examines the surrounding wall and succeeds on a DC
lS Wisdom (Perception) check.
These rooms are magically shielded against undead
creatures, such that undead can't enter either room or
even perceive its presence. Each ritual room appears to
contain nothing more than ankle-deep mist. However,
any character who explores a ritual room disturbs themist enough to see features hidden underneath it:
As you disturb the ankle-deep mist, it parts to reveal a
ritual circle daubed in blood on the floor. Hundreds of
slivers of parchment are arranged within it, each tiny
st rip bearing a name written neatly in blood.The papers name every warrior interned in this place.
Any character who has seen the steles in area CS can,
with a successful DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check,discern the papers' purpose: they bind the warriors'
souls to the steles and compel them to serve Zariel in
undeath· by the terms of their original oath to her. By
destroying the papers, the characters deactivate thememorial steles and can release the knights' souls from
ser vitude (see area CS for details).
C7. 0LANTHIU$'$ RETREAT
This room is hidden behind a secret door. Characters
with passive Wisdom (Perception) scores of 15 or higher
spot the secret door once they get within 5 feet of it.
Otherwise, it can be found by a character who examinesthe surrounding wall and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom
(Perception) check. If the characters open the secret
door, read the following boxed text to the players:
[
A stack of eight leather-bound journals rests atop a large [
writing table in this cramped chamber.The journals belong to Olanthius the death knight
and are written in Common. Characters who spend a
short rest poring over the journals learn the following
information:- Olanthius never recovered from Zariel's capitulation
to Asmodeus and subsequent transformation into a
devil. He blames himself for not seeing warning signs
of Zariel's fall from grace early on-her single-minded
determination to slay demons at all costs.
- Olanthius took his life rather than face damnation, but
he was transformed into an undead monster by Zariel
to serve her forevermore.- Olanthius describes Haruman, his one-time comrade
in arms, as a heartless man bereft of compassion-
now a devil bent on punishing anyone who stands in
Zariel's way.• Olanthius mourns the deaths of his fallen warriors
and feels powerless to help them.• Olanthius speaks well of General Yael, whom he
clearly respects and secretly adores. In one journal,
Olanthius hints that he knows where Yael hid the
Sword of Zariel but fails to note the location.0LANTHIUS RETURNS
If the characters desecrate any of the tombs or disturbthe journals in area C7, Olanthius th_e death knight
returns to the crypt on a chariot pulled by two gorgons.
Olanthius is bound to protect the crypt and can be sum-
moned from anywhere in Avernus to fulfill his duties. He
descends below ground to hunt down intruders and in-
terrogate them, leaving the gorgons and chariot outside.
As Olanthius moves through the catacombs, he com-pels any ghosts he encounters to fight at his side. Any
ghosts that the characters summoned from the urnsin the funerary chambers (area C2) transform into
specters under Olanthius's command and join him
on his hunt.
Olanthius is an extraordinarily powerful foe for 9th-
level characters. Fortunately, the characters can avoid
combat with the death knight once they realize he's will-
ing to help them.DEVELOPMENT
Characters who parley with Olanthius can gain a valu-
able ally in the fight against Zariel. To stand any chance
of swaying the death knight to their cause, the char-acters must have read his journals and learned of his
hatred for Zariel. Otherwise, he tries to annihilate them
for their impudence.Olanthius is willing to reveal the Bleeding Citadel's
location only if the characters create a diversion to dis-tract Zariel. The characters must seek out the demon
lord Kostchtchie, who is imprisoned in Avernus and
whose hammer Zariel stole. If freed, the demon lord is
sure to want its weapon back, which should create the
diversion that Olanthius needs.The Arches of Ulloch can transport the characters to
Kostchtchie's Maw, where the demon lord is being held,provided the characters have a clear destination in mind
as they pass through the arches. Olanthius provides
directions to the Arches ofUlloch and can point to that
location, as well as the location of Kostchtchie's Maw, on
the characters' map.
Once Kostchtchie is released, the characters can
report back to Olanthius at the Crypt of the Hellriders,
whereupon he reveals the Bleeding Citadel's location.ARCHES OF ULLOCH
ONLY FOOLS STEP THROUGH ULLOCH"S GATES. THEYlead to nowhere a wise person wants to go.
-The Cartographer
When the characters arrive at this location, read or
paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:
Two ornate, black arches dominate the scorched land-
scape for miles, each one rising two hundred feet into
the stiflingly hot air. Every inch of stonework is engraved
with images of devils waging war against demons.CHAPTER 3 I AVERNUS
103