Character Creation

Well now, let’s jus’ see what rumors we know, den! :)

Zacharias's rumours ...

"The old Pyramid of Thoth is the most accessible - and safest - means of entering the Halls of Arden Vul. The long staircase through the pyramid that leads to the first dungeon level is worn with age and covered with layers of graffiti; some of that graffiti is really useful!"

"Lady Alexia, who runs Gosterwick (the nearest town to Arden Vul) is competing with her brother, Lord Burdock, to locate four valuable items that used to be held by the archons of Arden Vul. The items include the bone ring of Jagri-Naz and the iron circlet of Ghanor. Lord Burdock has a map leading to both items, but requires that adventurers take his bailiff along with them."

"The green dragon that rules the surface ruins is the daughter of a terrible wyrm that lives at the bottom of the Great Chasm within the mountain. This ancient wyrm is twice as old and twice as potent as the green; it is served by a race of deathless, horned skeletons whom the old Empire referred to as 'the survivors'."

"The Thoth priests built numerous statues of their god. These appear in various forms, including ibis-headed and baboon-headed. The eyes of all these statues were made of huge gemstones, which if removed allowed the bearer to contact Thoth directly. Many of the statues were enchanted." (Thoth is one of "The Twelve", the old gods that are no longer worshipped in the modern Archontean Empire)

Grimidek's rumours ...

"Numerous giant, horned skeletons can be found among the ruins. They speak a strange language, and can stun you with the force of their shouts. They are the creation of that mad wizard, Kerbog Khan."

"The city of Arden Vul was dominated by the two great temples of Thoth and Set, as well as by the imperial administration. Most of the subterranean halls were delved by these groups."

Gossips and ears.

matmaisan's character's rumours ...

"Just to the north of the ruins of Arden Vul, there's an inn and trading post where adventurers can rest and recuperate between delves."

"Among the symbols of the ancient cult of Set were the desert dust storm, the black boar, the crocodile, the serpent, a redheaded man, and a strange animal with the snout of a dog but with squarish ears."

For simplicity and consistency, I'm happy to go with rules as written. If your race and class say you can use a longbow, that's fine by me.
The elves of Magae do not worship deities per se. They believe that creation was wrought by Valborian, who created Gildorin out of pure magic and who subsequently shaped the hundred First Elves to be Gildorin’s companions. All subsequent elves are thus Valborian’s children, and while they know they will return to him/her some day, they do not actively construct cults, temples, priesthoods, and so forth. Many Elves, particularly wild ones, revere nature, and acknowledge the role that Aranyania (Archontean god of woodlands, nature, growing things, time, balance) plays in human cosmogony; but again, they do not ‘worship’ her per se.
Correct.

Vasco's rumours ...

"A psychotic halfling thug named Plummie, Plumit, or Plum-something has taken over the top level, just under the pyramid. He won't let anyone pass unless they buy an 'exploration license'. I'd pay up, because his goons are armed with potent magic wands."

"The first level underground, you know, beneath the Well of Light, is dominated by giant, sentient spiders. They roam in packs and wield magic wands."

"The best source of information on the hoppers are the trolls. If you can befriend the lodge of trollish hunters, they can explain the powers and weaknesses of the hoppers; they can also tell you how to find the hoppers' ziggurat."

"Many of the most ardent devotees of Thoth, known as Thoth's Beloved, were buried in a set of catacombs located just under the Pyramid. They are guarded by the power of Thoth himself, which has prevented all intruders from entering the catacombs."

"The Set cult favoured blood-red armour in an archaic style, with breastplate, greaves, and helmet."

We'll come to that when we get started.

A couple of minor character creation thoughts/loose ends ...

1. I'm minded to dispense with the material component requirements for spellcasters. Is everyone OK with this? It just seems an unnecessary faff, particularly when the whole adventure will take place in such a localised area.

2. Whilst I won't track water usage in the same way as rations, torches, oil, etc., I think it's a reasonable expectation that everyone must carry a waterskin. OSRIC only provides the weight of an empty water skin, oo, let's say the weight of a full one is 4 lbs. Please update your inventories accordingly.