With Fort Knucklebone, the action moves into Avernus proper. Fort Knucklebone is a minor quest hub; it allows the characters to get used to some of the aspects of Avernus and undertake some missions before heading off on the bulk of their quest.

It is worth stating why the characters are here:

Lulu remembers a pair of kenku called Chukka and Clonk at Fort Knucklebone. She met them after she abandoned the Sword of Zariel. She hopes to jog her memory and discover where she left the sword.

Unfortunately, though the characters do not know this yet, Lulu will not remember anything useful when she meets them. But, for now, let the players have hope!

What the Kenku Know

There is an immediate problem. Here is the sum of the information the kenku know about Lulu:

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Yes, that is right. They know nothing. If you ask them about Lulu, this portion of the adventure does not provide any further information about their meeting. (Besides, they are kenku. They might not be able to convey the information in any case). But here is a reminder of what other parts of the adventure say about her meeting with the kenku:

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Yes, the text never mentions the details of the meeting anywhere else, either!

You have to imagine that, in the time between Lulu losing the sword and Lulu reaching the Emporium, she met the kenku. It cannot be after the Emporium because it is there that Mahadi gives her to Zariel. So, Lulu, who still had all her memories met the kenku, and that is all we know.

If we make a few assumptions, it seems likely that Lulu would not have revealed much. She was looking for a way out of Avernus or allies to help redeem Zariel. Neither of the kenku likely qualified but may have slightly aided her. I do not think Lulu met Mad Maggie, as otherwise, the night hag would have different reactions.

So, once we accept that the kenku are of no help, we replace the “help” at Fort Knucklebone with that of Mad Maggie. If you feel like making the connections between sections stronger, end Elturel with Lulu remembering that the kenku told her their mistress was good with memories – and thus might be able to help Lulu’s condition or something of that sort.

Mad Maggie

The night hag is surprisingly helpful towards the heroes. She wants to learn what Lulu knows, as do the characters. However, there are a few consequences if they let her know. In the first real interaction with a resident of Avernus, the PCs can give her everything she wants without a problem. And, if you desire to run the adventure to as-written, the characters must gain her help.

You can – and probably should – make dealing with Mad Maggie a little uncomfortable. Yes, she looks and acts like a kindly grandmother, but she is not. If, every so often, she does something callous or cruel – say, killing a redcap who inadvertently offends – you can keep the characters aware of her true nature. However, as noted, they still need her help. So, be careful not to cross the line, so they abandon her.

You have the chance during the dream quest to enhance the experience with evocative descriptions. The action itself is relatively simple to depict. Using abrupt changes, even in the middle of combat, such as rearranging where everyone is, can help add to the sense of unreality. You might make a spell effect looks different or have the foes bleed flowers.

The failure state of Lulu not recovering her memories is not permanent. Assuming the characters do not kill Mad Maggie, they can retry the dream quest again and again until they succeed. If the characters refuse to deal with Mad Maggie, you have a bigger problem. The solution is, as the characters leave the encampment to have Lulu suddenly remember where to go. Lulu could even let the characters know that not dealing with the hag was the right option.

Other Quests in Camp

Most of the other NPCs in Fort Knucklebone have a little quest associated with them. None are particularly hard to do, but you may want to think about how you present them.

It is easy to make this very light-hearted. Should you?

That very much is a question for you and your group, and it applies to all of Avernus. You can play this material very dark, you can play it light-heartedly (with perhaps a tinge of darkness), or you could play it in many places in-between. Although the adventure’s tone is worth discussing at the beginning of the campaign, it is something you can address again now. The players now understand the basics of the scenario; you should confirm what sort of game they want from now on.

The quest with Mickey the Flesh Golem has shades of Androcles and the Lion; it would be nice if, at a future moment when the characters are in need, Mickey returns to aid them.

Pins and Needles provide one of the darker quests. If the imps succeed at deceiving the party, then you could have them reveal, after the mission is complete, that they tricked the party into killing the madcap. Without this, you lose the ethical and moral dimensions of their request, although such may be appropriate to your group.

Leaving Fort Knucklebone

Although this section leaves open the possibility of the characters not gaining help from Mad Maggie, you want to give them an infernal war machine. Without one, the encounters with the warlords in Avernus are nowhere near as entertaining.

Likewise, soul coins are necessary to power the blasted thing. You will likely notice a lack of soul coins given out as treasure in the following sections of that. Keep an eye on the players’ supply and add more as needed.

We’ll cover the travel around Avernus in the next instalment of this series!