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Session 1: The Gauntlight Lights Up

S1 Recap: The Gauntlight Lights Up

TL;DR

Summoned by the worried star-reader Wrin Sivinxi, four strangers met at the Crook's Nook tavern in Otari and agreed to investigate the long-deserted Gauntlight lighthouse, which has mysteriously lit up for the first time. Trekking through the fog-choked swamp, they fought their way through taunting mitflits, a baited giant toad (slurk), and a giant maggot inside the crumbling ruins, finding signs that a fierce battle happened here only weeks ago. They reached a stone walkway guarded by inert armored skeletons and cleared one last mitflit ambush before stopping for the night.

The Party

What Happened

  1. The hook (Crook's Nook, Otari). Wrin Sivinxi explains the Gauntlight lighthouse outside town has begun glowing for the first time in living memory, alongside strange night-time sightings. She asks the party to investigate and report back; anything they find is theirs to keep. Cid separately asks the Towerkeeper about town rumors: holes found at the fishery, the Thirsty Alpaca burned down, and places being called haunted. [00:12:25, 00:19:55, 00:33:54]
  2. Travel. Short on coin (they couldn't afford a ~3gp alchemist's toolkit), they head out through fog into the marsh and reach the island ruins under the colossal lighthouse. [00:39:17, 00:41:39]
  3. Watchtower mitflits. Blue fey "mitflit" tricksters taunt them from the webbed ceiling, offering "magic pixie mud." A fight breaks out; the party drives them off and Venris kills one. [00:56:51, 01:21:38]
  4. The slurk. Fleeing mitflits chuck a bait pouch into the pond, luring out a giant tusked toad (a "slurk"). Veve finds a half-eaten three-foot scaly humanoid corpse on the bank. The party provokes and kills the toad; the toad crit-rammed Cid for 12 first. Loot: a 4gp pouch (quietly pocketed by Venris) and a spiked snare. [01:33:49, 01:41:36, 02:29:10, 02:38:38]
  5. Sinkhole room. More mitflits and a slow giant maggot (which sickened Veve). Venris disarms an inert armored skeleton of a +1 morning star. Recall Knowledge reveals this collapsed room is where Otari — the Rose Guard's rogue — was swallowed and died, in a battle that happened here only weeks ago, not centuries. [02:57:52, 03:54:01, 04:08:59]
  6. Stone walkway ambush. A 15-foot walkway with a second armored skeleton leads onward. Cid baits a door with a dead mitflit; a final ambush of mitflits (one casting Bane) is wiped out. Loot: short swords, ten darts each, 9 sp. The GM pauses here for the night. [03:45:14, 04:21:01, 04:32:24]

Why It Matters

The "ancient" lighthouse is anything but dormant: the battle scars are fresh (weeks old), suggesting something is active and recent inside Gauntlight. The mitflits seem organized enough to bait monsters against intruders, and at least one was a spellcaster. The party has barely scratched the surface — the lighthouse top is still the goal.

Next-Session Reminders

Scene timeline (9)
00:00:02Pregame setup: names, minis, and character intros
The table sorts out Discord names, mini selection, and audio levels, then each player introduces their character: Venris Greystone (cavern elf rogue obsessed with the Gauntlight lighthouse), Veve Hao (orphan/street bard with a fey bond), Cidolfus (former count of Mulon, framed for regicide, now a fighter), and Vizigar/Visigoth (an edgy cleric of Pharasma raised by wandering monks). Ages and elven lineage are established. [S1 · 00:02:11 · turn 0026 · scene 001]
00:09:56The hook: Wrin Sivinxi gathers the party at the Crook's Nook
GM frames the setting: the Gauntlight lighthouse outside Otari has mysteriously lit up for the first time, and the astrologer/star-reading priest Wrin Sivinxi is worried. She gathers the characters at the Crook's Nook tavern (a known thieves' hangout famous for clam chowder). Cid separately questions the Towerkeeper about strange occurrences (fishery holes, the burnt-down Thirsty Alpaca, haunting rumors). The party agrees to investigate the keep and report back to Rin. [S1 · 00:12:20 · turn 0096 · scene 002]
00:31:07Last preparations and travel to the keep through the fog
The party debates buying an alchemist's toolkit (~3gp) but lacks coin; only a healer's toolkit is on hand. They set out from Otari, travel a trail past the forest into a foggy swamp ('Fogfen'/'Fogton'), and arrive at crumbling ruins on an island in a marsh dominated by the colossal Gauntlight lighthouse. Cid effectively takes point and they discuss approach and roles before entering. [S1 · 00:39:17 · turn 0323 · scene 003]
00:46:09Watchtower entry and first fight: the taunting mitflits
Entering the moldy watchtower, the party hears scuttling and spots blue goblin-like mitflits (fey tricksters) up in the webbing, taunting them and offering 'magic pixie mud' (their own droppings). Only Venris understands their Sakvroth speech. After a mitflit makes an attack throw at Venris, initiative is rolled. Veve casts Forbidding Ward on Venris and Sustains a Light; Venris and Cid drive the mitflits off, and Venris later climbs up and kills one, looting a short sword and ten darts. Recall Knowledge identifies them as mitflits. [S1 · 00:56:45 · turn 0482 · scene 004]
01:25:08The drawbridge, the pond corpse, and the giant toad (slurk)
The fleeing mitflits throw a bait pouch of insects into the murky pond before escaping. Cid scouts a rickety 20-foot drawbridge to the main ruin and forces open a barely-hinged door into a large L-shaped hall scarred by fire/battle damage. Veve spots a half-decayed three-foot scaly humanoid corpse on the pond bank. A slurk (a big tusked toad) emerges where the bait landed; the party provokes and fights it (Venris bow, Veve, Vizigar's Divine Lance). It lands a crit ram on Cid for 12 before being killed. Loot: a 4gp pouch and a spiked snare. A ten-minute break is taken near the two-hour mark. [S1 · 01:33:49 · turn 0813 · scene 005]
02:35:28Looting the toad and lighting the main hall
After the slurk dies the group loots: Venris recovers coins from a bag of mitflit droppings (adds ~2gp), pockets the 4gp pouch (poorly hidden from the party), recovers a couple of arrows, and confirms the bait was just nasty insects. Veve cleans/heals with Prestidigitation and a muse song. They re-light the dark L-shaped hall with Light and torches; Venris Recall Knowledges the fire/battle scars as recent (within the month), not ancient. They decide to push toward the lighthouse top room by room. [S1 · 02:38:38 · turn 1345 · scene 006]
02:51:52Sinkhole room: more mitflits, a giant maggot, and Otari's grave
The party advances into a collapsed-ceiling room with a ten-foot sinkhole and hears mitflit shrieking. They catch four mitflits squabbling over food and open with a joint sneak attack (Venris lands repeated headshots; Vizigar threads Divine Lance shots). A slow giant maggot/grub also engages, sickening Veve with a vomit attack. Venris disarms a seven-foot armored skeleton holding a +1 morning star (inert). Recall Knowledge reveals this sinkhole is where Otari, the Rose Guard's rogue, was swallowed and died during the recent battle between the Rose Guard and the sorcerer (Belcorra/Valphora). [S1 · 02:57:52 · turn 1520 · scene 007]
04:01:00Stone walkway skeleton and the final mitflit ambush
Beyond the room a 15-foot stone walkway connects to an outbuilding, guarded by another inert seven-foot armored skeleton with a morning star. Hearing more enemies behind a door, Cid props a dead mitflit as bait and forces the door, triggering a final ambush. The party (Venris sneak-attack/critical kills, Vizigar threading shots, Cid pinning enemies, an enemy caster using Bane on Venris) wipes them out. Loot: short swords, ten darts each, and 9 silver pieces. [S1 · 03:45:14 · turn 1952 · scene 008]
04:33:44Session wrap-up: feedback and the crit/fumble table
GM pauses the game with the party at the walkway and gathers feedback. They agree to trial an optional critical-hit / critical-fumble effects table going forward. Players reassure the GM about his slow prep/pace and discuss arrow/loot management. The mitflits get nicknamed 'the Misfits.' [S1 · 04:33:44 · turn 2399 · scene 009]
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