This game is full, but your adventure's just beginning!
This game filled up fast! But the good news? There are so many more games you can check out. Let's find your next adventure!
Image by Cody K Scott
Beyond The City of the Lost | Swords, Sorcery & Dungeon Intrigue
Legends whisper of a Lost City of rival factions and magic where dwells a being that can reshape reality. Who will you become in the City of the Lost?
$30.00
/ Session
Details
Bi-weekly / Saturday - 11:00 PM UTC
Apr 25 / Session 4
Session Duration / 2.75–3.25 hours
6 / 6 Seats Filled
Report Adventure
StartPlaying Money Back Guarantee
If your game doesn't happen, we guarantee a refund. Just reach out to StartPlaying Support. Refund Policy
Schedule
Meet your party members
6/6
About the adventure
Evil Beckons — Will You Fight or Kneel? A sandstorm strands you in a dead desert. Half-mad with thirst, you find a buried ruin and a towering step-pyramid—inside, rival cults battle over a secret that promises unimaginable power. 🔥The Smokeless Fire Somewhere in the ziggurat, legend says a djinn is bound behind ancient wards—able to reshape reality… for a price. Free it, bind it, trick it, bargain with it. Your choice changes what follows. 🏛️ A Renowned Classic Dungeon with Living Factions The Lost City (originally published in 1982) is a pressure-cooker of cults, monsters, and competing agendas. Negotiate, infiltrate, recruit, betray, seize control—your decisions determine who ascends and what the Lost City becomes. 🕰️ Campaign Scope A long-term ongoing series of episodic arcs with a stable table (4 consistent players; looking for 1–2 more). 🎭 At the Table Sessions mix gamified survival exploration, faction roleplay, and tactical encounters including non-combat objectives and shifting conditions. Consequences persist, character arcs emerge naturally, and we end sessions with Stars & Wishes. Each session typically includes one 10 minute break. ⚔️ From Level 1 to Legend Start at level 1 as desperate survivors, then climb into power as you conquer the ziggurat’s tiers, claim relics, and venture beyond the material world onto the Infinite Staircase.
Game style
Sandbox / Open World
Roleplay Heavy
Dungeon Crawl
Tactical / Crunchy
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(46)
4 years on StartPlaying
267 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Teacher
Average response time: 24+ hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
My name is Grendy, and I’ve been running tabletop RPGs since the 90s. I specialize in immersive, player-driven campaigns where exploration, mystery, and meaningful choices define the story. My goal is to give you a world that feels alive—one you can push against, question, and transform through your actions. As a genderqueer and neurodiverse GM, I create a welcoming, inclusive environment where every player can engage comfortably and confidently. I use consent tools and clear communication to make sure the table feels safe for everyone. I run long-term campaigns that grow with your group, emphasizing emergent storytelling, morally complex scenarios, and tactical, narratively relevant combat. Whether you're brand new or deeply experienced, my fluency and adaptability ensure a smooth, engaging experience from session to session. I’m based in Pacific Time (GMT-7), with flexible scheduling and pricing for groups.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Characters start at the average party level (beginning at 1st) using the standard point buy or array. Each character has normal starting equipment plus 250 gp to spend on additional nonmagical gear. All PCs begin play with a healing potion. Characters of any Flanaess origin are suited for this adventure. Common choices (no special setting friction): Humans, Halflings, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes. Playable “monstrous” folk: Orcs, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Bugbears, Kobolds. Expect these characters to live on the margins—social complications and prejudice may come up in play. Other “outsider” options (also socially complicated): Centaurs, Dragonborn, Githyanki, Lizardfolk, Tieflings, Tabaxi, Yuan-ti Pureblood. These are welcome, but the world will react. As the campaign progresses, additional character options may become available. I recommend using D&Dbeyond to generate your character. If you want to use third party options (like Valda's Spire of Secrets) I recommend building your character from scratch in Foundry. If you need access to campaign materials or any help with character generation, let me know!
4 long-term consistent players. Party make-up will be decided on session zero.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
You will need a working PC with a mic and probably a head-set. You will also need a discord account and join my discord (https://www.funlandia.org). All games will be hosted on my personal self-hosted Foundry server. D&D beyond is an excellent choice for character creation. If you need campaign resources they can be provided at no extra cost.
What Grendy brings to the table
My best asset is an extensive history of gamemastering. My approach to roleplaying is to create a complete experience for my players. The problem of "boring travel" is solved with a system of hex-crawling that allows for organic character growth, vivid lyrical immersion, and emergent storytelling. As a result, my sessions are much more focused on mystery, exploration, and social encounters than a typical "hack and slash" 5e campaign; and because the story is driven by the player choices, we will often go off-road of the module. I also voice-act most NPCs. 🌐I bring a complete, hand-crafted roleplaying experience with everything you need to fully immerse yourself, utilizing a huge array gaming assets that make each session with me run fluidly from scene to scene. ⚔️ Strategic combat is also a focus of my D&D games! Combat with multiple phases, changing terrain, interesting custom creatures, and environmental effects make each combat unique. ⌚ Players will collect downtime days every session (tracked and recorded for you!) along with enough GP to participate in downtime mini-games between sessions on the discord. Craft magic items, research mysterious occurrences, learn new proficiencies and more! 🖥️ I have a beautiful online gaming space powered by FoundryVTT and a host of quality-of-life modules to ensure an immersive player experience. I make custom visual aids and have a large library of thematically curated instrumental music that plays through the Foundry, dynamically adapting to the mood of each scene. As a result of this complete gaming experience, players at my tables are able to forge memories that will last a lifetime, to be recounted time and again! I look forward to gaming with you soon!
Homebrew rules
House rules are listed on my discord.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Internet
Microphone
Headphones
Platforms used
Safety
How Grendy creates a safe table
Player comfort and safety are my primary concern when gaming. For your safety, I provide the Monte Cook's consent in gaming form (optional); if you have specific triggers this is a good way to highlight them to me. If there is clarification needed, I can provide it on follow-up. I will be clear with content warnings on a per-session basis. Of course not all concerns can be addressed but if anything comes up in game typing "red card" or "x" in chat will prompt a fade to black and a check-in. It is my policy that player-versus-player action is forbidden unless everyone at the table consents. We're here to play a team and work together! This game is player-driven, meaning your character is free to pursue their ambitions and follow whichever leads they think are important. I view gaming as a collaboration, and your choices will have a meaningful impact on gaming. Whatever you pursue is what we will end up engaging with!
Content warnings
Safety tools used