Mission 5 - Descent Into Avernus

The very fabric of reality has unraveled before my eyes. Our journey began not on the ground, but in the sky, soaring on the backs of griffins to a tower that floats, unattached, high in the clouds. There, we were greeted by the most unexpected of companions: an odd otter and an elephant. Their names, Traxicore and Lulu, were a far cry from what their appearances suggested.

Lulu was the first to speak, her memory a fractured tapestry. She was with Zariel when the fabled Hellrider led the charge into Avernus. She helped Zariel conceal her sword when they were betrayed by some of the Hellriders, but the specifics of the event remain a blur.

With little ceremony, Traxicore cast a planeshift spell, and we were instantly wrenched from the serene clouds and plunged into the acrid, burning air of Elturel, now a city of death. An acrid black smoke seared our noses and stung our lungs. Traxicore vanished without a trace, and Lulu, in a sudden moment of clarity, remembered her ability to shapeshift into a mammoth and use some sort of magical abilities. The city was a hellscape, its streets now rivers of magma. Giant black chains rose from the ground, holding Elturel suspended over a gaping pit of infernal terror. We set off, following Lulu's lead, in search of the keep.

A City in Torment

Our grim journey began with a frantic scene: a woman, Harkina Hunt, and her two toddlers, fleeing from a pack of infernal fiends. We rushed to their rescue, our combined might a beacon of hope in the darkness. We battled for several rounds, ultimately burning them all to ash in a blaze of righteous divine fire. Harkina and her children, grateful, told us of the countless others who had perished. They were without food or water, and wicked creatures preyed upon anyone who dared to forage for supplies. She was headed to the High Hall, and we offered to escort her.

As we journeyed, she mentioned the constant war between devils and demons. Just a block away, our resolve was tested again as we came upon a man being attacked by goat devils. These creatures were surrounded by an aura of filth. Baktha Tassup - Ryan, though he began coughing up flies, managed to kill one of the vile beasts. I, too, felt my skin break out in painful boils just before dispatching the other. The man we saved, Oren Ragron, a blacksmith, had been hiding and foraging, unable to return to his shop.

As we pressed on, a building collapsed, its ruins echoing with cries for help. We sprang into action, clearing rubble. Lulu, with her uncanny communication, guided us to three trapped dwarves: Valkora Ashenwell, wearing the symbol of Moraden, along with Stroven Ironfist and Cartra Boldenstern. Valkora, a mason and an acolyte of Moraden, was also on her way to High Hall to assist with the rebuilding.

As we tried to scout the bridge, we were set upon by ghouls. Thomus - Thomas used a clever distraction flare to protect our new companions from the creatures, but they turned their attention to us, clawing and biting. I bashed one, as did my companions. Iliran Tilorri - Mike, with a brilliant move, stepped between two of them and unleashed a lightning bolt, striking seven of the eight ghouls and killing five instantly. We finished the last one almost immediately.

One of the ghouls had a fine set of studded leather, and I, in need of better protection, put it on. It proved to be a +1 Studded Leather. From a nearby tall building, we got a good look at the bridge and its heavy guard. We stopped to rest, and during the night, Salah Secumber - Hal, while searching through a pile of filth, discovered a ring of invisibility.

A Glimmer of Hope and a Dark Bargain

After a good night's sleep, we headed north. I noticed an imp menacing a halfling and swiftly intervened, my arrow finding its mark in the imp's throat. Reya Mantlemorn rushed up to deliver the killing blow, ending the conflict as quickly as it began. Pillster Pebblechuck, the halfling we rescued, was a baker before Elturel's descent. He explained that he and his family, running out of provisions, had been offered a month's worth of food and water by the imp, Perchulux, in exchange for his soul. He had accepted the vile bargain, but we arrived just in time.

A quick review of the contract revealed a hidden clause granting the imp the souls of Pillster's entire family. Baktha Tassup - Ryan incinerated the contract with a burst of sacred flame. As the parchment vanished, half of the imp's corpse vanished with it, leaving behind a mysterious iron disc, five inches in diameter and an inch thick. Baktha Tassup - Ryan noticed it felt as though it contained something within. Lulu recognized it as a soul coin, the currency of Avernus, containing a trapped soul.

Lulu's memory returned in a flash: Yenego, a demon lord, seeks to destroy Zariel's sword, a goal he once fought for. She couldn't remember where, but the memory was now firmly in her mind.

We made a short detour to retrieve Pillster's famished family, offering them rations and welcoming them to our small band of refugees and heroes.

As we approached the north bridge, a foul, rotten stench assaulted us, a hundred times more intense than any decaying corpse. Through a window, I saw four shadowy forms gnashing their teeth and devouring something. Thomus - Thomas threw a fireball into the room, and I charged in, the stench clawing at my throat and blurring my vision. They swarmed me, gnawing and clawing at my flesh, inflicting grievous wounds. My muscles tensed, nearly frozen, but I managed to shake off the paralysis before it overtook me. Iliran Tilorri - Mike hit them with a bolt of frost, while Salah Secumber - Hal's holy flame seemed to sizzle out before reaching them.

Baktha Tassup - Ryan and Reya Mantlemorn moved up to attack, seemingly unbothered by the stench. Salah Secumber - Hal and Thomus - Thomas dispatched another with fiery spells, and Lulu took out the last of the fetid ghasts. Crying and hiding in a cupboard, Baktha Tassup - Ryan found a small girl named Shora Hevron, who hugged him tightly and asked if her family was gone. Salah Secumber - Hal used his healing magic to mend my wounds.

The Final Approach to High Hall

The tower nearest the northern bridge was an old schoolhouse, now filled with zombies. We hoisted Thomus - Thomas to a second-floor window, and he rained down a fireball upon the horde. I tried to kick the main door in, but the sheer press of zombies on the other side prevented it from budging. Thomus - Thomas unleashed burning hands, killing half of the dozen zombies. Iliran Tilorri - Mike burst in and finished off another five with a thunderwave. Baktha Tassup - Ryan took out the last.

In the corner, we found a floor hatch leading to a small trove of fifteen gallons of water in individual flasks. I also found a false bottom in a crate containing various prized possessions and a letter signed by a "Fraxus" who had hidden his belongings there.

During a short rest, Lulu's memory returned again. She recalled hiding in a place called the wandering emporium, suggesting it might be able to help us.

We then prepared a trap for the bridge. Iliran Tilorri - Mike, wearing his new ring of invisibility, went ahead to prepare a thunderwave for the ambush. The devils arrived: two bearded devils and four spined devils. I hobbled along, feigning an old man, with the rest of our party in tow. Baktha Tassup - Ryan noticed a rune on the arch and activated it, causing any devils on the bridge to take radiant damage. They screamed in pain as the trap was sprung.

Iliran Tilorri - Mike rushed ahead and unleashed his thunderwave, and four of the devils were instantly killed. Baktha Tassup - Ryan killed a second, and I sent an arrow directly through the brain of the last. We rushed across the bridge, mostly unmolested.

Just beyond, we found a burned human carcass. Baktha Tassup - Ryan approached to take a silvered sword from its grasp, triggering a trap of hellfire. After extinguishing himself, he collected the silvered sword and a potion of frost giant strength.

A bit further, a vulture-like devil named Abathrax, perched in a burned tree, reached out to us psychically. He seemed non-hostile, contemplative, and over the entire ordeal of the descent into Avernus. As we passed, he simply advised us to "mind the portal."

A short distance ahead, an armored creature with a battleaxe emerged from an alley, followed by four spined devils. He appeared exasperated, like a teacher herding unruly children. A sudden quake knocked Salah Secumber - Hal and Iliran Tilorri - Mike over, along with two of the spined devils, who cried out, alerting the others. I rushed forward, attacking the first devil, which Thomus - Thomas finished off with a radiant bolt. Baktha Tassup - Ryan and Reya Mantlemorn dispatched a second. Salah Secumber - Hal stood up and cast a guiding bolt, while Iliran Tilorri - Mike knocked another back with a thunderwave.

Thomus - Thomas and I focused on the large creature, felling him in a single round. We quickly finished off the last two devils. Lulu alerted us to a Narzugon riding a nightmare on a nearby street, so we ducked into a building for a brief reprieve. We held our breath in silence while it passed.

After a short rest, we set out again, using Lulu's eyes in the sky to make it all the way to the base of Highhall undetected. The keep was partially destroyed and heavily charred. Two hellhounds stood guard at the front gate. I charged in, ready to attack, but before I could close the gap, both dropped dead under the combined force of Iliran Tilorri - Mike's lightning bolt and Salah Secumber - Hal's guiding bolt. I continued to the entrance, a column-lined hallway. Some columns were carved to honor Torm, while others were defaced with Zariel's sigil. The door beyond was closed. We pushed it open, entering a foyer.

Behind a curtained area, an altar sat with a large lever beside it. A large devil patrolled the altar, flanked by a small group of black-robed humans circled behind him.