After weeks of slogging through that meat grinder dungeon (which I’m now convinced is just poorly designed), we hit our stride in the city. The players took their time. Instead of going straight to the Low Lantern, the players went to the Flaming Fist baracks and spoke to the captain. This led to them really digging into the plot of the world and me doing more silly Captain voices. Then, they haggled with the Flaming Fist quartermaster for some supplies. And by haggled, I mean that they bribed him.
Once at the Low Lantern, of course they decide to talk to every npc. Overall, the session pace was slow. But honestly? That speed changeup leeds us to our best sessions in a while.
I let Captain Zodge be a little more good aligned than the module suggests, he’s just a soldier in my head. It helped keep the party grounded while they realized that just killing cultists wasn’t enough. You don’t move against the Vanthampurs without proof.
So they hunted. Dug into conversations. Pressed a drunken Flaming Fist at the Low Lantern for info. One of the highlights? A bard casting Disguise Self to turn into a Kenku bar wench and serve Octoberfest beer. Why? Recon. Pure and beautiful.
We ended the session on a perfect beat: the Warlock cast Charm Person on Americ, and he rolled an 18 on his save. We’re picking up next week right there.
After weeks of slogging through that meat grinder dungeon (which I’m now convinced is secretly a punishment module), we hit our stride in the city. The players took their time—talking to nearly everyone in the Low Lantern, digging into leads, and pulling together the threads left dangling after the dungeon. The pace was slower, but more characterful, and honestly? It was one of our best sessions in a while.
I let Zodge be a little more good-aligned than the module suggests—he’s just a soldier in my head—and it helped keep the party grounded while they realized that just killing cultists wasn’t enough. You don’t move against the Vanthampurs without proof. And the players knew it.So they hunted. Dug into conversations. Pressed a drunken Flaming Fist for info. One of the highlights? A bard casting Disguise Self to turn into a Kenku bar wench and serve Americ a beer. Why? Recon. Pure, beautiful, ill-advised recon.We ended the session on a perfect beat: the Warlock cast Charm Person on Americ, and he rolled an 18 on his save. We’re picking up next week right there.