Have Torms voice tell that to the players. If the characters ap-deliver them to Zariel. The fig- on the swarm ends the effect.ure pacing the standing stones is Ubbalux masquerad- You also take 30 necrotic damage from theing in human form using a disguise se/fspell. DEVELOPMENT Any character who witnesses their reflection in the mirror must succeed on a DC 20 Intelligence saving If Mephistopheles learns of the Sword ofZariel, the throw or become stunned for 1 minute. When they refuse, or if he sees through their ruse, he decides to kill them and bring them back as undead that cant question his orders. he demands to know their The wizard claims that each standing stone is keyed toreasons for visiting. Mordenka-inen pays yugoloths to carry out his bidding in Avernus.His wages are so attractive that these fiends have takento gathering outside his tower. Where itgoes next, nobody knows. I want to understand, from what the text says, that I can't counter it because it has no visible components, but does the fact that I can see its eyes count as a component? Its empty iron foundations remain be-hind to mark the site, and when tbe tower returns, itlocks itself into place with a satisfying clunk. Ending this section with a small encounter with devils from the armies is a good idea and with that the characters can progress to Fort Knucklebone! If they succeed, Zariel invites the proach, the "wizard" greets them eagerly and is keen torest of the group to her flying fortress to negotiate terms divulge details of his studies, but his conversation oftenfor their comrades' release (see "Zariel's Flying For- trails off on confusing tangents. Monstrous Compendium Volume One: Spelljammer Creatures. However many Monsters have special abilities that can do things like make you make saving throws, but making a saving throw does not make something a spell. The devils are likely to attack on sight unless a char- acter can convince them to parley with a successful DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check. The problem with this comes from how chaotic it can appear. The words form into chunks of ice on the paraphrase the following boxed text to the players: group's side, which Rigorath instructs them to chisel off, melt, and then drink to seal the bargain.IA giant slab of ice is wedged at the end of this craggy ra- vine. Simple as that. He was a Priest of Lathander but is evidently excommunicated, and Withering Gaze is basically an infernal boon. Could you please explain it to me. Ubbalux can truly help the characters find the path to the Bleeding Citadel, but the demon hopes to manipu- Zariel's assassins often lurk here, so Mordenkainen late the characters into releasing it from its prison first.presents a simulacrum of his true self that disintegrates If they become aware of its ruse, the demon admits tointo a pile of snow if it is destroyed. Fights frequently break out between the yugolothsas they jostle for his attention. The spell lasts for 1 minute.The pit fiend Bel imprisoned the barlgura demon Ub- The standing stone casts magic missile, tar-balux inside this circle of standing stones. Please enable JavaScript to get the best experience from this site. stones rises from the crest of this hill. I was thinking I would have Gideon recognize the partys strengths after and command them to stay and defend the chapel and elturel from demons for Zariel.

ticulating wildly and screaming curses into the wind. Wow, Im not sure if I failed to pick up on all this or my DM failed to convey it. This is where you bring up the conflict between the demons and devils more the two great armies fighting each other. To torment geting you with five missiles.his adversary, Bel revealed that the secret to escaping An illusory swarm of harmless bats orthe prison was hidden in the arcane runes etched across pigeons (DM's choice) flutters over yourthe standing stones. ders to murder the characters and steal the sword. He hates dissension. Hit Points 10 (3d4 + 3) Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (see Bad Flier below)TREASUREThe fiends carry five soul coins (one each, see page STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA94) and three vials of demon ichor (see page 78). The abyssal chicken falls at the end of a turn if it'sTOWER OFURM ai rborne and the only thing holding it aloft is its flying speed.A TOWER TUMBLES BETWEEN PLANES ON THE WHIMS OF A CTIONSa mad mage. ises to direct the characters to "someone who canWhen his tower arrives in Avernus, Mordenkainen steps help," provided they help him solve the enigma of theout onto the balcony to address the fiends gathered be- obelisk first.low. Gideon targets a creature he can see within 60 feet. It is Bite. Multiattack. One of my friends also suggested that Elturel is slowly dragged down to the surface of Avernus by the chains the characters can see it from many places in Hell and its always getting lower. The target must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 33 (6d10) necrotic damage if it fails the saving throw, or half damage if it succeeds. Ever since, the tormented demon head for the next hour. tasty bottom-feeders native to the Abyss. Mirror, mirror, made of ice- look within, but at their shorelines, their branches laden with fleshy sacs.what price?" Gideon hoped they could defeat the demons, but they have not returned. becoming useless, and all structures within 20 feet of it take 35 (10d6) bludgeoning damage. Book: Baldurs Gate Descent into Avernus, Pag 65. In the book of D.I.A., the action "Withering Gaze" of Gideon Lightward is a spell . The rescue of the Duke is nicely done. For the priceof a soul coin, the devils direct the group to a mysterious Tiny fiend (demon), chaotic eviloutlander (see "Development" below). A portal to the Abyss has formed in the chapel. (Now Available), Fizbans Treasury of Dragons His skin is cadaver-blue, and his the eighth layer of the Nine Hells. Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me. Is this enough? cess of raising a pyre around a tree to incinerate it. Characters who examine the standingan ulterior motive: if the characters end up slaying the stones and succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana)mysterious mage, Mordenkainen has one less rival to check discern that the arcane runes do indeed relate tocontend with in Avernus. 6 (-2) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 4 (-3) 9 (-1) 5 (-3)D EVELOPMENT Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning Damage Immunities poisonT he fiends tell the characters about a powerful mage Condition Immunities blinded, poisonedwho visits Avernus from other planes and often pays Senses blindsight 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passiveyugoloths for their protection. He hasalso crafted many renowned spells. Bad Flier. You do need to be careful with this, though too much of a ticking clock means if things go wrong, you cant recover. Much interest comes from the corrupted priest, Gideon Lightward, who has common cause with the party when they first meet, as both sides want to fight the demons. This site works best with JavaScript enabled. Gideon Lightward isn't a spellcaster anymore. No windows penetrate the tower's walls, and its only visible door opens onto a high balcony. Rigorath holds a kettle of earth or pounded into solid rock, the stake emits a seis-steaming water in one hand. the characters see one of SHATTERSTICKMephistopheles's emissaries in the mirror: a cambionnamed Rigorath. Ar KosTCHTCHIE's MAw vrock savaged Krikendolt's skull during one of the many For characters oflevel 10 battles of the Blood War, leaving him with terrible scars and a brain injury that has turned h is alignment to cha-I "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, but does the otic good. However, the accursed demons have breached even unto here! DEVILISH WORK C REWr ARCH ES OF ULLOCH Zariel dispatched infernal cleanup crews to scour the For characters oflevel 9 lake shores for the trees and destroy them before they "Only fools step through UUoch's gates. Abyssal chickens are For characters oflevel 8 carnivorous, temperamental. lest he dragyou into madness. CHAPTER 3 I AVERNUS 99, The words you are searching are inside this book. So, here is some pertinent information Gideon can impart: The interest in Gideon comes from how he can be an ally, but only one of convenience. He is the first opportunity you have to reveal the plot of the adventure from Zariels point of view, and I think you should take it. the emissary crafts an imp out of snow, which hops through the mirror to join them. Good evening, a few sessions ago we had a confrontation with the enemy "Gideon Lightward" and I found out that he could use a skill/magic/action (I don't know how it would be qualified) that from what I understood could not be used Counter-spell because it was not indicated as a spell. You cannot counter Withering Gaze because it is not a spell. If he gets the sword, Mephistopheles plans to use the artifactTHE EMISSARY as leverage against Zariel in future dealings.Shortly after arriving here. The search for the Duke is relatively simple to run. Poor Shummrath predators and to help them run faster, and they taste like isn't the fiend it used to be." Once the demons are destroyed, Gideon displays the full extent of his corruption: turning on the party and using his minions to attack. The Perception 9fiends mark the location of the wizard's tower on the Languages understands Abyssal but can't speakplayers' map of Avernus. Through its surface, you glimpse a glacial landscape To aid the characters with damming the River Styx, draped in snow. Pour of the devils tease the fifth, whose name is Krikendolt. Adispel magic casthas tried futilely to solve the riddle and escape. Although the adventure discusses the difficulties in getting down, you want the characters to get down and continue the adventure, so dont make this too difficult. (October 21, 2021), Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos "Zariel's fallen companions cannot rest. The real archmage the deception and pleads for their help (see "Develop-remains deep inside his tower and swiftly shunts the ment" below).building to another plane in times of danger. The Sword of Zariel can redeem the fallen angel and free Elturel from its chains, The Sword is in a great alabaster fortress, Lulu was present when the fortress was remade, but she cant remember where it is, The party need to travel to Fort Knucklebone, where they can try to determine where Lulu was before she got there. This imp has immunityAnyone who gazes into the surface of this 20-foot-tall to cold damage and carries a sling bag containing five mirror of ice sees their reflection as soulless, haggard, shattersticks (see the Shattersticks" sidebar) that it can and encrusted with rime. Even so, he claims that "balance will be maintained mancy, and transmutation). The visions display what happened to the Sword. They lead become thickets. Characters who came here from the Obelisk (see page 98) can bargain with Rigorath for the means to re-MIRROR OF MEPHISTAR lease Ubbalux from the standing stones. Counterspell is not a spell that counters "magic" broadly defined. The barlgura then gives them If the characters fulfill their side of the bargain, Rigo- directions to a magic mirror (the Mirror of Mephistar) rath grants them rare knowledge: a secret they desire that can be used to gaze into Cania and contact the and a permanent +1 increase to each character's Intel- archdevil. wants the River Styx dammed. When embedded inface is frozen in a scream. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage. (December 7, 2021). If anyone knows where tofind this Bleeding Citadel, it's surely Mordenkainen! His master is wary of angering Zariel and refuses to grant directions to the - The Cartographer Bleeding Citadel. Necromancy The standing stone casts confusion on you Transmutation (save DC 15). Following this lead takes the Challenge 1/4 (SO XP)group to the Tower of Urm. Krikendolt's comrades learned that he pities same hold true for fiends?" The imp is focused on zen tundra, desolate save for a tower of ice far in the dis- his task, dislikes procrastination, and spits shards of ice tance. Avernus is ruled by Zariel, Dread Mistress of Light, Zariel leads the forces of Hell on a righteous crusade against the foul Demons of the Abyss, (Yes, that means that its citizens will be taken and turned into soldier devils in the fight against the demons). (in the DM's words). Only when they refuse does he order the attack. The archmage doesn't know the one of the eight schools of magic (abjuration, conjura-location of the Bleeding Citadel, nor does he care to find tion, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necro-it. We had to fight undead all the way from the high hall to the cemetery so I really wanted to kill Gideon. Duke Ravengard found the relic, but when he used it, his mind was trapped in a battle between the holy power of Torm and the unholy corruption of the Abyssal Portal. Ubbalux's latest attempt to es- for their assistance: cape his prison has failed. To get more targeted content, please make full-text search by clicking. If the characters find the Sword, they can redeem Zariel. No one can in this nightmare hellscape." After each minute, shaking the ground in that area for the duration.utterance, the ice spreads over his face again, freezing When the effects ends, the shatterstick breaks apart,into an expression of pained anguish. Like the gaze of Medusa or a number of undead with gaze-based effects. Like this book? Rather it's a spell that counters "spells.". Without further add to, thank you very much for your time and attention. Rigorath tries to broker an infernal on the school of magic associated with the standing pact with the characters on behalf of his master Mephis- stone that the character touched, as noted in the Stand- topheles, offering them knowledge and power in return ing Stone Effects table. There is a dungeon, it has monsters, go! Unfortunately, the visions from the helm dont show that. So it does create some urgency but not overbearing. In addition, he wanted to find the holy relic, the. Spells are spell and as such either are cantrips or take spell slots/uses per day. Secretly,DIAGRAM 3.2: PATH OF DEMONS Krikendolt keeps an abyssal chicken named Earwax in his sack.

When the characters arrive, they en- counter a work crew of five bearded devils in the pro-.____to nowhere a wise person wants to go." Okay,thank you very much for the feedback, I appreciate you taking the time. These eventuaUy Bop to the ground and wetly break open, each one releasing a fully grown abyssal chickenr PIT OF SHUMMRATH l (see the accompanying stat block). This apparition stands in a fro- use to demolish the riverbank. the abyssal chickens, a nd they are now goading him into slaughte ring the chickens on pain of death. The Helm of Torms Sight, currently cursed and worn by the Duke, is the item that reveals that the Sword of Zariel is key to saving Elturel. The following informa-tress," page 130). My DM did say that Eturiel was being pulled into the Styx but he estimated it would take weeks at first and then he switched it to a month. He is a fallen figure, unaware of how he has been corrupted. Mordenkainen takes the tower with him when heleaves Avernus. characters to seek out Mephistopheles and return with an answer to his puzzle. These are listed in a specific area of the stat block and are all together. The devils won't forgive their comrade for his compassion, but the char- acters could persuade them to release Krikendolt into their care if they offer the right price. Ubbalux promises to guide them to someone who can help them find the Bleeding Citadel. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. The second half of Elturel concerns the rescue of Duke Ravengard and the revelation of what the players need to do next. If the charactersare unable to pay, they must return later with the coin Armor Class 13 (natural armor)and track down the fiends on the lake shore. Red light- ning crackles constantly between two horns of metal on the tower's roof.Mordenkainen, a chaotic neutral human archmage,often sojourns to Avernus to study how the Nine Hellsaffect the schools of magic. It needs better preparation. tion can be gleaned by speaking with the false wizard:TALKING TO MORDENKAINEN The wizard claims that he no longer recalls his name or place of origin.Mordenkainen is a stern, bald man with a neatly Ifasked about the Bleeding Citadel, the wizard prom-trimmed black goatee beard and a penetrating stare. You can do that in Candlekeep, but if you havent, you should present the case more strongly here. I will talk more about the problem of Lulu in the next instalment of this series. They beat their leathery wings to scare "Here you find a sticky situation. As they gaze archdevil orders the imp to follow the group invisiblystunned into their reflection's eyes, Mephistopheles after it completes its demolition work and report backgains access to all their thoughts, fears, and knowledge, when they've located the Bleeding Citadel. The characters can cure Krikendolt of his disorder using a heal s pell or similar magic, which re- stores his lawful evil alignment.96 CHAPTER 3 I AVERNUS ,The devils don't know where the Bleeding Citadel is, ABYSSAL CHICKENbut they do know someone who could help. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight Possibly. The air fills with ozone as Rigorath can perceive the characters though the mir- lightning courses over the standing stones. I dont believe it is, especially considering how the adventure progresses from this point with Lulu showing herself to be one of the most incompetent allies you can imagine. Coming out of here, the players should know the following: As the characters proceed onwards, only Lulu accompanies them. CHAPTER 3 I AVERNUSq8Ubbalux begins to chant. To fulfill their end of the bargain, the characters DEVELOPMENT must dam the flow of the River Styx where it spills into a nearby slime-filled chasm (see "Pit of Shum- Dropping its disguise, the barlgura demon implores the mrath," page 100).