"I think we shall enjoy her company. There is only one last thing I will have to ask you before we go. Your servant that we rescued from the Vanthaumpurs mentioned that you would be willing to pay us in exchange for taking this square to you. Either in gold or magic items, which might come in handy to us in stopping this menace."

"A few questions. One, do you know if the Hhunes were guards of Gargauth, or his servants?"
"That seems unlikely", she says.
"Two, he is indeed very dangerous, as is the creature within. Where do you have in mind to place the Shield, and why was it not placed in such an extradimensional vault before?"
"It was. Someone must have stolen it." she answers.
"Three...I have connections with the Hhunes, and suspect they will not take kindly to losing the Shield. Perhaps to allay a violent response on their part to get the Shield back, some sort of fake could made to distract them for long enough for the Shield to be hidden and them to...no longer be a problem?"
"Perhaps, but..if you are a member of the family, I imagine you would know what to do, or whom to talk to about this?"
"Four, what should we get to prepare to enter the Hells?"
Before she could answer, Misha moaned loudly in clear annoyance. "So many questions."
"Ok! Well, when you are ready to depart, I can have Candlekeep griffons fly you to see Traxigor."

Gargauth speaks to Allynna weakly..“Take me to the Nine Hells, and I’ll swear to serve you faithfully as both a guide and an advisor.”

"I'll arrange for a message to be sent that can stave them off," Allynna says calmly, still ignoring Misha. So the Hhunes probably had it stolen or stole it themselves. Sorry, Celia. You're too tangled up in this now. "In which case I will meet the rest of you at the griffon stables in about half an hour," she says evenly to Yoska before heading to another part of the library to send her message.

 After finishing the note, Allynna glanced down at her powerfully glowing jewel and considered smashing it, but realized that might be counterproductive and left it alone. **** off, dear. If they decide to take your Shield along, they do. If not, you'll stay here to get poked and prodded. The most I'll do for you is not mention that you want to go to the Hells, since that would ensure you never get there. No matter what, this necklace is staying with me. Your power is very useful now that I'm not doing what you say.

Jill looks amazed the prospect of riding a griffin. "Well I have never flown before, so this will be very intriguing."

Persephone: "Griffons?!  How delightful!  I've read so much about them, but never have witnessed first-hand their amazing abilities!"  She then wanders off, lost in amazement and thought, perusing the stuffed shelves in Sylvira's chamber.

Sylvira ushers you to a crescent-shaped landing platform with a stunning view of the sea. Waiting for you atop this platform are several griffons with saddles, their handlers standing nearby to help you. “The griffons have instructions to fly you to Traxigor’s tower,” says Sylvira. “Don’t worry, it’s safe!”

The griffons take flight and head out to sea, flying just below the clouds. Candlekeep looks no less majestic from the air but grows smaller as the griffons soar westward. Large, rocky islands pass below you, and beyond them lies the open sea. After a long journey, you see a windowless, doorless stone tower — which somehow floats in the sky ahead. The griffons pass through jagged holes riddling the tower’s conical peak to land on the top floor below, which has a spiral staircase leading down.

Once the griffons land, you all dismount and descend the stairs into Traxigor’s tower. After delivering you all safely to the tower, the griffons take a short rest before flying back to Candlekeep.

TRAXIGOR'S TOWER

One level down, you see a cluttered chamber illuminated by various objects upon which continual flame spells have been cast. Scurrying around the room is an otter dressed in a tiny red cassock. The otter mumbles to itself in Common, mentioning something about a tuning fork it can't find. Suddenly, it takes notice of you and stands upright. “Lulu! Wake up! Our guests have arrived! Greetings expected ones! I am Traxigor!”

LULU

At the sound of her name, a small elephant with golden fur appears from under a pile of blankets near a table strewn with alchemical equipment. The elephant takes to the air on feathery wings and lets out a pleasing trumpet sound.

“Hello my new wonderful friends! I was with the angel Zariel when she assembled her army of Hellriders to attack Avernus. Through the gate we went, tearing through devils like a song through air. Victory was within our grasp until some of the Hellriders betrayed us. They retreated through the gate and sealed it behind them. Before she was captured, Zariel told me to hide her sword so that it wouldn’t fall into evil hands. Someone helped me hide the sword, but I don’t remember who. We found a place to hide it, but I don’t remember where. I escaped Avernus, but I don’t remember how. Most of my memory is gone, and I don’t remember why.”

“Seems useful,” Nok Nok grumbles. 

Persephone giggles out loud, and responds back to Lulu “You’re adorable!  I’m sorry that the Hellriders betrayed you, and apparently took away your memories. Perhaps we could help each other?  If you help us on our quest to Avernus, we’d do everything in our power to help you regain back your memories!”

"Elle est un elephant*!" Jill whispers. "It's okay that you don't remember anything, Lulu. I'm sure that you will be of assistance to us in this battle. You are very cute, by the way."

*-She's an elephant!

"I believe in the power of friendship!" Lulu squeaks. "I am so excited to be a part of this journey with you all!"

(Hollyphants are gentle, stalwart creatures native to the Upper Planes. Good-aligned deities and angels use them as messengers and helpers. Hollyphants treasure friendship and honesty. A hollyphant looks like a miniature elephant with luminous gold fur and small, rapidly fluttering wings that not only hold it aloft but also propel it at great speed. Although kind, a hollyphant won’t bear witness to an evil act without punishing the malefactor. Its pearlescent tusks are far from formidable, but it can unleash trumpet blasts from its trunk that can deafen creatures or engulf evildoers in radiant sparkles of positive energy. A hollyphant is also blessed with powerful innate magic to help it combat evil and protect its friends.)

Misha smiles and admires the strange creature. "Now," she nods, "We are truly a circus!" she barks in a loud laugh at the company she's presently keeping.

Traxigor's head pops up violently fast from behind a desk. "I found it!" the otter screams. "My tuning fork! Now I can teleport us to Avernus!"

"Well there's lots of friendship here, so I think that you're with the right people. I hope that no one has any unfinished business to attend to before we go." Jill grabs Misha and Corrin's hand as she waits for Traxigor to cast his spell.

Allynna nods, giving the hollyphant a faint smile. "Let's go to Hell."

Riannis bounces up and down on Allynna's shoulder. "I've never been there before!"

Nok sighs. "I hope this isn't a one-way trip." He then shoulders his pack, looks about his companions and sighs again. "Let's do it."

Traxigor taps his tuning fork, and in an instant, you are no where near the Prime Material any longer.

THE FALL OF ELTUREL

Burning, sweltering heat and fire.

A hot, stinging air assaults your senses. The city street in which you stand is lined with buildings that are crumbling, if not already collapsed. The ground shudders beneath your feet. In the red, smoky sky, a 400-foot-diamater sphere of darkness discharges strokes of bluish-white lightning that strike the city at irregular intervals. Perched atop a distant bluff, overlooking the rest of the city, is a crumbled fortress. Traxigor gazes up at the black orb nervously, utters a few arcane syllables, and disappears in the blink of an eye.

You find yourself on Avernus, the first layer of Hell - teleported to the captured city of Elturel.

Once a holy city whose folk venerated Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr, Elturel is now a site of doom and despair tethered some five hundred feet above the River Styx. Eight great chains bind the city to jagged posts of infernal iron, which stick up out of the ground like gargantuan spikes. The bottoms of those spikes are guarded by scores of devils, making escaping the city by climbing down an arduous task. The Companion, the second sun that provided so much solace and protection to the city for years, now glares down on Elturel like a baleful eye — a black void crackling with lightning.

Gold Count: Jill has 598 Gold.

Jill scoffs as she looks around Avernus. "When I was younger, I was always told that I had to be good or end up in Hell. And even after my parents died, I made sure not to lie to anyone, not to steal, and not to attack anyone who did not deserve it. And yet, somehow the good path ended up with me going here."

Upon teleportation, Lulu has a jolting revelation. "I remember this place! I think. The sounds! The smells! Oh! I can cast light! That's right!"

Lulu can cast Light innately now.

"We are een very dangerous territory now." Misha warns, surprisingly comfortable. "Hell is full of death, agony, and pain. Horrible creatures and plenty of suffering. The devils and demons here weel not be merciful to any of us." She latches into her armor and scans the ruins of the city, perhaps finding survivors, perhaps enemies to smash. She looked at the chains and felt that the city was slowly being dragged to the River Styx. "We don't hef much time. Lulu. What should we do?"

"There might be survivors in the High Hall Cathedral!" she suggests.

Nok Nok looks about, squinting a bit at the baleful eye of Mordor above. Absent-mindedly, he reaches into his pack, pulling out Jubilation's book and holding it tightly to his chest. "You there, Jubi? Don't abandon me here."

"I am here, Little One. Fear not." A brief pause. "Well, on second thought, fear everything....and stay safe, my little hero."

Nok grumble, his cheeks coloring slightly. "Don't call Nok that. Told you already, Nok not a hero." Even still, a slight smiles plays across his face, both for the comfort of knowing he is not alone in this trip to Hell and, also, because he secretly likes being thought of as a hero.

"Where to Dumbo?"