The honeytrap is a roper-like creature which relies on deceit and camouflage to trap its prey. The upper half of its body bears the appearance of a beautiful young maiden, but this beauty is wrapped around a mass of tentacular horror.

Quicksand Hunter. The honeytrap’s favored tactic is to secrete a corrosive chemical capable of rendering even solid rock into a quicksand-like liquescence. When its prey draws near, the honeytrap will cry in terror and plead for their aid. It will wait until they are at their most vulnerable before striking: Its sternum will part into a ravenous maw, exuding a half dozen coiled tentacles which will burst forth and wrap themselves lethally around the honeytrap’s would-be saviors.

Tentacular Chase. The honeytrap prefers to lure its victims into a dangerous mixture of complacency and chivalry before striking, but those seeking to flee a ravenous honeytrap may be shocked as it wrenches itself free from its muck-ridden hunting grounds and pursues them with great speed upon a second tumultuous mass of tentacles extruding from its “maiden” waist.

More startling even than that diabolic chuckle was the scream that rose at my very elbow from the salt-compounded sand – the scream of a woman possessed by some atrocious agony, or helpless in the grip of devils. Turning, I beheld a veritable Venus, naked in a white perfection that could fear no scrutiny, but immersed to her navel in the sand. Her terror-widened eyes implored me and her lotus hands reached out with beseeching gesture.

The Abominations of Yondo, Clark Ashton Smith

HONEYTRAP

Large monstrosity, chaotic evil

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Armor Class 18

Hit Points 119 (14d10+42)

Speed 40 ft.

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STR 19 (+4), DEX 13 (+2), CON 17 (+3), INT 12 (+1), WIS 11 (+0), CHA 17 (+3)

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Skills Athletics +7, Deception +6, Persuasion +6, Stealth +5

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages Common, Elven

Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

Proficiency Bonus +3

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Grasping Tendrils. The honeytrap has six tendrils. Each tendril can be attacked (AC 18; 20 hit points; immunity to poison and psychic damage). Destroying a tendril deals no damage to the honeytrap. A tendril can also be broken if a creature takes an action and succeeds on a DC 16 Strength check against it.

Quicksand Liquiescence. A honeytrap can turn a 10 ft. radius of earth, dirt, or stone into quicksand in 1d4 minutes by excreting a powerful, acidic chemical. If a honeytrap is slain, moves, or stops excreting the chemical, the ground will re-solidify within 1d4 hours.

A creature entering quicksand sinks 1d4+1 feet and becomes restrained. At the start of each of its turns, the creature sinks another 1d4 feet. Creatures in quicksand can attempt a DC 10 + the number of feet it has sunk Strength check to escape. This check is made with advantage if they have hold of a rope or similar item attached to something out of the quicksand.

A creature completely submerged in quicksand cannot breathe and begins to suffocate. They are also no longer able to escape the quicksand without assistance.

A creature outside can pull a creature out of quicksand as an action with a DC 5 + the number of feet the target creature has sunk into the quicksand Strength check.

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ACTIONS

Multiattack. The honeytrap makes six attacks with its tendrils, uses Reel, and makes one attack with its bite.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 31 (6d8+4) piercing damage.

Tendril. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 30 ft., one creature. The target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained and has disadvantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws, and the honeytrap cannot use the same tendril on another target.

Weakness. A honeytrap’s strands sap an opponent’s strength. Anyone grabbed by a strand must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw each round or suffer a level of exhaustion.

Reel. The honeytrap pulls each creature grappled by it up to 15 ft. straight toward it.

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The encounter creation guidelines in the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything are both based on the idea that you know how many PCs are in your group. Then you do a table lookup, do a little math, and – presto! – you have a budget to spend on your encounter, expressed as either an XP amount or a number of creatures of a particular challenge rating.

But what if you’re using a published adventure with a party that’s a different size than the one recommended? For example, what if you’re running Curse of Strahd (“for four to six players characters”) but your group only has three PCs?

Going strictly by the book, you would need to deconstruct the encounters in the book to calculate the original XP budget, determine what difficulty the encounter was designed for (Easy/Medium/Hard/Deadly), calculate the correct XP budget for your PCs, and then rebuild the encounter using the new XP budget. (Which may or may not be possible with the original creature(s) used in the encounter.)

Here’s the tip: It’s a lot easier to adjust the level at which your PCs play the adventure than it is to redesign every single encounter.

• For Tier 1 & Tier 2 characters, increase their level by +1 for each “missing” PC from the party.
• For Tier 3 & Tier 4 characters, increase their level by +2 for each missing PC.

Or vice versa for additional PCs.

To put that another way, if a published adventure’s recommended level is X, then at Tier 1 & 2 use it for PCs who are level X + 1 per fewer PC and Tier 3 & 4 use it for PCs who are level X + 2 per fewer PC.

So if you’re running Dragon Heist, which is recommended for five PCs, with a three-person group, you’d either want to start them out as 3^rd level characters (instead of 1^st level characters) or run a prequel adventure or two to level them up to 3^rd level before using the published Dragon Heist campaign.

BONUS TIP #1

Challenge ratings are not that precise. They’re not designed to be a guarantee (nor can they be). They are a very rough approximation of “on average.”

Some “balanced” encounters will be easy. Some will turn out to be surprisingly difficult.

That’s okay. No game, no adventure, no session is about a single encounter.

The flip-side of this is that you don’t need to worry too much about getting an encounter exactly right. It’ll mostly get washed out in the general noise – the imprecision of the system, encounters being designed over a spread of challenge levels, situational conditions of the battlefield, and so forth.

This is also why Wizards of the Coast can release adventures “for four to six player characters” of a given level. Such adventures are designed for five PCs. They’ll be a little bit harder for four PCs and a little easier for six PCs, but it’ll be just fine.

BONUS TIP #2

In terms of strict math, the rule of thumb described here breaks down for very large groups of 9+ PCs. But there are more significant balancing issues based on action economy that make creating and running encounters for such large groups more of a special snowflake in any case. (Short version: Ten PCs, with all their attacks and all their special abilities, are able to wreak an amount of havoc that is out of linear proportion to a group of four. But, conversely, you can’t just use more powerful creatures, particularly at lower levels, because the monsters can one-shot individual PCs before they go down.)

For groups of 8 PCs, rather than running higher-level adventures, you can get pretty good mileage out of taking an adventure designed for five PCs and just doubling the number of creatures in the encounter.

For groups of 9+, adjust the encounter based on the difference between the PCs’ group size and a group size of eight, and then double the number of creatures. (This breaks down somewhere in the teens, but I would… uh… strongly recommend not running groups that large.)

This can create some weird narrative challenges if the encounter was, for example, with a solo boss or the like. But those are the types of encounters which really don’t work with large groups in any case, so you’ll just need to give them a little more TLC.

BONUS TIP #3

Whatever approach you’re taking to encounters — prebuilt, custom built, or otherwise — remember that you can always dial it in over time: If the encounters you’re building are too hard, trim the XP budgets in the future (no matter what the by-the-book math says). If you’re running a published adventure and the PCs are steamrolling the opposition, hold back on leveling them up. Or, vice versa, level them up faster if they’re struggling.

As you’re getting a feel for things, keep in mind that you have to miss by A LOT and for a very long time for “too easy” to not be fun.

You only have to miss once for “too hard” to be a campaign-ending TPK.

So erring on the side of easy is recommended. You can dial it up from there.

Go to Part 1

GM: One of the villagers approaches you. “Thank you, brave hero, for slaying the dragon! You have saved all of our lives!”

Hero: You are most welcome.

GM: “I have a task that I believe only you could possibly accomplish!”

Hero: If it is within my power, I will do it.

GM: “You are most kind, mighty hero!”

Hero: And what is the task?

GM: “Please deliver this letter to my niece in Watertown.”

Scenario hooks like this — where the PCs are tasked to perform as mundane messengers — are surprisingly common. I think of these as mail carrier hooks. They don’t always involve a literal letter or message; sometimes it’s an object that needs to be delivered, or maybe the PCs need to go and retrieve something instead of delivering it.

The root of the problem, I believe, is that mail carrier hooks are extremely common in (a) published adventures and (b) video games.

They’re common in published scenarios because the hooks in a published scenario are, by necessity, generic: The writer doesn’t know who the characters are or what’s been happening in your campaign, so they can’t tie the hook to any of those elements. It’s unfortunately really easy for “generic” to trip over into bland.

Such scenarios are also often set in specific locations that the writer feels obligated to bring the PCs to. Having an NPC literally say, “You need to go to there,” is the easiest possible way to make that happen. And the most generic possible reason for an NPC to say that is a sealed envelope that needs to be delivered.

They’re even MORE common in video games, where “I have turned on a switch state and put an item in your inventory, go to Point B to turn off the switch state and remove the item from your inventory” is nearly the most simplistic programming possible. Want to implement a lot of content quickly and/or signal the players that it’s time to move onto the next zone? Mail carrier hooks are super-easy to implement.

And because published scenarios and video games are probably the most significant exemplars for new GMs, these boring, generic scenario hooks infect their scenarios, too. Eventually many people — players and GMs alike — come to accept them as a rote expectation of the game.

GM DON’T #12.1: MAIL CAR ON THE RAILROAD

The problem with mail carrier hooks is that they tend to reduce the PCs to mere errand boys. A particularly insidious implementation of these hooks, therefore, is to string them out in a linear sequence and then railroad the players through them.

An NPC tells the PCs where to go. The PCs go there and meet another NPC. That NPC tells them where to go. Repeat forever.

There’s a certain dark elegance to the scheme’s simplicity. If you’re just going to force the players to do exactly what you want them to do anyway, you might as well just tell them where they’re supposed to go. And, as we’ve discussed, the delivery of a sealed envelope (or it’s equivalent) is the absolute most generic way to do it: Anyone can hand you a letter and they can tell you to take it literally anywhere.

(Obligatory “don’t railroad your players” here.)

Stringing together these arbitrary, generic interactions, however, will often begin to breed a meaningless lack of care in the players: The figurative envelope is, ultimately, empty. The first NPC is not telling them to seek the second NPC because that actually matters; they are doing so in order to move the PCs to the next place they’re supposed to go. And the players are not doing it because they care about what happens; they’re doing it because the GM is telling them to do it.

This, by itself, is a terrible malaise that will sap the strength and vitality of a campaign. But it can become particularly cancerous if this attitude feeds back into the Game Master: Seeing that their players don’t care about the content of the hook (because that content is, of course, a mirage), the GM stops caring, too. The whole structure now becomes a kind of cargo cult: The NPCs, of course, must have a “reason” why the PCs need to go where they tell them to go, but since the reason doesn’t matter, it simply degenerates into a rote recitation divorced from true cause and effect.

The Descent Into Avernus campaign for D&D 5^th Edition is a textbook example of what this looks like in practice. The entire campaign follows this structure of a mail carrier railroad. In one notable example, the PCs are trying to reconstruct the lost memories of an amnesiac friend. They are told that a particular NPC knew their amnesiac friend during the period of their friend’s lost memories. So they seek out the NPC who, of course, recognizes their amnesiac friend and then… nothing. The adventure provides no explanation of what the NPC’s memories of their friend are.

Because, of course, the NPC’s role is not to provide those memories. That would be meaningful and this is a cargo cult which has forgotten meaning. The NPC’s role is to tell the PCs to go and talk to a different NPC, and they do that. And, having done that, the expectation is that the PCs will continue on to the next NPC. It’s assumed that the players are on the same page; that they won’t actually care about why they were sent here, because they have been trained to discount meaning.

If you aren’t part of the cargo cult, the result seems utterly bizarre. The presence of an envelope surely implies the presence of a letter; if you are sent to hear the memories of an NPC, then surely those memories will be shared. But in the cargo cult, of course, the act of delivering an envelope has become entirely separated from the concept of a letter.

The result, of course, is disastrous.

When this structure becomes full-blown, the whole backbone of the campaign is built on nonsense. The inevitable consequence is that this rot will spread into the rest of the campaign. If you’ve learned that the central plot you’re following has no meaning, then it’s a pretty short step towards believing that nothing else in the campaign has meaning.

SCENARIO HOOKS THAT MATTER

The key solution here is to use scenario hooks that matter. If the players care about what they’re doing and/or if what they’re doing is important, that escalates everything else that happens at the table.

Once we understand this, we can see that a mail carrier hook is not fundamentally wrong. The trick is recognizing that the structure of a mail carrier hook is so utterly devoid of purpose that it becomes crucial for the message itself to be of great import.

In Storm King’s Thunder, another 5^th Edition D&D campaign, for example, there are number of mail carrier hooks. Some of them are quite mediocre; things like, “Hey, could you deliver some horse harnesses for me?”

But there’s also mail carrier hooks like, “Giants are invading! The Harpers must be warned!” And that’s clearly meaningful. It matters. The PCs will feel important being asked to do that.

So how do we make scenarios hooks that matter? How do we make the players care about the hook?

Well, one way, as we’ve seen, is to increase the stakes. Put big important stuff — people’s lives — on the line. The entire movie of 1917 is not only one shot; it hangs entirely on the single goal of delivering a message that will save thousands of lives. And it is absolutely compelling.

The most effective thing you can do, though, is simply listen to your players. What do they already care about? People, places, things, goals. Whatever it is, simply tie your hook to that and your work is already done. You just need to make sure that the tie is significant. (Someone the PCs caring about asking them to deliver a generic message isn’t inherently significant. You need to make the message important or, better yet, vital to them.)

If you’re using a published adventure, take the time to identify the generic hooks and make them specific and important to the PCs. The difficulty of this can vary, but it’s generally a lot easier than you might think. The key thing is to identify elements in the published adventure which can be adapted or recast to fit the existing lore of your campaign. (At the beginning of the campaign, this will primarily be drawn from the PCs’ backgrounds. Later it will build on your shared experiences at the table.) This is a topic I discuss at greater length in The Campaign Stitch.

Go to Part 13: Boxed Text Pitfalls

Go to Table of Contents

ELTUREL’S RETURN

Into this turmoil, Elturel returns.

But, of course, this is not Elturel as it was. At best, its population has been decimated, its political leadership has been wiped out, and its military strength is depleted. So it’s not going to magically wave a wand and return everything to the status quo.

The effect it will have is going to depend a lot on what the balance of power is in the city upon its return, and that will probably have a lot to do with the choices the PCs have made and what they’ve managed to accomplish. Broadly speaking, though, it seems likely that the city will be:

• Controlled by Ravengard’s Peacekeepers.
• Controlled by High Rider Ikaia.
• Controlled by both of them, either in an agreed alliance or a de facto division (e.g., Ravengard is currently in control of the west half of the city and Ikaia is in control of the east).
• Controlled by the PCs.

The PCs, of course, will chart their own course. We’ll look at the other two in more detail below.

The other thing to consider are the lingering hostiles in the city. They might include:

• Ikaia and/or his sons and daughters, if they ended up on the losing end of the stick but weren’t completely wiped out.
• Demon raiders, who could have easily been carried to the Material Plane along with the rest of the city.
• Zarielite cultists, who will undoubtedly start trying to make alliances and seek aid from other Zarielites still active in the region.
• Hell Knights, some of whom could make a propaganda play of, “I was transformed by my travails in Hell, but I remain the most legitimate authority of Elturgard’s government and I hereby declare myself High Observer.”

Alternatively, don’t be afraid to declare any/all of these lingering problems completely solved by Elturel’s return: the demons and/or hell knights return to their respective planes, Ikaia and his offspring burn up in the sun or retreat back into the depths below the city, the cultists all go scurrying away to other cities in the region, etc. It’s okay to open up some space for the stuff in the next phase of the campaign, turning the focus away from the city and towards the whole region.

THE POLITICS OF IKAIA

If Ikaia has somehow managed to gain control of Elturel, he’ll likely recognize that his position is extremely tenuous and will seek to consolidate what he has rather than trying to reassert Elturel’s regional claims.

Given Ikaia’s history, his rhetorical and diplomatic sales pitch will probably be something along the lines of, “I was wrongfully deposed by someone who literally sold the entire city to Hell. All I seek is to return Elturel to its rightful place, with its rightful ruler.” (Some may recall that Elturel’s imperial ambitions were alive and well during Ikaia’s reign, but that’s water under the bridge, right?)

Ikaia’s realpolitik is likely to be hunkering down, repairing Elturel’s defenses as quickly as possible, and hoping to weather out the current chaos while still being in control of the city. His best bet will probably be to play Scornubel and Berdusk and Soubar off each other to make that happen, a strategy the Zarielite cabal will be perfectly happy with because it will allow the Elturian Wars to continue unabated.

Is Ikaia pure evil with a gilded smile, completely reformed and earnest, or somewhere in between? That’s up to you.

THE POLITICS OF RAVENGARD

Before we can look at Ravengard’s position in Elturgard, we first have to consider the politics in Baldur’s Gate. The circumstances during Act I of the campaign are detailed in Part 3:

• The position of Grand Duke is open.
• At least two of the four ducal seats are open, and probably a third after Duke Portyr’s assassination.
• The position of Marshal of the Flaming Fists is up for grabs.

In the time the PCs have been gone, it seems likely that at least some of this political turmoil will have resolved. And the most interesting thing that should be resolved is the selection of a new Grand Duke on the assumption that Ravengard is dead, because then when Ravengard comes back alive it instantly creates all kinds of juicy drama.

Who should be Grand Duke?

Well, the most effective answer is probably one of the Portyrs, because the PCs already have a relationship with them. If Duke Portyr survived, then I’d suggest that he becomes Grand Duke and arranges for Liara Portyr to become Marshal of the Flaming Fists, solidifying the family’s control of the city.

If Duke Portyr was assassinated, have Liara ascend to his position and claim the title of Grand Duke, as well. I’d recommend that she hasn’t been able to duplicate Ravengard’s trick of also becoming Marshal, but it’s possible she’s been able to keep the position open for the moment so that she can continue wielding significant influence on the Flaming Fists in the interim.

In either case, I’d leave at least one of the ducal seats still open, which will leave some hefty political stakes on the table to spur intrigue. (And maybe one of the PCs will end up in it.)

The point of all this is that Ravengard’s return is going to be contested. He will, of course, expect to resume his positions of Grand Duke and Marshal. But if one or both of those are no longer available, expect pushback from the new office holders.

How this plays out will depend on a lot of factors, not least the PCs. Some things to consider:

• A political compromise might be negotiated. (For example, Liara resigns as Marshal so Ravengard can resume that role, but she gets the open ducal seat, so there are now two Portyr dukes.)
• Or things might rapidly decay into blood in the streets, as the loyalties of the Flaming Fist (and the PCs?) split and Baldur’s Gate falls into civil war.
• What role does the large population of Elturian refugees play in these political maneuverings? How do the politicians vie for their loyalty? What do the Elturians want?
• Does the political system in Baldur’s Gate survive this chaos? Having three of the four ducal seats open simultaneously, for example, is unprecedented. Does someone seize that opportunity to consolidate power and become a tyrant? Alternatively, do the compromises resulting from Ravengard’s return result in a fifth ducal seat being created?

Meanwhile, if Ravengard has emerged from Hell as the top dog in Elturel, he’ll try to hold onto that dominion as well.

This might hinder him in the politics of Baldur’s Gate (“don’t be ridiculous; you can’t have the High Observer of Elturel serving as the Grand Duke of Baldur’s Gate”), but it could also give an immense power base of reputation and manpower to re-coalesce his power in Baldur’s Gate. (This can be literally in the form of soldiers, but also propaganda stuff like appealing to the Elturian refugees as the “savior of their city.”)

Whether Ravengard holds onto Baldur’s Gate or Elturel or both, he’s going to pursue imperial designs in the ruins of Elturgard. With the PCs’ help, he might even succeed. Outcomes might include:

• A new Chionthar Empire that brings peace and prosperity to the region.
• A strong alliance between Baldur’s Gate and Elturel, while the rest of Elturgard nevertheless fractures back into separate city-states.
• Ravengard fails utterly, succeeding only in deepening the animosity between Baldur’s Gate and Elturel.

However it plays out, Ravengard will almost certainly contribute to the ongoing chaos of the Elturian Wars.

WHITHER ZARIEL?

One thing we haven’t touched on yet is what happens with Zariel.

There are a couple obvious scenarios: If the PCs kill her (presumably with help), she’s dead. If they negotiated with her to break the pact (or found a different solution that left her alive and unredeemed), then she still rules in Hell.

Of course, the most likely outcome is probably that the PCs help to redeem Zariel.

Homework: Descent Into Avernus almost certainly results in the power structures of Avernus being disrupted just as much as those of Elturgard. If Zariel is no longer Archduchess, who rises to take her place? What effect does that have on the Blood War? And even if Zariel is still in charge, it’s likely that other major players have been significantly affected by whatever deal the PCs made.

If the PCs have made allies in Hell and put schemes into motion, it’s possible they’ll want to return and continue pursuing their goals (or just to check in with their friends). Consider having the upheaval of power in Hell echo the upheaval occurring in the remnants of Elturgard. On Earth as it is in Hell, so to speak.

With Zariel redeemed, she likely returns with the PCs and Elturel to the Material Plane. There are a few ways this can then play out.

First, you can bring her story to a close. Assuming the players have invested in her story, frame a final scene with her before she departs for Mount Celestia in a beam of holy light. It worked. The PCs have helped to restore something beautiful to the multiverse and saved the soul of an angel.

Alternatively, maybe Zariel chooses to stay involved in the region. For example, she might try to reach out to the Zarielite cultists and convince them to join her and walk the path of redemption. The result might be a Second Zarielite Crusade (hopefully with more reasonable goals and/or happier outcomes).

Or maybe Zariel, even redeemed as she is, remains grandiose and a little self-important. “Elturel is mine!” she says. “And I will make right what I have wronged!” She’s likely to be opposed by Ravengard or Ikaia or both. Will the PCs help her? Oppose her? Either way, she will make her presence felt during the Elturian Wars.

And one final question: Whatever happens with Zariel… does Lulu go with her?

Or does she choose to remain with her new friends?

Either way, there are likely to be tears.

THE END…
…HAS YET TO BE WRITTEN.

Addendum: Rumors of Elturel
Addendum: Corpsedamp Zombies
Addendum: A Textual History of Elturel
Addendum: Playing Gargauth
Addendum: Streetcrawling Tools
Addendum: Elturian Names
Addendum: Hellturel Map Patches
Addendum: Soul Coins
Addendum: A Textual History of Zariel
Addendum: Player Hexmaps
Addendum: Avernus Map Patch
Addendum: The Ranks of Hell
Addendum: The Grand 5E Devil Index

Addendum: DMs Guild Capsule Reviews
Addendum: DMs Guild Capsule Reviews II
Addendum: DMs Guild Capsule Reviews III
Addendum: DMs Guild Capsule Reviews IV
Addendum: DMs Guild Capsule Reviews – Rhodarin Avernus
Addendum: Capsule Reviews – Adventurers League

Go to Table of Contents

So Elturel has been returned to the Material Plane.

(Probably.)

This is an epic conclusion to the campaign, and a triumphant note on which to finish. Everyone will probably be perfectly happy to see things wrap up.

But what if you want to keep playing?

To answer that question, we need to take a look at what’s been happening while Elturel was missing. And what’s likely to happen now that it’s returned. Whether you continue with high-level characters, likely to be dealing with the major political powers, or boot up a new campaign with low-level characters coping with these crises on the ground, there are rich opportunities for adventure.

ELTURGARD’S FATE

When Elturel vanished, it left a gaping wound in the earth. Tunnels that once connected to the dungeons beneath the city now opened into the crater, providing access to the dark dangers of the Underdark. (If you’re starting up a new campaign with 1^st level characters, consider running the first few sessions in The Crater to set the stage for Elturel’s abrupt return.)

Even with Elturel’s return, Elturgard is shattered. For nearly a century, Elturel had expanded its empire, laying claim to all the lands touched by the light of the Companion. They referred to this “protectorate” as Elturel’s Shield, which extended as far away as Berdusk and Boareskyr Bridge (where the Companion could be seen as an unmoving star near the horizon):

Note: This means that the Companion could be seen at least 175 miles away from Elturel. If you do the math, this means that the Companion must have been located 20,000 feet above Elturel. This doesn’t seem to match the lore, so it may be best to say, “It was magic,” if this should be interrogated.

The grandiose claims of Elturel’s Shield were unpopular with local polities, but were often more welcomed by local villages and farmers threatened by the trolls, orcs, and foul beasts that emerged from the Trollclaws, the Wood of Sharp Teeth, and the Forest of Wyrms. Over time, the claims became less boastful and more reality as one local power after another fell to Elturgard.

As we’ve seen, the disappearance of Elturel created a refugee crisis in the region. This was initially due to survivors of the catastrophe who had escaped the city or lived on its outskirts, but the crisis rapidly worsened as the threats once kept in check by the Hellriders began raiding and razing smaller settlements throughout the region.

Things worsened again as multi-polar wars broke out between the powers once aligned under Elturgard. These conflicts are heavily influenced by the Zarielites who had, of course, infiltrated the Elturgardian governments. They want never-ending, meat-grinder wars to chew up the corrupted military orders they’ve compromised and happily capitalize on the chaos left in Elturel’s wake.

(This is somewhat standard operating procedure for the Cult of Zariel: They target and hollow out martial orders and military organizations. Those they can’t convert directly to Zariel’s worship they corrupt by issuing immoral orders and fostering a culture of glorified violence and evil. Then the violence itself chews up the lives of those who have tainted their souls, speeding them on their way to Hell.)

THE ELTURIAN WARS

Scornubel declared itself the “Elturgard government in exile,” naming the citadel built by the Elturians in the city center as the new capital. Altaer Ambermantle was named High Observer.

This was most likely a sincere effort to stem the growing chaos, particularly as the government in Scornubel had purged the Zarielite attempt to infiltrate it due to an alliance between the Ambermantles and a band of daring adventurers in the 1480’s. In Scornubel, the Zarielites instead sunk their talons into the thieves’ guild, which they now used to destabilize Ambermantle’s neophyte administration.

Soubar was the first Elturgardian polity to openly declare independence. A small walled city ruling over a cluster of farming communities, there are rumors that the Banite priests who have recently reinhabited the Black Abbey, the ancient temple of Bane in the city, have performed a secret coup, but this may be nothing more than opportunistic propaganda.

Berdusk, the Jewel of the Vale, denounced Scornubel’s “coup,” effectively declaring themselves as the “true” capital of Elturgard.

Berdusk is ruled by the Twilight Hall. Originally a bardic college founded by the Harpers, Twilight Hall evolved into the native nobility known as the First Folk. When the city-state was conquered by Elturel (becoming the “second city” of the newly minted Elturgard), the First Folk made a great show of their piety, with heirs and scions joining and becoming high-ranking priests in the new religious orders of Torm established by High Observer Restat. This tradition of the First Folk to join holy orders eventually spread to the older churches in Berdusk, as well — the Inner Chamber of Deneir, Helm’s Ready House of the Right Strong Hand, Milil’s Evensong Tower, Oghma’s Seat of Lore, and minor orders dedicated to Leira, Lliira, Tempus, and Waukeen.

The problem is that the religious order of Torm was basically a front for Zarielite cultists. Under that guise, the First Folk were subverted, and then Zarielites spread into the leadership of the other religious orders, too. The First Folk are not all cultists, of course, but their ranks are riddled by them.

Triel, a small town northeast of Elturel, found itself choked with refugees, which have caused its population to increase five-fold. A former farmer named Sarika Fortune has, much to her own surprise, found herself leading a rag-tag volunteer militia. They recently (and controversially) assisted some of the independent gnome and halfing communities in the Trielta Hills, and there are some preliminary discussions of a Trieltan defensive alliance of some sort.

Representatives from both Berdusk and Scornubel have recently arrived to determine where Triel’s loyalty lies.

Najara, the serpent kingdom of nagas, yuan-ti, and lizardfolk which lies north of Elturgard, has seized advantage of the chaos. An army of serpents has moved south along the Winding Water and seized Boareskyr Bridge and Fort Tamal. As such, they now control the river crossing of the Iriaebor-Waterdeep Trade Way and de facto expanded their sphere of influence into the northern reaches of the Fields of the Dead.

King Jarant of Najara has sent ambassadors to the major powers of the Sword Coast, declaring his actions “necessary for the stability of trade and for the good of establishing peace in the region.” It remains to be seen whether Najara will settle for what they have gained or if they’ll seek further expansion into the former realms of Elturgard. (It may depend on whether or not they see a good opportunity.)

No one, however, is under any illusions that they’ll be giving up Fort Tamal without a fight.

The Second Fall of Fort Morninglord. In 1476 DR the entire garrison of Fort Morninglord, which lies west of Elturel along the River Chionthar, disappeared overnight. The site had been contaminated by some unknown evil and the High Observer ordered it sealed.

A new fortified encampment was established nearby and garrisoned. After the fall of Elturel, this fort was the only significant concentration of surviving Elturian paladins and Hellriders. It became the sanctuary for a large number of refugees.

When news of Fort Tamal being besieged by Najara reached Morninglord, an expedition of knights rode north to relieve them. In their absence, Zarielite cultists within the fort summoned a pit fiend. The fiend was eventually defeated, but dozens of knights were slain, hundreds of refugees were massacred, and the fort itself burned to the ground.

This sent a fresh wave of refugees down river to beleaguered Baldur’s Gate and broke the last bastion of Elturgard that was not dependent on one of its constituent parts.

The expeditionary force, unable to reach Fort Tamal in time, remains active-but-itinerant within the Fields of the Dead.

Zhentarim. Darkhold, the citadel of the Zhentarim, lies just to the east of Elturgard. The Black Network’s influence had been kept out of the region for decades by the strength of Elturgard, but the current situation is ripe for them to gain long-term strategic advantage. And even if that wasn’t the case, the Zhents are mercenaries. And if there’s one thing mercenaries love more than a good war, it’s LOTS of wars.

When King Jarant declared Najara’s sovereignty to the powers of the Sword Coast, the Zhentarim were early supporters of his regime. They have remained on good terms since, making it likely that Zhentarim mercenaries will be available to pursue Najara’s interests in the region. (They may have already fought at Fort Tamal.)

As the conflict worsens, Berdusk, Soubar, and Scornubel will all become highly motivated to seek Zhentarim contracts. The Zhentarim know this, of course, and have already sent diplomatic missions to each city. These missions serve a dual purpose, as their embedded spies seek out any hidden opportunities for the Black Network. (The Zhentarim are not, of course, above claiming a chunk of territory for themselves if the opportunity presents itself.)

One way or another, the Black Network and its mercenary armies are going to get involved.

Go to Epilogue – Part 2: Elturel’s Return