A hot, stinging air assaults your senses. The city street
in which you stand is lined with buildings that are crum-
bling, if not already collapsed. The ground shudders be-
neath your feet. In the red, smoky sky, a 400-foot-diama-
ter sphere of darkness discharges strokes of bluish-white
lightning that strike the city at irregular intervals. Perched
atop a distant bluff, overlooking the rest of the city, is a
crumbled fortress.
Traxigor gazes up at the black orb nervously, utters
a few arcane syllables, and disappears in the blink
of an eye.Traxigor casts time stop, giving him time to flee using
his fly spell. He's long gone before the time stop ends
and the characters can react. Any character who suc-
ceeds on a DC 19 Intelligence (Arcana) check deduces
how Traxigor made his escape. The party doesn't en-
counter Traxigor again unless you want him to reappear
Jater in the adventure. Traxigor has no interest in saving
Elturel or picking sides in the Blood War. After finishing
a long rest, he can cast plane shift again and return to
his tower on the Material P lane.
The characters and any remaining NPC companions
have a few minutes to acclimate to their new surround-
ings before facing their first threat in the city (see
"Unwelcome Party" below). See the "Elturel Hazards"
sidebar (page 55) for more information about the
earthquakes and other dangers.
Upon her return to Avernus, Lulu the hollyphant
regains her at-will innate spellcasting ability: light. In
terms of her memories, she can at first only recognize
that the surroundings feel familiar, albeit in a terrible
way. The sounds and scents of Avernus trigger memo-
ries ofZariel's fall and the angel's earliest days as a den-
izen of the Lower Planes. Lulu's time spent in Avernus
and key interactions with specific NPCs slowly trigger
the memories that help put the characters on a path to
save the city.
Reya Mantlemorn is disheartened by what she sees
around her- Elturel in shambles-and is more deter-
mined than ever to try to save her city from destruction.
She offers to lead the characters to the High Hall cathe-
dral, where she hopes to find someone in charge.
If the characters brought the Shield of the Hidden
Lord with them, Gargauth the pit fiend tries to escape
from its prison and fails miserably. Although characters
are unaware of Gargauth's escape attempt, the pit fiend
grows increasingly despondent and impatient as they ex-
plore Elturel. Gargauth urges the characters not to tarry
in the city, lest they get puJled down into the River Styx
w ith it. Secretly, the pit fiend hopes that another means
of escape w ill present itself once the characters leave
E lturel and explore Avernus.
UNWELCOME PARTY
The characters' first encounter in EltureJ is a gruesome
one. A number of innocent residents of the city have
been in hiding to avoid the devils patrolling their streets,
but a lack of food and water has forced one group to
r
r
r
r
ARRIVAL IN ELTUREL
For characters of level 5
The adventurers arrive in what's left of Elturel and
make their way toward the High Hall cathedral
with the help of Lulu the hollyphant, and possibly
Reya Mantlemorn as well.
For characters of level 5
The adventurers encounter fiendish invaders in the
High Hall cathedral and discover survivors hiding
in the crypts below the cathedral.
GRAND CEMETERY
For characters of level 6The adventurers search for Grand Duke Ulder
Ravengard of Baldur's Gate in Elturel's cemetery,
encountering undead and more fiends.
ESCAPING THE SIEG E
For characters of level 6After bringing Ulder Ravengard back to the High
Hall and restoring him to consciousness, the ad-
venturers make plans to leave Elturel in search of
the key to saving the city: the Sword of Zariel.
D111GRllM 2.1: Ct-11\PTER 2 FLOWCHllRTabandon their refuge. Spotted by devils, these citizens
are about to come under attack, and the characters are
their only hope of survival.
Read the following boxed text to set the scene as the
characters arrive in Elturel:
Around the corner of a still-standing structure runs a
woman with two toddlers, one on each arm. In her wake
amble three infernal monsters with glaives and snakelike
beards. The fiends are laughing darkly.Three bearded devils named Blass, Nodd, and Thunn
have infiltrated the city and are looking to wreak havoc.
Harkina Hunt and her young twin boys, Ezo and Brask,
were out searching for provisions when the three devils
spotted them. The chase has progressed into this street,
30 feet from the location of the characters' arrival.
Unless the characters intervene, the bearded devils
reach the innocent humans within a few rounds, then
quickly capture them. Once captured, all three will be
sold into slavery at the Wandering Empor ium (see page
126), in exchange for favors or goods that can help the
devils advance in power.
CHAPTER 2 I ELTUREL HAS FALLEN
53