atash. Will players side with Atash’s peacekeepers, or will they join the resistance group? The adventure’s author and senior D&D games designer Justice Arman says “characters are going to quickly discover that there’s not a lot of room for neutral ground.” Inspired by ancient Persia, Arman also explains that Shadow of the Sun “has deep themes that make it feel very relevant to modern Iranians and POCs”.
The titular Radiant Citadel acts as a hub between adventures where adventurers can find respite. According to George, the Radiant Citadel is “a city of stories and sanctuary – a crossroad city that welcomes all in need”. George adds that the Radiant Citadel was designed to be distinct from the D&D cities you may be used to. “It’s not a place of backstabbing and monsters and crime lurking just around the corner – the radiant city was meant to give players a real home.”
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At the press event, George also emphasised the importance of having a diverse team behind the sourcebook. “I am truly honoured to be the first POC to lead a D&D book”, he says. He adds that this is the first time that “two women of colour (WOC)” have created a D&D cover, and there were reportedly 50 people of colour (POC) working on or supporting the book. “All 16 writers are black and brown writers, so it’s a first of its kind”, George claims. “I don’t think there is any other game project in games history that has had that many POCs work on it before.”
In the press release, Wizards of the Coast has also revealed the full list of adventures. The thirteen adventures in Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel are:
- Salted Legacy
- Written in Blood
- The Fiend of Hollow Mine
- Wages of Vice
- Sins of Our Elders
- Gold for Fools and Princes
- Trail of Destruction
- In the Mists of Manivarsha
- Between Tangled Roots
- Shadow of the Sun
- The Nightsea’s Succour
- Buried Dynasty
- Orchids of the Invisible Mountain
Wizards says more information on Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel will be released in the lead-up to the book’s release on June 21.
If you’re after more information about Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, check out this discussion of the political joy offered by the titular city. Alternatively, if you’re after something live, you might enjoy the first episode of the D&D actual play series from actor Deborah Ann Woll – Children of Éarte.