Descent into Avernus

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

LULU'S BACKGROUND
While studying a portal to the Nine Hells located in
the Fields of the Dead west of Elturel, Sylvira found
Lulu and befriended her. Lulu stayed with Sylvira at
Candlekeep for a while but didn't get along with the
tiefiing's quasit familiar, Jezebel. Sylvira decided Lulu
would make a better companion for Traxigor, given


his eccentricity and good nature. Lulu is integral to


the characters' future success, though they shouldn't
know that yet.

Lulu can speak Celestial but prefers to use telepathy,


which allows her to talk to one creature at a time. If a


character asks Lulu about her history battling devils in


the Nine Hells, she shares the following information:


"I was with the angel Zariel when she assembled her
army of Hell riders to attack Avernus. Through the gate
we went, tearing through devils like a song through air.
Victory was within our grasp until some of the Hellriders
betrayed us. They retreated through the gate and sealed
it behind them.
"Before she was captured, Zariel told me to hide her
sword so that it wouldn't fall into evil hands. Someone
helped me hide the sword, but I don't remember who.
We found a place to hide it, but I don't remember where.
I escaped Avernus, but I don't remember how. Most of
my memory is gone, and I don't remember why."

Lulu's memory was badly damaged by events she can't


remember, but a summary of those events is presented


here for your benefit.

Lulu was more than Zariel's traveling companion. She


was the angel's friend and war mount, with the power to


shapechange into a golden-furred mammoth with wings.
Their friendship stretches back centuries.
When defeat on Avernus appeared inevitable, Zariel
entrusted her sword to Yael, her most loyal general, and
ordered Lulu to help Yael find a way to hide the weapon.

Lulu and Yael blundered into a mob of demons led by


the demon lord Yeenoghu, but narrowly escaped. Yeeno-


ghu's pet-an enormous demon named Crokek'toeck-


chased Yael and Lulu across Avernus. Before it could


devour them, Yael plunged Zariel's holy blade into a

stone as Lulu poured every ounce of her celestial being


into it. A fortress sprang up around the sword, hedging


out all evil. The effort so taxed Lulu that she became dis-


oriented and flew away, leaving Yael behind.


Lulu wandered Avernus for months until she came


upon a traveling market called the Wandering Em-
porium. A rakshasa named Mahadi tricked her into

thinking he was her friend. only to splash her with a


tiny bit of water from the River Styx, leaving her in a

feeble mental state and stripping away her spellcasting


powers. Mahadi then gave Lulu to a group of devils as a


gift for the archdevil Zariel. Zariel could not abide Lulu's

presence-but nor could she bring herself to harm her


former friend. Zariel had Lulu sent back to FaerOn with


her mental faculties restored. Unfortunately, the damage


to Lulu's memory was not so easy to repair.


LULU'S MEMORIES
d6 Memory
"I used to be able to shapechange into a golden mam-
moth. In this form, I served as Zariel's war mount."
2 "Zariel's most loyal Hellrider, Yael, took the sword
and plunged it into a rock. I called on every ounce of
goodness in my heart to raise a shield around it-a
fortress against evil."
3 "The demon lord Yeenoghu wants to destroy Zarie l's
sword. He hates it as much as he hates her. We
fought him once, but I don't remember where."
4 "I wandered Avernus for a while, then hid in a place
called the Wandering Emporium. I made a fr iend
there. His name was Mahadi. Maybe he can help us."
5 "The Zariel I knew is gone, replaced by a devil with a
halo of fire and vengeance. 'This is who I am,' she told
me. 'When demons die, they cry out my name inter-
ror.' Those were Zariel's last words to me."
6 "It was Zariel who sent me back here. I don't know
why. Maybe-just maybe- there's a tiny little spark of
goodness deep down inside her still."

RESTORED MEMORIES
Friendship is important to Lulu in ways both physical
and spiritual. Her growing friendship with the char-
acters causes the hollyphant to remember things long

forgotten. For the remainder of the adventure, Lulu can


regain lost memories whenever you wish. Ideally, these

memories come back to her one at a time at moments


when her friendship with the characters feels important.

Any remaining memories return at once when Lulu re-


gains all her spellcasting abilities.
When the time comes for Lulu to recall a lost memory,

roll a d6 and consult the Lulu's Memories table to see


which memory comes back to her, or just pick one. If you


roll for a memory that has come up before, roll again or


choose a different memory.

ROLEPLAYING LULU

Lulu doesn't have a mean bone in her little body. She


believes in the power of friendship and looks forward to

kicking evil's butt with the characters by her side.


If Lulu becomes too much of a burden for you to run

as an NPC, see if one of the players wants to run the


hollyphant as a secondary character. Provide the con-


senting player with a copy of Lulu's stat block (page


237), noting that Lulu has presently lost her Innate


Spellcasting trait. As she regains memories and the use


of certain spells, notify the player of these changes to


her character.


PLANE SHIFT


The characters should advance to 5th level before leav-


ing Traxigor's tower. When they're ready to be sent to


Avernus, read the following boxed text aloud:

I


As you stand together in a circle, Traxigor taps the tuning I
fork on the Aoor and casts his plane shift spell.

CHAPTER 1 I A TALE OF TWO ClTJES
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