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DESIGNED ENCOUNTER TABLE

ALLIP’S SECRET: An allip (TOF, p. 116) wanders Avernus. This particular allip was formed when the Bloody Cyst formed around Yael and Lulu. Its whispers of madness ability reveals fractured images from the Second Visit to Idyllglen (see Part 6D-B). This allip (or others formed in the same instant) might have other secrets which belonged to Yael or Lulu.

CADAVER COLLECTOR: A cadaver collector (TOF, p. 122) has been collecting demonic corpses, which are pinioned to its back.

ORTHON HUNTER: An orthon (TOF, p. 169) has been sent to kill one or more of the PCs. (Who sent it and why, exactly, they want the PCs dead will depend on exactly what sort of mischief they’ve been getting up to in your campaign.) This particular orthon is quite sporting, and will start by openly approaching the PCs and explaining that, with its deepest apologies, it will begin hunting them thirty hours from now. They should make whatever final arrangements they need to, because then they will surely be dead. “Good luck! I look forward to a good, fair challenge!”

If the PCs attempt to immediately attack the orthon, he will consider this a breach of good sportsmanship. If he can escape, he will contact two additional orthons to form a triumvirate who will ruthlessly hunt the PCs.

ESCORT TO DIS: A corruption devil (EGD, p. 175) named Drograxol is being carried across Avernus on a bower by a dozen corrupted followers (EGD, p. 176). They are accompanied by an Enforcer of Dis (BOF, p. 154) who serves as Drograxol’s body guard.

Drograxol is an ambassador from Dis who is now returning to the Second Layer of Hell. (He’s heading for Tiamat’s Lair in Hex C1 and the Gate Tower of Dis that lies within it.) If he is successfully engaged in repartee, he may bemoan the hardship of his work in recent centuries. Relations between Dispater and Zariel have been… difficulty since the Siege of Dis during the Reckoning.

LEMURE HARVEST: A malebranch (SSA, p. 27) is often dispatched to collect wayward souls. This one, named Kaziron, has gathered a half dozen lemures (MM, p. 76) who are leashed to him with hooked chains. He is hoping to gather more before returning to the Purple City (Hex F2), and would be glad to hear of any recent lemure sightings. (He’d also be interested in any reports of nupperibo.)

SIN BEARER: The soul of a man or woman (commoner or cult fanatic; MM, p. 345) walks the Avernian wastelands with heavy tablets of lead strapped to their back. The tablets are inscribed with all the sins they committed in their mortal life.

FEASTING SWARM: A feasting swarm (BOF, p. 74) has settled upon the bodies strewn across a recent battlefield, stripping flesh from devil and demon corpses alike. (You can roll on the Procedural Encounters table to determine the corpse types.)

FACES OF BELLANDI: High Watcher Naja Bellandi, who formed the Pact with Zariel which ultimately led to Elturel’s fall, was damned to Hell. She wanders the Avernian wastelands as a faces of the great (BOF, p. 94), with the important distinction that rather than being made up of the faces of many different mortals, Bellandi’s bloated form carries many different versions of her own face — all of which mutter and murmur, constantly debating each other over whether she was right to do what she did; what she could have done different; how unfair it was that she was betrayed before she could make it right; and so forth.

If the PCs can interpret through her madness, they may be able to learn much of the history behind Elturel’s fall.

CHERNOBUE STALKER: A chernobue (BOF, p. 194) begins following the PCs at a distance. A chernobue has the appearance of a large, scuttling, filth-encrusted eye. It keeps far away from the PCs, often lurking right at the edge of the horizon or peering down at them from the top of some distant hill. It watches them without surcease.

ABYSSAL SKY HARRIERS: High above the PCs’ heads, an abyssal dragon (BOF, p. 204) flies by. It is beset by a dozen squads of the 3^rd Aerial Cohort of the 5^th Legion (which is based out of Zariel’s flying fortress). The dragon has been separated from the demonic frontlines and driven deep into Avernus, harried constantly by the aerial cohort who are hoping to take the beast down once and for all.

ESCAPEES FROM ELTUREL: This encounter indicates that the PCs have met someone else who has chosen to leave Elturel and seek their own fortune in Hell. You can roll on the table below to determine what Elturian faction they belong to:

Go to Part 7H-C: Procedural Encounters

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Random encounters can be used to achieve several different effects. In the case of the Avernian Hexcrawl, they’re designed to provide flexible content that will give a dynamic life to the Avernian wastelands, either as the PCs travel between keyed locations or while fleshing out those locations during play.

When using the Avernian Random Encounters, you may find it useful to check out:

• 5E Hexcrawl: Encounters, which breaks down the basic mechanics for random encounters. You can also use these tools to tweak the encounter check procedures described below.
• Hexcrawl Tool: Tracks, for details on running encounters from the Tracks results.
• Random GM Tip: Encounter Distance, which can be used to add encounter distances to your encounter generation procedures.
• Breathing Life Into the Wandering Monster, which looks at the actual practice of using procedural content generators at the gaming table.

The random encounters will use material from several sources, which are referenced using abbreviations:

• MM = Monster Manual
• TOF = Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
• GTM = Volo’s Guide to Monsters
• DIA = Descent Into Avernus
• EIA = Encounters in Avernus
• IE = Infernal Encounters
• EGD = Emirikol’s Guide to Devils
• SSA = Scientific Secrets of Avernus
• BOF = Book of Fiends 5E
• DDAL09-19 = Avernus Rising: Fang & Claw

ENCOUNTER CHECKS

Roll 2d10 and 1d12.

• A roll of 1 on 1d10 indicates an encounter. (Double 1’s indicate two simultaneous encounters.)
• A roll of doubles on d10’s (other than double 1’s) indicates that you should roll on the Designed Encounters table. Otherwise roll on the Procedural Encounters table for each one. (If you roll a designed encounter you’ve already used, roll a procedural encounter instead.)
• If the PCs are traveling on/along the Styx, there’s a 50% chance that any procedural should be rolled on the Styx Encounters table instead of the normal table.
• For each procedural encounter, check Track %, then Lair %.
• A roll of 1 on 1d12 indicates the PCs have encountered the keyed location in the hex. (If there are multiple keyed locations in the current hex, determine which one is encountered randomly.)

These results can be combined into a simultaneous encounter. (For example, rolling doubles on the d10’s and 1 on the d12 would indicate a scripted encounter taking place at the hex’s keyed location. Or you might roll a procedural tracks encounter plus a location encounter, indicating that the PCs have found tracks at they keyed location.)

DESIGN NOTES

I don’t typically use designed encounters (for reasons discussed here), unless there’s some specific design goal or advantage to be gained. In this case, as described above, I’m drawing encounter material from a wide variety of sources, and several of these include really good prepackaged encounters. It would be silly not to include this material, even though it adds a little extra complexity to our encounter checks.

Actually, I’m hoping that by using multiple dice and checking for doubles, that I have at least managed to streamline the number of dice rolls. (I was also quite pleased to easily generate simultaneous encounters with this system, which I felt were particularly important to include (a) given the fractious nature of Avernus and (b) to provide significantly more variety to the encounters.)

For procedural encounters, the tables have been designed to usually generate an encounter between 7^th Level Deadly (8,500 XP) and 12^th Level Hard (15,000 XP) for five PCs. Since multiple encounters can occur simultaneously, this creates a functional range from 8,500 XP to 30,000 XP (which is Deadly for 15^th level characters).

(Some encounters are an exception to this towards the lower end, where interesting or relevant fiends have been included even if would take a bajillion of them to hit the desired challenge range. They’ll either be scenic in nature or provide a little extra color when generated simultaneously with another encounter.)

This distribution is generally achieved on some form of bell curve, so the extremes will be relatively unusual. The net effect, however, is that Avernus will be very dangerous when the PCs first arrive and they will never be able to feel completely safe in Hell. This is deliberate because, well… It’s Hell. But it should also be mitigated to some degree because not every encounter should be thirsting for the PCs’ blood (which you can simulate using the Avernian Reactions table, or improvise according to your own predilections).

It is also possible to generate a very rare dangerous devil. These fiends are individually Deadly encounters for Level 12 to Level 18 characters (22,500 XP to 47,500 XP). They are obviously incredibly dangerous, particularly if they get combined with another encounter. Things to consider include:

• Assuming either indifference or a non-hostile intent on the part of these devils (e.g., the PCs see them flying far overhead or they offer the PCs a standing offer for their souls).
• Choosing to ignore the dangerous devil encounters entirely (or selectively ignoring them as appropriate).
• Increasing the Tracks % for these encounters (possibly to 100%) so that the PCs become aware of the danger without being immediately confronted by it.

Or just roll with it and let the dice fall where they may.

Go to Part 7H-B: Designed Encounters

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In the cosmology of D&D, when someone dies, their soul journeys to the Outer Planes where it is reincarnated as an extraplanar entity. For the damned, this usually means being forged into a soul coin, emerging as a lemure, or otherwise being placed at the bottom of the Asmodean hierarchy.

Those who served Hell faithfully in life, however, can sometimes skip ahead, being immediately incarnated as more powerful devils. (Particularly if they were wise in the bargains they struck.)

In an adventure which begins with the PCs killing devil cultists on the Material Plane and then sees them travel to Avernus, this can have the curious consequence of encountering the same villains they killed at the beginning of the campaign as devils who have received their eternal “reward.” As Thalamra Vanthampur swears with her dying breath: “I’ll see you in Hell.”

Hell, of course, is a very large place and it would perhaps seem unlikely that the PCs would run into these devils purely by chance. But the cultists encountered in the first act of the campaign are all closely connected with Zariel’s Elturian schemes; and, of course, our adventures in Hell focus on both Zariel and Elturel. It may actually be rather unsurprising to discover that these foundling devils have been drawn to the same place.

(And, of course, it’s dramatically satisfying to see this flipped side of the coin.)

Here we’re going to look at several characters from Act I of the campaign who, assuming they died, can return to torment the PCs when they arrive in Hell.

Depending on how your campaign plays, you may find it useful to use all, some, or none of them: Perhaps the players were careful to capture cultists so that they could face lawful prosecution, in which case they’ll be rotting in cells instead of roving among the damned. On the other hand, there may be some ostensibly minor NPC who, in your campaign, became a major antagonist.

THALAMRA, WARLORD HUNTER

In life, Thalamra formed a pact with Zariel. In death, she has been transformed into a deathlock mastermind (Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, p. 128). Locked to Zariel’s will, she has been dispatched to hunt down the rebellious warlords of Avernus: Bring them to heel or grind them into the dust.

Thalamra rides atop a demon grinder (DIA, p. 219) crewed by four bearded devils (MM, p. 70). Her two lieutenants ride alongside on devil’s rides (DIA, p. 218):

• Lilxori, a cambrion (Warlords of Avernus, p. 10)
• Asharu, a barbed devil (MM, p. 70)

Chained to Thalamra’s belt are her dead children, transformed into lemures (MM, p. 76).

USING THALAMRA: Thalamra’s full crew is quite dangerous. Fortunately, they will most likely not be looking for the PCs (although that could change) and it should be fairly easy to avoid them on the Avernian plains if they’re on a war-ride.

If they’re not riding out in force, it’s far more likely to encounter Lilxori, Asharu, and/or some of the bearded devils trying to track down a warlord’s lair (or, if the lair is too strong, identify a time and place they might be vulnerable)… information they might be willing to pay a handsome bounty for.

As described in Part 7F, it’s also quite likely that Thalamra will first make her presence felt in Avernus by disrupting the balance of power between the local warlords. The PCs can encounter the vestiges of these conflicts (smoking war machines, a warlord’s lair filled with butchered corpses, etc.) and rumors will begin racing across the wastelands. The PCs might also be asked by warlords to protect them from Thalamra, to help them negotiate an alliance with another warlord to oppose Thalamra, or even to ride in a war-band to take Thalamra down.

THAVIUS KREEG

As described in Part 7D, Thavius’ reward for ultimately delivering Elturel into Zariel’s hand is incarnation as a magugon (The Book of Fiends, p. 170). He has been given the rank of Triarius and serves aboard Zariel’s flying fortress, where he’s most likely to be encountered.

REYA MANTLEMORN & THE HELLRIDERS

Literally any knight of Elturel that the PCs encounter during the first part of the campaign (up until the point where the Tome of the Creed is destroyed) will have fallen and rose as a Hell Knight. Many of these Hell Knights can be found in fallen Elturel (seeking to keep the city under control until it can be dropped into the Styx).

Reya Mantlemorn is the most likely such character for the PCs to have developed a relationship with.

The key thing to understand about Hell Knights is that their souls have been warped by their transformation into devils: They remember their former lives, but their morality has been fundamentally warped and their will is at least partially enslaved to both Zariel and their devilish nature. If necessary, they will not hesitate to use their mortal memories to betray those who were once dear to them.

On the other hand, many are painfully conflicted by the memories of who they were and what they have become. So if they are not actively tasked, the PCs may also find them tragic figures.

(Other Hell Knights, of course, were willing Zarielites actively conspiring to bring about Elturel’s fall. They are far less transformed by their devilish forms, but are probably even more dangerous.)

You can use any devil stats for a Hell Knight. A few likely possibilities include:

• barbed devil (MM, p. 70)
• bearded devil (MM, p. 70)
• bone devil (MM, p. 71)
• chain devil (MM, p. 72)
• ashemde (Book of Fiends, p. 145)
• chamagon (Book of Fiends, p. 150)
• kere (Book of Fiends, p. 167)
• pain mistress (Book of Fiends, p. 174)
• shocktroop devil (Emirikol’s Guide to Devils, p. 187)

If you want some Hell Knight mooks, consider mobs of:

• spined devils (MM, p. 78)
• herlekin (Book of Fiends, p. 164)
• vierhaander (Book of Fiends, p. 181)
• narzugon, variant (Emirikol’s Guide to Devils, p. 181)
• merregon, variant (Emirikol’s Guide to Devils, p. 184)
• merregon (DIA, p. 238)

Particularly potent Hell Knights might include:

• erinyes (MM, p. 73)
• erinyes vanguard (Emirikol’s Guide to Devils, p. 178)
• magugon (Book of Fiends, p. 170)
• assassin devil (Emirikol’s Guide to Devils, p. 171)
• narzugon (DIA, p. 239)

DOOMED REFUGEES

Remember how the Cult of the Companion was murdering descendants of Elturian knights so that their souls would be sucked into Hell?

Guess where they are now.

As a reminder, these victims are definitely dead:

• Edmao Eduardo
• Wemba Oshrat
• Madhuri Akhila
• Leiv Diomidis
• Aneta Diomids
• Annika Silverleaf
• Shohreh Letitia

And these people may have also died if the PCs weren’t in time to prevent their murders:

• Iolanthe Oshrat (sister of Wemba Oshrat, the second victim)
• Valeria Nuska
• Weronika Nuska (sisters)

Unlike those who actually swore oaths, these victims are unlikely to have been transformed into Hell Knights. They are far more likely to be lemures (MM, p. 76), encountered:

• On the shores of the Styx
• In Zariel’s flying fortress
• Enslaved by one of the warlords

And so forth. However, if it makes sense for one of them to show up as a more powerful devil, you can easily use the suggested list above.

Alternatively, they could be placed as hellwardens (Book of Fiends, p. 163), eternally crucified devils who serve as damned watchmen. (Perhaps around the Dock of Fallen Cities or Haruman’s Hill.)

DM Tip: This may also be an opportunity to emphasize that the PCs’ time in Hell is not without costs in the real world. Consider having the PCs meet an Elturian refugee who was alive when the left Baldur’s Gate, but who has died in the interim.

OTHER CULTISTS

If you’re following the Principles of RPG Villainy, then it’s quite possible that other cultists in Act I will end up resonating with your players or otherwise growing to unexpected importance.

The Hell Knight list, above, is a good place to start for bringing them into Hell for an encore appearance. They might be operating independently, or you might put them in service to Thalamra, Thavius, or a Hell Knight.

Note: Quite a few of the bad guys the PCs face in Act I are actually Dead Three cultists who have been hired by the Vanthampurs. While it’s possible for Dead Three worshipers to end up in Hell, it’s comparatively unlikely.

KELTON HUNTER

The Poisoned Poseidon (the beached ship taken over as a base of operations by the Dead Three cultists in Act I) was, as described in Part 3E, originally captained by a warlock named Kelton Hunter who was infamously dragged into Hell.

Whether that story is true or not, Kelton Hunter is now a charonadaemon pirate sailing the Styx. (See merernoloth, Tome of Foes, p. 250.) The PCs might encounter his new ship, the Nether Poseidon, while seeking passage across the Styx (in which case he might rob them or attempt to shanghai them into his crew). Alternatively, the Nether Poseidon might attack a ship that the PCs are taking passage on.

Kelton and/or his crew might also be encountered at Sudok’s Mart (Hex B2a) or the Purple City (Hex F2). It might be intriguing if he was friends with Carol D’Vown (Hex D2a). He might interrupt PCs exploring the wreck of the elemental galleon (Hex H5).

Kelton will be interested to hear how his old ship is faring, and will be glad to hear that it’s being put to “good use” if he hears about the grisly serial killings.

Go to Part 7H: Avernian Random Encounters

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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