Descent into Avernus

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

The humanoid entrails were left on the altar as an


offering to the god of murder. Pouring a vial of holy wa-


ter on the entrails causes them to melt away and also


causes the altar to smolder.


D8. MOLDYTAPESTRY


The back wall of this dry alcove is bung with a 5-foot-


wide, 7-foot-tall tapestry. It depicts a grisly scene of


four faceless figures ripping apart a fifth figure, who is


screaming. Characters who inspect the tapestry without


touching it notice yellow mold growing around its edges.

In fact, a 5-foot-square patch of yellow mold (see chapter


5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide) clings to the back of

the tapestry and releases its deadly spores if the tapes-


try is disturbed.

D9. THE DEAD THREE DOORS


This chamber is empty but not bereft of decor. Carved


into each of its three doors is a full-figure depiction


of one of the Dead Three. A character recognizes all
the figures with a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Reli-
gion) check.


East Door. The face of this door bears a carving of


Bane, the lawful evil god of tyranny, who is depicted as


a tall, armored man wearing a bucket helm. His right


gauntlet is painted black and clutches a set of shackles.


North Door. This door bears a carving of Bhaal, the


chaotic evil god of murder. He's depicted as a powerfully


built, skull-headed roan with long, curved blades where

his hands should be.


South Door. This door bears a carving of Myrkul, the


neutral evil Lord of Bones. He is portrayed as a cloaked


figure whose face is hidden under a cowl. In bis skeletal


hands, be clutches a screaming human skull.


Dl0. NECROMITES' ROOM


The creatures here watch area D9 through a crack in


the door, and any sign of the characters approaching


lets them set up an ambush of sorts. Read the following


boxed text to describe the room to the players:

Lying on the floor of this otherwise empty room are the
pale bodies of three humans in filthy black robes, ar-
ranged in a triangular formation. A lit torch lies between
them. A rough-hewn staircase to the left leads down to
another torchlit chamber.

T hese three necromites of Myrkul (see page 234 for


their stat block) are playing dead. They conceal their


skull-headed flails underneath their robes. Any char-


acter who watches the bodies carefully can determine


that they're alive with a successful DC 10 Wisdom
(Insight) check.


The necromites leap to their feet and attack when


any character enters the room, or if they are attacked
first. They fight to the death to guard the treasure


in area DU.


Dll. PARTIALLY COLLAPSED CRYPT


This chamber has partially collapsed around a stone


sarcophagus that was opened and looted long ago.


CHAPTER 1 I A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Treasure. The necromites in area DlO hid three spell-


books beneath the dust and humanoid bones in the sar-


cophagus, having stolen the books from murder victims.


Spellbook 1 is bound in red leather and contafos the


following spells: burning hands, detect magic, disguise
self, fog cloud, ray of sickness, silent image.

Spellbook 2 has the personal rune of its previous


owner burned into its umber cover. This book contains


the following spells: charm person, find familiar, iden-
tify, magic missile, sleep.

Spellbook 3 is bound in scaly black reptile hide and


contains the following spells: cloud of daggers, darkvi-
sion, detect magic, feather fall, mage armor, magic mis-
sile, Tasha's hideous laughter.

Dl2. BANE'S ALTAR


Unless the characters take special care to approach


quietly and w ithout light sources, they alert the room's

occupants. Describe this area to the players as follows:


The eastern part of this room is unlit, flooded, and
braced with floor-to-ceiling wooden beams. Rough-hewn
steps rise out of the murky water to the western por-
tion of the room, which is dry and lit by two torches in
sconces that flank a stone altar. Shackled to the wall be-
hind the altar is a sickly man in a loincloth with a burlap
sack over his head. An alcove in the north wall contains a
freestanding su it of plate armor missing its helm.
Standing before the altar are two grim figures: a pow-
erfully built woman clutching a mace, and an even bigger
man wearing a bucket helm. The helmed man is jabbing
the prisoner with a spear, causing him to twitch. Both
figures are clad in chain mail, and the woman carries a
wooden shield with a leering skull painted on it.

The two armored figures are Kazzira, a female human


fist of Bane (see page 232 for her stat block), and


Yignath, a male human iron cons ul (see page 232 for


his stat block). Yignath is torturing the prisoner for fun


while Kazzira watches. Both attack intruders but prefer

to remain on dry ground. The skull on Kazzira's shield


has been painted in fresh blood. Hanging from Yignath's

belt is an iron key ring with seven keys-one for the


shackles above the altar, two for the shackles in area


D22, and four that unlock the chests in area D30.


The prisoner hanging on the west wall is Klim Jhasso,


a male human noble captured in the Lower City two

days ago after his bodyguard was slain. Klim is a neu-


tral evil noble with 1 hit point remaining. He is unar-


mored (AC 10) and weaponless. He speaks Common


and Elvish, but has no useful information to share. Klim


guarantees that his family will pay a generous reward

for his safe return to their estate in the Upper City-but


the noble is lying. His mother is dead, his patriar father


is ailing, and his three younger siblings crave their


inheritance, which they would rather split three ways


than four. The trading coster that the family part-owns


is struggling and can't afford to pay any large reward


or ransom.

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