Descent into Avernus

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

the Devil's Ride are missing. The Tormentor is missing


its harpoon flinger, and its armor plating is corroded as


though eaten by acid, reducing the vehicle's AC to 15.
If the characters earn enough gratitude from Mad

Maggie, one or both of these war machines might be


gifted to them. Chukka and Clonk can attach wheels


to the Devil's Ride and a weapon to the Tormentor, if


Mad Maggie instructs them to. Replacing the armor


on the Tormentor can be done as well, but only after


efforts are made to salvage scrap metal from the battle-


fields of Avernus. Any such salvage operation is likely


to attract unwanted attention from other warlords
(see page 90).


In addition to the war machines described above, Mad


Maggie has several infernal war machines in drivable


condition that are undergoing regular maintenance and


upgrades in her garage under the hill. These vehicles


are not for sale or trade, though brazen adventurers


might try stealing them. These vehicles include two


Devil's Rides, three Tormentors, the aforementioned

Demon Grinder (which Chukka and Clonk have been


trying to repair), and a Scavenger that Mad Maggie uses
for salvage operations.


LuLu's DREA_ M_Q....,...._u_E_ST ____ _


Before they can retrieve the Sword of Zariel, the char-


acters must learn the location of the Bleeding Citadel,


which is trapped in Lulu's hidden memories. When


Mad Maggie becomes aware of the characters' inter-


est in accessing these hidden memories, she offers to


perform a ritual that creates a dreamscape in which


the hollyphant's memories can be perceived. For Mad


Maggie, the ritual is its own reward, as the hag longs to


know everything Lulu knows about the fall of Zariel.


After making some preparations, Mad Maggie creates


a fiendish circle on the ground, and arranges several


comfortable black cushions at the center. She orders


Lulu to rest on the cushions, which the hollyphant does
with a bit of trepidation. Maggie then places two skulls

on the circle, noting that she's sure her sisters won't


care if she picks their brains about this problem.


The hag instructs Lulu and the characters to take up


places within the circle. Mad Maggie tells the characters
to close their eyes and keep them closed, that the ritual

should last about ten minutes, and that during the ritual


all within the circle will be joined by a telepathic bond.
If anyone leaves the circle, the ritual is interrupted and

she'll be forced to start over. An incomplete ritual yields


no insight into Lulu's memories.

As the hag initiates the ritual, the characters sense


the telepathic bond forming between themselves, the
hag, and Lulu. Their eyes still closed, the characters

sense a brilliant flash of light, then darkness. A tingling


sensation sweeps over the characters' bodies as vibrant


rainbows appear within their minds and they see Lulu's


first dream unfold. Mad Maggie isn't in the dreamscape

with them, though characters can hear the hag's disem-


bodied voice whenever she speaks.


Within this conjured dreamscape, characters can
take psychic damage from hostile dream-creatures and
other effects. A character reduced to 0 hit points by this
psychic damage is unconscious but stable, and unable
to proceed to the next dream in the sequence. If all the
characters fall unconscious, the dream quest ends. Mad

Maggie can start over once the characters have regained


consciousness and recovered from the ordeal.


DREAM 1: RAINBOW ANGELS

Read the following boxed text when the characters first


enter Lulu's dreamscape:

As the rich, radiant light of a hundred dancing rainbows
slowly dissolves, warm sunlight fills the area. Within that
space, Lulu flies lazily in a lush meadow at the shoul-
der of a beautiful, blindfolded angel. As the pair strolls
t hrough the tall green grass, the voice of the hag fills your
mind, " Push through this vision. It only represents what
Lulu wishes was true. We need to see more."

Each character must make a DC 10 Intelligence saving
throw. If one or more of the characters succeed, the

sunny meadow fades to black as the dream sequence


progresses toward the next dream.
lf all the characters fail the saving throw, each char-

acter takes 11 (2d 10) psychic damage. and all of them


must attempt the saving throw again. If at least one


character succeeds the second time, this dream fades


and the next one begins. If everyone fails the save again,


all the characters take the psychic damage again. This


process continues until at least one character succeeds


or everyone falls unconscious.


CHAPTER 3 f AVERNUS
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