S1E81: Through the Valley of Hell

6 Uktar, 1494 DR

Players Involved:

• Veldryn (Male, Drow, Warlock)
• Zen (Male, Human, Fighter)
• Ilmryn (Male, Drow, Paladin)
• Zolo (Male, Aasimar, Fighter)

In a rare, relatively quiet day in the Bromocorah Guild, nestled comfortably in Avernus for weeks by then, they are visited by a group of Hellriders—their leader none other than the Mad Maggie herself. However, she seem to bring with her a half-elf bard, Kreon Lightbringer, who seems to be Demit's former employee. He implores aid to the guild leader, to help him go through the Avernus to reach the Arches of Ulloch, as he has places to be in Dis. Demit, suspicious of Mad Maggie's cordiality towards the half-elf, discovered that she is under an enchantment magic of his. Though wary of his intentions, Demit chooses the nightrobe wearing Veldryn, ever-intoxicated Zen, and the nature appreciating Zolo for the escort mission. Clueless of what is going on, they are promised the sight of trees, of which raises the aasimar's spirits.

To know the Arches' location in the ever-shifting plane of Avernus, the team is given the clue to go to a diviner in a fortune-telling tent of the Wandering Emporium. The elusive fortune-teller reads their fates, and points them to the direction of a treasure hoarding group, which has one part of the map, and a Sphinx of Secrets, which has another. Five cards then fly out of the tents on their way out, as if trying to follow their footsteps. They catch them and find each has arcane powers, thus keeping the cards with them. During their way back, Kreon avoids going throught the front of the Emporium, seemingly avoiding something. Veldryn then recalls that Ioanna Crossbear, a guildmember is at present opening a booth in the Emporium. Upon inquiry, it is revealed that the halfling is his childhood friend—though his dodgy behaviour left only questions.

Riding across Avernus with the help of Mad Maggie, who is conviced that Kreon the half-elf is somehow her cousin, they arrive at the caves of the war foragers' hideout. Upon arrival, they find that the foragers have mostly left the caves, leaving only a single cambion, and curiously, a familar prisoner: Ilmryn the paladin, who has been gone since their adventures in Ravnica. With their combined efforts, they swiftly defeated the cambion, and freed Ilmryn. Overjoyed by 'his brother's' reappearance, Veldryn finds out that it has been merely two days in the paladin's perspective since he left the guild.

Delving deeper into the caves, Zolo and Zen found a cave with a single chest, surrounded by fake treasures. Wary of mimics, the fighter aasimar shoots an adamantine arrow onto the chest, which shatters upon impact. Considering it to be safe, the two fighters enter the cave—only to find out that it was not the chest that is a mimic, but the cave itself is a Haunting Revenant, as it swallows the two.

With the help of Veldryn, casting Dimension Door to aid his friend's escape; Ilmryn's mighty defense protecting them all, Zen's quick thinking to grab the map out, and Zolo's arcane sight that figures out the weakness of the Revenant, they manage to escape the caves and destroys the haunted cave.

As they continue their journey, Zolo finds another cave system that leads to the Sphinx's location, avoiding the turmoil of the Avernian plane above. Veldryn, not favouring the reckless Hellriders, votes for them to proceed through the underground, of which the party unanimously agree to. With the expert navigation of the aasimar, they arrive at the front of th lair of the Sphinx, where a puzzle mechanism lies before them.

Realising the slots of the puzzle perfectly fits the cards they have, the party solves the puzzle with the aid of the cards they collected in front of the diviner's tent. The gates of the lair open, to reveal the Sphinx of Secrets' lair waiting for them. The Sphinx lends their aid in exchange of secrets the guildmembers offer: Ilmryn's past cruelty that he seeks to redeem, Zen telling Veldryn's habit of defecating in the garden, and Veldryn's [this section is redacted as per the subject's request]. Satisfied by the secrets they collected, they give them the direction to Arches of Ulloch and bide them farewell, with a certain drow gentleman asking for their contact for consulting.

The party continues their path underground, through tunnels and avoiding the fire storm above. They soon find themselves in front of the gate, where Ziebelohl, Guardian of the Arches stand waiting for them, surrounded by bloodied battlefield of destroyed carcass of strange abberrations. Despite the formidable enemy knocking them prone repeatedly, Gibbering Mouthers summoned through the gates, and their position shuffled by the spatial magic of the Arches, through Ilmryn's protective shield, Veldryn's eldrich magic, Zolo's surefire arrows, and Zen's killing blow, they all defeat Ziebelohl and manage to successfully let Kreon through the Arches of Ulloch. Before they part, however, he asks for them to deliver a message to his childhood friend:

"Tell her I'm sorry I couldn't become a good person like her!" Kreon shouts before he passes through.

"That's really cheesy!" Veldryn shouts back.

The party returns to the guildhouse, disappointed by the lack of trees they find in their journey. They relay the message to Ioanna, who seems annoyed that Kreon didn't even visit her, after twelve years of not meeting. Unbeknownst to them, the bard continues his venture deeper into the layers of Hell, making his way to the Prince of Hells himself, a goal in his mind...