The adventurers can't communicate with Tiamat di-
rectly, but they can approach Ark.ban at his tower (see
"Arkhan's Tower," page 110). Ark.ban is preoccupied
with trying to find a way to free Tiamat from the Nine
Hells while also staving off the physical deteriora-
tion caused by the Hand of Vecna. He won't entertain
thoughts of vanquishing Zariel unless there's something
in it for him and his dark queen.
While the head of Zariel would be a grand trophy, atrophy isn't enough to sway Arl<han. The characters
must convince him that he can rule Avernus in Zariel's
stead, with Tiamat by his side and armies of abishai and
infernal dragons at his back. After contemplating thisnotion, Ark.ban raises the Hand ofVecna and boasts,
"With this hand, I shall tear Zariel's head from her
shoulders and rule Avernus with my queen at my side."
Arkhan declares that he will muster an army and de-
pose Zariel in ten days. Exactly ten days later, two hun-dred white abishai (see page 241 for their stat block)
fly from Arkhan's tower toward Zariel's current location,
with Arkhan leading the charge on the back of Asojano
the chimera, and Torogar Steelfist (see page 112 for
his stat block) by his side, carried on the back of Chango
the manticore. Arkhan's army is bolstered by five
chromatic dragons-one adult dragon of each color-
sent by Tiamat to help ensure victory. If they so choose,
the characters can join Arkhao. The abishai and thedragons engage Zariel's legions while Arkhan, Torogar,
and the characters challenge the archdevil herself. Thisbattle can play out as part of the "Endgame in El tu rel"
section described at the end of this chapter.
SERVING ZARIEL
The characters might decide after meeting Zariel that
they wish to serve her, joining her army and smiting
demons in the Blood War. They also might wind up serv-
ing her if they fail to redeem her and wish to live.SOULS ARE FORFEIT
Characters who choose to serve Zariel must sign a con-
tract (see appendix A) forfeiting their souls to the arch-devil. She then returns such characters to the Material
P lane to do her bidding. Zariel has numerous schemes
spinning at any given time, but the adventurers are par-
ticularly well suited to preparing Baldur's Gate to meetthe same fate as Elturel. As a sign of favor,
she bestows a charm upon each character
(see "Archdevil Charms," page 215).
Characters who die in Zariel's service
are reborn as lemures from the River Styx.
They Jose all memories of their previous
lives, and their alignment changes to lawful
evil. If a character pleased Zariel with their
loyalty in life, she might allow them to keep
their memories as she promotes them to an
NPC devil of your determination.ZARIELS SWORD IS DESTROYEDWith no one to sway Zariel from her path
to absolute damnation, Zariel demands
that the characters give her the Sword of
Zariel if they possess it. After she claims
the sword, Zariel holds it aloft and shatters it (see "Re-
linquishing the Sword," page 152).LULU FALLS
For Zariel to fall beyond redemption is the worst out-come for Lulu. This unimaginable tragedy shatters the
hollyphant's mind, leaving Lulu insane. Roll or choose
the specific effects of he r madness from the Long-Term
Madness table in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's
Guide, but this madness can be overcome only by a
greater restoration spell or similar magic.
RULING AVERNUS
If Zariel is redeemed or killed, the first layer of the Nine
Hells falls into chaos. You can decide which of the many
powerful figures in Avernus make a play to replace
Zariel, but any new ruler immediately faces e nemies onall sides. The invading armies of Baphomet and Yeeno-
ghu are wreaking havoc and threatening to tear Avernus
apart. Moreover, dozens of ambitious greater devils willgleefully try to supplant their new and untested ruler.
Ruling a layer of the Nine Hells as a mortal is effec-
tively impossible. Nooe of the devils of Avernus willknowingly serve anyone but a superior devil. However,
Asmodeus admires ambition. The Lord of the Nine
Hells might see a brash and powerful mortal as a wor-
thy replacement for Zariel, offering to transform thecharacter into an NPC archdevil that can rule Avernus.
Alternatively, the characters might attempt to claim
Avernus on their own terms.Idealistic characters seeking to destroy the Nine Hells
from the inside out might see this power vacuum as an
opportunity to strike a mortal blow to Asmodeus's reign.This might be the only time in cosmic history that such
a blindly idealistic cause could succeed. But even if the
WHITE ABISHAICHAPTER 5 l ESCAPE FROM AVERNUS
149