"Olanthius? We have come to find the Sword of Zariel and free this city from this hell-plane. I know you did not agree with Zariel and Haruman, and we can help to release you from your eternal walk in undeath. If you can help us find the sword - or perhaps more information on General Yael?" Kaelani entreats the figure. He puts all of his aasimar charm and intellect into the discourse. (Persuasion: 12)
You see the torch drop slightly at the mention of Zariel. "Are you the ones then that destroyed Haruman then? I have heard this was done. I weep at the sight of Elturel chained here in the depths of hell. Elturel must be freed from the chains that bind it to Avernus and then the city must be returned to the Material Plane. I cannot do this for you as I am bound to Zariel. But if you could redeem her, for she was once celestial and now corrupt, then the city could be freed. But you will be unable to redeem Zariel without the sword. Yael the Hellrider general who broke away from Zariel after Zariel made her pact with Asmodeus took Zariel's sword deep into Avernus and stabbed it into the ground forming the Bleeding Citadel."
He ponders for a moment.
"I will take you to the Bleeding Citadel. While you infiltrate it and recover the sword I will create a diversion to keep Zariel from stopping you. Then you will confront and redeem her and free the city."
Not sure he can remember who Harumen was if he ever knew him, but never one to miss an opportunity Tibi says with aplomb "Yes that was us! Infiltrating and recovering items is what the Acquisitions Incorporated chapter of Baldur's Gate specialises in!"He bows with a flourish continuing "my name is Cracticus tibicen and as Decisionist of the chapter I am happy to offer our services on this matter"he quickly glances around to make sure his colleagues are on board "but we are a business and I'd like to know what level of remuneration we can expect?"
He looks at Moses. "If you are in the city when you return it to the material plane, then you will return with it. Does that satisfy you?"
Returning his attention to Tibi, "Keep the sword, it will be a powerful relic. More powerful than you will likely find on your own plane. I have no gold or anything else to offer you."
When Olanthius offers them the sword as compensation for their efforts Tibi considers the offer for a short while before saying "done! Now where is this Bleeding Citadel, and what more do you know about it?"
"A deal is struck then." Olanthius responds. "The Bleeding Citadel is a cathedral formed out of positive energy. Avernus abhors the structure and has surrounded it in a bloody scab, earning it the name the Bleeding Citadel. This scab has also engulfed a demon named Crokek’toeck that was sent by the demon lord Yeenoghu to devour the blade. The holy power of the citadel resists the scab’s attempts to fully engulf it and make it one with Avernus, leaving the top of the citadel visible."
Lulu, listening intently pipes in. "I fear that the scab will eventually cover the entire structure, whereupon the citadel will be absorbed into the Nine Hells and the Sword of Zariel lost forever. The only entrance to the citadel is covered by the lower portion of the scab."
"That is true," Olanthous says, "But Yeenoghu’s demons have dug tunnels and chambers throughout the scab. Through these tunnels you can gain access to the citadel."
He addresses the whole group "I will take you close enough that you can find your way inside. But not so close that I will be interfering too much. We do not want to draw Zariel's attention. If you are ready we can go now."
"If my memory serves," Moses responds, "we will end up on the Sword Coast. It may take some doing to find transportation back to Skelkor, but that's better than being trapped here." The dragonborn nods, his hair-like ropes swinging. "Let us find this citadel."
You follow Olanthius out of the crypt. Near the entryway he has a chariot pulled by two gorgons. He climbs aboard as you get into your war machine. What follows is a race across the hellish landscape of Avernus that seems short, and yet also seems to take longer than you think it should. Distance and time are hard to keep track of. In time though your destination appears and grows larger as you approach.
"The Bleeding Citadel." Olanthius says ominously as he stops a distance away. "Find the sword and save Zariel, save yourselves. Give my love to Yael when you see her." With that said he turns the chariot away and rides off.
The scab is 300 feet high. The most obvious way to enter the Scab is through a hole near the top of the Scab. Climbing up you see that this entrance to the scab is a tube-shaped tunnel with a 20-foot radius, a circular gaping wound near the top of the scab that forms a tunnel that descends into darkness.
On the long trip that only seemed to take forever, Kaelani focused inwards. In the calm center of his being, he sought his celestial patron, attempting to connect with her even in this plane of hell. Although tenuous at first, the link grew stronger as Kaelani released his pretense of control. In the core of his being, the sorcerer felt a warm radiance and a sense of calm wash over him. Without even asking or consciously thinking about it, his patron revealed a new secret to him - a method to weave light and sound waves around his body to mask his presence from others! He also felt the heat grow in his muscles and knew he was a little stronger and better able to fight off the hardships he would face on the next part of their quest.
(Increased Ability scores: +1 STR and CON. Added another 4th level spell - Greater Invisibility!)
Moses had never seen anything like the war machine before. In fact, the chariot pulled by gargons looked much more inviting, but he resolved to follow the others inside, so he did without complaint. He closed his eyes and hummed to himself as he rode the strangely long short distance. Whether it was the movement of the war machine or the dragonborn's own doing, the cleric rocked forward and backward the whole time. When it was time to leave, he did so gratefully. But then again, once he saw the Scab, his momentary feeling of relief evaporated. As the party moved toward the wound, he once again followed in the rear, changing back and forth between Draconic and Common, praying and asking Yahweh to protect them and to guide them to safety and salvation. Once he sees how dark it is inside the Scab, he prays, and his staff glows with light.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Tibi motions to the party that he will move in as cautiously and as quietly as he can and that they should follow about 60 feet behind. He glides in quietly, eyes and other senses alert for traps and other dangers (Stealth = 29 & Perception = 14)
You begin to move into the utter darkness of the scab, the little light the entryway provided wains quickly. While Drabash and Kaelani can see in the darkness well enough, and Moses has lit a staff to provide himself with at least some light, Tibi starts to fly ahead of the others and finds that he can't see. He needs a source of light.
"Thanks" Tibi says to Kaelani as he takes the light gem and encloses it in his fist letting out just enough light to see by as the party makes its way inside the Scab.
Having sufficient light the party moves into the scab. As you move into the tunnels you see the surfaces of the walls, ceiling and floor. The tunnels look as if they have been dug out by demons using their claws or, in some cases, even their teeth. The tunnels are 10 feet wide. At various points, the ceilings dip low and you must duck and even crawl to get underneath the low spots.
The tunnel tapers as it descends into another wider area. The scab on one side of this narrow passage is stripped away, partially revealing one of the citadel’s stained glass windows. The opaque blue and yellow panes depict the contemplative face of a beautiful angel.
A number of side passages split off in different directions.
Pausing for a moment at the window Lulu flies up behind him. The window is 20-feet-tall and 5-feet-wide. Moses stills isn't sure about the small elephant looking companion that joins them on their mission.
"The citadel is being encased in the scab. This must be one of the upper windows and must have been exposed by the digging of these tunnels."
She reaches out and touches the window. She lets out a sigh.
"I'm Lulu by the way. Thanks for helping us. We have lost some friends along the way so it's nice to get some more help."
Meanwhile Tibi scouts ahead and chooses a tunnel to follow. You quickly realize you are not so much going east to west or north to south. You are going up and down.
Moving along the slow slope of the tunnel you drop into a wide room. Hordes of hellish flies buzz around this dark chamber, which is strewn with mutilated devil corpses and gnawed bones. Close examination of the mutilated corpses reveals that they include three bearded devils, two barbed devils, and a bone devil. All of the corpses are torn to pieces and, in some cases, partially eaten. On the left side a hole in the floor reveals another dark cavern below this one. The slow sloping passage continues downwards on the far right side.
You see the torch drop slightly at the mention of Zariel. "Are you the ones then that destroyed Haruman then? I have heard this was done. I weep at the sight of Elturel chained here in the depths of hell. Elturel must be freed from the chains that bind it to Avernus and then the city must be returned to the Material Plane. I cannot do this for you as I am bound to Zariel. But if you could redeem her, for she was once celestial and now corrupt, then the city could be freed. But you will be unable to redeem Zariel without the sword. Yael the Hellrider general who broke away from Zariel after Zariel made her pact with Asmodeus took Zariel's sword deep into Avernus and stabbed it into the ground forming the Bleeding Citadel."
He ponders for a moment.
"I will take you to the Bleeding Citadel. While you infiltrate it and recover the sword I will create a diversion to keep Zariel from stopping you. Then you will confront and redeem her and free the city."
He looks at each of you,
"Can you do this?"
Not sure he can remember who Harumen was if he ever knew him, but never one to miss an opportunity Tibi says with aplomb "Yes that was us! Infiltrating and recovering items is what the Acquisitions Incorporated chapter of Baldur's Gate specialises in!" He bows with a flourish continuing "my name is Cracticus tibicen and as Decisionist of the chapter I am happy to offer our services on this matter" he quickly glances around to make sure his colleagues are on board "but we are a business and I'd like to know what level of remuneration we can expect?"
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
"If we free the city, will we be free of hell ourselves?" Moses asks.
Olanthius ignores Tibi for the moment.
He looks at Moses. "If you are in the city when you return it to the material plane, then you will return with it. Does that satisfy you?"
Returning his attention to Tibi, "Keep the sword, it will be a powerful relic. More powerful than you will likely find on your own plane. I have no gold or anything else to offer you."
When Olanthius offers them the sword as compensation for their efforts Tibi considers the offer for a short while before saying "done! Now where is this Bleeding Citadel, and what more do you know about it?"
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
"A deal is struck then." Olanthius responds. "The Bleeding Citadel is a cathedral formed out of positive energy. Avernus abhors the structure and has surrounded it in a bloody scab, earning it the name the Bleeding Citadel. This scab has also engulfed a demon named Crokek’toeck that was sent by the demon lord Yeenoghu to devour the blade. The holy power of the citadel resists the scab’s attempts to fully engulf it and make it one with Avernus, leaving the top of the citadel visible."
Lulu, listening intently pipes in. "I fear that the scab will eventually cover the entire structure, whereupon the citadel will be absorbed into the Nine Hells and the Sword of Zariel lost forever. The only entrance to the citadel is covered by the lower portion of the scab."
"That is true," Olanthous says, "But Yeenoghu’s demons have dug tunnels and chambers throughout the scab. Through these tunnels you can gain access to the citadel."
He addresses the whole group "I will take you close enough that you can find your way inside. But not so close that I will be interfering too much. We do not want to draw Zariel's attention. If you are ready we can go now."
"Let us go now - where else would we go in this gods-forsaken place?"
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
"If my memory serves," Moses responds, "we will end up on the Sword Coast. It may take some doing to find transportation back to Skelkor, but that's better than being trapped here." The dragonborn nods, his hair-like ropes swinging. "Let us find this citadel."
Drabash simply nods towards the death knight, signalling respect for a fellow warrior and acceptance of the task.
Tirohia te Moana - Level 2 Cleric - What shall we do with the Drunken Sailor?
Ebonitus de Viribus - Level 4 Cleric - The Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond.
You follow Olanthius out of the crypt. Near the entryway he has a chariot pulled by two gorgons. He climbs aboard as you get into your war machine. What follows is a race across the hellish landscape of Avernus that seems short, and yet also seems to take longer than you think it should. Distance and time are hard to keep track of. In time though your destination appears and grows larger as you approach.
"The Bleeding Citadel." Olanthius says ominously as he stops a distance away. "Find the sword and save Zariel, save yourselves. Give my love to Yael when you see her." With that said he turns the chariot away and rides off.
The scab is 300 feet high. The most obvious way to enter the Scab is through a hole near the top of the Scab. Climbing up you see that this entrance to the scab is a tube-shaped tunnel with a 20-foot radius, a circular gaping wound near the top of the scab that forms a tunnel that descends into darkness.
You can level up to 10 before descending deeper
On the long trip that only seemed to take forever, Kaelani focused inwards. In the calm center of his being, he sought his celestial patron, attempting to connect with her even in this plane of hell. Although tenuous at first, the link grew stronger as Kaelani released his pretense of control. In the core of his being, the sorcerer felt a warm radiance and a sense of calm wash over him. Without even asking or consciously thinking about it, his patron revealed a new secret to him - a method to weave light and sound waves around his body to mask his presence from others! He also felt the heat grow in his muscles and knew he was a little stronger and better able to fight off the hardships he would face on the next part of their quest.
(Increased Ability scores: +1 STR and CON. Added another 4th level spell - Greater Invisibility!)
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Moses had never seen anything like the war machine before. In fact, the chariot pulled by gargons looked much more inviting, but he resolved to follow the others inside, so he did without complaint. He closed his eyes and hummed to himself as he rode the strangely long short distance. Whether it was the movement of the war machine or the dragonborn's own doing, the cleric rocked forward and backward the whole time. When it was time to leave, he did so gratefully. But then again, once he saw the Scab, his momentary feeling of relief evaporated. As the party moved toward the wound, he once again followed in the rear, changing back and forth between Draconic and Common, praying and asking Yahweh to protect them and to guide them to safety and salvation. Once he sees how dark it is inside the Scab, he prays, and his staff glows with light.
Tibi motions to the party that he will move in as cautiously and as quietly as he can and that they should follow about 60 feet behind. He glides in quietly, eyes and other senses alert for traps and other dangers (Stealth = 29 & Perception = 14)
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
You begin to move into the utter darkness of the scab, the little light the entryway provided wains quickly. While Drabash and Kaelani can see in the darkness well enough, and Moses has lit a staff to provide himself with at least some light, Tibi starts to fly ahead of the others and finds that he can't see. He needs a source of light.
Kaelani offers to cast a light spell on something to give Tibi a means to see in the utter darkness.
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
"Thanks" Tibi says to Kaelani as he takes the light gem and encloses it in his fist letting out just enough light to see by as the party makes its way inside the Scab.
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
Having sufficient light the party moves into the scab. As you move into the tunnels you see the surfaces of the walls, ceiling and floor. The tunnels look as if they have been dug out by demons using their claws or, in some cases, even their teeth. The tunnels are 10 feet wide. At various points, the ceilings dip low and you must duck and even crawl to get underneath the low spots.
The tunnel tapers as it descends into another wider area. The scab on one side of this narrow passage is stripped away, partially revealing one of the citadel’s stained glass windows. The opaque blue and yellow panes depict the contemplative face of a beautiful angel.
A number of side passages split off in different directions.
Tibi leads the party down the passageway heading off to southeast - assuming north is to the top!
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
When Moses sees the stained glass, he pauses and then looks around, horrified. "What is this place? What has happened here?"
Pausing for a moment at the window Lulu flies up behind him. The window is 20-feet-tall and 5-feet-wide. Moses stills isn't sure about the small elephant looking companion that joins them on their mission.
"The citadel is being encased in the scab. This must be one of the upper windows and must have been exposed by the digging of these tunnels."
She reaches out and touches the window. She lets out a sigh.
"I'm Lulu by the way. Thanks for helping us. We have lost some friends along the way so it's nice to get some more help."
Meanwhile Tibi scouts ahead and chooses a tunnel to follow. You quickly realize you are not so much going east to west or north to south. You are going up and down.
Moving along the slow slope of the tunnel you drop into a wide room. Hordes of hellish flies buzz around this dark chamber, which is strewn with mutilated devil corpses and gnawed bones. Close examination of the mutilated corpses reveals that they include three bearded devils, two barbed devils, and a bone devil. All of the corpses are torn to pieces and, in some cases, partially eaten. On the left side a hole in the floor reveals another dark cavern below this one. The slow sloping passage continues downwards on the far right side.