Session 4 of “The Sunless Citadel” begins with the adventurers continuing their exploration of the citadel. They quickly encounter a room filled with rats, which they decide to leave undisturbed. They then find a locked door, which Anna picks open, leading to an empty chamber with tracks heading north.
Moving on, they open another door to a dusty room containing a fountain and a stone door with a draconic carving and inscription. Tempest notices another inscription on the fountain. Damon's detect magic reveals magical auras on both the door and the fountain. Anna discovers the stone door is trapped with a descending sickle blade, which they manage to wedge open with a spear. The magic on the door is identified as likely an arcane lock.
They attempt to open the door with a crowbar, finding it cold to the touch. Turning their attention to the fountain, they try saying the inscription “let there be fire,” causing a reddish liquid to well up. This liquid turns out to be a potion of fire breath, which violently erupts when Damon casts a fire bolt at it, causing minor damage to Shannon, Tempest, and Damon.
After some players level up their characters, they finally manage to pry open the stone door. It leads to a silent chamber with five dusty sarcophagi, an altar with a burning candle, a small crystal whistle, and a crystal flask. The candle and flask are magically charged. As they examine the whistle, the sarcophagi burst open, and five skeletons attack the party. A combat ensues, and the adventurers successfully defeat the skeletons. They take a short rest after the fight.
Continuing their exploration, Little like kicks open a door to find a hallway with three drunken goblins practicing archery. Another combat breaks out, and the party quickly dispatches the goblins, looting them for a key and a silver flask. They hear whimpering from behind another door, which they open to find a squalid room containing a halfling and a gnome named Murky Timber, who was imprisoned by goblin bandits. They free Murky and some kobolds also held captive, and Murky shares information about the missing children – Tau, Jonsharland, and Sir Bradford – revealing they were taken by someone named Belak about a week prior. He also speaks of the Twilight Grove below the citadel, Belak's enchanted garden containing a “kathai astray” tree with enchanted fruit. Murky asks to join the party, and they agree.
The party continues exploring, finding jail cells containing giant rats, which they avoid. They enter a room with two spiked-open trapdoors and another dragon fountain bearing a different draconic inscription. When Tempest relays the translated inscription – “let there be death” – a poisonous mist spews from the dragon's mouth, filling the room. The party makes saving throws, but one character (likely an NPC) dies, and the rest are poisoned. Murky is poisoned for a longer duration. They wait for the poison to dissipate.
They then look down the trapdoors, finding a pit filled with rat bones. Opening another door reveals a horrifying scene: a vile nest of chewed carcasses including goblins, a kobold, and a human ranger who matches the description of Caracas, one of the individuals they were searching for. The nest is also home to several giant rats, including a monstrously swollen female. Combat with the giant rats erupts, and the party manages to kill them. They search the nest and Caracas's body, finding gold, silver, gems, a gold ring engraved with Caracas's name, a longbow, a potion of healing, studded leather armor, and other adventuring gear. The session concludes with the DM awarding experience points.