"He battles the demons you say?  At this very moment?  Then pass freely and fair thee well."

Gideon allows you to pass and you take Ravenguard back to the High Hall.  There Pherria  informs you that she has cleansed the altar while you were gone and instructs you to lay Ravenguard upon it.  "The ritual is in fact very simple but he must be laid on this altar for the power of Torm to heal his mind." She then recites a short prayer and after a few tense moments the man seems to regain his mind and looks around at you.

As Grand Duke Ravengard regains his faculties he sits up and carefully looks at each of you. 

"Thank you.  We are in great peril and we must move quickly.  I do not have time to explain everything but I can tell you this.  I took a spirit journey while wearing the Helm of Torm’s Sight. Torm has shown me the path forward, but the visions were clouded and warped by the demonic essence channeled through the portal. 

In my spirit journey, I saw a bloodied woman in armor — a soldier wearing the colors and crest of Elturel — grasping a longsword fit for an angel. Fresh blood streamed from a nasty cut on the woman’s cheek. Flying next to the woman was a small, golden elephant with rapidly fluttering wings."

As Lulu flutters nearby, next to Reya he looks in astonishment at the flying creature.  "That is the creature I saw in my vision."

He continues "As an enormous, loping demon threatened to devour the woman, she plunged the sword into the ground while the winged elephant made a trumpet sound with its trunk. The demon was hurled back as an alabaster palace rose up around the sword. The winged elephant fled and took to the red sky of Avernus, where it watched as a bloody scab grew up from the ground to engulf the palace and the enormous demon. The winged elephant fled and wandered in a delirium before coming upon two odd, birdlike humanoids dressed in patchwork armor and standing next to a strange infernal vehicle. The bird creatures were equipped with odd weapons and tools."

Lulu suddenly flutters forward, exclaiming excitedly

“Zariel’s most loyal Hellrider, Yael, took the sword and plunged it into a rock. I called on every ounce of goodness in my heart to raise a shield around it — a fortress against evil. The demon lord Yeenoghu wants to destroy Zariel’s sword. He hates it as much as he hates her. We fought him once, but I don’t remember where. I wandered Avernus for a while, then hid in a place called the Wandering Emporium. I made a friend there. His name was Mahadi. Maybe he can help us.”

The words gush from her as her memories return.

The sword is the key to saving Elturel both Ravenguard and Lulu exclaim together.

Lulu flaps her wings in excitement at the final part of his story as she remembers meeting a pair of “bird folk” named Chukka and Clonk. Based on descriptions furnished by Lulu and Ravengard, you can conclude that Chukka and Clonk are kenku. Lulu remembers that the kenku took her to a junkyard called Fort Knucklebone, where they built and repaired infernal vehicles designed to move quickly across the blasted wastelands of Avernus. Lulu doesn’t remember who ran the fort or what other creatures she met there.

Lulu quickly flies to the top of the cathedral and looks out over the blasted landscape of Avernus below Elturel. After trumpeting loudly, she returns to report that she can see Fort Knucklebone, and estimates it to be no more than ten miles away.

Ulder Ravengard looks at the group "I must remain in Elturel to help organize survivors to fight off the devils, demons, and undead scouring the city. I am willing to die fighting in Elturel’s defense, but it’s up to you to help Lulu find the sword."

Kaelani looks to the others and shrugs. "The prognostications are silent on this. However, I am ready to journey onwards and do what is required to rid this city of all threats."

"To Fort Knucklebone then, I suppose," Darvin says. "Sounds dreadful, to be honest, but I suppose we're committed to this now."

"Committed?  I'll remind you once again you are under contract!"  Reya remarks.  "However I as well am I going to stay in the city and aid the people. Take Lulu and find this sword that is the key to defeating the evil and saving the city." 

Kaelani is intrigued by the flying elephant - he had never seen a creature like this before! (anything the newbie sees or discerns about it? Is she like Dumbo? =)

Darvin puts on a transparently performative air of being offended by Reya's remark. "And as a man of my word, I intend to see that contract through! You know I would go to hell and back for you, darling."

In a stage whisper to Tibi, he adds, "I knew this new 'being honest' thing I'm trying was a mistake."

Tibi whispers back “it’s something I’ve always struggled with as well!”

Kaelani takes a moment to study Lulu.  She had been with the party but stayed out of the way of the fighting.

You see she is a hollyphant which 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.

"So how will you escape the city?" Ravenguard asks.  "From what I saw the city seems to be floating in the air and is anchored by large chains.  Perhaps you could climb down them.  Or do you have a magical means to fly?"

Tibi unfurls his wings and says “l’ll be right”

"I will climb - no wings for me!" Kaelani says, looking between the hollyphant and aarakocra...

“Flying ain’t natural - I’ll climb thanks” says Drabash

"I suppose it's climbing for me too..." Darvin says, wearily. "Perhaps a quick breather first, to gather our energy? Looks like a long way down."

OoC: If we take a short rest first, Darvin can give any who are climbing a d8 bardic inspiration to help with Athletics checks.

(A short rest - and bardic inspiration - sounds good to me!)

"I think we are safe enough here for the moment.  Take as much rest as you need.  We will watch out for you"  Reya says.  "Then seek the sword and save my city!"

Go ahead and Long Rest and level up to 7 and we will continue.

Everyone leveled up?

(Leveled up. Added magic circle to my spell list! Also picked up Empowered Healing: While you aren’t incapacitated, whenever you or an ally within 5 ft. rolls dice to determine the number of HP a spell restores, you can spend 1 sorcery point to reroll any number of those dice once.)

Yes

All set here!

You take the time to rest within the High Hall and meet again with Ravenguard before setting out.  He looks fresher and stronger than he had before.  Reya stands with him and they repeat that they will not join you as they will defend the city and those who still reside within while you seek the sword to help bring Elturel back to the material plane.

Making your way out of the High Hall you skirt the edge of the city and reach the closest chain that those who cannot fly can use to climb down.  Looking down you see that the jagged posts and enormous chains of infernal iron that hold Elturel are the only physical connection between the city and the ground. Each chain link is 30 feet long and 20 feet wide, and is formed of a welded loop of infernal iron that is 5 feet thick.

On close inspection the chain links are covered in 1-foot-long iron barbs that make them relatively easy to move along. The posts of infernal iron that anchor Elturel to the ground likewise offer numerous handholds for climbing. If you navigate the chains and the posts carefully, you are able to descend the posts at normal speed. 

As you make your way down you see that armored legions of devils encircle the enormous posts of infernal iron that anchor Elturel to the rocky ground. Squads of demons fighting ten deep in some places hurl themselves into the devils’ ranks. Most of those abyssal troops are lowly manes and dretches, who die quickly in vain attempts to drag down devils so that stronger demons behind them can strike killing blows.

A dark river cuts a path across the blasted landscape and flows directly beneath the city. Floating on the river are demonic barges being assailed by squadrons of winged devils under the command of a terrifying pit fiend wearing an eyeless helm and clutching a battle standard.

The demons and the devils are too focused on one another to concern themselves with you while you keep your distance but you are sure if you hurl youselves into the fiendish conflict you are as good as dead.

You must devise a quick plan to take an opportunity to get past the battle and not draw attention to yourselves.

Tibi turns to Lulu and asks somewhat hopefully "are you able to carry anybody in your current form as flying over that lot" pointing down at the devils and demons locked in combat "looks like the only way we'll get past them!"