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I’m launching an Icewind Dale campaign for my local group and, if all goes well, I’m hoping to give a ring-side sea to how the campaign is developing.

The first thing a campaign needs, of course, is the player characters. There are five PCs in the group:

• Mara Brightwood, a half-elf bard
• Wrenn Pilwicken, a gnome druid
• Ygra Dunn, a human monk
• Hugin Jorhund Athukavore Thuunlakalaga, a goliath sorcerer
• Avral Terikson, an awakened axebeak warlock

For a deeper insight into how I collaborate with my players in creating their characters, check out Running the Campaign: Designing Character Backgrounds and Dragon Heist: Creating the Characters. This series will be more narrowly focused on just introducing the characters.

MARA BRIGHTWOOD

(Created by Kristina Fjellman)

ALIAS: Mara Blackoak

Mara Brightwood, now 31 years old, was born in Neverwinter in 1461 DR, ten years after the eruption of Mount Hotenow which devastated the city and formed the Chasm in its southeast district. Her parents were the proprietors of the Frozen Bear tavern in the Blacklake District, which thankfully was spared the worst of the Ruining’s destruction. Many of the city’s nobles lived in the district, and that enclave of power helped ensure its safety even as the rest of the city struggled with the strange ash zombies and plaguechanged horrors which clawed their way out of the depths.

In the Year of Splendors Burning (1469 DR), when Mara was eight, things changed considerably. Lord Neverember of Waterdeep declared himself a descendant of Neverwinter’s dead noble family and the rightful “Lord Protector” of the city. Neverember marched into the city with Mintarn mercenaries and began spending profligately to rebuild the city’s infrastructure. Although many muttered that much of this cash was going to Waterdhavian workers and craftsmen who were being shipped up the High Road, Neverember’s presence was probably good for Neverwinter.

But not everyone agreed, and when Neverember signed a treaty with the Many-Arrows orcs which essentially surrendered the River District to them, it led to popular unrest, fomented by a number of factions, including disgruntled Neverwintan nobility. The Blacklake District was torn apart by fractious conflict and riots. The streets were filled with violence which prevented efforts to rebuild, while the Nashers robbed from the poor to finance their rebellion. As a result, most of Blacklake fell into ruinous poverty. These were hard years.

In 1479 DR, Mara was now eighteen and the civil violence was heating up considerably. These events would eventually conclude with the Siege of Neverwinter, in which a force of Thayans unsuccessfully attempted to take advantage of the chaos within the city to invade, but Mara would be long gone before then: During the Spring of Smoke, numerous buildings were burned in the riots. Among these was the Frozen Bear, a conflagration in which Mara’s parents were both killed.

It would later by revealed that a group of Asmodean cultists known as the Ashmadai, or the Messengers of the Raging Fiend, had infiltrated both Neverember’s New Neverwinter organization and many of the rebel groups, as well. They had played both sides of the conflict, escalating tensions for their own gain. It was tiefling agents of the Ashmadai who Mara saw light the fires at the Frozen Bear, and she never forgot not only who was responsible, but the corruption made possible by the ambitions of powerful men.

THE DAUGHTERS OF THE SWORD

In the wake of the destruction of the Frozen Bear and Mara’s entire life, she fled Neverwinter as a member of the Daughters of the Sword, a traveling troupe of musicians and entertainers who toured the northern part of the Sword Coast. The Daughters were an all-female group and were often considered a novelty act because of this, despite being quite talented, and they would usually perform at the Frozen Bear when they could come to

Mara had been enamored with the Daughter’s performances, and had been taken under the wing of Sanela Mushina who had first taught Mara how to play the harp. Mara had actually joined their performances on several occasions at the Frozen Bear, and it seemed perfectly natural to leave Neverwinter with them now.

Mara toured with the Daughters of the Sword for more than a decade, mostly in the northern reaches of the Sword Coast — making long passes up and down the High and Long Roads to Neverwinter, Luskan, Mirabar, Longsaddle; occasionally south of Waterdeep to Daggerford. Leveraging some of her old connections from the Blacklake District, Mara was particularly adept at making connections with noble patrons. In addition to their public gigs, the Daughters were asked to many private venues and high society events.

Mara also picked up all manner of gossip and secrets from these high-born connections, and she would actually write songs including this scandalous information… which only increased the demand for the Daughter’s performances!

At one of these soirees, Liara Portyr, niece of Grand Duke Dillard Portyr of Baldur’s Gate, heard the Daughters perform and invited them to come south to the mouth of the Chionthar River at a price they couldn’t refuse.

While in Baldur’s Gate, however, Mara uncovered a terrible secret: Several prominent patriar families of the city — including members of the Vanthampurs, one of the Council of Four grand dukes that ruled the city — were devil worshipers. Furthermore, these devil worshipers had connections to the Cassalanter noble family in Waterdeep, suggesting an axis of corrupt nobility conspiring along the length of the Sword Coast.

With flashbacks to the horrors she had experienced in Neverwinter, Mara composed “The Hellbent Highborn” to reveal what she had discovered.

This, ultimately, proved to be a mistake. An assassination attempt drove the Daughters of the Sword out of Baldur’s Gate and back up the Trade Way to Waterdeep. It seemed they had escaped the scandal and the danger, but The Hellbent Highborn pursued them: The lyrics to her song, now attached to a collection of lurid tales regarding Asmodean cultists, were published as a pamphlet of the same name by a scurrilous broadsheet publisher named Shan Chien in Waterdeep.

The Daughters of the Sword fled further north, but danger pursued them. Or, more specifically, Mara. All the ire of the cultists seemed to be aimed squarely at her. Hiding in a small inn in the tiny hamlet of Longsaddle, Mara tearfully parted from the friends who had become her family and headed north.

She hoped to disappear into the anonymity of the Luskan underworld. And, when that failed, she decided to head even farther north into the Frozenfar. Now traveling under the alias of Mara Blackoak, she seeks refuge in Icewind Dale.

DESCRIPTION

Mara is a half-elf bard. She thinks of herself as somewhat average looking, with dark brown hair and an average height and build. But she has striking blue eyes, like looking into the depths of a frozen lake. She often has her pale blue lyre of wave cypress close at hand.

Go to Wrenn Pilwicken

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Creating the Characters

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There was a time when the Styx was the front line of the Blood War. That is no longer the case: the legions of Hell have pushed back the demonic hordes, and the front lines now lie somewhere Abyss-ward of the Avernian hexcrawl where the Remix is set.

This region, however, is still marked by its long history as a battlefield. Chunks of territory here, on both banks of the Styx, have been held by the demons at various points during the long aeons of the conflict, and their legacy can still be found imprinted on the wastes.

With the front so near, there is also a constant churn of espionage, with demonic infiltrators and fifth column quislings endlessly seeking any advantage which might turn the tide of war. Such agents might easily recognize the PCs as pawns to be used against Zariel.

CROKEK’TOECK

In the original version of Descent Into Avernus, Crokek’toeck is a powerful demon that was pursuing Yael and Lulu and imprisoned within the Bloody Cyst (Hex F4) when it erupted. For the Remix, it is less clear that having him trapped within the cyst makes sense (although maybe it does for your version). You might also reposition Crokek’toeck:

• In the prison of Plagueshield Point (Hex G5b).
• Simply rampaging around the Avernian plains, perhaps pursued by the 9^th Cohort (Hex J6).
• In the service of Yeenoghu, who will dispatch him to the PCs’ service if they can somehow negotiate with him.

Whatever the case may be, see p. 150 of Descent Into Avernus for details on how Crokek’toeck might be used to break the chains holding Elturel.

KOSTCHTCHIE

The demon Kostchtchie is imprisoned in Hex J2. As described in the Dance of the Deathless Frost adventure, Kostchtchie has a phylactery (currently hidden in Hex D6) with which one can either control him or bargain with him.

Even without the phylactery, a freed Kostchtchie desires vengeance on Zariel for his long imprisonment, making him a powerful (if somewhat unreliable and senselessly violent) ally against her. Kostchtchie also possesses the strength necessary to break the chains holding Elturel.

The PCs might learn of the phylactery from:

• Rumors (see the rumor table in Part 7I).
• Bel, who knows that if some deniable third party (i.e., the PCs) freed Kostchtchie it would be a thorn in Zariel’s side.
• Bitter Breath, who once sought Kostchtchie’s phylactery.
• The Sibriex (Hex E5).

Any of these sources, or perhaps subsequent investigations with the Archmagi of Thraxai in the Purple City, would reveal that Baba Yaga was the one who originally made the phylactery, and that her once-apprentice the Witch-Queen (Hex B3) might know something of value.

YEENOGHU

The Gnoll Lord would sooner eat your face than speak to it, and even getting into the same room with the Beast of Butchery isn’t exactly easy. Arranging the meeting will almost certainly involve the PCs heading Abyss-ward, somehow crossing the front lines of the Blood War, and then miraculously arranging a meeting. (Crokek’toeck, Kostchtchie, or perhaps some other demonic ally might be able to make introductions?)

But here’s the thing: He really, really, really doesn’t like Zariel. And the legions of devils that are about to pour out of the Elturel project are a serious problem for him.

If – and this is a big if! – the PCs can convince him that they are the solution to one or both of these problems, then Yeenoghu can be an incredibly powerful ally: Not only can he break the chains holding Elturel himself, but he literally has an army of gnolls, demons, and demonic gnolls that can be put at the PCs’ service if they play their cards right.

Yeenoghu also prizes the Sword of Zariel. It may or may not be the best use of it if the PCs obtain it, but Yeenoghu would give much to obtain it.

SHUMMRATH

Shummrath is neither a demon nor an active faction of Hell (since it’s been reduced to a canyon full of green slime), but it is nevertheless a powerful entity in the region and we should briefly consider it.

As detailed on p. 100 of Descent Into Avernus, it’s possible to restore Shummrath to its original form as a pit fiend, in which case it is capable of raising a small force of devils from those once loyal to it. Restored to his full glory, Shummrath might be:

• A valuable ally in fighting Zariel (although his animosity is overwhelmingly directed at Bel and relatively difficult to point in Zariel’s direction).
• Capable of severing the chains holding Elturel.

The barely sane telepathic residue which is Shummrath’s current consciousness will be difficult to either commune or negotiate with, but he does crave freedom to seek his revenge and may be willing to pay a price for that.

Homework: You may find it worthwhile to create response teams for each faction. Response teams will allow you to bring a faction “onstage” whenever it seems appropriate (attacking warlords, drinking in a caravanserai, trying to murder the PCs). You can probably scavenge these with minimal effort; for example, pulling legionnaires from Zariel’s Flying Fortress or demonic gnolls from the dream machine visions.

Go to Part 7G: The Devils of Baldur’s Gate

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As the PCs are drawn deeper into the feuding politics of the local Avernian wastes, they will slowly become aware that the seemingly titanic powers which rule over the entire plane are similarly fractious and riven with feuds.

As the PCs become more powerful, the eyes of these powerful factions will be drawn to them. Some may view them as threats. Others will see them as opportunities.

The question facing the PCs will be whether or not they can turn this attention to their advantage, most likely by turning the factions against each other, finding a way to frame what they want so that it’s also to the advantage of a potential ally, or both. Because it’s very likely that they will need to gain powerful help if they are going to succeed in their quest to save Elturel. There are several key goals in the Avernian Quest which will, at the very least, become more easier to achieve with a heavy-hitter on their side:

• Killing Zariel cancels all of her infernal contracts, but the PCs will almost certainly not be able to kill her by themselves. Fortunately, Zariel has created many enemies during her reign in Hell, including numerous devils and demons.
• To sever the chains holding Elturel will require the aid of a powerhouse ally (a redeemed Zariel, released Gargauth, Bel, or Tiamat).
• The PCs might also wish to free the planetar trapped within the Companion. Bel, Tiamat, and Gargauth can all help guide the PCs towards achieving this.
• Finally, it may be necessary to open an interplanar gate through which the people of Elturel can be evacuated. Bel, Tiamat, or the Archmagi of Thraxai in the Purple City could create such gate.

And, of course, the players are quite likely to concoct their own schemes and goals, any one of which could benefit greatly from their alliances with the major factions of Avernus.

The price of such powerful favors, though, should be high. This is Hell, after all, and the opening offer will most likely be their mortal souls. The PCs will have to figure out how to make a compelling offer that they can live (and die) with.

ZARIEL

As the Archduchess, Zariel is ultimately the hub around which all the intrigues of Avernus turn. She’s the spider at the center of the web; the queen at the core of the court intrigue. Thematically, this is great, because the entire Descent Into Avernus campaign also turns around Zariel.

What Zariel Wants: The destruction of the Abyss and the Sword of Zariel.

Unless the PCs give up on the idea of saving Elturel, they’re unlikely to form a relationship with Zariel. See Part 6B for details on bargaining with Zariel, but the only thing she’s likely to give up Elturel for is her Sword. (A redeemed Zariel, of course, changes everything.)

What Zariel Offers: Zariel controls the fate of Elturel (through the Bellandi pact, the chains, and the Companion). Of course, she also has the legions of Hell at her command, so there’s a quite a bit she’s capable of doing if it can somehow be made worth her while.

BEL

Bel was, of course, the former Archduke of Avernus. Here’s a quick summary of Bel’s history for easy reference.

• Rose from a lowly lemure to engineer a coup which overthrew Gargauth (then the Archduke of Hell)
• After her fall, Zariel served as one of the Dark Eight, Bel’s generals. She was freqeuently rebellious, ignoring or disobeying Bel’s commands. (But she was also successful, so he tolerated it.)
• In the 13^th century DR, Bel was targeted for “assassination” by Glasya. Bel fell into a magical coma and suspicion fell on Dispater, the Archduke of Dis (exactly as Glasya had intended). This was the beginning of the Reckoning (see Part 6D). Bel remained in his coma for most of the Reckoning, emerging only near the end of the conflict. Zariel was imprisoned by Tiamat at the end of the Reckoning.
• In the 14^th century DR, Gargauth attempted to invade Hell with the Dark Gods. After smashing the invasion, Bel captured Gargauth and presented him as a captive to Asmodeus. Asmodeus had Gargauth bound into the Shield of the Hidden Lord.
• In the 15^th century DR, a rift filled with baatorians opened in Avernus, triggering the Rift War (also Part 6D). Bel blew it. The baatorians overwhelmed the Avernian frontiers, allowing demonic armies to also freely invade Avernus. Glasya arranged for Zariel to be freed from Tiamat’s prison and she rallied the legions, defeated the baatorians, and drove back the demons. Asmodeus demoted Bel back to the ranks of the Dark Eight and made Zariel the new Archduchess.
• Bel has served “loyally” ever since.

What Bel Wants: To be restored as the Archduke of Avernus.

He’s unlikely to think that this will actually happen immediately as a result of the PCs’ actions, but if he sees a chance to discredit Zariel (losing Elturel would be a major embarrassment and setback for her) or simply distract and inconvenience her, he’ll take advantage of it.

Bel knows that Zariel deeply desires the Sword of Zariel, and so he would be interested in acquiring it as a future bargaining chip. If he becomes aware of its true properties (i.e., the spark of goodness inside it), he will become even more intrigued. He probably won’t take the idea of redemption seriously (such thoughts are anathema to the very nature of a devil), but he’s likely to perceive it as a potential weakness or Achilles’ heel for Zariel.

What Bel Offers:

• Deep knowledge of the metaphysics around Elturel’s doom. Bel controlled the Dock of Fallen Cities and was Gargauth’s first master (see Part 3B). His forge also oversaw the construction of the Solar Insidiator (aka the Companion) and knows that there are adamantine rods which can be used to open it which were lost when the flying fortress carrying them crashed.
• Bel has the power to personally sever the chains holding Elturel. (But knows this is only useful if the Bellandi pact has been undone.)
• He can create a gate back to the Material Plane.
• While he could join an open fight against Zariel (and prove invaluable in defeating her), he’s exceedingly unlikely to do so. Bel has an almost infinite reserve of patience and the ability to scheme in terms of centuries at a temporal scale almost beyond mortal comprehension. What he will do is obliquely suggest potential allies like Crokek’toeck and Kostchtchie.

TIAMAT

Tiamat is the Queen of Evil Dragons.

• She once ruled Avernus, but the evil dragons born of the vast spawning pits she created proved ineffective in the Blood War and Asmodeus deposed her. (This epoch of Avernus would have predated Gargauth’s rule by eons.)
• Tiamat remains imprisoned in Avernus; like devils, she is unable to journey to the Material Plane unless summoned. (Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes shares that some mortal scholars believe that Tiamat was imprisoned in Avernus due to a curse inflicted at the end of the dragon-giant wars. It’s possible that Tiamat came to Avernus hoping to raise draconic legions to aid her followers during the war; or perhaps she made a bargain with Asmodeus. Or this may be entirely mistaken and Tiamat’s involvement in the dragon-giant wars were actually those of an avatar, with her “curse” just being the banishment or destruction of her avatar.)
• During the Reckoning, Zariel and Tiamat were allied in the Siege of Dis. Towards the end of the Reckoning, Tiamat turned on Zariel and imprisoned her in her citadel. Zariel was eventually freed by Glasya during the events of the Rift War, after which Zariel became the Archduchess of Avernus.
• Zariel has forbidden Tiamat from leaving her citadel, which guards the entrance from Avernus to Dis (Hex C1).

What Tiamat Wants: To be free of Avernus.

• Tiamat herself has no interest in ruling Avernus (and being Asmodeus’ pawn). But a viable scheme that installs someone loyal to her (e.g. Arkhan) on the throne of Avernus is something she’d be interested in.
• There are actually a significant number of rituals which can free Tiamat (in either the short or long term). Most of these require one or more powerful artifacts. If the PCs can get their hands on one of these, Tiamat would readily bargain for it. (If your players haven’t done Tyranny of Dragons yet, for example, you might have them get one of the Dragon Masks, which Arkhan will see gets passed along to culists on the Material Plane, triggering the events of that campaign. Or, if they have played the campaign or you’re more of a stickler for strict continuity, perhaps they recover one of the Dragon Masks from wherever it was left at the end of Tyranny. Maybe they even need to go on a side quest to obtain it from one of their former PCs.)

What Tiamat Offers: Most or all of the PCs’ negotiations with Tiamat will likely happen through her emissary Arkhan.

• If the PCs have both copies of Bellandi’s pact, Tiamat’s fire could destroy them.
• Tiamat can sever the chains of Elturel.
• Most abishai are servants of Tiamat, giving her access to vast numbers of soldiers independent from the blood legions. (See p. 149 of Descent Into Avernus.)

GARGAUTH

Detailed notes for Gargauth are presented in Addendum: Playing Gargauth. Gargauth is different from the other factions presented here because he doesn’t really have an organization or base of power. However, his place in the chain of succession for the archdukes of Avernus (Tiamat through an unknown number of intermediaries to Gargauth to Bel to Zariel) is significant, and his relationships with the other factions may be both significant and insightful for the PCs. If freed from the Shield of the Hidden Lord, Gargauth is also a powerful entity in his own right who could help the PCs achieve many of their goals.

(Gargauth is also notable because the PCs might not bring him to Avernus at all, in which case he’ll play no role in this phase of the campaign. Which is just fine.)

What Gargauth Wants: Gargauth’s primary goal is being freed from the Shield of the Hidden Lord. He might accomplish that by convincing the PCs to help him; or he might pursue it by betraying them and continuing the pursuit of his bond to sacrifice cities to the Blood War.

Being restored as Archduke? Interesting, but he knows there’s no clear path to making that happen. (Although if Zariel were removed and he was in just the right place at the right time…?)

Becoming one of the Dark Eight? Also interesting, and perhaps far more plausible.

What Gargauth Offers: As noted, a freed Gargauth can help the PCs in a number of ways (killing Zariel, severing the chains holding Elturel, etc.). The trick is that this will only happen if he’s properly bound or motivated before being freed. If the PCs don’t dot the i’s and cross the t’s of any agreement with Gargauth before freeing him, he’ll just thank them sincerely, cackle at their naivete, and then disappear into the multiverse.

THE PURPLE CITY

Baron Tolmanen, Agamemnova Hex, and Lux Arakxis of the Purple City (Hex F2) exist as something of a midway point between the warlords of the Avernian plains and the powerful factions that rule Avernus: They are known to deal with both, their level of power and influence lies somewhere between them, and their ambitions would seek to propel them into the latter.

If Bel, Gargauth, and Tiamat are Those Who Would Be King, then these are Those Who Would Be Those Who Would Be King.

The Purple City can thus be a natural transition point in your campaign. When the PCs ask their warlord buddies about contacting Bel, they may be referred to the potentates of the Purple City to make the introductions. Conversely, if Tiamat becomes curious about who these new sword hunters are who have been stirring up trouble and are rumored to be traveling with Zariel’s celestial mount, then perhaps Arkhan will call in some old favors with Lux Arakxis to investigate the PCs (or kidap Lulu!).

What They Want: Power and wealth. Each of the three factions of the Purple City also seek advantage against the other two.

What They Offer: If you know the right people, the Purple City can be both a safe haven and a place to resupply in the unforgiving wilds of Avernus.

• Baron Tolmanen is a veteran of the blood legions and maintains contacts with many of his former comrades. (Perhaps some serve on Zariel’s flying fortress? Or in Bel’s honor guard?)
• The Archmagi of Thraxai are well-versed in infernal and arcane lore. They might even provide an alternative to Mad Maggie for recovering Lulu’s memories. (Perhaps they know how to build a dream machine? Or could similarly repair Maggie’s if it was stolen from her?)
• The March are infiltration specialists well-versed in the security systems of Hell. They also have a heartstone, one of the dream machine components.

Homework: If you’re interested in further expanding the infernal politics of the campaign, consider developing one or more of the Dark Eight. Zariel, of course, rose from their ranks, and they are constantly scheming and vying with each other for power and prestige.

Go to Part 7F-B: Demonic Powers

What do you do when your players run away from a scenario?

Why do players turtle up instead of pursuing the scenario hooks? Why do some players insist on running off to do their own thing?

Is any of this really a problem? And what can a GM do about it?

The new video pipeline I talked about last time, unfortunately, completely failed. The editing service I hired simply could not deliver usable video files. So I’m re-trenching and will be attempting to find a different editing solution to help streamline my editing process.

Then things got worse because Adobe Premiere updated and promptly started crashing my GPU. Adobe is in denial that the problem even exists, which is… fun.

I’m also looking into potentially buying new camera equipment. My current setup, for reasons I haven’t been able to diagnose, keeps glitching the video in long takes… and all my videos are long takes. With a different equipment I’ll probably be able to do more single-take videos, which will ALSO speed up the post-production time table.

In any case: Stop listening to me grouse about my production woes! Go enjoy the video!