Descent into Avernus

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

jhessa is steadfast in her faith that Lathander hears


the prayer and believes it's just a matter of time before


Zariel appears. If she meets the characters,Jhessa uses


her spells to heal and bolster them, hoping they can pro-


tect her congregation long enough for Zariel to arrive.


If the forces of Yeenoghu enter the temple, Jhessa puts


herself between any threat and the commoners within,


giving her life if necessary.


lDYLLGLEN EVENTS


The following events occur in sequence as soon as the


characters arrive in ldyllglen.


EVENT 1. CHARACTERS' ARRIVAL


When the characters arrive in ldyllglen (at area 11), the


following encounters occur simultaneously:


Six gnolls surround and attack the characters.


Six dretches on Idyll Road (area 11) claw at an over-


turned cart covering Ella Deepwell, a neutral female


human commoner.


A giant hye na attacks a mastiff near the statue of


Zariel (area 12).


A hezrou pounds on the door to the temple of


Lathander (area 13), trying to force its way inside.


Have the players roll initiative for their characters,


then roll initiative for the gnolls, dretches, giant hyena,


mastiff, and hezrou. All the gnolls act on the same initia-


tive count, and all the dretches act together as well. Ella


doesn't participate in the combat.


Gnolls. The gnolls fight to the death, cackling mania-


cally aJI the while.


Cart and Dretches. The cart is a Large object with


AC 15, 27 hit points, and immunity to poison and psy-


chic damage. A creature can use an action to attempt to


Lift the cart, doing so with a successful DC 15 Strength


(Athletics) check.


If the dretches destroy the cart, they attack Ella Deep-
welJ. If she dies, the dretches attack the characters.
If the characters attack the dretches, the dretches turn

to fight them, ignoring the cart. Once the dretches are


destroyed, Ella emerges from the cart, thanks the char-


acters, and flees to safety.


Giant Hyena and Mastiff. If the characters don't in-


tervene, the giant hyena turns its attention to the charac-


ters after killing the mastiff. If the characters attack the


giant hyena, it ignores the mastiff and turns to face the


bigger threat, fighting to the death.


The mastiff stays with the characters if they rescue it,


using the Help action to distract enemies in combat. A


character who makes a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Ani-


mal Handling) check can convince the mastiff to stay out


of the fight and find shelter.


Hezrou. On its turn, the demon tries to force open


the temple doors, doing so with a successful DC 20


Strength (Athletics) check. If the hezrou forces open the


doors to the temple, it begins attacking the people inside


on its next turn. If the characters attack the hezrou or it


kills all the creatures in the temple, it turns its attention


toward the characters.


Next Event. When only one of the characters' enemies


remains, proceed with event 2.


CHAPTER 4 I SWORD Of 7.AIUEL


EVENT 2. YEENOGHU'S CHAMPION


This event overlaps with the end of the previous event.


When it begins, read the following to the players:


A chorus of screams rises up as people, sheep, and pigs
scamper through the town, chased by a demon with the
lower body of a great serpent and the upper body of a
six-armed gnoll clutching a wicked sword in each ofits
clawed hands.

The terrified animals and townsfolk dart through


ldyllglen, chased by Garoknul, a unique demon in the


service of Yeenoghu. Use the marilith stat block to


represent Garoknul. The fleeing beasts and townsfolk


disappear when they reach the edge of the map. Garok-


nut stops its chase to battle the characters. If reduced to


50 hit points or fewer, Garoknul uses its next action to


teleport away.


Next Event. When Garoknul leaves the area or dies,


proceed with event 3.


EVENT 3. MADNESS REIGNS


This event begins as the previous one ends. Read the


following boxed text to the players:


Five guards wielding spears advance from the north.
Splattered head-to-toe with black ichor, they gaze at you
with hungry eyes.

The five human gu ards are named Caladra Telmaster,


Esselyn Xharn,Jai Wen, Tai Hannefar, and Yaerklos


Summerlast. Their armor is covered in the ichor ofYee-


noghu's demons. The ichor has driven the guards mad,


making them hunger for humanoid flesh. When they


notice the characters, the guards attack.


If a character kills a guard, Lulu's mind attempts to


punish the character. That character must succeed on a


DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or gain I level of exhaus-


tion as Lulu's mind saps the character's energy.


A guard's madness can be cured with a dispel evil and


good, greater restoration, or remove curse spell. Guards


who are cured of their madness thank the characters


and explain that they were battling demons in the fields


when they suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to con-


sume humanoid flesh. These guards are eager to return


to the battle in the fields, disappearing as they pass


through the hazy border.


Next Event. After the characters deal with the guards,


proceed with event 4.


EVENT 4. UNSETTLING CALM


This event begins with Yael telepathically contacting the


characters:


A woman's voice enters your mind. "Nice work. Take
a break. You've got an hour before the really bad stuff
happens."
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