Descent Into Avernus

The road to the Bleeding Citadel had become a trail of broken promises. After fulfilling the bargain struck through the Mirror of Mephistar, stopping the River Styx from poisoning Shummrath, and even freeing one of Bel’s prisoners, the party had expected answers. Instead, they were left with another mystery. Somewhere upon the tortured landscape of Avernus stood the Bleeding Citadel, the place where the Sword of Zariel waited, but its location remained hidden. Reya’s frustrat

Leaving the Red Belvedere Behind With the twisted luxuries of the Red Belvedere now behind you, your attention turned once more to the true purpose of your journey. The revelation that the eccentric wizard at the obelisk was in fact Ubbalux, a barlgura demon imprisoned by Bel, left the party with mixed feelings. His deception had nearly cost several of you your lives during the magical ritual, but despite his lies, he possessed something none of your other allies could offer:

After narrowly surviving the deadly waters of the Stygian Maze, the party gathered themselves and pressed onward rather than accept the exit they had already discovered. Though battered and exhausted, greed and curiosity outweighed caution. Redaven, having finally convinced the maze's attendants to allow him entry by signing their infernal ledger, navigated the twisting passages alone before eventually catching up with the rest of the group. While his own journey led him thro

The Red Belvedere continued to prove that in Avernus, every opportunity came wrapped in temptation. After spending time gambling and exploring the lavish casino, the party was approached by a sharply dressed elven gentleman with an enticing proposition. A substantial wager had been placed on a nightmare named Sunshroud, and all that stood between him and a fortune was a simple act of sabotage. If the adventurers could sneak into the heavily guarded stables and secretly admini

The Lich, the Perfume, and the Price of Information The party reunited within the bustling chaos of the Wandering Emporium, each returning with troubling discoveries. The greatest revelation came from Rose’s Repose, where they confirmed that the proprietor, Rose herself, was not merely an eccentric merchant but a lich of considerable age and power. Despite the unsettling realization, the group needed one of Rose’s enchanted perfumes in order to purchase information from an in

Mordenkainen's Tower After leaving the demon-spawning grounds and helping Basiliskstein test his soul-siphoning device on the River Styx, the party set their sights on a new lead. Krickendult had spoken of a legendary figure whose knowledge might prove invaluable: the great archmage Mordenkainen, who maintained a tower somewhere within Avernus. With few other clues regarding Zariel or the mysterious Bleeding Citadel, the group decided it was worth the journey. Their travels b

A Wrong Turn in Avernus After escaping the Hellwasp Nest, rescuing Lulu, and saving several stranded Elturians, the party set out once more across the blasted wastes of Avernus aboard their Infernal War Machine. Lulu's fragmented memories had provided two possible destinations in the search for the Bleeding Citadel and Zariel’s sword: the place where demons go to die, or the place where demons are born. After some debate, the group chose the latter and followed their map towa

Leaving Fort Knucklebone With Lulu's memories partially restored through Mad Maggie's dream ritual, the party finally learned a vital clue: the legendary Sword of Zariel still existed, hidden somewhere within a place known only as the Bleeding Citadel. Though the revelation brought hope, it also raised more questions than answers. Before departing, Mad Maggie warned the adventurers about the dangers that prowled the wasteland of Avernus—rival warlords, marauders, and opportun

Arrival at Fort Knucklebone After surviving the horrors of Elturel and descending into the first layer of Hell, the companions finally found themselves standing before the ramshackle walls of Fort Knucklebone. Guided by Lulu’s fragmented memories and an inexplicable sense of familiarity, they passed beneath the fortress gates while enduring the relentless taunts and mockery of the resident redcaps. Though exhausted from their recent trials, there was a noticeable sense of rel

A Soul Lost Between Light and Darkness The heroes left the Grand Cemetery battered but victorious. Gideon Lightward had been defeated, the cursed Helm of Torm removed, and the demonic portal sealed before it could unleash greater horrors upon Elturel. Yet their victory felt incomplete. Duke Ulder Ravengard remained unconscious, his body alive but his spirit absent. As they carried the Duke through the hidden tunnels beneath the city, Silas carefully examined him, searching fo

Ambush in the Grand Cemetery The Grand Cemetery was a graveyard in name only. The dead did not rest here. Broken mausoleums leaned at unnatural angles, cracked stone pathways split by creeping roots and black ichor, and the air itself carried a suffocating stillness. From the shadows, the party struck. Julian’s arrow cut through the silence, embedding deep into the ribcage of a towering skeletal minotaur. The creature lurched forward with a hollow roar, its massive hooves cra

Into the Ruins of High Hall The party pressed through the shattered streets of Elturel, the weight of the city’s fall heavy in the air. After a strange and philosophical encounter with a towering fiend who sought the meaning of life, they continued onward toward High Hall, one of the last bastions of hope in a city dragged into hell. The cathedral stood broken, half-collapsed, its once-sacred halls reduced to rubble and ash. At the entrance, hellhounds fell beneath the party’

Arrival in Avernus The moment the magic of Traxigor fades, the world shifts. The party stands in Avernus, beneath a sky choked with fire and ruin. The city of Elturel hangs in the distance, chained and dragged toward the River Styx, its streets burning, its people screaming. There is no time to take it in. Kyshun is the first to move, blade flashing as he cuts into a prone bearded devil. Silas follows, bringing divine wrath down with crushing force. Julian takes position at r

The illusion of Elturel’s salvation dies not with a scream, but with a voice. As the infernal puzzle box opens within the quiet halls of Candlekeep, the recorded words of Thavius Kreeg spill into the room like poison. His oath, sworn willingly to Zariel, confirms what few dared to believe. Elturel was never saved. It was promised. Every soul bound by the Creed of the Resolute unknowingly became collateral in a bargain forged in darkness, their fate sealed decades before the c

The Truth Beneath Baldur’s Gate The party’s journey began in the aftermath of a shocking revelation beneath the Vanthampur estate. Deep within the hidden tunnels, the adventurers uncovered the infernal conspiracy festering beneath Baldur’s Gate. Cultists devoted to Zariel had turned the estate into a site of dark worship, complete with an infernal altar and secret chambers where the truth about Elturel was finally laid bare. Cornered and pressured, Thavius Kreeg , the High Ov

Descent Beneath the Estate The tunnels beneath the Vanthampur estate did not resemble forgotten sewer passages. They felt intentional. Reinforced stonework supported the corridors, green lanternlight cast an unnatural hue across carefully constructed walkways, and the air carried the scent of damp stone mingled with faint incense. This was not a hidden corner of the city left to decay. It was infrastructure built for secrecy. The party moved cautiously at first, attempting to

Stripped of your authority by Captain Zodge and operating without the protection of the Flaming Fist, you chose to continue the investigation regardless of the consequences. After forcing a confession from Amrik Vanthampur and uncovering his family’s connection to the Dead Three, you followed Captain Tarina’s directions into a hidden sewer passage beneath the Vanthampur estate. What waited below was not merely corruption, but something infernal. The tunnels beneath the villa

The night began in shadow and nearly ended in chains. You had cornered Amrik Vanthampur at the Low Lantern. The confrontation was not subtle. Steel was drawn. Blood was spilled. Silas fell unconscious under the brutal assault of a spined devil, only to be dragged back from the brink by Redaven’s intervention. The alleyway stank of brine, smoke, and fear. When Amrik finally broke, it was not with pride, but with desperation. He confessed to funding the Dead Three cultists. He

The Rot Beneath the Bathhouse Baldur’s Gate does not rot openly. It festers beneath polished stone and noble titles. Your descent beneath the bathhouse brought you face to face with that rot. In the hidden temple of the Dead Three, you cut through chanting cultists and undead horrors, their prayers to Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul echoing against blood-slick stone. There, amid betrayal and desperation, you found Mortlock Van Thamper — scarred, furious, and marked for death by his o

The bathhouse above remained warm, perfumed, and oblivious . Beneath it, the city’s sins pooled in stone and shadow. With every step deeper into the hidden dungeon, the party felt the truth of Baldur’s Gate pressing in on them . This was not a place of worship, but of industry. Death was being manufactured here. Fresh from a short rest, the party advanced into a chamber where the dead still walked . Zombies lurched from the darkness, their movements slow and mindless, remnant