Descent into Avernus — Session #4
The party ended the session with two conflicting accounts of who Davias truly is—a repentant sinner seeking redemption or a manipulative liar still in league with infernal powers. They carry a devil imprisoned in a shield and a contract that could damn or save a city. The road to Candlekeep stretches before them, but the seeds of distrust have been sown, and the escaped Bearded Devil (Escaped) and the living Amrik Vanthampur ensure their enemies are not done with them yet.
Ohsoss shatters the statue of Zariel despite his own hesitation, revealing a Glowing Mace hidden inside its head. Sam's dry comment about magic existing underscores the moment's humor.
The Duke's dying words—"I'll see you in hell"—hang in the air after a brutal fight where Elowena is knocked unconscious by a hellish rebuke but stabilized. The party realizes they have made a powerful enemy.
Ohsoss traces the infernal runes on the Obsidian Altar, causing the angel-shaped flame to vanish and the altar to crack in half. "I broke her phone," he says, realizing he severed a communication link with Zariel.
Davias reveals he was the High Rider of Elturel who signed a contract with Zariel to save the city, but the payment was the souls of all its people. The party must decide whether to trust a man who made a deal with a devil.
Alistair Fisk returns and reveals Davias was in league with the Vanthampurs, not their prisoner. He identifies the Celestial Shield as a prison for a devil named Gargoth, warning the party never to answer its whispers.
The party votes to give the Puzzle Box back to Davias, with Sam committing to escort him to Candlekeep even if he has to go alone, despite Aun's objections.
The session began in the aftermath of a fierce battle. The party stood among the corpses of cultists and devils in a sewer chamber beneath the Vanthampur manor, the air still thick with the smell of brimstone and blood. One bearded devil had escaped into the darkness, a loose thread that might yet unravel their plans.
In the center of the room stood a statue of Zariel in her angelic form, her hollow eyes glowing with an inner light. Ohsoss hesitated, muttering, "I feel like destroying the statue is a bad idea," but his curiosity won out. With a single spell, he shattered the stone, revealing a Glowing Mace hidden inside the head. Sam rolled his eyes. "You are aware magic exists," he said dryly, as if reminding a child that fire is hot.
Exploring deeper into the Vanthamper Sewer Channel, the party found a kitchen, dining room, jail cells, and a cave-in. Aun noticed a hidden door in the wall, and beyond it lay a chamber dominated by an Obsidian Altar. Kneeling before it was a gray-haired woman—The Duke. She had a readied action, and as soon as Ohsoss entered, she struck. The fight was brief but brutal. Sam moved in with his rapier, using his Bladesong to weave through her defenses. Ohsoss cast Fear, which damaged her even as she resisted. Elowena was caught by a hellish rebuke and dropped to the ground, unconscious, but was quickly stabilized. When the Duke fell, her last words were a whisper: "I'll see you in hell."
After the fight, Aun leaned against a wall and felt a faint breeze on his ankle—another secret door. Ohsoss ran all the way back to the Duke's room to test the Duke's Keys they had found, confirming one fit a door and one a chest. Returning breathless, he investigated the obsidian altar, tracing the infernal runes carved in blood with his finger. The angel-shaped flame atop it vanished, and the altar cracked in half. "I broke her phone," Ohsoss said, realizing he had severed a communication link with Zariel.
Through the second secret door, the party found a prisoner: Davias, a cleric of Torm who claimed he was the High Rider of Elturel. He told a harrowing story—he had signed a contract with Zariel to save the city, but the payment was the souls of all its people. He fled to Baldur's Gate instead of delivering them, and was captured by the Duke's guards. He offered three ways to reach Zariel: summon her via an infernal contract, go to a place of her influence in Avernus, or ask someone who already has her attention. Elowena sensed through the Celestial Shield that Davias was lying about something regarding the shield, and whispered this to Sam.
The party found treasure in the room: 30 electrum ingots, 300 gold, two pieces of a Broken Ceremonial Dagger (a curved ivory blade with draconic runes spelling 'fang'), 200 platinum, and 20 Azurite Gemstones. Ohsoss recognized them as likely stolen from Tiamat's horde, connecting to the cultists they had encountered earlier. When Aun tried to hide the Puzzle Box under a table, Davias became agitated, demanding its return. "I didn't steal it," Aun protested. "I killed the guy for it." Sam spoke to Davias in Abyssal, testing him; Davias understood but tried to hide it, confirming he had infernal connections.
The party debated whether to trust Davias. Aun voted against it, calling him a "bad guy in a different way." Sam and Ohsoss leaned toward trust, seeing him as their only guide. Ohsoss used his cute kobold eyes to try to persuade Davias they were friends, then personally handed him the puzzle box. Davias revealed it contained his infernal contract with Zariel; destroying it would release his soul, but he did not know how to open it. He proposed going to Candlekeep, where sages could help.
Back at the inn, Alistair Fisk returned and was shocked to see Davias. He revealed that Davias was in league with the Vanthampurs, not their prisoner—the party had not rescued him. Fisk identified the Celestial Shield as a prison for a devil named Gargoth, warning the party never to answer its whispers. He covered it with a Shimmering Cloth that shrank it to a manageable size. The party learned they had left Amrik Vanthampur alive in the attic, and Fisk warned he would become a future threat. The party agreed to travel to Candlekeep with both Davias and Fisk to have the puzzle box and the shield examined by Fisk's contact, Vaira.
This chronicle was generated by Kazkar from a live D&D session.
Chronicle Your Own Adventures