Zariel pulls a single golden feather from one of herwings and hands it to the character closest to her. A
creature that holds this feather can cast planar ally as
an action, calling Zariel and Lulu only, after which the
feather dissolves into a ray of sunlight. If the two are
called to aid the characters, they do so for up to 1 hour,
with no payment asked for in return.With her gift given, Zariel inclines her head, unfurls her
wings, and soars into the sky. Lulu turns to wrap you all
up in a massive hug with her trunk. When she lets you
go, she smiles warmly and says, "We'll see each other
again. Someday."
The golden mammoth then flaps her wings and soars
into the sky. You watch her silhouette dwindle until it is
swallowed by sunlight.Characters who return with Elturel can find plenty to
do in the city, aiding survivors and helping restore order
in the aftermath of so much death and destruction. Inaddition to the leadership and magic the characters can
lend to the people of Elturel, the planetar once boundwithin the Companion remains in the city for as long as
it is needed, using its ability to raise the dead to restore
as many of those lost to the destruction as it can.
In the longer term, the characters might also have
loose ends in Baldur's Gate to take care of, especially if
any villains in chapter 1 were left alive to continue theirdark plots.
Even if the tale of the two cities has bee n successfully
completed to the characters' satisfaction, the events
of the adventure continue to play out in Baldur's Gate
and Elturel after the fact. In particular, if Grand Duke
Ravengard survives and returns with Elturel, the survi-
vors of the city will be greatly in bis debt. Ravengard's
efforts to defend the city should dramatically changethe political landscape of Baidu r's Gate and El tu rel,
ushering in an era of detente, if not full friendship and
alliance, between the two cities.Z ARIEL'S WRATH
If the characters fail to redeem Zariel and don't make
a deal with her (see "Making a Deal with Zariel," page
153), she attacks. Her first goal is to destroy the adven-
turers who dared insult her, after which she means to
erase from existence all those whom she once loved.
At this grim juncture, the characters' only hope is to
defeat Zariel or to bend the knee in fealty. Killing Zariel
frees the citizens ofElturel from infernal bondage. The
characters might choose this endgame intentionally,
or they could be forced to fight Zariel if they fail toredeem her.
Defeating Zariel is easier said than done. At her full
power, the archdevil is more than a match for most mor-
tals. Adventurers who hope to lay her low must schemelike a devil. Forging an alliance with a powerful, super-
natural being such as Bel, Gargauth, Tiamat, or one of
the demon lords besieging Avernus could grant the char-
acters the power necessary to cast down Zariel.
CHAPTER 5 I ESCAPE FROM AVERNUS
BAPHOMET, KO STCHTCHIE, OR YEENOGHUBaphomet and Yeenoghu are fighting to claim Avernus
for themselves, and Kostchtchie (assuming the charac-
ters released him in chapter 3) wants his hammer back.
None of them can be trusted. Demon lords are savagery
incarnate, and they take orders from no one.
The extent to which Baphomet, Kostchtchie, and Yee-
noghu are present in Avernus makes it easy for charac-
ters to commune with any of these demon lords using
contact other plane spells or similar magic.
BELBel rankles at Zariel's rulership of the layer of the Nine
Hells that was once his, but he won't challenge her di-
rectly as long as he thinks Asmodeus supports Zariel.
Bel's aim is to let the characters try to redeem Zarielby helping them retrieve her sword. Bel knows Zariel's
redemption is a long shot, which is why he also gives
characters a means to unlock the Companion. Freeing
the planetar trapped within the Companion deniesZariel her latest prize-the city of Elturel-and makes
her look inept, which is the best Bel can hope for.GARGAUTHThe pit fiend Gargauth would like nothing more than to
be released from its prison and replace Zariel as Lord
of Avernus. If the characters possess the Shield of the
Hidden Lord, they can free Gargauth as described in the
item's description (see page 225).Tf released, Gargauth thanks the characters through
tears of mirth. The pit fiend's first act is to produce a
contract out of thin air, claiming that it will aid the char-acters in their quest to destroy Zariel if they sign it. The
contract is full of convoluted text, and is summarized
in its final clause:"], the undersigned, agree to form acompact with Gargauth, joining with it to destroy the
archdevil Zariel. While bound by this compact, no inten-
tional harm shall befall either party by the other party's
hand, without voiding this agreement."
Gargauth takes joy in subverting ill-worded contracts
and betraying those bound by them. Notably, the con-
tract presented lasts only until Zariel is destroyed, after
which point Gargauth intends to tear the adventurers
limb from limb. Clever adventure rs can subvert the pit
fiend's betrayal by ensuring Zariel's capture, banish-ment, or some other nonlethal defeat.
In that event, though, Gargauth has left itself an easy
out. The only consequence for harming an ally under
the terms of the contract is the contracfs immediate
negation- leaving Gargauth free to do whatever it
sees fit. The pit fiend hopes that it can sneak this ruse
through unchallenged, and argues fiercely if the char-
acters spot this tricky phrase and demand its removal
from the contract.TI AMAT