DL1: Straight to the Lost City
February 7, 2024
DL1 Dragons of Despair is a fun module…once you get past several pages of read-aloud text and aimless stage-setting. One option is to skip directly to page 8: Council Hall of the Highseekers. Get right to a meaningful decision for the PCs…
What path will you take to the Lost City of Xak Tsaroth? An overland route through the forbidden Darkenwood and across enemy-infested plains? Or a boat path through a raging river canyon and along an unknown sea coast?
Another option is skip to page 13. Go straight to the jungle of the lost city. Fight your way through vines and swamp things and draconians on log bridges. Discover the sunken city ruins and the temple of a forgotten goddess, with ominous stairs leading down.
The point is to get to the strongest part of the module: the dungeon…a subterranean lost city with classic pulp adventure features and an engaging map. It’s not a large or particularly complex environment, but it took us four sessions to complete. There’s just a lot to do and ways to do it.
There are several elements that aren’t elaborated upon in the module but, in our game, they played a big part of the dungeon action. Modern modules often cover these topics more directly, but older modules like this tend to leave things unstated for DMs to work out on their own. In any case, it helps to be prepared…
Faction play with Gully Dwarves.
Allying with the “bad guy” draconians isn’t probable, but it’s not assumed that PCs will work with the gully dwarves for mutual benefit. The module doesn’t give advice to the DM for how that relationship may play out. The descriptions of gully dwarf behavior implies that it would be like allying with a cross between Ewoks and hamsters.
In our game, the party did align with the little guys. The PCs kicked draconian ass early and often, earning gully dwarf respect and confidence. In turn, they helped the party as guides, spies, elevator operators, guards, alarms, decoys, etc. Despite being something of a comic relief element, the gullies can be a critical and valuable part of the adventure.
Where to rest and reload?
Chances are the party will want to rest, heal, and refresh spells while down in the lost city. They’ll need a safe haven or hideout. Again, not something the module mentions at all, but there are at least a few options for this:
In the gully dwarf district. In our game, a couple PCs had been seriously injured by poisonous snakes. They befriended Gully King Highbulp, who then offered a protected room for the PCs to recover.
At the upside down inn. The PCs rested here one night on their initial descent after the gullies assured them it was safe, primarily to re-memorize and swap in new spells. It’s located on a sub-level at mid-elevation, somewhat out of the way to return to if needed.
Recharge the crystal staff at the goddess statue. The staff has great healing powers (and more), but needs to be recharged at the temple. This is at the surface of the lost city, which presents a minor challenge to get up there and back, safely and stealthily.
In our game, the PCs returned twice to recharge the staff. Usage of the chain elevator became a fun focal point of the adventure, and here the gully dwarves were of great help to the party. Eventually the PCs learned how to use the treasury teleports for a less hairy and harrowing journey up and down.
How do the Draconians respond?
Hopefully the PCs are tactful about killing the enemy. Sooner or later the garrison of draconians will discover their numbers are decreasing and do something about it.
In our game, the PCs WERE tactful and never let a draconian escape from battle. Thus, the surviving garrison was unaware of the party. Instead, they suspected the gully dwarves were behind the killings and responded by raiding Gully King Highbulp’s district.
This occurred while the PCs were up top, recharging the crystal staff. When they came back down, the place was crawling with draconian soldiers. The endgame had begun.
To scroll or not to scroll?
In the goddess temple near the dungeon entrance there’s an encounter that will likely result in the party acquiring a magic user scroll holding a 10th level Lightning Bolt spell. A nice weapon for a party of level 3-6 PCs.
Thing is…using the pre-made characters and by-the-book 1E AD&D rules, the party can’t read or use the scroll during the adventure. This Raistlin doesn’t have Read Magic in his spellbook! Probably an editorial oversight. In later modules of the Dragonlance series, Raistlin does have Read Magic.
In our game, we decided Raistlin could use the scroll. It made the sickly mage more useful and worth protecting. That lightning bolt ended up being the killing blow against the final boss dragon. Fried to a crisp by a little crackling fork of electricity.
Fire in the Jungle 