Descent into Avernus

(Nancy Kaufman) #1
CHAPTER 1: A TALE OF 1\vo CITIES
For characters of l evels^1 -

Pressed into service by the Flaming Fist, the char-


acters seek out and destroy Dead Three c ultists


who are threatening Baidu r's Gate. As the mach-


inations of the Vantha mpur family come to light,

the characters have a cha nce to confront Thavius


Kreeg, the architect ofElturel's downfall, before


traveling to Candlekeep to unlock a mysterious

puzzle box and gain safe passage to the Nine Hells.


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CHAPTER 2: ELTUREL HAS FALLEl


For characters of levels 5- 6


After befriending a hollypha nt named Lulu, the


characters help survivors in Elturel, a city an-


chored by chains above the Rive r Styx on the first


layer of the Nine Hells, and search for Grand Duke


Ulder Ravengard of Baldur's Gate.
____ _.)

CHAPTER 3 : AVERNUS


For characters oflevels 7- 10


The characters venture across the wastelands of


Avernus in search of allies, face off against war-


lords and fiends, and search for a way to destroy


the Companion or break E lturel's chains.


r CHAPTER 4 : SWORD OF ZARIEL ~
For characters of level s 11 - 12
The Sword of Zariel might be the key to Elturel's


salvation, but to get it , the characte rs must find the


Bleeding Citadel- a litt le slice of heaven trapped in


hell. Afte r they unlock Lulu's memories and claim
the s word, the characters must decide who is fit to I
wield s uch a powerful weapon of good. ____)

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C HAPTER 5: ESCAPE FROM AVERNUS
For characters of levels 13 and higher

The characters use the treasures they've acquired


and the deals they've made to free themselves and


Elturel from Avernus. Will they use the Sword


ofZariel or strike an infernal bargain to free the


planetar trapped in the Companion? Will they coax

a de mon into breaking Elturel's c hains? Or will


they c ut a deal with the archdevil Zariel? J
______.

DIAGRAM 0 .1: ADVENTURE fLO W,t<l\RT

ABOIJT THE ADV£NTUllE

To T H E NINE HELLS!


Chapte r 2 opens with the characters' arrival in Elturel,


which is anchored by enormous chains and trapped un-


der the baleful light of the Companion. If the characters
do nothing, the city will be pulled down into the River
Styx and bound to the Nine Hells forever. Lulu tries her

best to serve as the party's guide in Avernus, but the hol-


lyphant's memories are fragmented. It becomes clear,


howeve r, that Lulu has a personal connection to Zariel,


dating back to the archdevil's former angelic existence.

After scouring Elturel for s urvivors and clashing


with the denizens of Avernus, the characters en-


counter the valiant Ulder Rave ngard, who has been


placed in the most unusual s ituation of defending a


city he has long opposed. The beleaguered Ravengard


urges the c haracters to do whatever they can to free


Elturel and return what's left of it to FaerOn. To do so,

they mus t scour Avernus for the means to destroy the


Companion or break the enormous c hains that shackle


that city, as described in chapter 3.


Avernus has long bee n a battlefield in the never-end-


ing Blood War. Apart from clashing demons and dev-
ils, petty warlords scour the Avernian wastelands in

search of treasure. salvage, and fuel for their infernal


war machines. Characters who forge an alliance with


one warlord risk alienating the others. By acquiring


an infernal war machine, characters can travel quickly


across Avernus-a domain rife with tortured souls, war-


mongers, and devils eager to tempt would-be heroes into


soul-corrupting deals.

The more time she spends with the characters, the


more Lulu begins to re member long-lost memories of


the Sword ofZariel, an angelic weapon with the power


to destroy the Companion. After Zariel's fall from grace,


the sword was hidden in a stronghold called the Bleed-


ing Citadel-a celestial sanctuary trapped in Avernus.


The quest for the sword forms the crux of chapter 4,


leading to the revelation that Zariel can be redeemed.
The c haracters' success doesn't hinge on acquiring
the Sword of Zariel or helping Zariel find redemption,

as Gargauth is quick to point out s hould the characters


consult with him. There are other ways to free Elturel,


but only if the characters are willing to c ut deals with


Avernus's most evil denizens. The characters might


broker a deal with the deposed archdevil Bel, who

longs to supplant Zariel and regain his title as ruler of


Avernus. They might stoke the rage of a horrific demon


called Crokek'toeck and trick it into gnawing through


Elturel's c hains. They might come to terms with an evil


dragonborn paladin named Arkhan the Cruel, using

him to broker a deal with Tiamat. By returning her sto-


len treasure, characte rs can convince Tiamat to break


Elturel's chains.

As te mpting as such purs uits can be, the characters


must be careful, for devil deals, demon lords, and Tia-


mat's rage number among the multiverse's greatest

threats. Also, Zariel he rself might become cross with


the characters for daring to meddle in her diabolical


affairs. How the adventure concludes depends on the


choices the c haracters make, the chaos they foment, and


the deals they forge, as discussed in chapter 5.

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