Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus

Aftermath

If the characters save the Hunt family, Harkina expresses her undying gratitude. Although a commoner, she carries a longbow with which she is proficient. She uses it to protect her family. In addition to her longbow, she carries a quiver with forty arrows, twenty of which are silvered.

Harkina can relay the following information regarding the current situation in the city:

• Many of Elturel's citizens died when the city was drawn to this terrible place. Still more have died in the days since, from the attacks of terrible creatures, a lack of food and water, and the collapse of many of the city's buildings.
• Harkina and the boys have been hiding in the basement of a tavern that had enough reserves of food and water to keep them alive for a time. When those provisions ran out, the family was forced to creep from safety to search for more.
• The city has been split in two. Harkina has heard from other survivors that this side of Elturel (formerly the eastern part of the city) is the worse off. The High Hall—the great castle that is home to Elturel's leaders—is where she was planning to take her boys to find safety.
• High Overseer Thavius Kreeg is the leader of the city, and Harkina hopes that he is working on a plan to rescue survivors and drive away the devils. If he's still alive, Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard of Baldur's Gate is probably at the High Hall as well.

If the characters capture and interrogate a bearded devil, or any other devil encountered in Elturel, it reveals the following information in response to a successful DC 15 Charisma (Intimidation) check, assuming the characters agree to release it:

• The demon attacks from the River Styx intensified when the city appeared in the sky.
• The demons are trying to climb the binding posts or fly to the city, but the devils constantly push them back. The devils are also trying to figure out how to best use the city to their strategic advantage.
• Slowly and erratically, the spiked posts that bind Elturel are being drawn into the ground, pulling the city down toward the River Styx. (The devil doesn't know how long that process will take.)
• The only reason the city is not already under the control of devilish forces is the demon attacks. Stemming that abyssal tide is taking all the devils' resources.
• The devil assumes the city was brought here by Zariel, the ruler of Avernus.

Encounters in Elturel

Collapsed Building

A quake rocks the city, and a building collapses in the distance. The characters hear cries for help emerging from the rubble.

To keep the trapped victims from suffocating or being crushed, the characters must succeed on a total of six ability checks to rescue them before incurring three failures. The base DC for these checks is 10. Possible checks could include Strength (Athletics) checks to remove debris, Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks to squeeze into tight places, Intelligence (Investigation) checks to determine the best place to dig or support the structure, or Wisdom (Perception) checks to notice dangerous areas threatening to collapse further. You might also decide that magic or other abilities could result in automatic successes.

During the rescue, the commotion might attract devils (see "x" below) or other unwelcome attention.

If the characters succeed in the rescue attempt, they pull out three lawful good shield dwarves from beneath the collapsed building: Strovin Ironfist, Kartra Boulderstern, and Velkora Ashenwell. Strovin and Kartra are laborers (use the commoner stat block), but Velkora is a mason and an acolyte of the dwarven god Moradin. Her healing powers would be a welcome resource at the High Hall. All three dwarves speak Common and Dwarvish, and have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. They also have resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.

Cry for Help

The characters hear a voice shouting for help. If they follow the voice, they find a male human under attack by two bulezaus that slipped past the devils and climbed the infernal binding posts to Elturel.

If the characters save the man, he introduces himself as Orin Ragron, a blacksmith who had a shop in Elturel. Orin is actually an incubus in disguise named Faltrax. The incubus is trying to gain information on the defenses of Elturel, which it then plans to sell to the highest fiendish bidder. If the characters discover Faltrax's true nature, the incubus flees.

Ghastly Meal

The characters catch of glimpse of four cloaked figures sneaking out of an alleyway and into a residence, as if trying not to be seen. If the characters enter the residence, they see four ghasts standing around a table eating the remains of a human family that perished here during the trip to Avernus. The ghasts reek of death and decay.

When the ghasts are dealt with, a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check discerns a faint crying coming from a cupboard. Inside is a young girl called Shorah Hevrun. A noncombatant, she immediately attaches herself to the first character who is kind to her. Shorah insists on accompanying the characters until she feels safe. If they can get her to the High Hall, each character gains inspiration, and the survivors there can see to Shorah's care.

Ghoul Pack

Seven ghouls roam the streets of Elturel, looking for their next meal. Their leader, formerly an adventuring rogue, wears magical studded leather armor that increases its AC to 13 (see "Treasure" below). These former citizens of the city died when Elturel was drawn into Avernus. Their souls were corrupted by the terrible power of the plane, leaving them in these undead forms.

Hateful Patrol

A merregon leads three spined devils through the streets, looking for mortal survivors or demons that have slipped past the devilish forces below the city. The spined devils grumble in Infernal, unhappy about being up here when they could be fighting demons in the battle below. The merregon takes their insolence in silence.

Imp Sales Pitch

As the characters pass an alleyway, they notice an imp talking with a halfling. The two are focused on each other, making it easy for characters to get close enough to overhear the conversation in Common. The halfling, a baker (commoner) named Pilster Pebblehuck, has been hiding with his family in the basement of their bakery. They are running out of food, so Pilster has braved the streets to search for provisions. The imp, Perchillux, is offering Pilster a month's worth of food for the low price of his soul. Pilster is preparing to sign the contract as the characters come upon the pair.

The contract is written on parchment made of halfling skin. If any character interrupts the signing and asks to read the contract, the imp tells them this is none of their business. Pilster welcomes the interruption, however, since he is having second thoughts about the deal, and he hands the contract to the characters. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check penetrates the dense and convoluted text of the contract—which will give the imp the souls of Pilster's entire family if Pilster signs it.

If the characters attack the imp, it turns invisible and attempts to escape as quickly as possible. If the characters save Pilster from selling his soul, he thanks the characters and begs them to get him and his family to safety. His wife, Merrywile, and their three children are nearby.

Narzugon Cavalier

A narzugon patrols the streets of Elturel on the back of a nightmare equipped with infernal tack. The devil has orders to hunt down and destroy any demons that might have slipped past the battle on the ground below and gained access to the city.

When Lulu sees the creature, she tells the characters that it is very powerful and should not be confronted.

Spouts of Hellfire

The characters see a charred humanoid corpse in the middle of the street, clutching a silvered longsword in its hand. When any creature moves within 5 feet of the corpse, a gout of hellfire erupts from it. Any creature within 5 feet of the corpse must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Vrock Philosophy

A vrock fled the battle and flew up to the city to ponder its role in all things. As long as the characters leave it alone, it doesn't attack. If they approach, it speaks with them, using its telepathy to communicate with one character at a time if none of the characters speaks Abyssal.

The vrock pontificates on the vagaries and possible meanings of existence. If the characters treat it nicely, indulge it in its ponderings, and succeed on a DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) check, they can get it to do them one small favor. If they attack it, the vrock repays their hostility in kind.

Favors from the vrock might include providing information about what's happening beneath the city, about what forces guard the bridges between the city's east and west sections, or about the demons' plan to use a portal to enter the city (see x), although it doesn't know where that portal is.

Zombie Horde

As the characters pass a building, they hear a pounding coming from the front door. The door is stuck but not locked, requiring a successful DC 15 Strength check to force it open. If the characters do this, twelve zombies burst from the building as an avalanche of undead bodies, burying anyone standing near the door in the pile. This leaves those characters and the zombies prone at the start of combat.

If the characters deal with the zombies and search the building, they discover that it was a school. Five casks each holding three gallons of fresh water are stored in the basement.

[image: Anchored by the chains of Avernus, the city of Elturel is doomed to drown in the River Styx unless someone finds a way to save it.]

Holy Runes

Any character trained in Arcana, History, or Religion recognizes that the runes etched into the stonework of each bridge can be activated to produce a radiant energy harmful to fiends and undead. A character touching the bridge who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check as an action can speak the proper prayers to Torm to activate the runes for 1 minute. While the runes are active, any fiend or undead creature that starts its turn in contact with the bridge takes 22 (4d10) radiant damage. When this effect ends, the runes cannot be activated again for 1 hour.

Group 1: Abishai and Cultists

This group is led by the mastermind behind the raid on the cathedral: Victuusa, a white abishai. Victuusa serves both Tiamat and Zariel in an attempt to gain the most favor, and is presently searching for the leaders of the Elturel resistance. It wants nothing more than to deliver the heads of those leaders to Zariel personally. Victuusa leads six lawful evil human cultists devoted to Zariel.

Group 2: Crab Attack

A barbed devil named Dreb marshals a pack of eight giant crabs through the cathedral. These crabs look and act like normal giant crabs, except for the spines protruding from their shells and the vile brimstone smell they exude. The clacking of the crabs' claws on the marble floors of the cathedral makes it impossible for this group to sneak up on anyone.

Group 3: Devilish Brigands

A spined devil leads three human brigands (use the bandit captain stat block to represent them) on a rampage. The brigands were driven mad by the journey to Avernus, and have now pledged themselves to their spined devil master. Their madness causes them to bellow and gibber as they move through the cathedral. The spined devil roars at them as it uses its telepathy to order them to focus. This lack of caution and discipline makes ambushing or sneaking up on the group easy, granting advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to do so.

Group 4: Hellish Hunters

A merregon oversees a mangy pair of hell hounds. The devil uses the hounds to sniff out survivors who might be hiding.

H1. Hall of Heroes

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

The devil represented in the magically altered columns is Zariel.

The wooden doors leading into the grand foyer have been broken open by the invading devils (see "x") and remain ajar. Four guards lie dead in the doorways, eviscerated by one of those devil-led groups.

H2. Grand Foyer

The foyer holds two circular stairwells, each leading up to x on the choir level. Decorated pillars here depict symbols and scenes representative of Torm. Curtains, some of them shredded by weapons and claws, separate this area from the heart of the cathedral.

H3. Central Altar

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

The lever can be pulled to open the hand, so that offerings to Torm or bodies undergoing rituals can be placed upon it.

H4. Private Chapels

These areas can be curtained off for small private ceremonies. Each of these chapels contains the bodies of dead guards, as well as the foul remains of infernal creatures that died during the initial attack on the cathedral. The columns at the north and south ends of each area have stone altars set before them.

H5. Stairs to Residences

These circular stairs once led to residences and offices. They are now choked with rubble, as the sections that housed those spaces were destroyed.

H6. Desecrated Altar of Torm

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

This private chapel is similar to those of x. The devils currently rampaging through the cathedral defaced the holy altar to Torm. Any creature that doesn't actively worship or swear fealty to Zariel that starts its turn within 20 feet of the profane altar gains vulnerability to all damage, accompanied by the sensation of their bones becoming brittle and their skin feeling dry and cracked.

The altar can be restored and its profane effect ended in the following ways:

• A character who kneels before the altar, prays to Torm for 1 minute, and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check at the end of the prayer causes Torm's power to wash over the altar and wipe clean the blood and other desecrating elements.
• Splashing at least three flasks of holy water on the altar destroys the desecrating elements and purifies the altar.

H7. Pipe Organ

The circular stairs from x lead up to this area. Read the following boxed text aloud to the players when their characters arrive here for the first time:

The balcony looks out over x. Any character who sits down at the pipe organ can feel that it is enchanted with powerful magic, and a detect magic spell reveals an aura of enchantment magic around it.

A character who plays the organ and succeeds on a DC 15 Charisma (Performance) check can play a powerful song that resonates throughout the cathedral. This song grants a bonus die, a d8, to every other player character who can hear it. A character can only receive this benefit only once, and the d8 can be added to one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw made by the character in the next 24 hours.

If the Charisma (Performance) check fails by 5 or more, a screeching, hellish tune erupts from the organ instead. Inspired by this cacophony, each devil the characters face in the next combat encounter in the cathedral has advantage on attack rolls during its first turn.

H8. Defenses

Two defensive turrets decorate the front of this area, looking down over the courtyard. Arrow slits in the walls of each turret offer a view of the ground below, but are too narrow for even Small creatures to squeeze through.

The north turret contains a traumatized male human guard named Trevick Thantorme. The other guards here ran downstairs when the attack started, only to quickly fall. The panicked Trevick remained here, and now sits curled up and whispering to himself that everything's going to be okay.

A successful DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check restores Trevick's courage, as does a calm emotions spell or similar effect. If the characters allow it, Trevick vows to accompany them on their hunt for the devils. However, the first time he takes any damage, he curls up in a ball again, requiring another check made as an action to get him back in the fight.

H9. Balcony

The doors leading out onto this balcony are locked from the inside. The balcony is 30 feet above the outside courtyard below.

H10. Recessed Mausoleums

These areas are the final resting places of esteemed priests, warriors, and other dedicated servants of Elturel. For each of these areas the characters enter, roll a d6. On a 1, the characters discover 1d4 frightened commoners in hiding (if the devils haven't found them) or a number of mangled bodies (if the devils did).

As the DM, you determine the fates of these commoners. If the characters are dawdling because the players don't appreciate the gravity of the threat to the survivors in the cathedral, coming upon deceased commoners can help underline that threat. Having the players understand that these deaths might have been prevented if they had acted more quickly is a good way to inspire the characters to act with a little more urgency.

H11. Vaults

These vaults are used for holding bodies waiting to be interred in some other part of the cathedral, or in Elturel's cemetery. The only bodies presently here are people who died as the city was drawn to Avernus.

H12. Temple of the Highest

This large temple was used for private ceremonies involving the most powerful and respected figures in Elturel. Each of the semicircular alcoves here contains an elaborate, upright sarcophagus holding the body of a former high priest of Torm. A sarcophagus can be opened with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check by a character proficient with thieves' tools. Eleven of the sarcophagi contain partially decomposed bodies. The twelfth sarcophagus holds a mummy, which attacks as soon as its coffin is opened.

H13. Hall of Scholars

This crypt holds the bones of those who served Torm and Elturel through their knowledge instead of magic or skill at arms: teachers, engineers, sages, and other public servants. Plain stone shelves in the eleven alcoves each hold one set of remains.

H14. Chamber of Torm's Council

A large oval table made of fine red oak fills the center of this room, and is surrounded by forty comfortable chairs. This chamber was used for meetings with individuals chosen to provide counsel to the high priests.

H15. Unknown Hero

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

Years before the Companion appeared in the sky, a young red dragon made life miserable for the residents of Elturel. It ate livestock, burned crops, and demanded tribute. Then one day, a scruffy-looking, unarmored woman wielding a greatsword marched up to the dragon and hacked at the beast with mighty swings. Before the stunned creature could fly away, she slew it. A startled and overwhelmed populace rushed toward the woman to thank and reward her for her bravery. As they approached, however, she fell dead. The unknown woman was laid to rest in this special place in the cathedral, and her body has never decomposed. Her nonmagical greatsword was placed at her side. Rumors suggest that she was an incarnation of Torm, or that Torm's essence filled the woman and inspired her to defeat the threat.

Any devil that enters the stairs or the alcove leading to this area is struck with intense pain, imposing disadvantage on its attack rolls while it remains in this area.

H16. Main Crypts

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

These crypts house the remains of numerous worshipers and servants of Torm interred over the past century. Currently, more than one hundred frightened survivors of the attack on the High Hall are in hiding here, waiting for their doom. Standing between them and death is a lone acolyte, Pherria Jynks. With all the cathedral's priests dead and no one of higher authority to help her, she does her best to keep people calm and quiet. A simple sage and an expert on possession and exorcism, she is only just starting her career as a servant of Torm.

[image: Tome of the Creed Resolute]

H17. Escape Tunnel

This tunnel, accessible from beneath one of the holy water fonts in x, leads from under the cathedral catacombs and away from the High Hall. The tunnel now ends at a gaping hole in the floating earthmote to which Elturel clings, some five hundred feet above the River Styx.

Approaching the Chapel

As the characters draw near the chapel, they are accosted by three minotaur skeletons—slain servants of Baphomet stripped of flesh and animated by Gideon using the power of the Companion. These skeletons attack any intruders on the cemetery grounds.

When the minotaur skeletons are disposed of and the characters get their first close look at the chapel, read the following to set the scene:

Characters can easily force their way into the chapel through any of its broken stained-glass windows, or can enter through the main entrance at area G1 or the unlocked back door into x.

G1. Walk of Bravery

Read the following as the characters approach this area:

With a successful DC 10 Intelligence (History) check, a character can remember the name of one of the heroes represented by the carved pillars, with another name remembered for each point by which the check total exceeds 10. The names of the heroes are Agnithar, Zokel of Torm, Bertra Zomes, Yevina Druen, Ca'sar, Xivik Looren, Dopp Hoosser, Whrenk the Bloody, Laveil deNue, and VanLancer Eagletalon.

A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check made to study the carved pillars reveals that a pillar can be empowered with radiant energy if the name of the hero it represents is spoken aloud as an action. Any undead creature that moves within 5 feet of an empowered statue for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 5 (1d10) radiant damage.

Each pillar is hollow and houses an incorporeal undead creature: four shadows and four specters in total. Seven of the undead emerge from the pillars to attack any character who attempts to enter the chapel. The specter closest to the priest quarters (x) instead attempts to move to that area and warn Gideon of the intruders. If warned, Gideon quickly moves to x and prepares to defend the chapel, while the specter returns to join the fray.

G2. Chapel of Light

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

A squad of Baphomet's minotaurs attempted to overrun the chapel, but Gideon and his servants slew them. Gideon then turned them into four minotaur skeletons that attack as soon as any character enters this area. The minotaur skeletons attempt to charge characters, knocking them through the smashed windows. A creature pushed through a smashed window takes an extra 7 (2d6) slashing damage.

G3. Chapel of Mourning

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

This area of the chapel was used for funeral services for esteemed political and military leaders of Elturel.

If a creature kneels before the damaged window and says a prayer to Lathander, then succeeds on a DC 10 Charisma (Religion) check made to determine the sincerity and strength of the prayer, a glowing weapon appears before the supplicant. Devout followers of Lathander succeed on the check automatically.

G4. Vestment Chamber

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

The stairs lead down into the workshop (x) on the ossuary level. Two mezzoloths guard the stairs. Gideon Lightward is also present here if one of his undead servants warned him of the characters' intrusion. Otherwise, the characters encounter Gideon in x.

Just as the characters are about to face off against the fiends, a cacophony erupts from below, and six creatures rush up the stairs: a fiendish giant scorpion trailed by five dretches. In response, the mezzoloths (and Gideon, if present) ignore the characters completely, focusing all their attacks on the scorpion and the demons. If Gideon is present and the characters refrain from attacking him after the first round or two, they have advantage on checks to parley with him after the battle. Otherwise, they have disadvantage on those checks.

G5. Gideon's Quarters

This small building was Gideon Lightward's living quarters when he oversaw the chapel and the maintenance of the cemetery. Read the following boxed text aloud when the characters enter this area:

See x for information on roleplaying Gideon if the characters first encounter him here.

G6. Undead Pit

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

Gideon creates his undead servants in this 30-foot-deep pit, which was formed when a piece of the meteor that struck the High Hall splintered off.

G7. Workshop

The stairs from x curl down to an unlocked door and a workshop beyond. Read the following boxed text when the characters enter this area:

The double door to the north leads to stairs that descend to areas x, x, and x.

G8. Ossuary of the Faithful

Those who could not afford the expense of a cemetery plot above ground were respectfully laid to rest in this area and area G9. Read the following as the characters enter this area:

The bones marked by holy symbols are the remains of honored priests and acolytes who worked in the chapel, and who requested to take their final rest alongside the poor they served.

The holy symbols in this area once channeled the blessings of their gods, but that trace magic has been corrupted by the passage of Elturel to Avernus, and by the presence of the abyssal portal in x. If any holy symbol is touched, or if any creature not a fiend or undead lingers in this area for more than 1 minute, all the holy symbols unleash a pulse of necrotic power. Each creature in the area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. This hazard resets in 1 hour as long as the portal in x is active.

G9. Main Ossuary

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

A quasit named Ophurkh was the first demon to come through the portal in x, acting as a scout. A steadfast servant of Baphomet, it remains in this area to provide instructions for other demons as they arrive through the portal and prepare to enter Elturel.

Ophurkh remains invisible and keeps quiet as the characters pass through this area. If it is able to elude notice, it follows the characters, waiting for a chance to use its Scare ability to try to drive them from this level. If unsuccessful, it goes invisible again, then waits and attacks alongside the minotaurs that emerge from the portal when the characters reach x.

If captured, the self-serving quasit can be coerced into providing information about the portal and the plans of its demonic masters (see "x") with a successful DC 10 Charisma (Intimidation) check.

G10. Meditation Chamber

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

Any character with proficiency in Religion recognizes this area as one in which priests dedicated to dealing with the dead would meditate to help them endure the dark nature of their work.

G11. Vault of Honor

This vault once housed the Helm of Torm's Sight, but no longer. Read the following boxed text to the players as the characters enter this area:

The recognizable statue depicts Lannish Fogel, as seen in the stained-glass window in x. Any characters who saw the window recognize that the two depictions are the same man. If none of the characters recognized Lannish Fogel in x, a successful DC 10 Intelligence (History or Religion) check allows a character to recognize the statue.

Any inspection of the statue reveals that its head has been sculpted as if it was meant to wear a separate helm, but no such helm is present.

G12. Vault of Ascendance

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

This chamber was a place for the most devout of Torm's followers to touch the mind of their god in search of answers and solace. The water in the pool is only 1 foot deep. A benign magical effect within the pool causes the water to flow slowly in a clockwise direction. Though tainted with abyssal power, the water presents no hazard to creatures that enter it, and is not 3.

The east wall of this area is a roiling field of abyssal energy, marking the portal where Baphomet has used this area's corrupted link to Torm to connect the Abyss to Avernus, by way of Elturel.

[image: Ulder Ravengard]

Ulder Ravengard found the Helm of Torm's Sight in x and donned it. The helm is a nonmagical item through which Torm can send visions. Ravengard was beginning to establish a connection with Torm when a disturbance in this room brought him and his guards into combat with demonic creatures sent through the portal by Baphomet. Ravengard was subjected to a psychic attack that drew his mind into a connection with Baphomet. Now the helm can't be removed, and he is locked in a mental battle with the demon lord. Ravengard is stunned until the helm is removed. The helm can't be removed from him while he is alive—at least, not yet.

As the characters observe the struggle taking place within Ravengard, three wild-eyed minotaurs come through the portal. They charge into battle with the characters but avoid Ravengard because of the demonic presence they feel within him.

Any character who understands Celestial or Abyssal can recognize some of the words escaping Ravengard's lips. He alternates between the two languages as both Torm and Baphomet speak through him. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check reveals that the psychic struggle taking place within Ravengard's mind is between some divine higher power and a terrible, demonic entity. The power of the portal is now tied into the helm, and to Ravengard. The same check also reveals that no simple spell can break this hold—but that a more involved ritual might free Ravengard and shut down the portal by allowing the power of Torm to sanctify this area once more.

Characters who spoke to Pherria back at the cathedral remember that she was a sage who specialized in exorcism and possession. As such, she might be able to help.

Leaving the Chapel

Once the characters defeat the minotaurs, they can carry Ravengard back to the High Hall. If Gideon has not been destroyed, he might question the characters as they leave the chapel or the cemetery. See x for information on roleplaying Gideon.

Hearing Ravengard mumbling in Abyssal, Gideon might need convincing that Ravengard is not some sort of demon or demonic ally. A good explanation—that Ravengard is actually a great demon hunter, that he has trapped a demon the characters plan to kill, and so forth—alongside a successful DC 15 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check prompts Gideon to let them pass.

Ritual Preparations

Pherria outlines what's needed for the ritual:

• The altar of Torm in x must be cleansed and the ritual performed before it. The altar of Torm can be restored as described in x. Pherria suggests that the characters splash the altar with holy water taken from the font in x.
• A creature standing within 5 feet of the restored altar must recite a special prayer to Torm. Only this prayer can break evil's hold on Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard's mind.
• A powerful symbol of courage and self-sacrifice is needed to empower the ritual. Pherria suggests the greatsword of the Unknown Hero in x. (The characters can use a different object that symbolizes courage and self-sacrifice, at your discretion.)

Performing the Prayer

Pherria warns the characters that she has never attempted this particular ritual before, and that they should be ready to step in and help her—or to fight off any evil forces that might try to disrupt the process.

The ritual prayer takes 30 seconds to recite. Pherria knows the prayer by heart, but another creature can invoke a suitable prayer with a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check. While the prayer is being spoken, one character must spend the next 5 rounds gently resting the sword of the Unknown Hero on the Helm of Torm's Sight. While the prayer is being spoken, the one holding the sword must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw at the end of each of their turns or take 10 (3d6) force damage.

Immediately after the character holding the sword makes their first saving throw, the potent magic of the ritual attracts demonic spirits loyal to Baphomet, which emerge from the helm as two will-o'-wisps that attempt to disrupt the ritual by attacking the individuals reciting the prayer and holding the sword.

When the character holding the sword makes the last saving throw, the ritual is complete. The will-o'-wisps are banished, and Ravengard comes to his senses.

Next Moves

Ulder Ravengard insists on remaining in Elturel to help organize survivors to fight off the devils, demons, and undead scouring the city. Though he's willing to die fighting in Elturel's defense, it's up to the characters to help Lulu find the Sword of Zariel.

If she's still alive, Reya Mantlemorn decides to stay in Elturel and help Ravengard protect the city, fighting back tears as she bids farewell to the characters.

Climbing Down

The jagged posts and enormous chains of infernal iron that hold Elturel are the only physical connection between the city and the ground. Each chain link is 30 feet long and 20 feet wide, and is formed of a welded loop of infernal iron that is 5 feet thick. See chapter 5 for more information on breaking these infernal chains.

The chain links are covered in 1-foot-long iron barbs that make them relatively easy to move along. The posts of infernal iron that anchor Elturel to the ground likewise offer numerous handholds for climbing. If the characters navigate the chains and the posts carefully, no ability checks are needed to prevent a fall while climbing across the chains or descending the posts at normal speed. Any character who tries to move or climb more quickly during a turn must succeed on a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check or fall.

Fiendish magic within the posts and chains makes prolonged contact with them unbearable. Once per minute, any creature in contact with the infernal iron must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails this saving throw must then succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or slip from the chain or post and fall.

Any character within reach of a falling creature can, with a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check, grab the falling creature and swing it back onto the chain, provided the falling creature is light enough for the character to carry.

Creatures that fall from Elturel or one of the chains take damage from the fall and land in the Styx (see "x" for the river's effects). Those that fall off one of the anchoring posts take damage from the fall and land amid clashing devils and demons, where they are brutally killed if they survived the fall.

Flying

Lulu has the ability to fly, and one or more characters might also be able to do so. Whether they possess wings or have access to magic such as a fly spell or a potion of flying, characters who take to the air can easily get clear of Elturel. However, flying creatures might attract the attention of winged devils and demons in the area, at your discretion.

Improvised Equipment

Enterprising and creative players might want their characters to find or create equipment to assist them in their descent. Parachutes, gliders, and hot-air balloons are just a few of the off-the-wall ideas players might come up with. If they do, be prepared to improvise. Raw materials for putting together such equipment can be found in the shops and warehouses of Elturel.

Once the characters have collected the necessary resources, you can decide which ability checks might come into play as they create their improvised equipment—and to determine how well that equipment works. Use the following guidelines:

• A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check allows a character to figure out the mechanical setup of a piece of equipment.
• A successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check spots any flaws in construction.
• A successful DC 10 Dexterity check and an appropriate tool proficiency can guide the delicate construction or adjustment of a piece of improvised gear.

Keep in mind any backgrounds or tool proficiencies the characters might have that could be useful in the creation of improvised equipment.

Unless the characters completely botch their ability checks to the point where creating the intended piece of improvised equipment is clearly impossible, you should allow such equipment to work as intended, even if not perfectly. For added drama, allow the characters to get most of the way to safety, then throw in a complication when they are within 50 feet of the ground. Call for more ability checks like the ones above as the characters attempt to quickly spot and fix problems—or call for Dexterity saving throws if their improvised equipment fails and sends them hurtling toward the ground.