E1. WEATHERSTONE KEEP
This outpost is occupied by abishai loyal to Tiamat, supported by a small force of legion devils (merregon).
The Lost Hellrider: Beneath Weatherstone Keep is an ancient, heretical Temple of Torm. After the defeat of the Zarielites during the Charge of the Hellriders, one of the fleeing Hellriders reached this Keep and, following the divine guidance of Torm, sought refuge in the temple. The Hellrider was placed into a state of suspended animation and remains there still, protected by Torm’s holy ground.
If the PCs awake the Hellrider, use Part 6D-L Questioning the Hellriders to determine what he knows.
E2. TENTACULAR MINE
A huge, open pit surrounded by fields of reddish slag is ringed with colossal, writhing tentacles.
The pit is a mine for green Baatorian steel. The tentacles are the groping extremities of a carcinomatous baatorian buried here. Its squirming extremities pose a constant danger to the miners.
Baatorian Steel: Baatorian steel can only be mined on Avernus, and its supply is often limited due to the logistical difficulties created by the Blood War. A piercing or slashing weapon crafted from Baatorian steel deals +1 damage and has a +1 bonus to attack rolls. (This is not a magical enhancement and does not stack with magical bonuses.)
Green baatorian steel is even rarer. It has the same properties, but can also be more easily crafted into swords of wounding (and so most green Baatorian steel blades are such).
Baatorian Dream Machine: In the depths of the mine there is a technomantic device, built on somewhat similar principles to Mad Maggie’s dream machine, which keeps the cancroid baatorian dormant in a slumbering dream. Its effective range is limited, however, which is why the tentacles are most active (and dangerous) at the surface.
The machine includes a Nirvanan cogbox. If the cogbox is removed (or the machine otherwise disabled), however, the baatorian will awake and rip the mine apart.
E3. HELLWASP NEST
- Descent Into Avernus, p. 95
No changes from the published text.
E4. TOWER OF URM
- Descent Into Avernus, p. 97
There is a 1 in 4 chance that the tower is present (check per day if the PCs camp out at the site).
If the tower is not present, the iron foundations should be considered a Hidden location unless the PCs are specifically traveling along the edge of the lake or on the island itself. Spotting the foundations from the shores of the lake requires a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check.
Mordenkainen can provide a Heartstone or Phlegethosian sand. His asking price for either is 30 soul coins, unless the PCs have done him some form of great service (like saving his life from an assassin).
Assassination/Kidnapping: Why not both? The assembled devils include both those secretly plotting to assassinate Mordenkainen and those who will kidnap the PCs if that seems advantageous.
Tower Maps: Ideally, we would also like to prep maps of Mordenkainen’s tower. Dance of Deathless Frost includes some notes for potential features and security measures.
E5. SIBRIEX
- Descent Into Avernus, p. 116
The sibriex knows:
- The location of the nine adamantine rods (as described in the adventure).
- Leads on a location for each of the four dream machine components (roll on the Quest of the Dream Machine rumor table in Part 6C).
- A brief précis of the Averniad and Zariel’s Long March (see Part 6D).
E6. DISCORDANT SPIRE
- Infernal Encounters, p. 34
A strange obelisk 30 foot square that rises 80 feet into the air. It is formed from some native Avernian stone; a scintillating shade of red that seems alien to mortal eyes. Each side of the obelisk bares dozens of mouths singing a discordant tune.
Phalaeraphe: Within the obelisk (which is actually a tower), lives a devil with a beautiful singing voice. She operates a small, private lounge where powerful and influential devils come to hear her sing, drink from a rich selection of blood-liquors, and socialize. If given the proper incentive, she can quietly arrange private meetings with influential devils. (Not warlords, no such fiendish filth would be welcome here. Zariel? Too high. But people who know Zariel? Bel? Signifier Hraxioch, commander of the 9th Cohort (Hex J6)? Quite possibly.)
F1. DROGOLOTH MINES
These mines of adamantine and orichalcum are worked by still-living mortals who have been captured by devil slave-gangs or who have been bound to service through ill-conceived bargains. Caravans drag the raw ore to the Purple City (Hex F2), from whence it is shipped downriver to Bel’s Forge (Hex H2) to be made into weapons for the front lines of the Blood War.
F2. THE PURPLE CITY
- Tyrant of the Purple City
- On River
Baron Barur Tolmanen: The Lord of the Purple City served with Zariel in the Rift War. In addition to telling the tales of the Rift War often during his disturbing, gluttonous feasts, various memorials around the city glorify the events of the Rift War (and Tolmanen’s role in it).
The March: Lux Arakxis, the leader of this criminal organization, has been obsessed with finding the Sword of Zariel, mounting numerous expeditions to little effect over the years. He knows the Sword was lost after the Charge of the Hellriders, and he will wax rhapsodic about the tale of their ride into Hell (recounting the identities of the Three Generals and events following the kidnapping of Yael, who he’s certain took the Sword from the final battle… although his personal theory is that she stole it and betrayed Zariel.)
The March also uses heartstones for planning their heists.
Archmagi of Thraxai: Agamemnova Hex, the leader of the Archmagi of Thraxai, once met Lulu while Lulu was imprisoned in the Wandering Emporium.
F3. VALE OF DEMONS
- Infernal Encounters, p. 5
A valley filled with hundreds of demon heads placed on tall pikes. Ten of the demon heads have been transformed into vargouilles (Volo’s Guide to Monsters, p. 195).
F4. BLOODY CYST
- Visible
- Descent Into Avernus, p. 134
There are several important changes to this location:
- The citadel cannot be seen; it is completely subsumed by the Cyst.
- No one knows that this is where the Sword of Zariel lies hidden. As noted previously, this secret is held only in Lulu’s lost memories.
- Therefore, there are no devils or demons here excavating the site. (You could have them here just harvesting the bloody pulp of the cyst for one reason or another, but you’d want to make significant changes to the key.)
- Yael’s ghost does not give the PCs’ visions of Idyllglen. (They already experienced those in the Dream Machine.) See Part 6D-L for what happens when the PCs encounter her.
Design Note: As mentioned previously, the goal is for the PCs to recognize the Bloody Cyst so that the moment that it’s revealed as the hiding place of the Sword of Zariel it’s a cool revelation and not a, “Wait? Where?” moment. (It’s okay if they need to follow up on their vision; lots of people in this area of Avernus know the location of the Bloody Cyst and can direct them – it’s just not ideal.)
It’s positioned in Hex F4 because (a) characters crossing the bridge in Hex G5a will likely run into it and (b) this also makes it a convenient landmark for NPCs to use while giving directions.
One of my patrons also recommended that Mahadi’s Emporium could be camped out at the base of the Bloody Cyst at some point.
F5. THAT’S A BIG SPEAR
- Infernal Encounters, p. 10
An immense spear, nearly 100 feet in length, is impaled into the ground; the skeletal hand of whatever colossal creature once wielded it still clutches the cracked leather wrapped around its shaft.
F6. RUINS OF A WARLORD’S LAIR
This stronghold carved into the side of the mountain was once the lair of the warlord Jevvka of Osternia. Her gang crossed the Powers That Be in Avernus and a cohort of the Blood Legions sacked the compound, leaving it in ruins. Jevvka herself was crucified to the back wall. Her corpse hangs there still, along with a warning painted in her own blood:
WITNESS THE WRATH OF BEL. LET IT STAND AS WARNING TO THOSE WHO DOUBT HIS POWER.
This is wonderful work! My campaign has been following this remix and not only has it been the greatest game I’ve ever played, but I have improved as a dungeon master.
Thank You!
I’m disappointed that F6 says “was crucified” rather than “is in their 80th year of being crucified” – this is Hell, after all.
@Dale: You’re right. That’s waayyyyy better. Everyone should go with that.
I notice the Sundered chains have been completely omitted from this hex map- looking at the layout it looks as if it would have sat nicely in F3 or F4, was there a specific reason it was left out? It seems like a nice bit of evidence to the party that Elturel isnt the first city to be bound, and that the chains can be broken
Hex E2.
Do we need stats for the dormant Baatorian (in case it wakes up)?
Any suggestion where we might find them?
I’d go with Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos for 5th Edition.
I love learning a new ruleset for one potential encounter!! 😀 These sound awesome!
Im using this art for the Baatorian:
https://imgur.com/a/hWUzNp7
I don’t know if you are still monitoring these comments or not, but I have a couple of questions about the Bloody Cyst.
My first question is why none of the residents of Avernus question it. It is treated as a landmark, and there are no rumors about it. But it didn’t exist before Zariel came here. That should be a clue to Sword hunters that it is connected to her.
My initial theory is maybe some tried to explore it, but they couldn’t make much progress because the cyst just kept re-growing. But that leads me to my second question:
Without the citadel being exposed and without any excavation occurring (as in the original book), how are the PCs going to be able to reach the citadel to claim the Sword?
Oh, I think there absolutely should be rumors about it. You should probably take that as an exercise left for the student.
My thinking is that it’s such an obvious weird thing that it must have been repeatedly explored, and so there needs to be a reason those explorations failed. I went with: at its core, the thing contains a holy artifact (the sword) within another holy artifact (the indestructible vault). Any fiend, or possibly any evil character, that gets near it is first *disoriented*, so they tend to stay away, then either *deluded* into thinking they’ve explored it or *driven mad*, so digging teams tend to have few survivors.
Anyway, yes, the Cyst has been explored, enough times that any serious sword hunter rolls their eyes and makes fun of newbies who say “what about the Cyst, didja think of that?”