It is the fifteenth day since Dorn and Exie entered the tunnel known as Arden's Mouth and took it to a secret debouchment within the ruins of Arden Vul atop a 1,500 foot cliff overlooking Burdock's Valley. The party of three heroes are ensconced with the Thothian high priest, Thalas, in a strategy session.

"So, let me get this straight," Exie says, leaning over a battlemap and speaking to Thalas. "You fear that you have a Setite spy among your ranks, and so you have therefore kept this 'Heartstone Run' mission, as you call it, secret from others in the Enclave?"

"That is correct."

Dorn chimes in. "I see," he says, looking at the map. "And you expect an ambush here," he points a finger, "in the Hall of Pillars, which we must pass through to reach the Chamber of Rectitude. Any idea how large a force of cultists we may be facing?"

Thalas nods. "The Setites have been patrolling the westernmost halls for several weeks. Based on what we have observed, their patrols generally include a priest and three or four fighters. Any fighting will also draw the attention and the ire of the baboons, who lives in caves and ancient side chambers nearby. There is no telling how many of them might appear. But ... it will take them some time to get there."

"How do we get to the Chamber of Rectitude from the Hall of Pillars?" Aele asks. "I don't see any passages or doors marked on the map."

"There is a secret door on the west wall of the Hall of Pillars; you'll have to find it, but it's near the center of the west wall," Thalas says. "And the danger isn't that the Setite priests will already be there in the Chamber of Rectitude. Rather, they have a presence further west and south on this level from our own domain — but they are close — and most likely scrying on the Hall of Pillars to detect any activity there."

"All right," says Dorn. "Let's go with the assumption that we will be observed once we enter the Hall of Pillars, or even sooner. How much time do you think we'll have to find the secret door before a force of cultists arrive?"

"Maybe no more than a minute," Thalas answers. "A few seconds if you're unlucky, five ... ten minutes if you aren't."

Exie leans over the table, studying the map. "Is there any way to reach the Chamber of Rectitude without passing through the Hall of Pillars?"

"Not that I'm aware of," the high priest admits. "If there is a secret way, I'd sure like to know about it. In fact, it'd be worth another ... 300 imperials." Dorn's mind registers this: that'd be 3800 imperials!

"Okay," Dorn says, thinking strategically. "I'm a pretty good hand at finding traps and secret doors, and Exie is even better. One of us can focus on the western wall, seeking the secret door to the Chamber of Rectitude, while the other checks elsewhere for secret passages."

"No problem," says Exie. "I'll find the secret passage if there is one. But say we have bad luck, or underestimate the force that the cultists throw at us. Is there an escape route from the Hall of Pillars?"

"No," Thalas decides, "not unless there's a secret passage." He assesses the frowns on the heroes' faces. "Aele, I will teach you the ritual known as Thoth's Comfort. It will be a boon to your efforts, and a tool you will always have thenceforth. And, I will send Certracles, one of my temple guards, with you as an extra blade.

"We sure could use some healing potions," Exie says, looking pointedly at the high priest, while not mentioning that each of our three heroes currently has one such potion (1d8+1 restored).

Thalas grins. "I will have Setmose provide you a sealed letter that will authorize our quartermaster to release some potions. I'll also have him fit the two of you," he looks at Exie and Aele, "with bucklers, and he can find a hauberk for you, Aele."

"I am obliged," says Father Truemas.

Thalas nods. "When you have accessed the Chamber of Rectitude, you will see the great Carnelian stone on a pedestal in the center of the room." He hands Exie a purple sack. "This bag of coins has been carefully weighted to match that of the Stone. It is critical that you substitute the bag of coins immediately as you remove the Stone."

"Critical in what way?" Exie asks.

Thalas gazes at the petite fighter-thief for a few moments. "If you don't time it correctly, Bad Things Will Happen. To be honest, I don't remember the exact details. But Plutark was in charge of magical contingencies for that chamber, and he was always a thorough one."

"Was?" Aele queries.

The high priest nods. "Yes, he perished some years ago in a major confrontation between our forces and the Setite cultists. A very sad business, that."

"I don't know," Father Aele says, staring at his boots. He looks up, "Even with one of the Thothian warriors with us, we could still easily be outnumbered by Set cultists." The trio were conferring in a private chamber within the Thothian precinct of the third megadungeon level. It had been set aside for their use.

"And don't forget the baboons. Thalas said they're drawn to noise, so if combat ensues with cultists..." Exie adds.

Dorn queries, "But the baboons, aren't they the Thothians' pets?"

"Pets?" asks Aele, raising an eyebrow.

"Well ... guardian beasts," Dorn returns. "Won't they recognize you as a Thothian and then leave us alone?"

"Unfortunately, no," Aele answers. "There is a ritual that can be performed to bring them to heel, but in recent years as the Thothians have grown strong and confident in their holdings here, use of the ritual dropped off and the baboons were allowed to go feral."

"Well, that's not good," Dorn says, showing his mastery of the obvious. "But at least they'd pose a threat to the Set cultists too."

"Not necessarily," Aele counters. "The Setites could easily have some magical defense or way of controlling the creatures."

Exie intrudes, "Do the cultists actually have that kind of power? I thought the gods had fled Issenda centuries ago — except for Cromm, I mean."

Aele shakes his head, bemused. "Many of the things I thought I knew are being called into question. I've learned that Cromm, whom I have served for thirty years, is but an aspect of Thoth. Apparently, Set is alive and well, too. Were he not, the Thothians would already have crushed the cultists."

"Okay," Dorn decides. "The deck could be stacked against us, so we need to add a few cards of our own. Who fancies a jaunt to the Mushroom Caverns?"

The party has left the Thothian precinct on Level Three of Arden Vul behind and has angled a bit southeast through halls and passages, making for the great fungal forest.

Aele hands out small, thumb-sized silver ankhs in the likeness of a ibis. "Thalas' gift. No doubt he hopes to convert the two of you and induct you as acolytes. And although I figured that to be unlikely, they're made of silver, so..." *Each ankh is worth 5 golden imperials, on the Surface. "Keep them handy. The symbol of Thoth might avail us in various parts of Arden Vul."

As the trio leaves the immediate environs of the Thothian Enclave, they are forced to light a lantern due to the absence of burning torches in sconces. The area we'll be passing through on the way to the Fungal Forest is hotly contested. There's a three-way power struggle among the halflings, the beastmen, and what Thalas terms The Southern Transit."

"I thought the Thothian Enclave was the major power on this level," Exie says.

"They want to be," the priest agrees. "They could probably wipe out the halflings with a concerted effort, but the Set cultists and Deino's beastmen are altogether different."

"How so?" Dorn asks.

"The Beastmen claim the southern halls by ancestral right, the Halflings want to control the 'toll road' into the fungal forest to tax anyone passing through, and the Cult of Set views the entire level as their holy ground. Thalas tells me the Setites have a hidden temple somewhere on this level. Set's power must have waxed indeed if the Thothian High Priest cannot divine the location of the cult."

"You mentioned someone named Deino..." Dorn prompts.

Aele nods. "A powerful witch who is believed to have dwelt in Arden vul for more than thirteen decades. She rules the beastmen; some say she created them."

"They're not just native monsters?" Exie asks.

"Sources disagree," the priest explains, "but I remember reading in a history text a few years ago in Wynthia that an entire phalanx of imperial soldiers got trapped in Arden Vul when the old Archontean Occupation was being overthrown. Thalas says that those soldiers fell under the witch's power and that she transformed them into beast-men.

"Before we proceed further, let me enact a ritual." The priest pulls coins from a belt pouch: one golden imperial, one silver, and a copper piece. "This is called Thoth's Comfort." Holding the coins in his left hand, he deposits the copper piece into the upturned palm of his right hand, and intones, ""Thoth's most freely given gift, valued not nearly enough, is wisdom."

As his two companions watch, the copper piece dissolve into cupric ash in the priest's hand and blows away on an unseen, unfelt breeze. He then places the silver coin in his palm. "Thoth's eyes are upon his faithful. His words chime in their minds like the tinkling of silver bells." The silver piece undergoes the same transformation as did the copper.

Finally, Aele places the imperial gold coin in his right palm. "May Thoth bequeath the hidden knowledge to his servants. "O Logos En-Amenti, Thoth-Hermes, Psuche-Stratos—Vibrate the Hidden Key." The hair on the back of Dorn's neck stands up and Exie draws in her breath sharply. "Ah, you felt that, did you?" Aele asks. "The ritual is complete, and is hanging, requiring only a word or gesture from me to activate it."

"What happens when you do that?" Exie asks.

"When I trigger it, the three of us will draw Thoth's eye and blessing, briefly. We will gain in vitality, in enhanced puissance in defending ourselves, and will even enjoy somewhat enhanced resistance to harmful magics."

"Most impressive," Dorn comments. "Exie, scout ahead. We will wait here in the shadows for your return."

The woman is gone for five minutes, then ten. Then she is back, and reports, "there are some narrower passageways ahead. I thought I caught a glimpse of two figures wearing red robes. And there's a musky odor that intensies the further south you go."

Aele nods, "Beastmen. They're rank. The red-robed figures may have been Set cultists."

After a few seconds, Dorn says, "All right, light and vocal discipline here on in. Keep your eyes peeled." And the three set off southward.

Ask the Oracle Do we encounter foes before making it safely to the Mushroom Forest? Answer Yes, and** ... it's a sizable force.

Five minutes later, the party is ambushed. Thanks to Lexie's hissed warning, they aren't entirely surprised. Beastmen have surrounded the trio just as the three heroes have reached a four-way intersection of passages. Some of the beastmen carry lit torches. Dorn throws open the window on his own bullseye lantern. "Shit. There are a lot of them. No wonder it smells so rank."

Remember, our heroes benefitted from training during their recent Downtime and so have the following statistics (as Aele triggers the hanging ritual, each PC gets +1 to HP, AC, and Saves):

"Shinker's Scabies!" Exie curses, drawing her short sword. There are doors (see white rectangles on the battle map) along the hallway."

"Forget it," Aele cautions. They'll be traps in those rooms that they're hoping we'll flee headlong into."

"He's right," Dorn agrees. "Aele, stay out of direct melee as best you can, so that—"

—Dorn doesn't get to finish that thought before the nearest beast men charges and gores Exie with horns (8 damage, Exie drops to 12/20)

The lead goat-headed beastman to the northwest hurls a spear at Aele, but the priest bats it aside with his mace. Unfortunately, the spear's path is redirected straight into the left eye of Certracles, the Thothian temple fighter. He drops, stone cold dead.

And then the heroes' initiatives come up: Exie, Dorn, Aele — in that order. Exie whips a dagger from a leather sheath on her wrist and flings it all in one smooth motion (Fray die: 7 for 2-HD damage and the caprine is slain, a dagger in its eye). Eyeballs don't seem to be faring too well in this combat, so far.

Dorn takes a 5'-step and positions himself between Exie and the goat-headed beastman that is charging from the southeast. He waits one second, then almost a another full second, and then whips his serrated longsword upward in a sweeping arc, but the goatman blocks it with his shield.

Aele lobs a glob of eldritch fire at the beastman closing with him, but it manages to duck out of the way. The beastmen from the southwest and southeast passages time their approach, closing with Dorn simultaneously in order to flank him: the first scores a light hit (Dorn at 21/22) and the other misses.

Aele makes his non-Fray die attack with his mace but misses. Exie thrusts with her shortsword, but the distracting pain of her injuries makes her attack ineffectual. Dorn makes his non-Fray melee attack. No luck!

End of round. For the sake of clarity, I'll move the slain beastman to an unoccupied room even though it really lies at Exie's feet just northeast of her position.

Round 2: Exie has the best initiative, followed by Dorn, then Aele, then the beastmen.

Exie lashes out (Fray die) and injures her foe (beastman to NE of Exie has 1 HD remaining) and quaffs a healing potion with her regular action, regaining two hit points (now 14/20 Hp); Dorn lashes out (Fray die) injuring the beastman south of him, then pivots and overhand chops the head clean off of the beastman west of him and due south of the priest: "You're welcome!"

That's Dorn and Exie's round two actions. Aele summons a glob of holy fire and hurls it; it spatters against the beastman northwest of him, catching its fur afire and eliciting an animal cry of pain; then the priest follows up with an attack using his mace (sacrificing a Fortune Point to gain Advantage), and still manages to miss.

Now the beastmen continue to press the attack. Aele is assaulted from the northwest but the hauberk and buckler supplied by the Thothian Enclave saves him from harm. Exie likewise deflects the attack from her assailant. Dorn also escapes harm.

Round 3: Exie's Fray die slays another beastman, and she immediately draws her shortbow and fires off a quick shot to the northeast and misses. Dorn hits (1d8+5 yields 7, which converts to 2 HD damage: another is slain). Dorn has killed two foes in one round! Between his Fray die and hitting with his mace, Aele puts down the beastman that has been menacing him from the northwest.

Beastmen keep coming! The one attacking Aele misses. Exie narrowly avoids getting gored again, and Dorn gets attacked by two from opposite sides and somehow dodges one and parries the other! End of round three. Let's refresh the map:

Exie misses with her shortsword and is ineffectual with her Fray die. In contrast, Aele succeeds with both his Fray die and mace, killing another beastman. Dorn also slays another foe. A beastman attempts to head-butt Exie and she blocks with her shield. A beastman charges Dorn and he stops it with a perfectly timed kick that snaps its head back. End of round 4.

Round 5: the heroes all hit and injure another foe, and their foes all three fail to pierce the heroes' defenses.

Round 6: Exie slays another beastman and injures another. Dorn proves almost completely ineffectual this round, except for the saving grace that he avoids further injury.

Round 7: The heroes slay one more beastman apiece. These are the goat-headed. But down the hallways, the heroes catch a flickering glimpse, in the shadows, of a different kind of beastman. "Shit!" Exie cries, "they're softening us up for their elites!"

"Let them come," Dorn says equably, unperturbed.

Now the beastmen get their attacks: ha! The heroes defense is superb!

Let's refresh the map:

Aele's hauberk saves him from injury in round 7, because he sure as hell didn't get his shield up in time! He makes a mental note: practice with the shield. A larger, more powerful bovine beastman attacks Exie with a huge two-handed club. Exie narrowly avoids the club. Dorn is just showing off: he kills two caprine beastmen. Round 7 ends.

Round 8: Only a couple caprines left, but their more robust superiors are now closing in, and they are bigger, tougher. What's more, given their HD, the heroes' Fray dice cannot harm them. Here is where the battle grows even more serious, and our three heroes are all blooded already.

The bovine beastman takes out a chunk of limestone in the corridor but Exie successfully dodges. Exie ripostes and deals 2 HD damage. Dorn uses his Fray die and slays another caprine, then steps through and hacks at a bovine, inflicting 1 HD of injury. Aele uses his Fray die and slays an already injured caprine, then fumbles his mace as another caprine engages him. The caprine's attack gets blocked by Aele's shield. Exie takes 5 damage from a bovine, and Dorn holds his bovine at bay.

Round 9: Dorn takes a step northeast to close ranks with his friends. Exie almost connects with the injured bovine but it barely manages to evade her blade. Dorn fends off his foe's attack. Aele slays the last caprine with his Fray die, then he steps northeast and attacks the injured bovine beastman that has been menacing Exie. A hit! Aele slays it.

And with that, the remaining beastmen must check morale. They need to roll 9 or less on 2d6 or else choose to withdraw/flee. Roll result: 3; they continue fighting!

Let's update the map, then we'll begin round 10.

Round 10: Exie misses, Dorn too. Aele steps and attacks a bovine beastman and misses. Exie gets nailed for 6 damage and has 3 remaining hit points! Dorn evades his foe's attack, and Aele takes a hit and drops to 12/17 hp. Aele uses a Surge and Exie is healed of 3 damage (rises to 6/20). Exie quaffs a potion and regains a further 5 (rises to 11/20).

Round 11: The remaining foes are heartened when none of the heroes land a blow. However, witnessing Exie go from 'barely hanging on' to 'in fair shape' is disconcerting. They make another morale check: 2d6 result: 3. The fight continues!

Again, all three heroes miss! Exie gets hit and drops to 9 hp. Dorn gets hit for 4 and drops to 17/22. Aele gets hit for 4 and drops to 8 hp. Tough round for the heroes! It would seem the beastmen strategy is working: throw cannon fodder at these new interlopers, then finish them off once they've been tenderized.

The feline beastmen has slinked in and rakes Exie for 1 point, dropping her to 8 hp. She takes her remaining healing potion and only regains 2 hp (now at 10). Aele regains 4 (back to 16/17).

Round 12: Exie attacks the bovine NW of her. Misses. Dorn attacks the bovine beastman SW of him. Misses! Aele burns a Surge, sending holy fire into the beastman to the southeast. His Fray does another 1 HD of damage. The bovine has 1/4 HD remaining. Exie gets hit by a bovine for 4 (drops her to 6/20). She takes 8 more from the feline beastman, killing her! Dorn gets hit by one of two bovines attacking him, taking 7 and dropping to 14/22. Fortunately, Aele is getting better with that shield. He blocks an attack.

Round 13: Exie is dead. Aele misses with his mace but slays his foe with holy fire. Dorn begins to make an attack, having resigned himself to death but believing at least that it will result in reunification with Exodore — but his foe backs away. From another quarter Dorn and Aele hear the feline beastman roar, and then all of the remaining beastmen are withdrawing. New ... creatures have arrived, 7 feet tall myconids, looking like nothing so much as bipedal, humanoid mushroom-men!

Dorn detects an odor of spices laid atop vegetative rot. His sword falls from his grasp and he turns his head with great effort to check on Aele. The priest has already dropped, overcome. Dorn unwillingly follows suit.