Descent into Avernus

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

an indicator of flammable gas in the room. This gas dis-


perses before reaching other areas of the dungeon, and


the Dead Three cultists extinguish their torches before


moving through th is area.


Bringing a lit torch or other open flame into the gas-


filled room triggers an explosion that fills the chamber.


Creatures fully immersed in the water take no damage,


but all others must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity sav-


ing throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save,


or half as much damage on a successful one. AU the


wooden beams that support the ceiling are destroyed


in the explosion, which could cause a roof collapse (see


"Dungeon Features" in area D5). The explosion also


burns away the gas, which builds up slowly and be-


comes dangerous again after 24 hours.


D19. PARTIALLY COLLAPSED CRYPT


Much of this room has fallen in, with the debris field


mostly burying a stone sarcophagus that was looted


years ago. Nothing of interest remains.


D20. HALF-PLUNDERED CRYPT


An open sarcophagus stands at the back of this dusty


crypt, its heavy stone lid lying on its side between the
sarcophagus and the south wall. The north-facing


side of the sarcophagus bears faded frescoes of


spear-wielding warriors charging across golden plains
on horseback.


Treasure. A casual search of the sarcophagus turns


up nothing but dust and a few scattered humanoid


bones. Any character who conducts a thorough search


realizes that the sarcophagus has a false bottom made


of inch-thick plaster. Smashing through this plaster


layer reveals a cavity below that contains a human


mummy floating in a shallow pool of red brine. The


mummy has two moonstones (50 gp each) embedded in


its eye sockets and a bag of beans where its heart would
normally be. Characters must intentionally tear open the

mummy's chest to find the hidden bag. The mummy is


inanimate and doesn't protest the theft.


D21. ZOMBIE CRYPT


Characters who listen at the door to this room hear faint


humanoid moans in the room beyond. Describe the area


to the players as follows:


Six moaning humans with rotting flesh shamble about
this dusty crypt, which reeks of death. An open stone
sarcophagus rests against the back wall, its shattered lid
lying in pieces on the floor around it.

The shambling corpses are six zombies created by


Flennis (see area D13) from the remains of the Dead


Three cultists' murder victims. The zombies obey only


their creator and attack all others, including other mem-

bers of the Dead Three cult.


Carved into the north-facing side of the sarcophagus


are ghastly images of human cannibalism. The sarcoph-


agus was plundered long ago, and a search of its interior


yields up only ajawless human skull and a few bone


fragments.

CHAPTER 1 J A TALE OF TWO CITIES

D22. TORTURE CHAMBER


Followers of Bane torture and interrogate prisoners


here. Describe this room to the players as follows:


The walls and floor of this room are covered with streaks
and splashes of dried blood. Two dangling bodies are
shackled to the east and south walls. One is an elderly
male human; the other, a young female tiefling. Both
are covered in bloody gashes, and neither is moving. In
the middle of the room is a sturdy wooden chair with a
bloody whip draped over it. A bucket half filled with salt
sits on the floor nearby.

The followers of Bane rub salt into the wounds of the


prisoners they torture here. Yignath the iron consul

(see area D12) carries the keys to both sets of shackles,


which have AC 19, 10 hit points, and immunity to poison

and psychic damage. A character with thieves' tools can


unlock a set of shackles with a successful DC 15 Dex-


terity check.

The male human is dead. He was Effinax Zalbor, a


caravan coordinator employed by thejhasso patriar


family, which is part-owner of a trading coster that oper-

ates throughout the Western Heartlands (see area D12).


The female tiefiing has 0 hit points, and is uncon-


scious but stable. She is Vendetta Kress, a neutral


commoner who speaks Common and Infernal. She


has resistance to fire damage and darkvision out to a


range of 60 feet. Vendetta distributes wine and spirits


for the Oathoon patriar family of Baldur's Gate, and was


attacked in the Lower City, knocked unconscious, and

brought here to be tortured. Under interrogation, she


gave her captors information regarding the Oathoons


and their security arrangements. She also witnessed the


interrogation and death of Effinax, who was questioned


at length about thejhasso family.


If set free, Vendetta stays with the characters until


an opportunity to escape presents itself. Before that,


though, she shares the following piece of information


with her liberators. During her incarceration, she heard


what sounded like a heavy stone door scraping open and


closed from time to time, accompanied by the sound


of splashing footsteps. The noise came from the north.


This information might lead characters to search for a


secret door in that direction (see area D23).


If Vendetta survives her ordeal in the dungeon, she


spreads tales of her harrowing escape through her web


of contacts in Baldur's Gate, which includes just about


every tavern proprietor in the city.

D23. SECRET DOOR AND SENTRY


This flooded tunnel has a secret door in the north wall


that swings open into area D27. Standing in the water


south of the secret door, holding a lit torch and watching


the west stairway, is a male fist of Bane (see page 232


for his stat block). On his first turn after seeing the char-


acters, he withdraws to area D25 and pounds on the


door to wake his fellow cultists, yelling "Intruders!" at


the top of his lungs to alert the occupant of area D26.

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