Descent into Avernus

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

WHAT Is AVERNUS?


Avernus serves as tbe front line of the great clash be-


tween the evil forces of chaos and law known as the


Blood War. Demons from the Abyss use the River Styx


to enter Avernus, where they hurl themselves against


infernal legions of devils.


Avernus was not always the blasted, war-torn battle-


field it is today. Long ago, it was a plane of lush gardens


and bucolic beauty created by Asmodeus to tempt mor-


tals. The intrusion of the River Styx followed by endless


waves of slavering demons destroyed this paradise. leav-


ing layer upon layer of bones, ruins, and shattered war


machines. Pieces of cities stolen from other planes, tiny


remnants of Avernus's lost beauty, evidence of destroyed


celestial armies, and tombs of ancient travelers all dot


the Avernian wasteland.


Avernus is not a place expressly for the punishment


of evil souls; instead, it represents a "next level" for evil


souls after the end of their wicked lives as mortals. The


Nine Hells allows souls to exist in a concentrated form,


where they can work through their spiritual bondage to


express their dark desires such as cruelty, covetousness,


r FORT KNUCKLEBONE
For characters of level 7

the need to control, the craving for power, and uncon-


trolled greed. Hell offers an eternity of fulfillment from


the most insignificant desires to the seven deadly sins.


Every shred of evil is used in the Nine Hells, and each


layer specializes in some way to accommodate and ex-


ploit the vices and weaknesses of mortals. The devils of


Avernus seek to exploit pride and wrath, promising the


aggrieved, enraged, and egotistical the power to fulfill


their darkest obsessions. Such fulfillment, however,


comes at a price.


Anyone entering Avernus finds a battlefield unlike


anywhere else in existence. Evidence of past carnage,


such as the ruins of enormous war machines and


fields of bleached bones, stretches across the horizon.


Through it all, the River Styx winds its way across the


plane as knots of demons and devils skirmish along its


fetid banks.


Most devils in Avernus serve Zariel, though other


Lords of the Nine send forces here to help repel de-


monic invaders. Devils who are not part of Zariel's


legions serve as emissaries from the other layers or as


spies for archdevils seeking signs of weakness that they


can exploit to further their dreams of power.


The adventurers question Chukka and Clonk, a


pair of kenku junk scavengers. A night hag named


Mad Maggie runs this outpost, overseeing the con-


struction and repair of infernal war machines.


r


r


HARUMAN's HILL


For characters of level 7


After Mad Maggie helps restore some of Lulu's


memories, the hollyphant leads the adventurers to


where she thinks the Bleeding Citadel is, but ends


up at Haruman's Hill, a place of great evil.


THE WANDERING EMPORIUM


For characters of levels^7 and higher
This traveling market visits all corners of Avernus.

Adventurers who happen upon the Wandering


Emporium can rest, trade goods, and dine at a


restaurant run by a rakshasa named Mahadi.


r


HELLWASP NEST
For characters of level 7 1

After a hellwasp attack atop Haruman's Hill, the


adventurers must rescue Lulu when she's abducted


and taken to a nearby hellwasp nest.


PATH OF DEMONS
For characters of levels 8-10

If the adventurers choose this path to finding the


Sword ofZariel, a series of encounters leads them


to the demon lord Kostchtchie and a showdown


with Olanthius, a fallen Hell rider.


r


___ .r


PATH OF DEVILS

For characters oflevels 8-^10


If the adventurers choose this path to finding the


Sword of Zariel, a series of encounters leads them


to Bel, the pit fiend who ruled Avernus before


Zariel unseated him. Bel helps them for a price.


OlllGRllM 3 .1: CHllPTER^3 F LOWCHllRT

CHAPTER 3 I AVERNUS
75
Free download pdf