Descent into Avernus

(Jeff_L) #1

54


As the characters take in this scene, everyone rolls for

initiative. On their turns, Lulu and Reya see the three


humans about to be attacked by the devils and immedi-


ately move to defend them, regardless of what the char-

acters do. Lulu is hesitant to use her trumpet for fear of


hurting the family or attracting other fiends, but does so


as a last resort.


Members of the Hunt family reduced to 0 hit points by

the devils are knocked unconscious rather than killed,


as the devils are hoping to take them prisoner. These


devils don't offer that same courtesy to the characters or


their NPC companions.

AFTERMATH
If the characters save the Hunt family, Harkina ex-

presses her undying gratitude. Although a commoner,


she carries a longbow with which she is proficient. She


uses it to protect her family. In addition to her longbow,


she carries a quiver with forty arrows, twenty of which


are silvered.


Harkina can relay the following information regarding


the current situation in the city:

• Many ofElturel's citizens died when the city was


drawn to this terrible place. Still more have died in


the days since, from the attacks of terrible creatures, a
lack of food and water, and the collapse of many of the
city's buildings.

• Harkina and the boys have been hiding in the base-


ment of a tavern that had enough reserves of food


and water to keep them alive for a time. When those


provisions ran out, the family was forced to creep from


safety to search for more.


• The city has been split in two. Harkina has heard


from other survivors that this side of Elturel (formerly

the eastern part of the city) is the worse off. The High


Hall-the great castle that is home to Elturel's lead-

ers- is where she was planning to take her boys to


find safety.

HANDLING NONCOMBATANTS
The characters have the opportunity to rescue survivors in
the eastern part of Elturel, with all those survivors desper-
ate to have the party escort them to relative safety in the
western part of the city. When new fights break out with
vulnerable NPCs in tow, it's up to you how you want to
handle those NPCs in combat.
The easiest option is to have the NPCs stay back and
out of the way, limiting their options to following the
characters or hiding from enemies. During fights, you can
effectively forget about those NPCs, assuming that the
most capable among them are dealing with minor threats
in the background while the adventurers handle the potent
foes. You can also have combat-worthy NPCs join the fight,
if you're up for running them. Have all N PCs act on the
same initiative count, and focus their actions on assisting
the characters in combat, rather than engaging in side
fights of their own.
If the characters bring NPCs along, it increases the
chances of having an encounter as the party moves from
one location to another. Whenever you roll the d20 to
determine random encounters {see "More Encounters in
Elturel"), an encounter takes place on a roll of 9 or higher.

CHAPTER 2 I ELTUR£L HAS FALL.EN

1 ·~



  • High Overseer Thavius Kreeg is the leader of the city,


and Harkina hopes that he is working on a plan to


rescue survivors and drive away the devils. If he's still
alive, Grand Duke U!der Ravengard of Baldur's Gate

is probably at the High Hall as well.


If the characters capture and interrogate a bearded


devil, or any other devil encountered in Elturel, it reveals


the following information in response to a successful
DC 15 Charisma (Intimidation) check, assuming the
characters agree to release it:

• The demon attacks from the River Styx intensified


when the city appeared in the sky.

• The demons are trying to climb the binding posts


or fly to the city, but the devils constantly push them


back. The devils are also trying to figure out how to


best use the city to their strategic advantage.

• Slowly and erratically, the spiked posts that bind


Elturel are being drawn into the ground, pulling the


city down toward the River Styx. (The devil doesn't
know how long that process will take.)

• The only reason the city is not already under the con-


trol of devilish forces is the demon attacks. Stemming


that abyssal tide is taking all the devils' resources.

• The devil assumes the city was brought here by Zade!,


the ruler of Avernus.

MORE ENCOUNTERS IN ELTUREL
After their initial encounter with the Hunt famjly and the

bearded devils, the characters are likely to want to get


to the High Hall as quickly as possible to locate Grand


Duke Ravengard. If you haven't done so already, unfold


the poster map with the Elturel side facing up so players


can get a sense of the city's layout and where they must


go to reach the High Hall. Map 2.1 on page 56 is a


shrunk-down version of this side of the poster map.


Whenever the party moves from one named location

to another, roll a d20. A roll of 11 or higher indicates an


encounter while the characters travel within the city.

For example, as the characters travel to a bridge, make


an encounter check. Then after crossing the bridge and


moving toward the High Hall, make another check. Also


make checks if the characters wander the streets or go


off in search of other survivors.


If an encounter is indicated, roll on the Encounters


in Elturel table or choose an encounter you like. Each


encounter can occur only once. If you roll an encounter


that has already occurred, reroll on the table or select a


different encounter. These encounters are described in


the sections that follow the table.

ENCOUNTERS IN ELTUREL
dlO Encounter dlO Encounter
Collapsed building 6 Imp sales pitch
2 Cry for help 7 Narzugon cavalier
3 Ghastly meal 8 Spouts of hellfire
4 Ghoul pack 9 Vrock philosophy
5 Hateful patrol^10 Zombie horde
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