Session Prep: 07/03/21 Amphibians in the Mist

So this one needs a bit of setup. Back on Halloween, one of the characters was killed in battle while clearing out a warehouse full of Myriad members. The player dropped from the game temporarily due to workload and has been flirting with the idea of coming back. This session was to be his triumphant return with a new character. 

On top of this, another player that had started in our first campaign, but lived a state away was in town and wanted to play. We had tried having him join in via skype to keep him in that original game, (This was not only pre-Covid but also pre-D&D Beyond), but we couldn't get it to work very well, so he dropped out. Fortunately, I'm a bit of a goof and had included his original character Shalazar the Dragonborn as a shopkeeper in this campaign. To get the party to explore the area a bit, I had him tell the party about the Lost City of Obarra said to be accessible by exploring that Quoraska Jungle. It also helped that rumors told of powerful artifacts buried within the lost city. It just so happens the party was preparing to leave to investigate the jungle in the previous session.



The stars were aligning to have an amazing session for all those in attendance! I should probably give you an idea of the type of game I run. I believe in utilizing various factions to create situations that will force the players into action. I have written out their goals, motivations, and what actions they are taking to push their agendas. If the players happen upon or otherwise interact with these ambitions, it could set them back and create tension as the factions move to eliminate the party. All in all, this leads to a pretty low prep style game with plenty of improvisation. 

Having said all this, I needed to do a bit of prep to work in Shalazar joining the party who had stolen a ship and moved further down the coast, and a returning player introducing a new character. 

I needed a Mcguffin!

I needed it quick too as this session was a spur-of-the-moment one set to take place in less than 24 hours. I dug around in the old memory banks for something that might get a chuckle out of the group and quickly landed on an oddly shaped dagger covered in strange runes. If investigated for a moment a gold semi-circle-shaped bit could be extended from the crossguard. It was found in an abandoned ship found in the desert somewhere. Upon research, Shalazar discovered this dagger can help locate the lost city of Obarra.

As far as the returning player he thought being worked in as a member of the newly hired crew would work, so all I needed now was a threat. The characters are only level 4, but there are 7 of them, which using 5e encounter math means I can throw something big at them. Our group chat exploded with excitement at the thought of getting the band back together. It was the type of buzz usually reserved for preparing to start a new campaign. One player even joked they could probably take on a beholder! I had a random encounter rolled up involving some Bullywugs, so why not make use of that gorgeous Froghemoth mini I picked up a few years ago?

I laid out a couple of Ewok style net traps to complete the pilfering of Star Wars, and decided a Bullywug Croaker to lead the minions to round out the initial encounter. The leader could snag one of the captured players and scamper off towards the site of the froghemoth! 




Alas, any DM can attest that no plan survives first contact with the PCs, and this was no exception! Stay tuned for the Amphibians in the Mist Session report to see how it plays out!



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