Chapter 2: Elturel Has Fallen

Once a holy city whose folk venerated Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr, Elturel is now a site of doom and despair tethered some five hundred feet above the River Styx. Eight great chains bind the city to jagged posts of infernal iron, which stick up out of the ground like gargantuan spikes. (See “area Climbing Down” at the end of this chapter for a full description of the infernal chains.) The bottoms of those spikes are guarded by scores of devils, making escaping the city by climbing down an arduous task. The Companion, the second sun that provided so much solace and protection to the city for years, now glares down on Elturel like a baleful eye—a black void crackling with lightning.

One circumstance has saved the city from being overrun by devils: a massive surge of demons attacking the devils' positions on the ground. Forced to fend off these demonic hordes, the devils must bide their time until they have the resources to send troops to subjugate the remaining citizens of Elturel. Even so, random demons, devils, and other creatures have infiltrated the city. The characters have time to learn about Elturel’s situation and enact a way to save the city before it is lost.

Even as the characters get their bearings, they hear a cacophonous tumult taking place far beneath the city. An endless stream of demons crawls forth from the murky waters of the River Styx, to be met by the ordered forces of Avernus attempting to drive them back. This battle continues for the entirety of the characters' stay in Elturel.

Running This Chapter

Diagram 2.1 is a flowchart that presents the key events of this chapter in sequence.

The adventurers should be 5th level when they arrive in Elturel. They begin on the east side of the city, where the immediate danger is greatest. With or without Reya Mantlemorn to guide them, the characters make their way toward the High Hall cathedral. Once they rid the cathedral and its catacombs of fiends, the adventurers should be 6th level.

NPC survivors cowering in the crypts under the High Hall cathedral urge the characters to locate Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard of Baldur’s Gate, who has emerged as Elturel’s unlikeliest savior. This quest leads the characters to the chapel in Elturel’s grand cemetery, where Ulder Ravengard has fallen into a psychic coma after coming into telepathic contact with the demon lord Baphomet. After seeing Ravengard safely back to the High Hall and ridding him of his malady, the characters should be 7th level and ready to leave Elturel in search of the means to free the city from its chains and return what’s left of it to Faerûn.

Arrival in Elturel

A plane shift spell transports Traxigor the wizard and up to eight other creatures to Elturel, including Hollyphant and Reya Mantlemorn if she’s still with the party. When the group arrives in Elturel, read the following boxed text aloud to the players:

A hot, stinging air assaults your senses. The city street in which you stand is lined with buildings that are crumbling, if not already collapsed. The ground shudders beneath your feet. In the red, smoky sky, a 400-foot-diamater 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 succeeds on a DC 19 Intelligence (Arcana) check deduces how Traxigor made his escape. The party doesn’t encounter Traxigor again unless you want him to reappear later 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 Plane.

The characters and any remaining NPC companions have a few minutes to acclimate to their new surroundings before facing their first threat in the city (see “area Unwelcome Party” below). See the “area Elturel Hazards” sidebar for more information about the earthquakes and other dangers.

Upon her return to Avernus, 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 memories of Zariel’s fall and the angel’s earliest days as a denizen 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 determined than ever to try to save her city from destruction. She offers to lead the characters to the High Hall cathedral, 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 explore Elturel. Gargauth urges the characters not to tarry in the city, lest they get pulled down into the River Styx with it. Secretly, the pit fiend hopes that another means of escape will present itself once the characters leave Elturel and explore Avernus.

Unwelcome Party

The characters' first encounter in Elturel 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 abandon 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 Devil 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 Emporium (see “area Wandering Emporium"), in exchange for favors or goods that can help the devils advance in power.

As the characters take in this scene, everyone rolls for initiative. On their turns, Lulu and Reya see the three humans about to be attacked by the devils and immediately move to defend them, regardless of what the characters do. Lulu is hesitant to use her trumpet for fear of hurting the family or attracting other fiends, but does so as a last resort.

Members of the Hunt family reduced to 0 hit points by the devils are knocked unconscious rather than killed, as the devils are hoping to take them prisoner. These devils don’t offer that same courtesy to the characters or their NPC companions.

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.

Handling Noncombatants

The characters have the opportunity to rescue survivors in the eastern part of Elturel, with all those survivors desperate to have the party escort them to relative safety in the western part of the city. When new fights break out with vulnerable NPCs in tow, it’s up to you how you want to handle those NPCs in combat.

The easiest option is to have the NPCs stay back and out of the way, limiting their options to following the characters or hiding from enemies. During fights, you can effectively forget about those NPCs, assuming that the most capable among them are dealing with minor threats in the background while the adventurers handle the potent foes. You can also have combat-worthy NPCs join the fight, if you’re up for running them. Have all NPCs act on the same initiative count, and focus their actions on assisting the characters in combat, rather than engaging in side fights of their own.

If the characters bring NPCs along, it increases the chances of having an encounter as the party moves from one location to another. Whenever you roll the d20 to determine random encounters (see “More Encounters in Elturel”), an encounter takes place on a roll of 9 or higher.

More Encounters in Elturel

After their initial encounter with the Hunt family and the bearded devils, the characters are likely to want to get to the High Hall as quickly as possible to locate Grand Duke Ravengard. If you haven’t done so already, unfold the poster map with the Elturel side facing up so players can get a sense of the city’s layout and where they must go to reach the High Hall. Map 2.1 is a shrunk-down version of this side of the poster map.

Whenever the party moves from one named location to another, roll a d20. A roll of 11 or higher indicates an encounter while the characters travel within the city. For example, as the characters travel to a bridge, make an encounter check. Then after crossing the bridge and moving toward the High Hall, make another check. Also make checks if the characters wander the streets or go off in search of other survivors.

If an encounter is indicated, roll on the Encounters in Elturel table or choose an encounter you like. Each encounter can occur only once. If you roll an encounter that has already occurred, reroll on the table or select a different encounter. These encounters are described in the sections that follow the table.

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 “area Hateful Patrol” 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 Bulezau 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 Ghast 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 Ghoul 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.

Treasure

The ghoul leader wears +1 studded leather armor, carries an explorer’s pack, and sports a belt pouch holding a potion of invisibility.

Hateful Patrol

A merregon leads three Spined Devil 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.

Treasure

In addition to the contract, the imp carries a soul coin from a previous interaction that it plans to give to its master.

Elturel Hazards

In addition to the threats they’ll face from fiendish creatures and undead in Elturel, the characters quickly become aware of the threats presented by the city itself.

Falling: Any creature that falls from Elturel’s location high above Avernus plummets 500 feet into the soul-shattering waters of the River Styx, taking 70 (20d6) bludgeoning damage from the fall. The memory-wiping effects of the river are described in “River Styx”. However, characters who plunge into the Styx or the battle raging around the river are likely killed immediately, with their bodies beyond recovery.

Lightning: Lightning from the Companion strikes the city every minute or so. The odds of the characters being harmed by the lightning are slim, but you can use it to reinforce a sense of urgency as the lightning damages a rooftop, triggers a building collapse, or strikes the ground nearby.

Quakes: Every so often, the entire city lurches from side to side as the great posts binding it to Avernus sink farther into the ground. This results in the same kind of damage that would be caused by an earthquake on the Material Plane: loose objects fall, buildings are damaged, cracks form in the ground and the streets, and creatures fall prone.

When Elturel shifts, creatures standing on any surface in the city must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. In addition, you can describe other damage and drama resulting from a shift. Perhaps a building collapses, forcing any creature close enough to be struck by falling debris to succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage.

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.

Treasure

If the corpse is examined further, an intact vial is found in its charred belt pouch. The vial contains a Potion of Frost Giant Strength.

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 area area G12), 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 Zombie 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.

Torm’s Bridges

Two bridges that once spanned a ravine in the city are now all that connect the east and west sections of Elturel over the great rift that has fallen away beneath them. The north bridge is called Torm’s Reach, while the south bridge is named Torm’s Blade. Unless the characters can fly or teleport, they must use one of the bridges on their trek toward the High Hall.

When the characters approach either bridge, they can make out the initial details of the rift and can see the guards blocking the path. Read the following to set the scene:

A rift in the earth divides Elturel into two sections. The riotous din of the battle taking place far below the city is louder here, echoing up and through the jagged open chasm.

A bridge twenty feet wide and more than a hundred feet long spans the chasm. Holy runes etched into the stonework of the bridge indicate that the structure has been consecrated in the name of Torm, god of courage and self-sacrifice. Six infernal creatures stand guard at the center of the bridge, scanning in all directions.

Each bridge is guarded by an infernal force tasked with cutting off any assistance between the east and west sides of the city. Each group consists of two Bearded Devil and four Spined Devil. Unsubtle brutes, these creatures have parked themselves in the middle of each bridge to maintain a vigilant watch. Taking them on is a tough fight, but the characters might have a trick up their collective sleeves.

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.

High Hall

Although the forces of Avernus are occupied driving back the demonic attack from the River Styx, a few teams of devils have been ordered to infiltrate Elturel, sow chaos among the surviving citizenry, reap the souls of any mortals they find, and test the city’s defenses. The members of some of those advance teams have noted that the High Hall appears to be the center of the city’s defenses and survival efforts. As such, they have decided to mount a quick and decisive strike against it.

As the characters approach the High Hall, they see that a devilish assault on the fortress’s cathedral is underway. The characters can enter the fray, defeat the perpetrators, and help bring temporary stability to the situation. After defeating the devils, the characters learn from the survivors that Grand Duke Ravengard was at the High Hall, but left recently. He took a contingent of soldiers with him to the city’s cemetery, hoping that an ancient relic found there might help save the city.

High Hall Overview

The High Hall is a grand alabaster castle dedicated to Torm, the god of courage and self-sacrifice. It houses many of Elturel’s religious and political leaders—or at least it did when the city was in the mortal realm.

Shortly after Elturel was pulled into Avernus, a meteor hurled through the High Hall, collapsing the offices and residences of those who could best organize a defense of the city. Most of the leaders of Elturel were killed by the meteor, but Grand Duke Ravengard of Baldur’s Gate and his retinue were spared the devastation. Ravengard immediately took control of the situation, marshaled Elturel’s remaining forces, and set out a plan to protect the city. Ravengard’s forces couldn’t save the eastern part of the city, and more frequent demonic and devilish incursions have worn away at their control of the western portion.

The survivors here—including the last of the city’s leadership—have taken up residence in the cathedral part of the High Hall, perhaps the most secure and sturdy edifice left in Elturel. Yet even the cathedral is under assault, and without the characters' assistance, its defenders are sure to fall.

Approaching the High Hall

When the characters approach the High Hall, read the following boxed text to describe the scene:

This clifftop castle was once the crowning architectural jewel of Elturel. Only three of its five watchtowers towers still stand, though they appear abandoned. The wooden gates that once led into the castle grounds have been shattered, leaving a gaping hole in the wall.

The west side of the castle has been reduced to a pile of smashed brick and broken wood. The surviving buildings are blackened by soot. At the center of the castle grounds, the High Hall cathedral stands defiant.

No threats reveal themselves to the characters as they enter the castle grounds. Once inside, they spot two humans in plate armor lying dead on the ground near the shattered gate, blood still oozing from their bite wounds.

As the characters approach the center of the courtyard, they see two Hell Hound standing guard in front of the cathedral doors. These fiends have been instructed by their devil masters to prevent any mortal creatures from entering or leaving the cathedral.

The characters must defeat the hell hounds to gain access to the cathedral. Have them make a DC 15 group Dexterity (Stealth) check to find cover amid the rubble as they move. If half or more of the characters succeed on their individual checks, the group check is successful, allowing the characters to reach the base of the cathedral steps without being noticed by the hell hounds. This grants the characters surprise when the fight begins.

Cathedral Assault

Four groups of devils and their allies are moving through the cathedral. These groups are spread out to cause as much havoc as possible, and have orders to kill everyone in their path.

As the DM, you can decide where the characters encounter each of these groups. These encounters are meant to be run separately, although running two encounters back-to-back with no chance for the characters to rest or heal can be a good challenge for a powerful party.

If you want to keep these encounters simple and straightforward, you can have them take place in locations with no strange effects or hazards. If you want to make an encounter more interesting, have the combat take place during a quake (see the “area Elturel Hazards” sidebar). If you want a fight to go easier for the characters, have some of the foes withdraw or have some NPC survivors assist the characters.

Most of the survivors currently in the cathedral are preparing for a last stand in the main crypts (area area H16), so that area should be free of devils unless the characters arrive there just as the devils do.

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 Cultist devoted to Zariel.

Group 2: Crab Attack

A barbed devil named Dreb marshals a pack of eight Giant Crab 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 Hound. The devil uses the hounds to sniff out survivors who might be hiding.

High Hall Cathedral

Three levels make up the High Hall cathedral: the cathedral level (areas H1 through H6), the choir level (areas H7 through H9), and the catacombs level (areas H10 through H17). These locations are keyed to map 2.2, map 2.3, and map 2.4, respectively.

Most of these descriptions highlight what the areas contain if a devil attack has not taken place there. Based on the encounters provided in the “area Cathedral Assault” section above, you can adjust the text to describe what is happening in an area and what it looks like during or after a devil attack.

High Hall Cathedral Features

Unless otherwise noted, the High Hall cathedral has the following recurring features.

Art: Once decorated with beautiful paintings, statues, and other works that depicted the strength and valor of Elturel’s people, the cathedral was magically transformed when Elturel was pulled into Avernus. Now its artwork is a testament to the devils' superiority and strength, showing scenes of mortals succumbing to temptation, dying at the hands of fiends, and suffering eternal torture. When viewed, those images shift and swirl unsettlingly. A detect magic spell reveals that the frescoes, mosaics, paintings, and tapestries of the cathedral radiate auras of illusion magic. These effects end if Elturel is freed from the chains of Avernus.

Dimensions: Each of the three levels of the cathedral is set 20 feet higher than the one below it. Rooms in the cathedral are 15 feet high, and have 8-foot-high doorways connecting them.

Doors: The doors of the cathedral are made of iron. Each door is a Large object with AC 19, 27 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. If a door in the cathedral is locked, it can be unlocked with a successful DC 17 Dexterity check with thieves' tools, or forced open with a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check.

Illumination: Areas within the cathedral are brightly lit by continual flame spells cast on wall sconces.

Walls: Climbing the outside walls of the cathedral without equipment requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check.

Windows: Most of the cathedral’s windows were shattered during the descent into Avernus, but the windows are covered by defensive shutters that are latched from within and swing outward on iron hinges. A successful DC 17 Strength (Athletics) check or DC 15 Dexterity check with thieves' tools opens a shutter from the outside. Each shutter is a Large object with AC 19, 27 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.

H1. Hall of Heroes

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

At the top of the stairs leading up to the cathedral, an archway opens into a long hall containing eight columns. Some of the columns have been carved to represent Torm, but the infernal magic of Avernus has warped the others to represent likenesses of a winged female devil wielding a luminous sword.

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 “area Cathedral Assault") 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 area area H7 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:

An altar rests on a raised dais in this broad hall. Made of beautifully polished teakwood, it takes the shape of a gauntleted hand clenched into a fist. A large lever stands next to the altar, suggesting that it has some sort of mechanical function.

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

Activating the Altar

Even with all that has happened in the city, this altar remains consecrated to Torm. A creature that touches the altar and succeeds on a DC 15 Charisma (Religion) check regains all its hit points. This check can be attempted only once for any creature. Though the power of the altar works for any creature, it is specifically attuned to those dedicated to Torm. Clerics and paladins of Torm have advantage on the check.

Secret Door

Any character who searches the altar while the hand is opened and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check detects a large secret panel in the palm of the hand. The panel opens easily, revealing a concealed staircase descending into the central portion of the catacombs level, just west of area area H15.

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.

Survivor

Seltern Obranch, a druid dedicated to Silvanus, was here when the attack took place. After being knocked down in the melee, he feigned his demise to trick his attackers. If the characters search the bodies, they notice Seltern open his eyes.

If the characters treat him kindly, Seltern tells of how forces of devils assaulted the cathedral. He knows nothing of the current state of the place, but can tell the characters that all in the cathedral knew to flee to the main crypts (area area H16) in case of an attack.

Seltern has been using the goodberry spell to help keep those in the cathedral alive. However, his connection to his beloved nature grows weaker by the day, and he fears he may soon be unable to cast spells at all. Though he is not truly in danger of losing this ability (his resolve is simply shaken), this can provide a roleplaying opportunity for the characters to boost his spirits and strengthen his faith.

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 holds a desecrated altar with a decidedly fiendish air. Once dedicated to Torm, the altar’s features have been defaced with blood, ichor, and torn strips of flesh lashed together with sinew and intestines.

This private chapel is similar to those of area area H4. 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 area area H2 lead up to this area. Read the following boxed text aloud to the players when their characters arrive here for the first time:

Situated atop this balcony is a magnificent pipe organ. Its ivory keys practically glow, even as its ebony keys seem to absorb all light.

The balcony looks out over area area H3. 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 Commoner 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.

Treasure

Each sarcophagus contains personal effects, but the sarcophagus with the mummy also contains bracers of defense and a Elemental Gem, Yellow Diamond. (The mummy does not use these items in combat.)

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.

Treasure

A rogue who worked in the cathedral used this room to hide her stolen goods. Behind the bones on one shelf are nine red amethysts (50 gp each) and a potion of greater healing.

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:

This small, isolated tomb opens up at the end of a flight of broad stairs off the open central area of this level. The body of a young woman lies on the bier, a gleaming greatsword at her side.

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:

This large crypt area is presently home to over a hundred frightened people. They cower behind sarcophagi and in alcoves, their eyes red and their cheeks stained with tears. Standing before a large font is a haggard woman, her gray hair matted with sweat. With one arm, she clutches a leather-bound tome to her breast. In the other hand, she wields a ceremonial mace that would probably shatter if it struck anything harder than a pillow.

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.

Tome of the Creed Resolute

The book in Pherria’s possession is titled Tome of the Creed Resolute. Written on the first page of this book is the oath that all citizens of Elturgard take when they’re old enough to read, swearing to defend Elturel body and soul. The rest of the book is filled with signatures, all of which look like they were written by the same hand. When a citizen of Elturgard places a hand on the book and recites the oath, its name magically appears in the book as a signature. The book can magically gain new pages as needed to accommodate new signatures.

Pherria took the Tome of the Creed Resolute from the cathedral to safeguard it. The book is merely a record of everyone who has taken the Creed Resolute oath. Its destruction doesn’t break the agreements that bind the souls of Elturel’s people to Avernus.

Holy Water Fonts

The two wide fonts here contain water that has been blessed by priests, enough to fill fifty flasks with holy water.

A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check notices odd details in the stonework around one of the fonts, which covers a secret tunnel (area area H17).

Development

Pherria tells the characters that Grand Duke Ravengard took a group of guards to the city’s grand cemetery to investigate the proliferation of undead in that area. As well, Ravengard was hoping that a holy relic in the cemetery chapel called the Helm of Torm’s Sight might provide some awareness into Elturel’s dire circumstances and possible salvation.

Pherria and the others expected Ravengard back hours ago. Pherria is now worried that some terrible fate has befallen the duke. If the characters are in rough shape from their trials so far, Pherria suggests that they get a good rest, then go as quickly as possible to the cemetery to search for Ravengard and his retinue.

H17. Escape Tunnel

This tunnel, accessible from beneath one of the holy water fonts in area area H16, 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.

Grand Cemetery

Before the characters search for Grand Duke Ravengard in Elturel’s cemetery, they should advance to 6th level.

As the characters approach the cemetery, read the boxed text below to describe its current state:

The ten-foot-high brass fence that once surrounded Elturel’s cemetery has fallen in numerous places, and a wide gate allowing access to the grounds has been torn from its hinges. Severed humanoid body parts adorn the spikes atop the fence posts. Some of the body parts wriggle and writhe as if undead, twitching in concert with the lightning flashes of the Companion.

Cracked gravestones and crumbling monuments are scattered across the cemetery grounds, whose center is occupied by a chapel dedicated to Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr. That once-holy structure now glows with a fetid purple radiance.

Elturel’s grand cemetery was once a beautiful memorial to those who had passed into the realms beyond. Picturesque flowers and grass framed the graves, statues, and mausoleums that were once respectful reminders of the dead.

When Elturel was pulled into Avernus, the cemetery’s flowers wilted and its stone monuments cracked. Then Gideon Lightward, a priest loyal to Zariel, used the dark energy of the Companion to raise the city’s dead as his minions. At the same time, a magical effect in the ossuary level beneath the cemetery’s chapel gave demons access to an intermittently operational portal they could use to enter the city. So far, only a few demons have arrived, but more will come if it’s not closed soon.

Grand Duke Ravengard is one of many people who know of a relic of Torm kept beneath the cemetery chapel. The Helm of Torm’s Sight is said to give a worthy soul the ability to commune directly with that noble god. The duke and his guards came to the cemetery to assess the threat of its undead and to search for the relic, but were waylaid by both demons and devils. When the characters find him, Ravengard is locked in a life-and-death struggle with a demonic force in the vault of ascendance (area area G12).

Gideon Lightward

Gideon Lightward was a priest of Lathander who served Elturel and his deity proudly. Zariel saw that his fervor could be an asset to her, so she sent devils to corrupt him in the months leading up to the fall of Elturel. The devils posed as angels, offering Gideon increased power if he would dedicate himself to fighting the ever-present threat of demons.

Gideon slowly gave up his sanity and free will to the devils, leaving him corrupted by Zariel and fully serving her in the months leading up to Elturel’s fall. He died during the destruction wrought as the city was drawn to Avernus, but the priest rose as an undead creature. Even as an undead, Gideon remains his mistress’s most loyal servant in Elturel. He sees his cause as a noble one—fighting the demons whose chaos marks the end of all things. But his mind is broken and filled with hatred for those who refuse to follow his commands.

Because of his obsession with destroying demons, the characters might be able to temporarily ally with Gideon to deal with the threat posed by the demon portal. Unfortunately, unless they can trick him completely, the undead priest won’t let the characters leave the cemetery without a fight.

Demon Portal

Years ago, a wise and humble acolyte of Torm named Opallita the Devout wanted to speak directly to her god. Through decades of constant prayer in the crypts beneath the chapel, she created a direct link between the ossuary and the celestial essence of Torm, as her prayers made the chamber that she prayed in sensitive to psychic connections between mortals and higher powers.

When Elturel was drawn to Avernus, the link between the chamber and Torm was corrupted. This corruption was sensed by the demon lord Baphomet. Seizing upon that link, Baphomet used it as an anchor point to slowly and methodically send demons through to the city. Even now, the demon lord and his minions work to widen and strengthen the connection, hoping to eventually allow entire armies of demons into Avernus by way of Elturel.

Exploring the Cemetery

The section describes locations in the city’s cemetery—both the chapel and the areas around it (areas G1 through G6), and a subterranean ossuary level beneath the chapel (areas G7 through G12). The descriptions of the areas in this section are keyed to map 2.5 and map 2.6.

Several graves have been dug up, leaving pits in the earth that are 6 feet deep, 2 feet wide, and 7 feet long. A number of stone mausoleums stand vacant, their doors hanging open. The interior of a mausoleum is dimly lit when its door is open and shrouded in darkness when the door is closed.

As the characters investigate the cemetery, they observe dozens of Skeleton and Zombie moving about the grounds. These undead, wandering aimlessly and without direction, pose no threat to the characters on their way into the chapel. However, if the characters fail to deal with Gideon before leaving Elturel, the priest has time to coordinate the efforts of the undead, turning them into a potent threat against the city.

Approaching the Chapel

As the characters draw near the chapel, they are accosted by three Minotaur Skeleton—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:

The city’s descent into Avernus has taken its toll on this once beautiful chapel. Nearly all the stained glass windows along the outside walls have been smashed, and the main doors hang open. No sign of any other creatures in or around the building can be seen.

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 area area G3.

G1. Walk of Bravery

Read the following as the characters approach this area:

Carved pillars resembling heroes of Elturel’s past decorate this white marble patio leading into the main chapel. The dark mahogany doors are ajar, and the remains of the patio’s windows have spread shattered stained glass everywhere.

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 Shadow and four Specter 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 (area area G5) instead attempts to move to that area and warn Gideon of the intruders. If warned, Gideon quickly moves to area area G4 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:

The once-beautiful main area of the chapel is littered with broken furnishings and splintered chairs. The stained-glass windows have all been smashed, though one remains mostly intact where it’s fallen whole to the floor. It depicts a representation of the god Torm placing a golden helm on the head of a man kneeling before him.

Out of the shadows step four minotaur skeletons clutching bloody greataxes.

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 Skeleton 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.

Stained-Glass Window

The window lying mostly whole on the floor is cracked and has been trodden on, but the scene it shows is still recognizable. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (History or Religion) check allows a character to recognize the scene as showing Torm presenting the Helm of Torm’s Sight to Lannish Fogel, a revered hero of Elturel’s past and a dedicated paladin of Torm. The helm pictured in the stained glass is the relic Grand Duke Ravengard came to the chapel in search of.

G3. Chapel of Mourning

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

The smashed remnants of fine furniture and the remains of stained-glass windows are strewn across this area. Sections of one huge stained-glass window remain intact, enough so that its subject can still be made out. The window once portrayed Lathander standing amid fallen soldiers, holding his hands aloft as the spirits of the dead rise to stand at his side.

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.

Treasure

The weapon that appears is a +2 weapon. This item takes the form of whatever weapon the character is wielding or wearing at the time, and would be most useful to the supplicant in battle. Only one such weapon can be gained by the characters in this way.

G4. Vestment Chamber

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

Three curtained archways connect this chamber to the other areas of the chapel. Shattered wardrobes and dressing tables, as well as a number of smashed mirrors, suggest that this was once where priests prepared for their daily services. Spiral stairs leading down are guarded by two creatures with insectoid features. Each one is armed with a wicked trident.

The stairs lead down into the workshop (area area G7) on the ossuary level. Two Mezzoloth 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 area area G5.

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 Dretch. 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.

Parley

If Gideon is present, he lowers his weapon after all the demonic creatures are dead. If he is not here at the start of the fight, he arrives from his quarters during the battle or after the demons are defeated. He speaks to the characters, thanking them for any assistance in defeating the demonic intruders. He makes it clear that his singular focus is stopping the demonic incursion of Elturel—at all costs.

If the characters ask about Ravengard, Gideon tells them that an armed group of humans entered the ossuary level earlier. Since they were not demons, he allowed them to pass, but with demons now coming from that area, Gideon angrily assumes that the humans are in league with the demons.

A successful DC 12 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check allows the characters to earn Gideon’s trust. If they can convince him that they are here only to slay demons, he allows them to enter the crypt—and even provides them with the service of one mezzoloth if either of those creatures survived. Gideon doesn’t accompany the characters, wanting to guard the chapel against demon attacks.

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:

This simple building contains a bed, a desk, a dresser, a table, and chairs. Much of the furniture has been destroyed, with decorations and other items strewn haphazardly around the room, including holy symbols of Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr. A large tome appears to have survived the destruction. It sits open at the center of the partially collapsed desk.

See area area G4 for information on roleplaying Gideon if the characters first encounter him here.

Gideon’s Testament

The book is a testament written by Gideon in the months leading up to Elturel’s fall. It pontificates about the evil of demons, instructing the reader to be ever vigilant against their incursions, and expounding that the demonic threat must be defeated at all costs. It praises the devils that stoically stand against the unending demonic tide, while chastising Helm, Torm, Tyr, Lathander, and their angelic servitors for not doing the same. Gideon has nothing but praise for Zariel’s efforts to end the demonic threat. Any character who spends 10 minutes poring over the tome can conclude, with a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check, that it’s the work of a madman.

Any character who continues to read the book beyond that basic level of understanding must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed check, the character is cursed with a particularly intense hatred of demons. A creature cursed in this way takes 5 (1d10) psychic damage if it can see any demon within 60 feet of it and ends its turn not having attempted to attack a demon. This curse can be removed with a remove curse spell or similar magic. At the end of each long rest, a cursed creature can make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.

G6. Undead Pit

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

The path around the chapel has been sundered by a deep hole in the ground, filled with a putrid purple mist. The haze filling the hole blocks any sense of how deep it might be, or of what might lie within.

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.

Necromantic Mist

The mist is formed by necromantic energy emitted from the corrupted Companion. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check made to study the mist reveals that it pulsates in sync with the crackling energy of the corrupted Companion.

Any creature that enters the mist for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 5 (1d10) necrotic damage. Climbing the sides of the pit without equipment requires a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check.

Whenever Gideon directs his minions to toss a dead body into the pit, an undead creature crawls forth one hour later. Newly created undead patiently wander the cemetery grounds until Gideon gives them orders.

One undead creature appears during the time the characters investigate the pit, and more can appear if they leave this area, then return again while Gideon is still at large. Use the Undead Creation table to determine what kind of undead creature is created.

Undead Creation

G7. Workshop

The stairs from area area G4 curl down to an unlocked door and a workshop beyond. Read the following boxed text when the characters enter this area:

This workshop appears to be where priests and acolytes prepared dead bodies for final interment. The place has been ransacked, with knives, saws, piping, and tubes littering the floor. Acid and embalming fluid pool everywhere, amid a field of shattered flasks and jars.

The double door to the north leads to stairs that descend to areas area G8, area G9, and area G11.

Tracks

A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check reveals the tracks of multiple demons in the detritus spread across the floor. Amid those tracks, signs can be seen of a single group of booted humans moving down the stairs. These bootprints, trailing embalming fluid, lead all the way to area area G11, then back toward area area G12.

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 walls of this chamber are lined with funerary shelves, each set with dusty humanoid bones. Relics and holy symbols of Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr have been set prominently on a number of shelves.

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 area area G12. 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 area area G12 is active.

G9. Main Ossuary

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

This huge chamber is lined by funerary shelves along the stone walls above six bare daises, creating a display of dusty humanoid bones rising from floor to ceiling.

A quasit named Ophurkh was the first demon to come through the portal in area area G12, 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 area area G12.

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

G10. Meditation Chamber

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

This area is set with cushions and low stools of brown oak. Above an empty dais, the wall is covered with a mosaic shaped from colored chips of bone, artfully arranged to depict scenes of funerals, the migration of souls, and the celestial realms. Lettering along the bottom of the mosaic reads: “Contemplate life. Death comes soon enough.”

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:

This rubble-strewn vault contains five marble statues atop daises. Four of the statues are unrecognizable, as their features have been badly marred by rock fallen from the cracked ceiling. The fifth is a finely carved statue of a kneeling man.

The recognizable statue depicts Lannish Fogel, as seen in the stained-glass window in area area G2. Any characters who saw the window recognize that the two depictions are the same man. If none of the characters recognized Lannish Fogel in area area G2, 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.

Tracks

A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check reveals more demonic tracks passing through this area, as well as the tracks of booted humans leading on to area G12.

G12. Vault of Ascendance

Read the following as the characters enter this area:

A shallow meditation pool fills this room, set off from a broad landing edged by a low wrought-iron railing. Wondrous frescoes along the walls depict souls gaining the blessings of Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr. The frescoes on one wall have been twisted into abyssal forms surrounding a shimmering portal.

The pool is littered with the mutilated bodies of humans wearing the uniforms of Baldur’s Gate and Elturel. The swirling water of the pool roils with shadow, and is shot through with patches of black ichor where demons have fallen here. An armored man with a shield slung over his back crouches among the bodies, writhing in pain. His eyes are closed, and his hands clutch at a gold helm on his head as if trying in vain to claw it off. Unintelligible words spill from his lips, some sounding saintly and solemn, while others resonate with a cruel hissing.

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 difficult terrain.

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.

Ulder Ravengard found the Helm of Torm’s Sight in area area G11 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 Minotaur 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.

Treasure

Searching the bodies of the fallen guards turns up three wet but usable Spell Scroll (mass healing word, remove curse, and tongues).

In addition to the Helm of Torm’s Sight, Ravengard wears a bloodied suit of plate armor emblazoned with the emblem of the Flaming Fist. His shield, which also bears this emblem, is slung over his back. The grand duke’s +1 longsword is sheathed at his side.

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 area area G4 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.

Escaping the Siege

When the characters arrive back at the High Hall cathedral with Grand Duke Ravengard in tow, they can consult with Pherria to find a way to remove the Helm of Torm’s Sight without killing Ravengard. Doing so involves a ritual that the characters can help carry out. If the ritual is successful, the stunned condition ends on Ravengard, and he recalls the visions he experienced that hint at how to return Elturel to Faerûn. These visions trigger some of Lulu’s memories. She sees a path forward, but it involves the characters leaving the city to brave the terrible landscape of Avernus.

Characters wishing to leave Elturel must find a way to avoid the River Styx and the host of devils and demons waging war below the city. Only then can the characters make their way to the outpost known as Fort Knucklebone, where the next leg of their adventure starts (as described in area chapter 3).

Return to the Cathedral

The characters can make their way back to the relative safety of the cathedral in the High Hall. If they helped defeat the devils that attempted to take the cathedral earlier, the trip should be uneventful. Alternatively, to keep the tension high, you can roll for random encounters in the western portion of the city (see “area More Encounters in Elturel"). An encounter or two while the characters protect Duke Ravengard could make for memorable play.

Ritual of Returning

Upon returning to the High Hall cathedral with Ulder Ravengard, the characters are greeted by Pherria Jynks and the druid Seltern Obranch, who rush to aid them in getting the grand duke to a safe resting place. If the characters failed to save the people in the cathedral, they must find a safe place to rest or forge ahead without assistance. They can search the rest of the city for secure locations, or look for other survivors who might have skills or information that can assist them. Lulu might also regain memories that grant her insight into where to go next.

If the characters failed to ascertain the story behind Ravengard’s stunned state, Pherria can assist them in putting things together. Working with the acolyte, the characters (especially those who have proficiency in Arcana and Religion) determine how to move forward. The demonic essence intertwined with Torm’s presence by way of the helm can be cast out with the proper ritual.

Ritual Preparations

Pherria outlines what’s needed for the ritual:

• The altar of Torm in area area H6 must be cleansed and the ritual performed before it. The altar of Torm can be restored as described in area area H6. Pherria suggests that the characters splash the altar with holy water taken from the font in area area H16.
• 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 area area H15. (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'-Wisp 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.

Helm of Torm’s Sight

You can simplify the encounter with Ulder Ravengard by allowing the characters to remove the Helm of Torm’s Sight from his head, whereupon Ravengard quickly regains his senses. At that point, he can tell them about his visions, which provide the information they need and trigger Lulu’s memories. He then lets them plot a path forward in their quest to save Elturel.

Alternatively, Ravengard can fall unconscious when the helm is removed, even as the character who removes it feels an almost overwhelming urge to don it. A character who dons the helm feels at peace and sees visions of troops in gleaming armor marching across a grassy plain with military precision. In the next breath, the character sees massive groups of disfigured monsters loping across a blighted landscape, tearing at screaming enemies. The character wearing the helm can’t remove it until they receive a bless spell from a worshiper of Torm. (Pherria fits this description.) In the meantime, as the adventuring party travels back to the cathedral with the still-unconscious Ravengard, the character wearing the helm experiences the same visions that Ravengard was having, as described in “area The Path Forward”. Ravengard then awakens after 1 hour, no worse for wear.

The Path Forward

With the forces of evil defeated, Grand Duke Ravengard regains his faculties and can relay the story of the spirit journey he undertook while wearing the Helm of Torm’s Sight. Torm has shown him a path forward, but the visions were clouded and warped by the demonic essence channeled through the portal. Ravengard shares the following information:

• In his spirit journey, Ravengard saw a bloodied woman in armor—a soldier wearing the colors and crest of Elturel—grasping a longsword fit for an angel. Fresh blood streamed from a nasty cut on the woman’s cheek.
• Flying next to the woman was a small, golden elephant with rapidly fluttering wings. (If Lulu is still with the party, Ravengard identifies her as the creature he saw in his vision.)
• As an enormous, loping demon threatened to devour the woman, she plunged the sword into the ground while the winged elephant made a trumpet sound with its trunk. The demon was hurled back as an alabaster palace rose up around the sword. The winged elephant fled and took to the red sky of Avernus, where it watched as a bloody scab grew up from the ground to engulf the palace and the enormous demon.
• The winged elephant fled and wandered in a delirium before coming upon two odd, birdlike humanoids dressed in patchwork armor and standing next to a strange infernal vehicle. The bird creatures were equipped with odd weapons and tools.

As Ravengard recounts the vision, Lulu remembers helping one of the Hellriders plant Zariel’s sword in the ground and raise an impenetrable fortress around it. Lulu remembers the Hellrider’s name if that memory has already been unlocked (see the area Lulu’s Memories table). Both Ravengard and the hollyphant are convinced that the Sword of Zariel is the key to saving Elturel. Any character who dons the Helm of Torm’s Sight and experiences Torm’s vision feels the same way.

Ravengard remembers nothing more of his vision, but Lulu flaps her wings in excitement at the final part of his story as she remembers meeting a pair of “bird folk” named Chukka and Clonk. Based on descriptions furnished by Lulu and Ravengard, the characters can conclude that Chukka and Clonk are kenku. Lulu remembers that the kenku took her to a junkyard called Fort Knucklebone, where they built and repaired infernal vehicles designed to move quickly across the blasted wastelands of Avernus. Lulu doesn’t remember who ran the fort or what other creatures she met there.

Lulu quickly flies to the top of the cathedral and looks out over the blasted landscape of Avernus below Elturel. After trumpeting loudly, she returns to report that she can see Fort Knucklebone, and estimates it to be no more than ten miles away.

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.

Leaving Elturel

Inventive characters have a number of different options to reach the surface of Avernus from Elturel, but none of those options is without risk.

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 “area River Styx” 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.

Battle of Elturel

Legions of devils camped on the shores of the River Styx below Elturel are the biggest threats for characters attempting to flee the city. Characters who fly, glide, or balloon over the siege can avoid the main body of the devils' army, but come under attack by forces to the rear. Adjust the boxed text below accordingly as you read it to the players to set the scene:

Armored legions of devils encircle the enormous posts of infernal iron that anchor Elturel to the rocky ground. Squads of demons fighting ten deep in some places hurl themselves into the devils' ranks. Most of those abyssal troops are lowly manes and dretches, who die quickly in vain attempts to drag down devils so that stronger demons behind them can strike killing blows.

A dark river cuts a path across the blasted landscape and flows directly beneath the city. Floating on the river are demonic barges being assailed by squadrons of winged devils under the command of a terrifying pit fiend wearing an eyeless helm and clutching a battle standard.

The demons and the devils are too focused on one another to concern themselves with adventurers who keep their distance. The devils are commanded by Lucille, Zariel’s most loyal pit fiend. If the characters come to Lucille’s attention, the pit fiend sends twelve Spined Devil to dispose of them.

Characters who hurl themselves into the fiendish conflict are as good as dead, but circumstances might necessitate one or more characters moving unseen through the ranks of devils and hordes of demons. Such a plan might include causing a distraction that moves the battle in a different direction, waiting for a demon surge (or creating one) to disturb the stalemate enough to sneak through, or magical disguises that would allow characters to pass themselves off as fiends of a sort. Particularly clever plans should be allowed to automatically succeed. Otherwise, you can call for ability checks to determine how well a plan is executed; use the guidelines in the Dungeon Master’s Guide to set appropriate DCs for these checks. In the event of total failure, or no plan at all, the characters might end up having to fight their way through the fiendish battle, which is no small task.

Treasure

Lucille wears a helm of devil command and carries a battle standard of infernal power (see appendix C for descriptions of these magic items), neither of which the pit fiend gives up willingly.

Development

The characters encounter Lucille again at the end of the adventure when they return to liberate Elturel (see “Endgame in Elturel”).

To Fort Knucklebone!

Once they escape from Elturel, the characters must begin the ten-mile trek to Fort Knucklebone. If the characters move quickly and carefully, they can make the journey without running into any more trouble. Let them advance to 7th level before beginning chapter 3.