Descent into Avernus

Blood streams down from a gaping wound in the ceiling, filling a large pool that covers the floor of this chamber. A hunk of scab floats in the blood. I

Three invisible barlguras cling to the walls of this

chamber, their claws digging into the soft walls. The

demons wait for prey to enter the room before attacking.
They hungrily pursue more elusive prey.

The barlguras tore the floating chunk of scab from

the center of the ceiling, causing blood to pour out of
the wound. A character who expends five uses of a
healer's kit and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Medi-
cine) check bandages the wound effectively enough to
stop the downpour. This process takes 5 minutes and
exposes the character to the blood's effects (see "In-

terior Features," page 135). A cure wounds spell or

similar magic cast on the wound closes it, stanching the
blood flow.

S5. FOOD FIGHT

When the characters enter this 30-foot-wide chamber,

read the following boxed text to the players:

Two fiends resembling scaly, 9-foot-tall, bipedal toads stand waist-deep in a pool of blood, bellowing as they claw at each other. Floating near them is the half-eaten corpse of a bearded devil clutching a glaive. The pool is 20 feet wide and 40 feet long, with a horseshoe-shaped ledge around it.

Two hungry hezrous fight over the devil's tasty corpse.

Unless they notice the characters, the demons battle until one of them is killed. lf the characters allow the fight

to play out, one hezrou emerges victorious with 30 hit

points remaining. Characters have advantage on Dex-

terity (Stealth) checks made to sneak past the hezrous

while the demons fight each other.

Treasure. The half-eaten bearded devil clutches a

+1 glaive.

SG. TORTURE CHAMBER When the characters enter this large. 30-foot-wide chamber, read the following boxed text to the players:

Two iron chains attached to the ceiling end in hyena skulls that bite into the flesh of a screaming devil with sharp spines covering its thin, man-sized body. Jabbing the chained fiend with their long proboscises are three droning flies as big as horses.

The chained fiend is Alazub, a barbed devil with 25 hit

points remaining. The giant flies are three chasmes.

Characters who enter the chamber are susceptible to

the chasmes' Drone. trait. The chasmes cease their tor-

ture of Alazub to attack intruders.

CHAPTF.R 4 I SWORD OF ZARlfL

Trantolox caught Alazub sneaking around the scab

and wants to know if the devil knows anything about the

citadel that could help the demons break into it. Unfor-

tunately for the barbed devil, it knows nothing that the

nalfeshnee would consider useful.

Ch ains. The two chains that bind Alazub hold the

barbed devil 25 feet above the floor. Each chain has AC

19, 15 hit points, and immunity to cold, fire, poison, and

psychic damage.

The hyena skull at the end of each chain grips Alazub

by one arm, biting into the devil's flesh. A character can

use an action to rip a skull from Alazub's Resh, but do-

ing so deals 7 (2d6) piercing damage to the devil. This

damage is considered magical and therefore ignores

Alazub·s resistance to piercing damage. A character who

succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check removes

the skull-tipped chain from the devil without harming it.

Rolep/aying Alazub. Alazub came to the scab to spy on Trantolox's progress for Zariel. If Alazub is freed. a

character who makes a successful Charisma (Decep-

tion) check against Alazub's Wisdom (Insight) check can

convince the devil that Zariel sent the characters to save

it. If convinced that the characters are on its side, a character who makes a successful DC 15 Charisma (Per-

suasion) check convinces Alazub to share the following

information:

Demons under the command of a nalfeshnee named

Trantolox have found the entrance to the Bleeding

Citadel but can't break in (see area 814).

A shadow demon has found Yeenoghu's lost pet, the

great demon Crokek'toeck, in the hard part of the

scab. It leads the crew of demons that is digging out

the enormous creature (see area S9).

If the characters refuse to free Alazub, the barbed

devil tries to make a deal. It can offer the information

it knows or anything else within its power in exchange

for freedom. If Lulu is with the characters, she urges

the characters not to make any deals with the devil

and grows despondent if her advice is ignored. Lulu re-

fuses to do anything but the bare minimum to help the

characters until her confidence in their good judgment is restored. If the characters mention their interest in the Sword

of Zariel, Alazub realizes they are Zariel's foes and

makes reporting that information to Zariel a priority.

After being freed and talking with the characters, the barbed devil leaves the scab.

S7. TRANTOLox's LARDER

When the characters enter this 20 -foot-wide cavern,