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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.

• archon - a title of nobility only the emperor can bestow; ruler of a district
• Arden - one of the Twenty Worthies of the ancient Archontean Empire , and companion of Vul
• Arden's Mouth - an entrance to the Deep Down two miles west of Prelm City
• aurimignos - activation word for Dorn's spiked buckler to emit a blinding flash of light
• Bailiff's Truncheon, establishment
• Mount Fanghorn
• Newmarket

Two days have passed, during which time our heroes have taken advantage of the hospitality of the small contingent of Thothian Wizard-Priests on Arden Vul's third level. Aele has been almost beside himself with revelatory awe: first he has learned that Thoth and Cromm are in fact the same deity. He still has not gotten a satisfactory answer to some of his questions, but he has some direction now as to where those answers might be found.

Why can't Surface races cast spells? Why are enchantments under the sky erased or suppressed, while those in Underearth are intact, and more potent the deeper one descends? While Dorn and Exie have hunted stirges and giant rats, and Sulla has left to report in to Roskelly, Aele has spent long hours in conversation with multiple Wizard-Priests, but none moreso than with Thalas, the high priest of the Thothian Enclave.

The high priest Thalas and Nanefer the Arcanist have taken a meal with Dorn, Exie, Aele, and Sulla, and now drink a wine found a decade ago in one of the crypts that the enclave discovered — a bottle with an estimated age of 200 to 225 years! It is a fruity, heady delight.

Thalas has traded upon Dorn's not well-concealed desire to travel to Gosterwick for downtime by describing a contact he has in the town, one Astableon the Scribe. "I would like for you to deliver a book to Astableon in Gosterwick. He will have a package to send back to me in your care. If you agree, I will provide one thousand imperials up front if you will agree to this task, and another thousand when you deliver the package to me."

Aele sits forward eagerly, but holds his tongue and looks to Dorn.

"I am not opposed to the idea," Dorn says, thoughtfully. And I am damn sure not opposed to being paid. "But how will we get out of the dungeon without the halflings interferring?"

"I can teleport you to the base of the Great Stairs, and from there you can make your way overland to Gosterwick."

Exie leans forward, "I got all of that except ... teleport..."

Nanefer sips wine. "It is an ancient way to use magic called a spell. Their use has been lost for centuries on the Surface, but here in the Deep Down, I have rediscovered them. By using one of these spells, I can instantaneously move you to the valley floor."

Thalas adds, "Sulla, we are putting much trust in you to be speaking so freely of 'the halflings' in your presence. Please ensure that our trust has not been misplaced."

"Oh, it hasn't been, believe me," Sulla declares. "I just wish that I could go with you," she says, looking wistfully at Father Aele Truemas, who quickly blushes scarlet, and diverts his gaze to intense scrutiny of the food on his plate.

"Perhaps someday my research will find a way to make that possible," says Nanefer. "As things stand right now, though, you'd be dead within a few days of being exposed on the Surface."

---

Twelve hours later, the trio are ensconsed at the Inn of the Lost Archon in Gosterwick. After a meal, they travel to The Silver Scroll bookstore and are greeted by a middle-aged, short, wizened man with gray hair and a goatee.

"Welcome to the Silver Scroll," he says, and his voice is surprisingly deep. "Please feel free to browse, or ask about anything of particular interest." Dorn spends a minute gazing at scrolls and books. "This is quite the collection you have here. I have always been a man of action rather than of letters, but of late I've come to believe that the pen marks a deeper truth..."

Astableon doesn't seem to react. He putters around the bookstore a a couple minutes, then moves to the door, locks it, and flips over a sign so that any customers who approach will read it: "I'll Open Again Soon!"

"Well," the wiry scholar says after joining the others at one of the bookshelves, "I certainly agree. The pen does mark a deeper truth. And words are more than audible wastes of breath. Thoth himself didn't cast spells; he penned them in the ink of the celestial effluvium. How can a simple bookstore owner be of service?"

Exie removes her backpack, opens it, and pulls forth a bundle wrapped in purple cloth. Astableon accepts the package and moves to the nearby counter where he unwraps it and runs a finger over the leather binding of a sizeable tome. "Oh, how wonderful! This is a historical text called The Lost Celestial Ephemeris. It is a text that links the stellar movements to historical events. Since I don't know you, I can only guess that you accepted this pickup and delivery task for the Thothian priesthood in Arden Vul." His tone does not frame this in the interrogative.

"You guess correctly," Aele confirms. "I am Aele Truemas, a priest of Cro— of Thoth."

"Well!" exclaims Astablion, hands coming together before his chest, palms pressured together as if that is the only thing preventing him from bursting from enthusiasm. "It has been years since Thoth gained a priest." He retrieves a locked wooden box from beneath a counter and hands it over to Aele. "Thalas will have told you to deliver the package to me, and that I would send him something back with you, in turn."

Aele accepts. "Yes, exactly so." The priest pauses, then says, "We may be in Gosterwick for a few days, not much more than a week, I imagine. I trust that short delay will not prove problematic in this item's delivery?"

"No, indeed," the sage says. "He's been waiting on this for several weeks. A few more days shouldn't matter. But I do have a quest for you, if you're interested."

Exie turns from the bookshelf. "Let's hear it."

"Some years ago, I lost a notebook while in Arden Vul. If you can find it and return it to me, I will pay fifteen hundred gold imperials. It is bound in a monster hide that is rough to the touch and black in color. It bears the initials A.G.H. in silver inlaid on the spine of the notebook, and it will be found in pristine condition — clean and dry and intact, regardless of the environment from which you retrieve it. You should not attempt to open it but should return it to me at your earliest convenience after finding it."

Dorn has been listening intently and now turns from looking out a window. "Is the notebook rightfully yours, and are there or could there be others seeking it — others with whom we might ... come into conflict?"

Astableon smiles. "You are a shrewd customer. That bodes well, for it will make you more careful in the dungeon. Yes, the journal is rightfully my property. And it could possibly bring risk upon you if you accept this quest. More than a dozen years ago, I found a way, alchemically, to extend life. The notebook contains the details of my research methodology and how to produce the needed elixir. Somehow, word spread — though I am most discrete. A necromancer nearly destroyed me and the other members of the Dawnstriders; two of us were killed, and the rest of us escaped — barely.

So yes, you could be putting yourself at risk; that is, more particular risk than the general risk you're already taking by entering Arden Vul at all."

Dorn nods, and mentally tables three other questions that have come to mind. He glances at his companions to read their body language. After a moment, Dorn says, "We'd stand a better chance of success if you could provide some of those fifteen-hundred imperials to us up front for provisioning..."

---

The party has enough XP from (a) combats in Arden Vul and from fulfilling the quest that Thalas gave them, to advance to 2nd level. The 1,000 imperials they collected from Thalas before departing the megadungeon brought total party wealth to 2,716 imperials. Astableon wound up fronting them 700 of the promised 1,500 imperials, bringing party wealth to 3,416 gp.

Let's roll Dorn's additional hitpoints, using Advantage. A pair of d10's, the results come up 2 and 8. That's 8 new hit points added to his previous maximum of 12, but don't forget to add 2 more for his Constitution bonus; for a new HP max hit points of 22.

Having already taken Fleet at level 1 (for improved Initiative), Dorn's choice for a free Knack at level 2 is Great Strike, which gives +1 to all weapon damage.

Saving throws won't change until level 3.

Base Attack Bonus improves to +1. Damage with unspecialized weapons are +3 damage.

Longsword (specialized) is now +5 to-hit and +5 to damage.

And that's it for Dorn's leveling.

---

I rolled with Advantage for Exodore's additional hit points, and got a 5 and a 7. She should have had 13 hp at first level (max the d10 +3 more for Knack: Tough). I had mistakenly given Exie a d8 instead of the appropriate d10 for a Gestalt Fighter-Thief; therefore, max hit points increase from 13 to 20. Not too shabby.

I'd also erred on Exie's to-hit, by failing to assign weapon specialization: short sword. At first level, given her stats, she'd have been +2 to hit and then improve that to +3 due to specialization. She'd have been +2 to damage, then another +2 for specialization. So her shortsword at level 01 should have been +3/+4. Gaining 2nd level improves her BAB +1, so now she is +4/+5 with shortsword — almost as good as Dorn's +5 to-hit +5 to-damage with his longsword.

Knack: Tough raises max hp at level 02 to 20. Knack: Resilience improves saving throws.

---

Initially, I wasn't entirely sure about keeping Aele, but I've used Ewen Cluney's Entanglements [tool][6] and have a good vibe for the wizard-priest now. For Aele's 2nd level additional hit points, I rolled with Advantage and got 3 and 5, so max 2nd level HP are 17.

---

Full stats for all three player-characters are here.

During their week of downtime in Gosterwick, Dorn and Exie pair off as sparring partners, training hard to stay in form.

Exie makes a 2d6 check at the end of the week. She is a fighter-gestalt, so will add 1/3 of her level (rounded up) as a bonus — that comes to a +1. And since she has a partner (Dorn), she gets another +1. She rolls 2d6+2 and gets a total of 10. Woohoo! Exie chooses to benefit from a bonus of one point to her armor class, to-hit rolls, and damage rolls until her next downtime. This will mean that functionally Exie will be:

AC 15, +5 to hit with shortsword, and shortsword damage will be 1d6+6. Sweet! Let's see how Dorn fares:

He rolls 2d6+2 and the result is a 9; not quite as nice, but it entitles him to pick two benefits, and he chooses a bonus of one point to his AC and his to-hit rolls until his next downtime. This means that functionally Dorn will be:

AC 17, +6 to hit with his longsword, and damage will remain 1d8+5:

Aele does the wizardly/priestly equivalent of combat sparring to stay in top form. He studies at the Gosterwick library, meditates at the temple of Cromm, and prays for guidance and protection in the trials that lie ahead for the party. Let's see how he comes out at the end of the week of downtime. He is in good standing with Cromm-Thoth, for a +1 modifier.

He rolls 2d6+1 and gets a total of 12. Rock on, Aele! He may choose three of the following to benefit from until his next downtime:

• +2 to all saving throws of a particular sort (Poly, Breath, etc.)
• +1 to all saving throws
• +1 to any rolled Surges
• +1 to turn/destroy undead
• +1 bonus to AC

He chooses (a) +1 to all saving throws, (b) +2 to Spell saves, and +1 to Surges. This will mean that Aele's functional saving throws till the next downtime will be:

Poison 13(11), Breath 14, Poly 12(10), Spell 11(9), Magic Item 10(8)

Summary:

Dorn: AC 17; +6 to hit with longsword and deals 1d8+5
Exie: AC 15; +5 to hit with shortsword and deals 1d6+6
Aele: Poison 13(11), Breath 14, Poly 12(10), Spell 11(9), Magic Item 10(8)

I'll add the above info at the top of the next Actual Play write-up as PCs Under Downtime Perks. Ah, level 2. It really is more than twice as nice as level 1. See you in the next Actual Play!

The following was written after round #1 in Dorn and Aele's encounter with beastmen and Set cultists at a defiled shrine a couple miles outside of Gosterwick.

In the rules for Shadowdim, if the three of more player-character heroes are acting as a unit in combat, then they do not get to use a Fray die. Acting as a unit does not necessarily mean they are arranged in a phalanx. They might be separated from one another by several yards, but if they have the ability to move freely about the battlefield, they don't get a Fray die.

If only two heroes are together in a combat, they are allowed to use a Fray die. However, damage done by the Fray die is applied to foes' hit points, not their Hit Dice. This is the case as long as the two heroes have the ability to move freely about the field of combat, such that they potentially could close ranks with one another, fighting side by side or back to back. If some magical effect, physical obstacle, or other impediment precludes the two heroes' ability to close ranks with one another, then their Fray dice do damage to foes Hit Dice, rather than foes' hit points.

If a single player character hero is alone and fighting one or more foes, that hero's Fray die damage is always applied as Hit Dice damage.

Fighter-Rogue gestalts use a d6 Fray dice that can only target foes with whom the PC is in melee range of; Wizard-Priest gestalts use a d4 Fray die that can hit any foe, even one that has more Hit Dice than the Wizard-Priest has levels, and the Wizard-Priest's Fray die can be used at range — up to 30 feet away.

Goblin Hit Dice: 1d6 (4 HP) AC: 14 Attack: +1 to hit, 1d6 (shortsword) Alignment: Chaotic XP: 15

The goblin community in Arden Vul occupies Levels 3 and 5, and Sub-Level 4. They are ruled by King Weskenim.

A wizard-priest may hang one additional simultaneous ritual at every odd level above 1st, to a maximum of five at level 09. Beyond that, the priest can learn more advanced, difficult rituals at increasing levels beyond 9th.

• Thoth's Champion
• Thoth's Comfort
• Thoth's Balm

A priest of Thoth may invoke this ritual by holding first a copper piece, then a silver, and finally a gold piece in his hand and intoning the following:

Copper piece: "Thoth's most freely given gift, valued not nearly enough, is wisdom." The CP turns to metallic dust and blows away.

Silver piece: "Thoth's eyes are upon his faithful. His words chime in their minds like the tinkling of silver bells." The SP turns to metallic dust and blows away.

Gold piece: "May Thoth bequeath the hidden knowledge to his servants."

Follow the above with: "O Logos En-Amenti, Thoth-Hermes, Psuche-Stratos—Vibrate the Hidden Key."

---

Once enacted, this ritual hangs a magical effect that will be triggered when the priest either says or subvocalizes the following: "Eulogeson tou Doulous-sou, O Thoth-Amon."

Triggered, the hanging effect confers a +1 bonus to the priest and his allies' HP, AC, and Saving Throws for the next three minutes.

---

To invoke Thoth (the Thrice-Great Hermes), an Archontean priest would likely focus on the concepts of Logos (the Word), Ma’at (Balance), and the Moon.

The Invocation Phrase "O Logos En-Amenti, Thoth-Hermes, Psuche-Stratos—Vibrate the Hidden Key."

Breaking Down the Ritual Meaning O Logos En-Amenti: "The Word in the Underworld." This acknowledges Thoth’s role as the scribe who records the hearts of the dead and brings the light of reason into the darkness.

Thoth-Hermes: The syncretic bridge. In Archontean tradition, names hold power; using both his Egyptian and Greek aspects "locks" the deity into the ritual space.

Psuche-Stratos: "Commander of the Soul." This asks for his guidance over the practitioner's mind and spirit.

Vibrate the Hidden Key: A reference to the Kybalion and the idea that the universe is mental and vibrational. You aren't just asking for a favor; you are asking him to change the frequency of your reality.

It's the second day that Dorn, Exie, and Aele have been together. They have arrived on Level 3 of Arden Vul and are currently dealing with a shakedown attempt by Phlebotomas' halfling thugs.

Dorn has just shot his mouth off to Roskelly: ""How do you do? Where are your parents? We'll speak to them." There is a non-zero chance that one or more thugs will fire on him for this insult. Oracle says nah.

"Ah, the brash adventurer speaks," says Rosk. "My fellows and I are halflings, as I think you likely know quite well. My fellow halflings, if the bald one here doesn't tame his salty tongue, fill him full of crossbow quarrels. Now, back to business. Nobody goes any further into Arden Vul without an explorer's license, and that is twenty-five gold coins for each of you. Oh, and if you want to use this route to exit the dungeon — assuming you live long enough to exit &mash; there is a tariff of 10% on your treasure haul."

Options: considering what coinage Dorn has stolen from the Blackfist Mercs, not to mention the treasure the party acquired from the goblins, the party can afford this. Dorn is seething, Exie is anxious, and Aele's expression denotes thoughtfulness.

"How long are the explorers' licenses valid?" Exie asks.

"Why, until the next time we meet each other, of course," says Rosk with an evil grin.

"We cannot possibly afford that," Aele lies. "But I am a priest of Cromm. If you have any vials or flasks, fill them with water and I will turn them into healing potions."

"A generous offer," Rosk concedes, "and healing potions are in very high demand here. However, given the loss of immediate income, we would have to charge you 20% of the value or any treasure you may seek to exit Arden Vul with; is that acceptable? But I will first need proof that you can do what you claim." He produces a canteen of water, and an empty vial, then fills the vial with water.

Moving up to the priest, he hands him the vial and says, "Let me see your hand." When Aele complies, the halfling takes his dagger and slices a small cut on the back of the priest's right hand. "Now, turn this vial into a healing potion, then drink it."

"Very well," Aele agrees, taking the vial. "Cromm, aid your servant, that healing may come," he says, passing his other hand three times over the vial, which he then turns up and quaffes. After a couple seconds, Rosk sneers. "Aha! A charlatan, I se—"

"A few moments more," Aele advises. And then before everyone's eyes, his hand heals.

"Hmppf!" says Rosk. "Very well, then. Three vials of water turned into healing potions, and we will let you pass. Only you owe us 20% of the monetary value of any treasure when you come through our territory to leave the dungeon. And believe me, this is the only safe ingress and egress."

"Twenty percent the first time we come back through here, then the standard ten percent after that. You said yourself that healing potions are in high demand," Exie counters.

"And I myself get to select our 20% cut," Rosk adds.

"Agreed on one condition," Dorn says. "If we cannot agree on what constitutes a twenty percent cut, you will accept one hundred gold coins instead of a cut."

"One hundred twenty five," Rosk counters.

"One hundred fifteen. Final offer," Dorn growls.

After the space of five hearbeats, Rosk says, "Agreed!" Coinage changes hands, and all three companions contribute their remaining carried wealth to come up with the agreed upon sum. Aele is now truly broke, but Exie manages to keep the 10-gp value blue quartz hidden. Dorn has a gold coin hidden in the tongue of each boot.

---

"Well, shit!" Dorn says, after the party has left Rosk and his halfling thugs behind. He begins to say more, but catches a hand movement by Lexie and dampens the amount of light coming from his lantern. Lantern Usage Check: 3 (all good). Lexie is no longer anywhere in sight, but then she comes back into the lantern light, frogmarching a halfling ahead of her, a dagger to the thug's back.

"Truce!" the halfling cries. "I mean you no harm. I am Sulla. Sulla Tradewell. Rosk sent me to offer my services as a guide. I know the dangers on this level pretty well, and I would welcome the chance to stretch my legs."

"And to report back to him later on everything we've said, everywhere we've gone," adds Exie coolly.

"He will ask, yes; and I will tell him, but a halfling facing the dangers of Arden Vul cannot remember every detail," she says, coyly. "And one who seeks more out of life than a base career of thuggery might prove herself loyal and valuable, no?"

Dorn looks from Sulla to Aele, and the latter arches an eyebrow to accentuate a shrug.

"What's to say you're not just trying to insert yourself into our group in order to lead us to our doom?" Exie asks.

"I understand your distrust. But given that distrust, would it not be better to have me with you where you can keep an eye on me, instead of me following your trail, which is what I must do if I do not join you? Give me three hours to prove my worth."

Dorn waits until Exie shares a look with him before saying, "All right. Performance is the prover. But you will fight for us, you will not abandon us, and you will have only half a share in any loot after we get first pick."

Sulla smiles. "Agreed! And here is a flask of oil for your lantern." She hands it over. The brings extra oil up to four lantern-refills.

Sulla apparently takes her duties as guide seriously: "If we encounter beastmen, don't freak out. Just stay calm and follow my lead."

"Calm, yes. But following? You'll have to prove yourself to us, first," Dorn says.

"Beastmen have shaggy fur and their heads usually resemble a wolf but sometimes might be a cat's head, or that of a ... what do you call them on the Surface? The four-legged creatures that produce milk?"

"Cows," Aele supplies.

"Hmm, no, not cows..."

"Goats," Exie says with confidence.

"Yes! The goatses, right. The beastmen have a truce with u— um, with Rosk, so we usually leave each other alone. But it is an uneasy truce. It would not take much for it to—"

"— 'go sideways', as we like to say on the Surface." Exie grins, simultaneously chiding herself and trying to hold on tightly to disliking this short woman.

"There could be goblins. We know some went out this morning on patrol. They probably will attack us if we come across any — the halflings and goblins have been ambushing each other a lot lately. They won't hesitate to kill me but would probably try to capture you, hoping to take prisoners to their king. And then there are skeletons, and sometimes blood-birds. We can probably take them. Now follow me," she says, and taking her torch she heads east.

---

You stand in a great hall carved out of the limestone. This two- or three-story hall is filled with broken pillars and strange statuary. "Follow carefully, there is much crumbling stone here." And she leads the heroes through the hall, west to east.

Exie approaches Dorn. "Let me borrow the lantern a minute? I need to relieve myself." True to her word, she is only gone a minute, and comes back with a cherubic smile and — though nobody notices — a slight bulge in her pack.

As the foursome reach the end of the great hall, Sulla says, "Okay, we can begin angling southeast and will wind up in the mushroom forest. It's a good source of food, but there are myconids. Or, if we move north, we will enter a section of the level that was once home to priests of Thoth. It has rotting murals, statues, and some crypts, most of which were looted long ago. So, what'll it be?"

"Nort—" Aele ejects.

"—Southeast!" both Dorn and Exie say speaking over Aele.

Dorn turns to his old friend. "Let's visit the forest and acquire food first, and maybe other useful things, then we'll head north and explore thoroughly."

Aele nods. "Makes sense."

---

Ask the (Playing Cards) Oracle: Does the party have an encounter enroute to the Mushroom Forest?

Result: Yes! — 9 skeletons suddenly converge on the party, drawn by its hateful positive energy! Hp 3, Ac 12, Atk +1 Dmg 1d4

Dorn shouts, "Aele, can you banish them!?"

"No, I'm not strong enough yet in my faith!" And with that, Aele pulls his mace from his belt and prepares to do battle.

"Shinker's Scabies!" Exie curses. "I don't have a blunt weapon!"

"Use the flat of your sword, like a club!" Sulla shouts, and then the skeletons are upon the heroes.

"Well shit on a slick stick," Dorn curses under his breath, limbering up his sword arm.

Rnd 1: Dorn misses, Exie hits and destroys a skeleton. Sulla misses. So does Aele. Three skeletons attack Dorn. The first one crits him for 4 damage (he's at 7/12 hp). The second and third fail to hurt Dorn. Two skeletons attack Aele: one of them hits him for 4 points (he's at 3/7 hp). Two attack Sulla, who dodges both attacks deftly. The remaining skeleton attacks Exie: a miss!

Rnd 2: Dorn misses, burns a Fortune Point to re-roll his attack, and misses a second time! He burns another FP and re-rolls: a crit, and that skeleton goes down! Exie's attack hits and another skeleton goes down. Sulla attacks, shattering a skeleton. Aele uses a Surge, 2d6 equals six, and directs that positive energy at one of the remaining skeletons, obliterating it. Four skeletons remain. Two hit Dorn, one critically, and staggers (1 hp left). One attacks Sulla, the other Exie. Their armor saves them.

Rnd 3: Dorn lashes out with fading strength, shrewdly targeting the skeleton north of Aele, destroying it. Exie targets the skeleton southwest of her position: a hit and she destroys it. Sulla steps north and helps Dorn down a healing potion. Dorn's eyes widen as his wounds close. And Aele uses his second Surge of the day to heal himself.

Rnd 4: The two remaining skeletons attack Dorn: a hit and a miss, and Dorn is 8/12 hp. His companions make quick work of those two remaining foes and combat ends.

PC	HP	Surges Left	FP Left
Dorn	8/12	n/a	1/3
Aele	7/7	1/3	3/3
Sulla	7/7	n/a	3/3
Exie	8/8	n/a	3/3

---

As the party scans nearby quickly, following defeating the skeletons, they luck out and happen upon a false section of flagstones slowly sliding into place again. "Block it. Don't let it close!" Sulla says forcefully. Aele manages to prevent it closing completely with his mace. Then his and Dorn's combined strength manage to reopen it. While they ensure it stays open, Exie and Sulla go down crumbling stone steps and lug up a heavy chest. Sulla gets a cut while assuming the risk of opening the chest. Luckily, if it once had poison on the trap, it has long since lost its potency.

Exie is smiling like a chesire cat when she emerges and explains, "There's a mechanism down there that can open the trapdoor. We can use this as a safe place to rest!"

"Test it!" Dorn says, peering down into the space while Aele tends to Sulla's cut. Sure enough, after letting the trapdoor completely close, Exie waits a full minute and then, faintly her voice can be heard, muffled even though she's yelling, "I'm going to try it now!" It works!

"Did you know this was here?" Dorn asks Sulla.

"No, Dorn. I swear, I did not. And I'm confident none of the other halflings know of it."

"It's a chance we'll have to take. Everybody inside," Dorn barks. "Let's rest, eat, get some sleep, and then make some plans..."

*Defeating skeletons, obtaining food, obtaining makeshift torch material, forging an ally in Sulla: 1,000 XP. No level-ups. Total treasure value in the chest:

---

Deep within the humid gloom of Arden Vul’s third level, the Mushroom Forest unfolds like a fever dream of alien biology. Towering, shelf-like caps of colossal Agarics reach toward the vaulted ceiling, their stalks thick as ancient oaks and slick with a pale, weeping nectar.

The air here is heavy and sweet, shimmering with a suspended haze of bioluminescent spores that drift like embers in colors of toxic violet and neon emerald. Underfoot, the floor is a spongy carpet of mycelium that sighs and yields with every step, occasionally rupturing to release puffs of pungent, mustard-colored gas.

A rhythmic, low-frequency hum vibrates through the damp air, seemingly pulsed from the gills of the largest fungi. Clusters of fist-sized puffballs line the cavern walls, glowing with a rhythmic internal light that mimics a slow, steady heartbeat. Every surface is coated in a fine, slippery dew, and the silence of the halls is replaced by the unsettling, wet "thwip" of distant fungal growths expanding in the dark.

The party stuffs their packs with edible shrooms, as well as some sort of greenish plant that might be Underworld asparagus or hogweed. And Sulla shows the party a dark, oily vine that can be wrapped around a stick or club and makes a decent torch.

Ask the oracle: does the party make it to the cliff top without mishap/encounter (somewhat likely)? Answer: No! Let's see what happens to Dorn, Exie, and Aele.

It's a goblin patrol! Ask the oracle: how many (2d4); Answer: 5. Great, we're outnumbered! Still, the tunnel isn't terribly wide. Exie gasps, "We've got company!" Light flares as Dorn unshutters his lantern fully. "Blinded goblins. Let's take advantage of that!" he yells as he sets his lantern down, rips his sword from his scabbard, and advances.

Checking initiatives, the goblins all have 1, Dorn is 3, Aele is 1, and Exie is 5. The goblins are AC 14 and +1 BAB with short swords. Exie gets an additional +1 bonus this round because the suddenly flaring bullseye lantern is painfully distracting to the goblins. Exie's normal full attack bonus is +2 (0 BAB plus a +2 mod for Dex 17). She'll get +3 now, and her d20 roll result is a 19, a strong hit. Damage is 1d6 with shortsword, then +2 bonus from Strength 16. Damage 1d6+2 results in 2. The southwesternmost goblin is now at 2/4 HP. Dorn, with the next best initiative, feints toward the goblin directly in front of him, but then thrusts his long sword at the goblin that Exie has injured. Dorn is specialized in the longsword, +4 to both hit and damage, and he'll get another +1 this round due to the sudden lantern light's effect. His attack roll vs AC 14 is only 11, however (a miss). Aele launches a Spirit Bolt (when a PC's iniative ties that of a non-boss foe, the PC acts fractionally faster) at the injured goblin, dealing it another 4 damage, killing it.

Now the goblins act. The one closest to Dorn attacks him. Dorn has AC 14 and the goblin gets +1 to hit. It's attack roll results in 20 (natural 19) — that's a hit, for 3 damage, dropping Dorn from 12 to 09 hp. A second rank goblin steps forward past the corpse of its slain fellow and attacks Exie, with a to-hit result of 16 versus her AC 14, a hit for (fortunately) just a single point of damage, dropping her to 7/8 hp. The remaining second rank goblin lunges past its fellow with a spear, attacking Dorn with a to-hit roll of 6 (a miss). The rear goblin doesn't have a projectile weapon, and is too far away to bring its spear to bear. Round ends:

Round 2. Exie leads the action, stabbing at her immediate foe: she misses. Dorn attacks his nearest foe, killing it, and another steps forward, taking it's place. That's 2 dead goblins and our heroes are only scratched. Rear goblin needs to make a morale roll, and remember that other than to-hit and saving throws, we want to roll low; it gets a result of 1 — cool as a cucumber. Aele launches another Spirit Bolt for 6 damage to the goblin menacing Exie, killing it, and giving the rearmost goblin an opening to step forward into the fray. A goblin attacks Dorn: miss! The other attacks Exie: a hit for 3 damage, dropping her to 4 hit points.

Round 3 begins. For map clarity, I'll hide the slain goblins. Also, I forgot to give Exie her specialization in short sword, and have corrected it.

Exie misses, rueing the cramped space. Dorn hits and kills his goblin, at which point the remaining goblin tries to turn and flee, only to be taken out by Aele's Spirit bolt.

End of Combat Report: Dorn at 9/12 hp, Exie at 4/8, Aele at 7/7. Five goblins slain. Total party XP gained: +75. Adding that to the 400 XP for negotiating past the ropers, total party XP now is at 475. Chaos Factor drops back to 5. Danger Dice pool now at 3. Lantern usage die d10, Aele's remaining daily Surges: 0/3. Let's see if the goblins have any valuables: 50 cp and 210 sp, plus a blue quartz worth 10 gp.

Our three heroes patch one another up as best they can, deciding to forego using the only three healing potions that Aele is carrying. Exie 5/8, Dorn 10/12, Aele 7/7.

Ask the oracle: any more encounters between here and cliff top (Very Unlikely)? Answer: No. Good deal! They make it to the top of the cliff and begin to make camp.

"Keep an eye peeled for goblins. Those in the tunnel may not have been alone," Dorn says, pounding a tent peg into the hard clay.

Aele glances skyward. "It'll be dark soon, and it will snow tonight."

"How do you do that?" Dorn asks, shaking his head.

"Do what?" Exie inquires.

"Korvin has the touch when it comes to weather. He's never wrong."

"One of my many talents," the wizard-priest says as he continues setting up tinder and kindling for a fire.

---

Not long after, the three are sitting around a crackling fire. "So who keeps firewood stocked here on the tree-less cliff top?" Aele asks.

"There's a group out of Gosterwick that frequents this area in the Spring and Summer, catering to adventurers. They keep potable water, firewood, stuff like that in good supply up here as a courtesy for the Exarch's approval for them to conduct business here. There's a dungeon entrance nearby. This whole cliff-top was once the site of a thriving city," Dorn expounds.

"You hear that rushing sound?" Exie asks Aele? That's the Arden-Flow River waterfall about a three miles from here. The river flows out of the Dragon Peaks to the northeast."

"Oh, I've sent it from the Valley before," Aele says, nodding. "I've just never been up here on the clifftop."

Dorn nods. "I wish we had more of that wine you brought, Zorvin." The big balding man is using the priest's familiar name simply to encourage Exie to do the same — even though their long association enables Dorn to use 'Aele' without giving offense. "The tunnel we took from the Mouth of Arden travels underneath Burdock Valley, so we bypassed it entirely."

"I'd like to see it, someday," Exie says, breaking cured meat and other hardtack out of her pack, and passing it around.

"Oh, it is truly magificent," Zhorvin says. "The falls are two hundred yards across, and bounded by the Colossal Defenders — the largest statues in all of Arandia."

"I thought the river was named The Swift," Exie says.

"It is," Dorn replies, after the Falls, but upriver from there, it's called the Arden-Flow. Don't ask me: I didn't get consulted on that or a good many other choices." All three chuckle at this, and then Exie asks, "So tell me more about the area. I've not been more than a stone's throw from Prelm in the last decade."

Dorn continues, "The old Imperial Road runs along the east side of the Swift River and eventually leads to Newmarket. It is made of large rectangular cobblestones, and originally boasted curbs and drainage. Today it is largely overrun, cracked, with grasses and small shrubs growing out of it. Within five hundred feet of the Falls it is slick and treacherous."

Ask the Oracle: do the PCs have any overnight encounters on the plateau atop the cliff (unlikely, given that it's the cold season — but, then again, the goblins in the tunnel probably came from up here)? Answer: No.

The Next morning dawns windy and with three inches of snow as our companions emerge from their tents. They retrieve heavy woolen cloaks from their packs and don them, then quickly break camp. "We can eat while traveling," Dorn decides. "We're lucky to have been unbothered during the night." Each had spent four hours tending the fire and keeping a lookout.

"Which way?" Exie asks.

"Follow me," Dorn says, and the three head off across the plateau, the noise of the waterfall slowly receding behind them.

Some ten minutes later the trio draws up abruptly as a vast edifice seems to emerge loomingly from the blowing snow. The Pyramid of Thoth rises majestically amidst the surface ruins of Arden Vul, its ancient stone façade adorned with intricate carvings that depict hieroglyphs and celestial motifs. This monumental structure, dedicated to the god of light, healing, wisdom, magic and knowledge, serves as both a shrine and a gateway to the mysteries hidden within the megadungeon’s depths.

Surrounding the pyramid, the remnants of crumbled buildings and tangled vegetation hint at a once-thriving civilization drawn to the pyramid's allure. Dorn says, "The Temple of Thoth. Inside, adventurers discover a series of chambers filled with eerie silence, punctuated only by the soft echo of their footsteps on the granite floors."

"Oh my, you'd make a great tour guide," Exie says, slapping Dorn on the shoulder. Aele hasn't spoken. He's moved apart from the other two and is staring up at a massive statue of a baboon who holds a staff in its right hand. An ibis perches on the baboon's left shoulder. A carved necklace rings the baboon's neck, and from it an ankh depends. "It's Cromm," Aele breathes in awe.

"If you say so," Dorn says, stroking his chin stubble. "But scholars say this depicts the ancient god Thoth." Aele turns to his old friend. "I was trained that Thoth is one of the Twelve, and that he is no more. But this is his iconography — all of it. Strange, and now that I see it I recall an argument years ago among two factions of the temple. One insisted that Cromm is the ancient one, Thoth..."

"Well, you did say yesterday afternoon that you sought answers to questions, in joining us. Perhaps we'll learn more inside. Lead us in, Dorn."

The group picks its way around snow-covered statuary, fountains, other plinths and plaques, but none as large and imposing as towering statue of Cromm/Thoth. Just before they enter the great pyramid, Aele looks back at it, and it seems the baboon stares into his soul. The priest steadfastly ignores his hindbrain as it screams that the statue has turned to look at him.

Inside, Aele lights one of the bullseye lanterns and turns up its intensity, holding it aloft and close to the walls as he studies the glyphs. He moves slowly, reading carefully. Exie draws breath, perhaps to encourage haste, but Dorn lies a hand on her shoulder and when she looks at him, he shakes his head no, give the priest some time...

Here and there amid the carvings in the walls are chalk or charcoal writings, added centuries after the pyramid was constructed, some of them perhaps in just the last few years. One reads: "Beware the smithered fecking half-men!"; another "The secrets of the Paleologue will not remain hidden. Look to Gog for directions." As the group approaches the chute-link, time-worn stone steps to descend, Aele reads another piece of adventurer-penned graffiti: "The feathery blessing of Maat fends off the walkers! Do not ignore her soft offering!"

Aele shakes his head ruefully. "I wish I had brought parchment and charcoal, to record these, make rubbings of engravings..."

Dorn nods and says reassuringly, "Perhaps we can find such supplies within, and no doubt we will make trips to Gosterwick from time to time, to consult sages, to hopefully sell valuables, and to rest."

And to pray someone there can remove curses Exie thinks, but does not say aloud. Regretfully, the wizard-priest turns down his lantern as Dorn takes the lead with the other lantern. "Now, to find a way down," Dorn says. But ten minutes later no way downward has been found. Exie sees the tension on Dorn's face and wisely says nothing.

After a few moments, Aele says, "Oh, the statue, of course!" and leads his two curious companions back to the baboon and ibis statue. "I should have thought of this earlier. Cromm loves trap doors. Try moving the staff. Exie, try one leg. Dorn, help me with this free arm. One of the statues' arms moves grudgingly a few inches as both Dorn and Aele apply their strength, and a square section of pavement slides aside behind the statue, revealing a set of stairs leading downward.

They are steep and cramped. They descend more than thirty stories. The stairwell walls are blackened with soot, grime, and desecration. Little meaningful is left to decipher, and in many places the touch of living hands has deposited oils which over time has faded whatever writings may once have been here.

Finally exiting the staircase, the three find themselves in a long pillared hall. It is not well-lit, but further into the hall are four burning torches, placed on sconces about three feet above the floor. Dorn decreases the flame intensity in his lantern. Usage check on d10 results in 4. All three heroes are back to 3/3 Fortune Points. Overnight, they each regained 2 hit points: Ale 7/7, Dorn 12/12, Exie 7/8.

Dorn cautions, "Watch out. Others are here, or nearby," he says, nodding toward the torches.

Ask the Oracle: Is the party surprised by the three giant rats that attack from the shadows? Answer: Yes! Giant rats have been semi-trained/tamed by the halfling thugs here to act as guards and shock troops. Dorn and his companions have been set upon from all sides. And not only are they outnumbered, but they're also surprised. The rats are a single hit point each and inflict 1 damage on a hit, with a 10% chance of passing disease the first time a foe is bitten, and 5% each time thereafter. They have AC 12.

Dorn and Exie each get bitten once, and somehow Aele doesn't. Neither contracts disease.

On the first non-surprise round, Dorn kills a rat, as does Exie, but Aele misses with his mace, then the rats attack: everybody's getting bitten. Nobody contracts disease. First regular round is over. On to round 2: all three PCs miss with their attacks. Aele gets bitten twice more (no disease, though). Round 3: Dorn misses but Aele and Exie each kill a rat, and then the remaining three rats attack: Dorn gets bitten and drops to 8 hp; Aele gets hit with a critical for 2 damage and drops to 2 remaining hit points!

Round 4: Dorn kills a rat, Exie misses, and Aele cries out to Cromm (Thoth?) for healing and regains five hit points and is back at maximum health. Two rats remain. One bites Dorn for another point of damage and the other misses Aele. Round 5: Dorn misses, but Exie hits, killing the rat that attacked Dorn. Father Truemas kills the remaining rat, and the PCs are victorious!

Slow, mocking, languorous applause comes from the shadows, and then mutliple halflings come into view. One steps forward, though not within melee range. "Welcome friends, my name is Roskelly; just call me Rosk." The other halflings spread out, and have crossbows trained on the PCs.

Rosk continues, "I regret the loss of my pet rats, but it won't be difficult to acquire more. They're abundant on this level, and most fecund. Oh, some of you are bitten. My apologies. They aren't ... weren't ... housebroken. On behalf of my boss, welcome to Arden Vul. I just need to collect the appropriate fees and issue you your explorers' licenses. Let's see, there are three of you, so that comes to ... seventy-five gold coins."

Dorn draws himself to his full six feet and glares down at Rosk. "How do you do? Where are your parents? We'll speak to them."

In the context of the Halls of Arden Vul, the Thothians are the remnants and followers of the ancient Archontean cult of Thoth, the god of knowledge, secrets, and magic. They are one of the most powerful and intellectually driven factions in the megadungeon.

In your campaign, they are essential for players who want to deal in high-end magic items or deep dungeon lore.

Who they are The Identity: They are primarily Archontean humans (and some intelligent constructs or spirits) who view themselves as the rightful keepers of the "Light of Comprehension."

Alignment: They are generally Lawful or Neutral, but they are highly isolationist and "Lawful" doesn't mean "nice." They are arrogant, valuing ancient scrolls and historical artifacts far more than human life.

Aesthetic: Their areas are heavily influenced by ancient Egyptian/Archontean motifs—expect to see carvings of ibises, baboons, and multifaceted eyes.

Where to find them The Plaza of the Priests (Surface/Level 1): The ruins of their once-great temple complex.

The Hall of Shrines (Level 2): A grand hall of polished marble where they maintain active religious sites.

The Temple of Thoth (Level 3): Their primary stronghold within the upper levels. It is heavily trapped and guarded by magical constructs.

Thothian Teleportation Rings: These are scattered throughout the dungeon. The Thothians are the only ones who truly understand how to use the "addresses" (cubes) to navigate the halls instantly.

Interaction & Trade If you want to trade with them, keep the following in mind:

Currency: They care little for standard gold. They want ancient books, lost scrolls, and Archontean relics. If you find a piece of jewelry with an inscription in a dead language, they are your best buyers.

Magic Items: They are the premier faction for identifying magic items. However, they may demand you perform a "service" (a quest to recover a stolen book from the Cult of Set) rather than taking gold for the service.

The Scrutiny of Thoth: In some areas, the faction (or the god himself) may "judge" those who enter. If you show respect and possess high intelligence, they are much more likely to trade than if you come in swinging a sword.

The Rivalry They are the eternal enemies of the Cult of Set (the god of chaos and destruction). If your party is seen wearing Setian symbols or dealing with their rivals, the Thothians will likely be hostile on sight.

Pro Tip: If you find a Thothian Holy Symbol (often an ivory or gold ibis), keep it. It acts as a "key" for many of the magical doors and elevators within their territory.