In the fourth session of our play of Descent into Avernus, the characters continued their investigation into the underground sewer hideout of the devil cultists – as opposed to the Dead Three cultists found in their previous expedition.

They were investigating the sewer complex below the manor of Duke Valthampur, as detailed in the previous instalment. In addition to the player characters, Reya Mantlemorn, a Hellrider of Elturel, accompanied the characters, as did their captive, Amrik Valthampur, the son of the Duke. For the sake of my sanity, I assumed that Reya was guarding Amrik, so that he didn’t run away, and that she only entered the fray when necessary.

Their goals: Find the Duke and the High Overseer of Elturel. Learn from them what had happened to Elturel!

The Early Investigation

The party came up with a new strategy for the sewers: they’d blow out all the lights in each area using thaumaturgy, then attack while aided by their darkvision, which the mostly human cultists lacked! It was a nice idea, and it worked well against lesser foes.

The next few rooms were empty, or had low-level cultists. Where was the Duke hiding, and where was Thavius Kreeg? In fact, the Duke was in a secret room, but while they checked walls for secret doors, they failed to investigate the correct wall, walking past it several times.

However, a few higher-level cultists heard the party coming and prepared to ambush the heroes in the next chamber.

One of the oddities of this ambush was that both the party and the cultists were aware of the other. However, the cultists had more patience. One of the party members tried to find a back way into where the cultists were waiting. He ran into a patrol. This altercation distracted the rest of the party, some of whom went to investigate.

At that stage, the cultists attacked! With the party split, it was a tough fight. The patrol was certainly overmatched – only two against third or fourth-level characters? However, they kept mostly out of sight and used cover, prolonging the battle.

However, there weren’t enough cultists, and the party stood triumphant!

Reactive Dungeons

The primary corridor forms a ring around the rooms, with a few other passages leading from one side of the ring to another. This configuration allows cultists who survive to alert the others. You can take advantage of that, but there aren’t that many cultists.

Mostly, ambushes may be the order of the day, with a few cultists scouting out the party. My group didn’t give them much of a chance to do that!

A Few Non-Answers

The first breakthrough of the evening came when the party discovered the hiding place of Thavius Kreeg, the High Overseer of Elturel.

Upon questioning, Thavius told a sad story of his kidnap by the Duke. His lies deceived Reya, but not any of the characters.

A note: the players requested Wisdom (Insight) checks, but I made the rolls in secret. These days, I don’t want the players to get false readings from their rolls. “I rolled a 1, so he must be telling lies since Merric told me he was telling the truth.”

The adventure notes that the players can intimidate Thavius into telling the truth, but no-one tried that. Instead, they attempted to catch him out in a lie, thus proving to Reya that he was a villain, but they didn’t have enough information to prove that.

The characters bound Thavius and left him in the room.

The characters also discovered a magic shield in Thavius’s chamber. This item was intelligent, containing the spirit of an entrapped solar. It communicated with the archer of the party and convinced him to take the shield because it was powerful! And the solar revealed Thavius’s betrayal, although only the archer could hear it. Reya remained unconvinced.

The actual powers of the shield I wouldn’t reveal to the next session, but the archer left with high hopes for its potency. And he wondered about his choices in life! Why use a bow when he had a powerful magic shield now?

Actual Answers

The real breakthrough came when the party liberated Falaster Fisk, an agent of Candlekeep, from the cultists’ prison. Falaster related much relevant information about Thavius’s plans.

This revelation was enough for Reya. She was convinced, and Thavius was going to see vengeance! Reya was so furious that she agreed to turn the traitor over to the Flaming Fist!

What had Thavius done? He’d made a bargain with Zariel, the ruler of the first level of Hell, Avernus, to entrap Elturel and its citizens there, along with Duke Ravengard of Baldur’s Gate. The details of the contract were in a puzzle box held somewhere in the mansion.

Falaster also knew the layout of the sewers, which he had scouted before being captured. Most importantly, he knew the location of the secret room that the duke used.

When the party found her, Duke Valthampur immediately attacked. The party didn’t have a chance to exchange words. She knew why they had intruded, and she wanted them dead.

Instead, death was her fate. The adventure notes that she attempts to flee when badly hurt, but the party used their best magic. She didn’t have a chance!

The room she hid in had an altar to Zariel. The party were not amused.

Finding the Infernal Puzzle Box

The only room the characters had not searched above was the one where the last son of the Duke was ensconced. Amrik led them there, and his disabled brother Thurstwell moved to attack. To everyone’s surprise, he only had five hit points, and a guiding bolt proved to be the last thing he saw. There was no chance of capturing him instead after the ranged attack, as only melee attacks can be made non-lethal.

However, he had the puzzle box in his possession. This box, inscribed with infernal runes, contained the contract that Thavius had signed. There was one problem: No-one could open it.

Falaster Fisk, however, knew someone who had made a study of such things. She was a sage in Candlekeep, the citadel of scholars to the south. Indeed, the sage had sent Falaster to Baldur’s Gate to investigate rumours of the box. The party agreed she was the best person to consult to discover its secrets.

Closing out the Investigation

The party had found the puzzle box, killed the Duke, and captured Thavius and Amrik. So, they proceeded to their patron in the Flaming Fist, captives in tow. Captain Zodge was pleased with their efforts and paid them the money he’d promised. He remanded Thavius and Amrik in custody, and the adventurers surrendered their deputy badges with some reluctance. The futures of Thavius and Amrik were unlikely to be pleasant.

However, a new mission beckoned: to Candlekeep to discover the details of the contract. It seemed that Duke Vanthampur had also planned to cause Baldur’s Gate to fall into Avernus. Was that plan detailed in the box? It was time to visit the sage!

The Knights of the Shield

Getting to Candlekeep took a few days. I removed some of the encounters on the way, as a pick-pocket attempt seemed mundane after the travails they’d already encountered. However, I thought it was worth keeping an ambush by warriors disguised as merchants, as it tied in directly to the shield that the archer had taken.

The leader of the warriors engaged the group in conversation, asking how the road was and whether Baldur’s Gate was open. However, he was particularly interested in what the elf archer was carrying, and upon seeing its device, ordered his fellows to attack.

The combat was challenging, but the party were rested and went all-out. The leader proved to be a cambion, however, and he fled, flying away when his comrades were defeated. Perhaps he’d turn up again?

I chose this point to close the session. The beginning of Candlekeep involves significant exposition, and I wanted the players to be awake for it!

We’ll get to Candlekeep next time. Until then, may your dice roll well!