Ubbalux begins to chant. The air fills with ozone as
lightning courses over the standing stones. Each char-
acter who participates in the experiment takes 22 (Sd8)
lightning damage and suffers an additional effect based
on the school of magic associated with the standing
stone that the character touched, as noted in the Stand-
ing Stone Effects table. Ubbalux's latest attempt to es-
cape his prison has failed.
DEVELOPMENT
Dropping its disguise, the barlgura demon implores the
characters to seek out Mephistopheles and return with
an answer to his puzzle. The barlgura then gives them
directions to a magic mirror (the Mirror of Mephistar)
that can be used to gaze into Cania and contact the
archdevil. If the characters win over Mephistopheles,
Ubbalux promises to guide them to someone who can
help them find the Bleeding Citadel.
MIRROR OF MEPHISTAR
MIRROR, MIRROR, MADE OF ICE-LOOK WlTHIN, BUT AT
what price?- The Cartographer
When the characters arrive at this location, read or
paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:
I
A giant slab of ice is wedged at the end of this craggy ra-
vine. Through its surface, you glimpse a glacial landscape
draped in snow.Anyone who gazes into the surface of this 20-foot-tall
mirror of ice sees their reflection as soulless, haggard,
and encrusted with rime. This apparition stands in a fro-
zen tundra, desolate save for a tower of ice far in the dis-
tance. Characters who succeed on a DC 25 Intelligence
(Arcana) check recognize the tower as Mephistar, lair of
the archdevil Mephistopheles.
Any character who witnesses their reflection in the
mirror must succeed on a DC 20 Intelligence saving
throw or become stunned for 1 minute. As they gaze
stunned into their reflection's eyes, Mephistopheles
gains access to all their thoughts, fears, and knowledge,
learning of their mission to retrieve Zariel's sword and
free Elturel (see "Development" below).
THE EMISSARY
Shortly after arriving here. the characters see one of
Mephistopheles's emissaries in the mirror: a cambion
named Rigorath. The emissary, only visible in the icy
world beyond the mirror, swoops down from the di-
rection of the tower. His skin is cadaver-blue, and his
face is frozen in a scream. Rigorath holds a kettle of
steaming water in one hand. Before speaking, he pours
the boiling water over his face to thaw it out. After each
utterance, the ice spreads over his face again, freezing
into an expression of pained anguish.
Rigorath can perceive the characters though the mir-
ror but can't pass through its surface, nor can the char-
acters pass through the mirror or target Rigorath with
spells or attacks. Rigorath tries to broker an infernal
pact with the characters on behalf of his master Mephis-
topheles, offering them knowledge and power in return
for their assistance:
• To fulfill their end of the bargain, the characters
must dam the flow of the River Styx where it spills
into a nearby slime-filled chasm (see "Pit of Shum-
mrath," page 100).
- If the characters fulfill their side of the bargain, Rigo-
rath grants them rare knowledge: a secret they desire
and a permanent +1 increase to each character's Intel-
ligence or Wisdom score.
• Characters who came here from the Obelisk (see page
98) can bargain with Rigorath for the means to re-
lease Ubbalux from the standing stones. In this case,
his terms are the same.
Rigorath refuses to explain why Mephistopheles
wants the River Styx dammed. His master is wary of
angering Zariel and refuses to grant directions to the
Bleeding Citadel. If the characters agree to Mephistoph-
eles's pact, Rigorath etches the terms onto the surface
of the mirror. The words form into chunks of ice on the
group's side, which Rigorath instructs them to chisel off,
melt, and then drink to seal the bargain.
To aid the characters with damming the River Styx,
the emissary crafts an imp out of snow, which hops
through the mirror to join them. This imp has immunity
to cold damage and carries a sling bag containing five
shattersticks (see the «Shattersticks" sidebar) that it can
use to demolish the riverbank. The imp is focused on
his task, dislikes procrastination, and spits shards of ice
when annoyed. The imp can guide the characters to the
chasm of the Pit of Shummrath.
DEVELOPMENT
If Mephistopheles learns of the Sword of Zariel, thearchdevil orders the imp to follow the group invisibly
after it completes its demolition work and report back
when they've located the Bleeding Citadel. At that point,
Mephistopheles sends an ice devil into Avernus with or-
ders to murder the characters and steal the sword. If he
gets the sword, Mephistopheles plans to use the artifact
as leverage against Zariel in future dealings.
SHATTERSTICK
A shatterstick is a nonmagical, 12-inch-long, 4-pound
stake made of blue-tinged infernal Iron mined on Cania,
the eighth layer of the Nine Hells. When embedded in
earth or pounded into solid rock, the stake emits a seis-
mic vibration in a 20-foot radius centered on itself for l
minute, shaking the ground in that area for the duration.
When the effects ends, the shatterstick breaks apart,
becoming useless, and all structures within 20 feet of it
take 35 (10d6) bludgeoning damage.CHAPTER 3 I AVERNUS