Destroyed by Berylinthranox during the War of Souls, the Citadel of Light would find renewed purpose in the Age of Mortals. Buy Holy Orders of the Stars: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3239/holy-orders-of-the-stars-3-5e?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
The absence of Goldmoon was profound, but her legacy lives on through the Citadel of Light.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about the Citadel of Light’s Reconstruction. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Holy Orders of the Stars and Age of Mortals sourcebooks for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!
Discussion
You cannot talk about the Citadel of Light on Shallsea Island without talking about Goldmoon. But seeing as I have already done that in The History of the Citadel of Light video, I will pick up after the War of Souls. And it’s important because the War of Souls saw the death of Goldmoon, and the return of the Gods to Krynn. The Citadel of Light was decimated by the Dragon Overlord Berylinthranox. The Hedge Maze was razed, the nine domes of the Citadel were heavily damaged, most completely ruined. Without Goldmoon, many had considered leaving the Citadel in ruins. After all, with the return of the Gods, what was the purpose of Mysticism? Not everyone felt this way, and one of Goldm oon’s oldest friends who helped construct the Citadel originally, the kender mystic Blister Nimblefingers, refused to let Goldmoon’s legacy fade away. After all, Goldmoon brought the knowledge of the gods to the world in the Age of Despair, and later after the gods left Krynn in the Age of Mortals, she brought the power of the heart, Mysticism, to Krynn, teaching people how to heal and take care of eachother.
Blister would decide to do the hard work of rebuilding, and the other Mystics would join her. The wilds, three miles around the Citadel was decimated in the attack, but thanks to Mirror, the silver dragon who guards the Citadel, Dryads from the Desolation have come to be its caretakers.The first Citadel Mystic to become a cleric of the gods was Jemtal Oermann. He suffered horrific dreams of his former life as a Knight of the Skull, and as the War of Souls was ending, he believed himself to be going mad. One night, when Mishakal’s constellation was bright in the sky, Jemtal was drawn to the Silver Stair. He was reported missing for two nights. But on the dawn of the third day, he returned wearing a medallion of faith of Mishakal. He was healed by the benevolent god, finally able to accept his past, knowing that he now had a future. This miraculous act prompted many other Mystics to become clerics. As this trend continued, infighting began to spread and the reconstruction ground to a halt.
A strong-willed Citadel mystic named Cassandra Renay knew that the mystics and clerics had to work together for their shared purpose. She reached out to Jemtal and together they began to reorganize the Citadel’s faithful in ways that would accommodate both parties.The two soon fell in love and were wed at the base of the Silver Stair. The Citadel of Light was refocused as a center for spiritualism and a beacon of hope. All who study there are taught to respect each others’ viewpoints and to learn from one another. Cassandra adopted the administrative roles, and Jemtal acts as caretaker. Since their union the reconstruction progressed smoothly. The Lyceums function in much the same way as before with minor changes. The Hedge Maze was restored to its former splendor, now blossoming with blue flowers. The monument honoring the dragons of light features one hundred feet tall dragons facing each other with their necks forming a heart. This echoes the twin golden dragon statues that flanked the Grand Lyceum.
A memorial to Goldmoon was built at the base of the Silver Stair. This memorial features a statue of a young Goldmoon with her left hand over her heart, and her right hand reaching toward the heavens. This dwarven crafted statue features a plaque which reads “Goldmoon, who gave us faith in the gods and in ourselves.” The Grand Lyceum is nearly finished. The Dragon Mirror has quarters here, adjoining those for Odila. The orphanage was rebuilt with Allika Oliveblossom tending to them. And the Citadel Guardians are quartered there, led by Mac Wellfinder. The nine Domes are arranged into a great circle. The Animism Lyceum is now a center of learning for druids and rangers. The Healing Lyceum is a center of study for both mystics and clerics. The Meditation Lyceum is under the care of the Monk of Majere, Brother Conor. The Mentalism Lyceum has now added a library under the direction of Willard Bayard, an aesthetic from the Library of Palanthas. It also functions as a school for the orphanage.
The Spiritualism Lyceum has been converted to house the Shrines of the True Gods, honoring the Gods of Light and Balance. This is where the Disks of Mishakal are held, and used as teaching tools for clerics. The only mysticism sphere of study not represented is Necromancy, as it is forbidden. This subtle shift in approach has led the Citadel to its new mission of allowing those with differing opinions to work together for the benefit and peace of mortals everywhere. In honor of this commitment, the Citadel has adopted a new symbol of harmony–an infinity sign with a heart in the middle. It seems the Gods of Light and Balance knew about the power of the heart, and do not look down or shun those who choose to help their fellow mortals with its power rather than worshipping them. And ultimately their goals align.
The future of the Citadel of Light is secured, and whether clerics, mystics, druids, rangers, monks or knights wish to study in Palanthas, their own churches or monasteries, or to travel to the Citadel of Light for instruction, the Citadel will forever be enshrined as a place of peace and learning. A place where one may commune with the gods, or find peace and acceptance within themselves. It provides the perfect place of mystery for any campaign and I would highly recommend including it in your Age of Mortals campaign.
Outro
But that is all the time I have to talk about the Citadel of Light’s Reconstruction. What do you think of the shared place of worship? Did you prefer it as a Mysticism only place of study? And finally, have you ever visited it in your campaign? Leave a comment below.
I also want to take a second and let you all know about my new project! I have been developing a system agnostic, dark fantasy campaign setting called DireLands. You can learn more about it on my Eviliv3 Play youtube channel. The link is in the description below.
Also, please consider subscribing to this YouTube channel, ringing the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and clicking the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember:
If I’m going to see the end of the world, I should see it with a positive attitude.
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