Side quest Vallaki Level 5

One Lantern Too Many

Every festival week the children of Vallaki carry paper lanterns round the square for the Baron. Thirty-one children. Thirty-two lanterns.

Walkthrough

Getting the quest

Old Sabin sits among his strings of paper lanterns on the market row in Vallaki, from 08:00 to 18:00. You can walk up to him without any introduction, and the quest moves straight to Asked. The Town Guard at the east gate can also point you to him. Once your party is level 5, his "Heard anything interesting?" news ends with the thirty-two lanterns for thirty-one children (Rumored). The guard has no news once the festival is over, but Sabin is always there.

Step by step

  1. Talk to Sabin. His hands make one lantern too many every week, and last night his grandson Sandu, who is nine, followed the extra one out of the west gate toward the lake. Before he says where it went, you can try Insight DC 12 and watch his hands. If it works, he remembers his daughter Liliana, who drowned holding her lantern up at the Baron's first festival when the Baron wouldn't let the boats turn back. This opens an extra line at the jetty. A failure can't be retried, but you lose nothing important by it.
  2. Go to the jetty at night. Lake Zarovich: the Fishers' Landing is an hour from Vallaki along the lake path. Between 20:00 and 05:00, walk to the far end of the jetty. A girl made of lantern light stands there, holding Sandu by the hand at the edge of the boards.

    sq lantern girl

  3. Choose how to end it. Talk to The Lantern Girl:
    • Turn back for her: Athletics DC 13. "Take Bluto's old boat out to where she went down, and dive for her lantern." If you remembered her name in step 1, "Liliana. Your father remembers." leads to the same dive, with more of her story. If the dive works, you bring up her little tin lantern, she takes the light and goes out of her own accord, and Sandu is free (journal Home). If it fails, she sees you "rowing away" and the fight starts.
    • "Let him go. He's cold." She won't, and it comes to a fight.
    • "Draw your weapons." This starts the fight straight away.
  4. The fight (lantern_girl). This is the same at every level: the Lantern Girl (90 HP, AC 15, she flies) and two Drowned Lights (Will-o'-Wisps). Her Lure pulls a hero 20 feet toward her unless they pass a DC 14 Wisdom save. Her Drowning Light (recharge 5–6) hits everyone within 20 feet with 4d8 cold damage and restrains them unless they pass a DC 14 Constitution save, which halves the damage. She's immune to cold and resists necrotic, fire, acid and thunder, so use radiant, force or plain steel. The wisps can finish off a hero who's at 0 HP, so get downed friends back up quickly. Winning moves the journal to Fought. Then talk to Sandu on the jetty, and he asks to go home (Home).
  5. Bring Sandu home. Go back to Sabin's stall by day (08:00–18:00). Sandu is waiting next to him. Talk to Sabin and the quest ends at Done. He gives you 40 gp and the Dream Weaver Liliana made the week before she drowned.

Choices and endings

  • She goes out at peace (the dive). On top of the reward, this earns approval from Liriel Dawnsong (+3), Godrick Pendlebrook, Thistle and Wren Featherfoot (+2 each), and Ratatouille (+1). Sabin thanks you for turning back for her.
  • She's fought and put out. You get the same 40 gp and Dream Weaver, but Sabin only says she's gone.
  • Either way, bringing Sandu home earns approval from Wren Featherfoot (+2), Godrick Pendlebrook and Liriel Dawnsong (+1 each). Afterwards Sandu helps at the stall, and Sabin's hands make thirty-one lanterns.

If you're stuck

  • Nothing on the jetty. She only appears between 20:00 and 05:00, an hour later than the town's "after dark", and only once you've heard the rumour or spoken to Sabin.
  • Sabin isn't at the market. He keeps shop hours, 08:00 to 18:00.
  • You want to try the dive. Try it before anything else. Pleading and drawing weapons both go straight to the fight, and a failed dive does too.

Rewards

What your companions think

  • Liriel Dawnsong: +3 you turned back for a drowned girl's lantern; +1 you brought Sabin's grandson home from the lake
  • Godrick Pendlebrook: +2 you turned back for a drowned girl's lantern; +1 you brought Sabin's grandson home from the lake
  • Thistle: +2 you turned back for a drowned girl's lantern
  • Wren Featherfoot: +2 you turned back for a drowned girl's lantern; +2 you brought Sabin's grandson home from the lake
  • Ratatouille: +1 you turned back for a drowned girl's lantern

Fights

Journal

Every journal entry and hint

Rumored: The town guard says the children carry thirty-two lanterns round the square at the Baron's festivals, and there are only thirty-one children. Old Sabin makes them, at the market.
Hint: Find Old Sabin by his strings of paper lanterns in Vallaki's streets, by day, and ask about the extra lantern.

Asked: Old Sabin's hands make one lantern too many every week, and he doesn't know who for. Last night his grandson Sandu followed the extra one out of the west gate, toward the lake.
Hint: Walk out to the end of the fishers' jetty at the Lake Zarovich landing after dark and watch the lanterns on the water.

Fought: At the end of the fishers' jetty was a drowned girl made of lantern light, with Sandu by the hand. She's gone out now.
Hint: See to Sandu at the fishers' landing, then take him back to Old Sabin in Vallaki.

Home: Sandu is coming home to his grandfather, cold and alive.
Hint: Old Sabin sits by his strings of paper lanterns in Vallaki's streets by day; bring Sandu to him there.

Done (the end: success): Sandu is home. Sabin's hands made thirty-one lanterns this week, and he gave us the dream-catcher his daughter made the week before she drowned.

Every skill check in its conversations
  • Insight DC 12: (Watch his hands while he folds the extra one.)
  • Athletics DC 13: (Take Bluto's old boat out to where she went down, and dive for her lantern.)
  • Athletics DC 13: (Then we will. Take the boat out to where she went down, and dive for her lantern.)
Cutscenes

One Lantern Too Many: A girl made of lantern light holds a cold boy's hand at the end of the fishers' jetty.
sq lantern girl

She Takes the Light: She Takes the Light: a later beat of a long conversation picture (vallaki/one_lantern_too_many, ~ girl_lantern), Ashwin's ask 2026-10-12.
lantern light