Descent into Avernus

(Jeff_L) #1

74


UIDED BY LULU THE HOLLYPHANT AND
discoveries made in Elturel, the characters

trek across Avernus, the first layer of the


Nine Hells, to recover the Sword ofZariel

and free Elturel from its chains. Navigating


the was telands of Avernus might seem


like a difficult proposition, but thankfully

the characte rs have the map given to them


by Sylvira Savikas in chapter l. For more
information on how to use the Avernus

poster map, see "Using the Poster Map" (page 79).


Elturel and Fort Knuckle bone aren't marked on the


poster map, as Elturel was not present when the map


was drawn, and the cartographer who drew th e map


never encountered Fort Knucklebone. You can situ-

ate Elturel anywhere along the River Styx, and Fort


Knucklebone anywhere within ten miles ofElturel.

RUNNING THIS CHAPTER


This chapter ope ns with information about Avernus that


you need to run the encounters and adventure locations
that follow.

The story picks up where it left off in chapter 2, with


the characters embarking on a quest to save Elturel


while Ulder Rave ngard and Reya Mantlemorn stay
behind to organize survivors and defend the city. Lulu
guides the characters to Fort Knucklebone, home to

a pair of kenku junk scavenge rs named Chukka and


Clonk, whom Lulu thinks can provide assistance. Mad

Maggie, the night hag who runs the fort, oversees the


CHAPTER 3 I AVERNUS

construction and repair of infernal war machines. If


the characters agree to make a deal with the night hag,


they can acquire one or more of these vehicles. Mad


Maggie can also help Lulu unlock some of her forgot-


ten memories.


From Fort Knucklebone, Lulu guides the characters


to the place whe re she thinks the Sword ofZariel is hid-


den: Haruman's Hill. The re, th ey meetjander Sunstar, a


vampire with some information. They also meetJander's

torturer, Haruma n-a falle n Hellrider and one ofZariel's


infernal gene rals. Lulu eve ntually realizes she's made


a grave mistake and led the characters to the wrong

place. She s uggests two possible paths going forward:


the Path of Demons and the Path of Devils. Each path

features a number of locations across Avernus that the


characters must visit in sequence to learn where Zariel's


sword is hidden.

At any time during their exploration of Avernus, the


characters and Lulu might e ncounter the Wandering


Emporium, a marketplace that wanders Avernus on the


backs of giant infernal war machines. The Wandering


Emporium provides a good place for the characters to


rest and gather supplies that are otherwise hard to find


in Avernus.

At t he conclusion of this c hapte r, the characters learn


that the Sword ofZariel is hidden in a place called the


Bleeding Citadel. If she's still alive, Lulu helps them


get there. See chapter 4 for details about the Bleed-


ing Citadel.
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