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!