Psion
Adventurer
White Robes, Black Hearts: Enigma of the Arcanexus
A number of d20 System publishers entered the market first by way of publishing PDF products. A few of the best of these eventually became print publishers, reprinting some of their most well received materials for a broader audience. With White Robes, Black Hearts: Enigma of the Arcanexus reaching print, Dark Portal Games has made that step by bringing their first PDF product to print.
Enigma of the Arcanexus is the first in a promised series of adventure modules in the White Robes, Black Hearts series (the name alluding to a villainous organization in the setting.) Enigma of the Arcanexus is a large "mini campaign" type adventure in the same vein as adventures like the Banewarrens and Hall of the Rainbow Mage. The adventure is written for parties of 3rd-5th level characters. The adventure is written by Robert Blezard, Tony Bounds, and Darrin Drader.
A First Look
Enigma of the Arcanexus is a 112 page perfect-bound softcover book priced at $14.95. This is a pretty competitive price for a book of this size.
The cover, by Mike Jackson, depicts the white robed villains of the adventure grappling with the party in a final confrontation.
The interior is black-and-white. Interior art is by Juli Halbur-Herra and Michael Picagli and is generally of good quality. Interior maps are by Robert Blezard, Tony Bounds, Darrin Drader, and Michael Picagli. The maps are of very good quality, especially the gateway city map and the map of Arekoz (the default campaign setting of Dark Portal Games).
A Deeper Look
(Warning: This section contains spoilers to events in the adventure.)
Enigma of the Arcanexus is set against a specific political backdrop. A society of cleric/sorcerers called the "White Robes" control the central empire of the setting, Mhul. In recent years, the empire has oppressed one of its neighbors, a nation called Calrendia. A group of rebels from Calrendia appeal to the party to find an artifact called the Arcanexus. The rebels believe that if they can obtain the Arcanexus, they can travel to the otherworldly place that holds the source of the White Robes' power and smash it. Though this sounds like a very specific background, the adventure provides you with some pretty good guidelines on how you can adapt this adventure to your own game and not invalidate the adventure.
On a basic level, the adventure is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is the introduction and the beginning of the adventure. In this chapter, the characters are recruited and they travel to the city where they will meet some of the NPCs that will be important throughout the adventure. In talking to these NPCs, the players may discover more about the quest ahead of them, but ultimately they will find little information until they investigate the resting place of Rowhan Lyrgan, one of the monks who once guarded the Arcanexus.
In addition to the setup, Chapter 1 describes the information and actions of some NPCs throughout the adventure.
Chapter 2 chiefly concerns the cemetery to find the remains of one of the last known guardians of the Arcanexus. A number of constables and hostile creatures may have to be dealt with in exploring the cemetery, and the players may decide to explore a dangerous (and, of course, undead infested) set of catacombs. Ultimately, the players must explore the mausoleum of Rowhan Lyrgan. Among the more unusual encounters, the party may find themselves allied with a ghoul out to exact revenge on the creature that brought about his state.
The mausoleum features some Indiana Jones-style puzzles and traps that the players will have to work through in order to obtain the information that they need to move on with the adventure.
Chapter 3 concerns the monastery that once housed the Arcanexus. The resistance movement knows that the Arcanexus is no longer there, but once the party gets the necessary clues from Rowhan's mausoleum, it has enough information to determine that the monastery is worth looking at. Of course, the monastery is overrun by unfriendlies (in this case, ettercaps and undead). By using an item found in the mausoleum, the party can uncover what the Mhul soldiers could not: a map to the caves featured in the next part.
Chapter 4 concerns a group of caves where the monks fled from the forces of Mhul. The cave networks are pretty extensive, featuring troglodytes and sandipedes, a new creature introduced in EoA. The possible activities of this section could grow beyond the central premise of finding the Arcanexus, but a codex that the party finds in the caves will enable it to eliminate any remaining threats in the cavern effectively and move on to a ziggurat described in Chapter 5.
Chapter 5 describes the ziggurat called Ippaeth's Disgrace. The ziggurat was originally to be built as a place where people could speak to the gods. The treachery of one powerful mage, however, resulted in his magical hijacking of the ziggurat. He set it up as a hidden lair on another plane. He eventually died and his secrets where discovered by the priests. They used the ziggurat as a hiding place for the Arcanexus.
The ziggurat can only be accessed by means described in the codex. Challenges within the ziggurat include a new creature that the mage had created, a trap, a chess puzzle, and a demon. The demon is a considerable challenge for characters of the level the party is likely to be, but it is instructed to allow the characters access to one item - and only one - and to allow them to leave unmolested.
That would be the end of the adventure, but if the players have not noticed the NPCs following them, the day of reckoning has come – as the party is attacked by NPCs in the employ of Mhul who wish to take the Arcanexus for themselves.
In addition to the chapters, the book has appendices detailing major NPCs, creatures, magic items, and players handouts.
Conclusion
This looks like it would be a fun adventure to me. The whole adventure has a nice quest-like feel that I think has been absent from many d20 adventures. Bringing this adventure to print will bring this excellent adventure to a wider audience.
There is a rich historical backdrop to the adventure. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. If you are like most DMs, you already have a setting picked out. Fortunately, DPG has provided several alternatives to assist you in fitting the adventure into the game, and several interesting historical bits are small enough in scope that you can use them whole cloth even if you discard DPG's Arekoz setting.
Overall Grade: B
-Alan D. Kohler
A number of d20 System publishers entered the market first by way of publishing PDF products. A few of the best of these eventually became print publishers, reprinting some of their most well received materials for a broader audience. With White Robes, Black Hearts: Enigma of the Arcanexus reaching print, Dark Portal Games has made that step by bringing their first PDF product to print.
Enigma of the Arcanexus is the first in a promised series of adventure modules in the White Robes, Black Hearts series (the name alluding to a villainous organization in the setting.) Enigma of the Arcanexus is a large "mini campaign" type adventure in the same vein as adventures like the Banewarrens and Hall of the Rainbow Mage. The adventure is written for parties of 3rd-5th level characters. The adventure is written by Robert Blezard, Tony Bounds, and Darrin Drader.
A First Look
Enigma of the Arcanexus is a 112 page perfect-bound softcover book priced at $14.95. This is a pretty competitive price for a book of this size.
The cover, by Mike Jackson, depicts the white robed villains of the adventure grappling with the party in a final confrontation.
The interior is black-and-white. Interior art is by Juli Halbur-Herra and Michael Picagli and is generally of good quality. Interior maps are by Robert Blezard, Tony Bounds, Darrin Drader, and Michael Picagli. The maps are of very good quality, especially the gateway city map and the map of Arekoz (the default campaign setting of Dark Portal Games).
A Deeper Look
(Warning: This section contains spoilers to events in the adventure.)
Enigma of the Arcanexus is set against a specific political backdrop. A society of cleric/sorcerers called the "White Robes" control the central empire of the setting, Mhul. In recent years, the empire has oppressed one of its neighbors, a nation called Calrendia. A group of rebels from Calrendia appeal to the party to find an artifact called the Arcanexus. The rebels believe that if they can obtain the Arcanexus, they can travel to the otherworldly place that holds the source of the White Robes' power and smash it. Though this sounds like a very specific background, the adventure provides you with some pretty good guidelines on how you can adapt this adventure to your own game and not invalidate the adventure.
On a basic level, the adventure is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is the introduction and the beginning of the adventure. In this chapter, the characters are recruited and they travel to the city where they will meet some of the NPCs that will be important throughout the adventure. In talking to these NPCs, the players may discover more about the quest ahead of them, but ultimately they will find little information until they investigate the resting place of Rowhan Lyrgan, one of the monks who once guarded the Arcanexus.
In addition to the setup, Chapter 1 describes the information and actions of some NPCs throughout the adventure.
Chapter 2 chiefly concerns the cemetery to find the remains of one of the last known guardians of the Arcanexus. A number of constables and hostile creatures may have to be dealt with in exploring the cemetery, and the players may decide to explore a dangerous (and, of course, undead infested) set of catacombs. Ultimately, the players must explore the mausoleum of Rowhan Lyrgan. Among the more unusual encounters, the party may find themselves allied with a ghoul out to exact revenge on the creature that brought about his state.
The mausoleum features some Indiana Jones-style puzzles and traps that the players will have to work through in order to obtain the information that they need to move on with the adventure.
Chapter 3 concerns the monastery that once housed the Arcanexus. The resistance movement knows that the Arcanexus is no longer there, but once the party gets the necessary clues from Rowhan's mausoleum, it has enough information to determine that the monastery is worth looking at. Of course, the monastery is overrun by unfriendlies (in this case, ettercaps and undead). By using an item found in the mausoleum, the party can uncover what the Mhul soldiers could not: a map to the caves featured in the next part.
Chapter 4 concerns a group of caves where the monks fled from the forces of Mhul. The cave networks are pretty extensive, featuring troglodytes and sandipedes, a new creature introduced in EoA. The possible activities of this section could grow beyond the central premise of finding the Arcanexus, but a codex that the party finds in the caves will enable it to eliminate any remaining threats in the cavern effectively and move on to a ziggurat described in Chapter 5.
Chapter 5 describes the ziggurat called Ippaeth's Disgrace. The ziggurat was originally to be built as a place where people could speak to the gods. The treachery of one powerful mage, however, resulted in his magical hijacking of the ziggurat. He set it up as a hidden lair on another plane. He eventually died and his secrets where discovered by the priests. They used the ziggurat as a hiding place for the Arcanexus.
The ziggurat can only be accessed by means described in the codex. Challenges within the ziggurat include a new creature that the mage had created, a trap, a chess puzzle, and a demon. The demon is a considerable challenge for characters of the level the party is likely to be, but it is instructed to allow the characters access to one item - and only one - and to allow them to leave unmolested.
That would be the end of the adventure, but if the players have not noticed the NPCs following them, the day of reckoning has come – as the party is attacked by NPCs in the employ of Mhul who wish to take the Arcanexus for themselves.
In addition to the chapters, the book has appendices detailing major NPCs, creatures, magic items, and players handouts.
Conclusion
This looks like it would be a fun adventure to me. The whole adventure has a nice quest-like feel that I think has been absent from many d20 adventures. Bringing this adventure to print will bring this excellent adventure to a wider audience.
There is a rich historical backdrop to the adventure. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. If you are like most DMs, you already have a setting picked out. Fortunately, DPG has provided several alternatives to assist you in fitting the adventure into the game, and several interesting historical bits are small enough in scope that you can use them whole cloth even if you discard DPG's Arekoz setting.
Overall Grade: B
-Alan D. Kohler
I just got my free copy. But hey I'll be sure to say "Psion likes Enigma!" 
