The Halls of Arden Vul [ EDIT ]

Who has not heard rumours of the lost city of Arden Vul? During the glory days of the Archontean Empire, now 1,200 years in the past, Arden Vul was a small, but important, wealthy and secretive imperial centre located atop a 1,500’-tall cliff at the head of Burdock’s Valley. Dominated by the imperial administration itself, as well as by the great temples of Thoth and Set, the city attracted alchemists, scholars, priests and sorcerers by the droves. Seeking the lost secrets of long-dead civilizations as well as the mysterious element known as arcanum, the Archonteans delved deeply - and secretively - within the mountain. Alas! The terrible civil war that rent the Archontean Empire, that is, the war of Sortians and Theosophs, led to the utter destruction of the city and the withdrawal of the imperial legions from the western continent of Irthuin.

Now, with the renaissance of imperial power, it is possible for well-equipped adventurers to make the long trek to Arden Vul from the exarchates of the coast. Tales of gold piled in imperial vaults, legendary magical artefacts resting in unspoiled crypts, and the fruits of the lost secrets of ancient imperial smiths and mages lying ripe for the picking are legion. Yet alongside the tales of lost treasures are other, more unsettling whispers. How could a lost city remain unplundered for more than a millennium? Surely only the existence of the cruelest of foes and unimaginable evil within the mountain can explain Arden Vul’s unspoiled status. Only the bravest, the cleverest, and the luckiest of adventurers will survive to plumb the mysteries of Arden Vul.

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Classic dungeoneering through Richard Barton’s "The Halls of Arden Vul" megadungeon using OSRIC (i.e. 1st Edition AD&D).

We'll generally play rules-as-written, with a minimum of house rules. This means:

- By-the-book character creation.
- Turn-by-turn tracking of time - torches expire, rations are consumed, wandering monsters appear.
- Encumbrance - would you rather move quickly or carry a lot of stuff?
- Player mapping is essential.
- Player characters will die; it's just a case of how often.

Aiming for an old-school, round-the-table, roleplay-light feel. A game of action, exploration, information gathering, problem-solving, decision making and resource management.

I will run things similarly to my existing Stonehell game. However, Arden Vul is considerably more lore-heavy than Stonehell, and players will need to embrace that lore to get the best out of it.

Whilst viewers/listeners of the "3d6 Down the Line" YouTube channel/podcast are an obvious target audience for this game, that show is inevitably spoiler-tastic. I’d prefer players who have no previous knowledge of the setting.

OSRIC can be downloaded for free at osricrpg.com.