The Bleeding Citadel

An alabaster temple buried in a hill-sized scab in a swamp of blood, bound with black iron chains. Inside, tunnels of flesh, hellish things, and a cathedral with Zariel's sword in the dais. The Hellriders' ghost Yael built it to protect the blade.

[!info]- Lore
The citadel exists to hide the Sword of Zariel. The scab, grown by Avernus itself, is the demons' wound on the world.

[!quote]- From the book (ch. 4)
A bright white light burns away the blood and grit staining your clothes. Restorative energy brings life to numb muscles as the glow softens to reveal the interior of a sun-kissed cathedral. How light passes through the scab and into the stained glass windows is a mystery only magic can answer.

Pillars line a path from the door to a raised dais carved with Celestial runes. Embedded in a stone atop the dais is a glowing longsword.

The runes around the doors say, in Celestial: "Against evil, we stand united. Only the pure of heart can part these holy gates."

#location #avernus