"We got this guys.  Move those feet.  Just like getting out of the mud in the underground of the spa we were at," Adray calls out.  He tries moving forward as he pumps his feet up and down. 

Athletics 24

Inspired by Adray, Fran will give it all she’s got.

Acrobatics: 11 

She’s got some fancy feet for Lulu’s sake!

     Jumping and dodging and trying to be a quick, nimble gnome, Polly does what she can not to be sucked into the mire...

Acrobatics: 12

     Unfortunately, drawn down into the enveloping darkness is exactly what Polly finds happening to her! "Ewch â fi allan o yma!" Polly shouts and casts Misty Step to try to get out of and avoid the much!

Choir struggles through the sticky muck...  (Acrobatics 18 ) It's not so bad, once you put your mind to it. If Polly is still floundering, Choir will try to help her out.

Athletics: 21

 Ordrag pumps his legs, churning the muck and loosening its hold on his extremities.

Wrestling with the muck had a strange effect - once free from the grip, you saw or felt yourself floating freely above the dreadful substance. From that above position you could see farther now and the mud looked like a mirror, showing pictures. That beautiful angel that Lulu was accompanying before (still recognizable by her armor) - you could see her injured and unconscious, just like before , laying by a small mountain of her slaughtered enemies. A very tall figure leaned over to her, picked the body up and disappeared, the hoards of deformed demons washed over the place where both were standing. The picture changed, showing a temple? keep? surrounded by the same ugly landscape, though here it looks as if building is drowning in it. That picture is brief and immediately disappears, leaving an unsettling feeling of something troubling.

Polly was struggling and for a moment it felt like she was loosing the battle. Yet, before anyone else could react, a silvery mist covered the wizard and she appeared above with everyone else unharmed. The sense of horrible loss left your minds completely.

Another brief moment of blackness, and light returns, though you can not see yourself anymore - but only Lulu.

She rests on a black cushion at the center of an inky void. She is unconscious and alone, a beam of brilliant white light shining down upon her. Next to Lulu, a large gleaming brass spyglass rests atop an ornately carved tripod.

Lulu awakens and looks peacefully around her. Seeing the spyglass, she approaches it, pressing one eye against the eyepiece. Lulu then steps back suddenly, eyes wide, mouth open, her face alight with excitement. She cries out, “The sword, the sword! I know where it is!” - and with that the ethereal feel of bodyless existence ends abruptly (and quite rough) with gravitation claiming it's rights (and wounds feeling unpleasantly fresh). 

Everyone sits on their cushions, including blinking and very excited Lulu and the hag, oozing contentment like a fat cat that just stuffed himself with cream-top. Mad Maggie looked at you with a smile: "You did good, dears, very-very good. I will give you a machine you want. I will do even better and give you some information - who knows, you might live long enough to use it. Sit, rest, I will be back."

Lulu, unable to keep her excitement, begun to talk before the hag even could stand up and left the room. "I do know where the sword is!" Her ears fall down a bit "I think I do..." but immediately raised up "I am sure I do! They call it Bleeding Citadel? Strange name, but it has to be there! I am absolutely sure. Oh, I remember so much not! Not everything - but so much!"

Despite the uncomfortable experience, Ordrag can't help to share Lulu's infectious excitement. "Good for you, little one" he says. "Me hope it's all happy memories".

"No," very seriously answered Lulu, "they are not. But if we find the sword, there is a hope for Zariel. We ... I have to do it."

     “We will!” Polly says, also brimming with excitement.  The time to worry and second guess will come but got this here moment the gnome would rather be happy with what they’ve accomplished so far!

" Bleeding Citadel! Where the sword is! Hope!" Choir hops up with excitement. "Hope for Zariel! Hope for Elturel! Praise Akadi!"

Mad Maggie return with seven caps (the correct word would be, probably, "containers" - at best half of them could be counted as caps or glasses) filled with transparent liquid. "Pure water," smiled the hag, "which still tastes like water". That was the moment when everyone who risked to drink (Lulu did not hesitate for a second, and the hag understandably took the last available cap), that the little precious stock of water you had with you tasted lately as if you were drinking from a vase with a week old bouquet in it. The water in the caps, though, was the real thing - so fresh, almost sweet to the taste. The hag drunk it like a precious wine.

"Now let me show you your machine." The hag led you all to another monstrosity - smaller, than the "Dead Brick" but spacious enough to get all of you on board and no less ... monstrous - pitch black (due to be made of infernal iron) and bristling with spikes, blades and chains all around it, with something like a harpoon at the rare end. Chukka and Clonk were making last check ups and judging by their pleased look, machine worked perfectly. "We call that things Tormentor," said Maggie, "fast, can carry a good crew, can fight back when you are attacked. Because you will be attacked. My crew is only one of many and we do not like each other much. Strangers are liked even less, but they can be used in so many interesting ways." She laughed to herself with an expression killing any wish to ask about that "ways". "I would not be too trustworthy in the planes, if I were you. Anyway, this is your machine, and here is the fuel," she reached into her pocket and then showed on a dirty palm three round metal pieces - about 5 inches across and about an inch thick, minted from infernal iron. The hag closed her palm as if enjoying the very touch of the pieces then threw one to Chukka "Put it in." Kenku obliged and pressed something in the the vehicle’s helm controls to open a narrow slot where the piece easily slipped. An earsplitting scream of a horribly tortured creature raised from the  machine’s engine, terrorized your ears for a second or two, and changed to the quieter growling rumble with just an undertone of that agonized screams. Mad Maggie listened with the smile of delight. "Wish one could keep the initial scream longer, but that would be an inconvenience on the planes. Well, this is how you use them. We call them "bleats" though less involved know it as soul coins. One burns for 72 hours, so, don't waste your time. I am giving you two mor bleats and some rations too - each of you could survive for a week. Be ware of warlords - there are four near by and who knows how many farther from here! If you meet a green elf with unnerving smile - say "hi" from me, his name is Smiler the Defiler and he might actually help."

"Well, dears, if we are done here, off you go - your Citadel is awaits you. If you want to know something - ask now." The whole gang (even the "caps" as usual roaming the yard) is there and ready to say goodbye. You have a feeling, the next relatively friendly location wont happen any time soon.

Do you know where this Citadel is? asks Ordrag.

     "How do you run this thing?" Polly asks curiously, looking about the contraption and trying to figure it out.  "Where do we get more... bleats?  How far to Citadel? What direction?"  The thing amazed and astounded Polly despite her finding it....  scary and disturbing.

The hag smiled to Ordrag: "This is the beauty of Avernus, sweety - there is no "where" here, only "when" with an "if"." She laughed with her screeching laughter. "You just move in the direction you think your destination is, and if you are lucky you get there, when time comes. I can show direction, even two - there can be different ways to go where you want. On one you will go through the devils territory mostly. On the other - through the demons. Neither is easier, neither is less dangerous, you will have to fight your way through on both. Think - and choose."

Polly's questions were addressed by Chukka and Clonk (mostly by talkative Chukka) excited to demonstrate their work. Anyone willing to listen had first stay through the sales pitch ("Planning a raid? Need some safe scouting done? Neighboring gangs became too bold? Look no further! Tormentor is the answer to your dreams!" ) and then a detailed, if a bit strangely worded, explanation how everything works.

But Mad Maggie added some information too - about "bleats": "You earn them, dear, like any other coin. And it can be taken from you too - like any other coin. It is desired by others - just like any other coin." In short, it seems to be the main currency of Avernus.

Adray looks at the bleat, the "soul coin" and figured it was exactly what it was named for.  A soul and the bleat, maybe holding it you could hear the soul bleating out.  He had an involuntary shiver as he thought about that and how everyone he knew from the city could be converted to that.  Hopefully, they wouldn't need to use any more.  Then he head it was the currency, guess it was a vain hope.  

I see that the Tormentor only has seats for 4 and we have 5 plus a flying Lulu.  Will this be an issue?  Also, Adray has proficiency in over land vehicles will that help out with driving?

(Proficiency - yes, very helpful here. Size - consider it to be a special model, capable to carry 6 medium sized creatures. Brutus might need to run b himself, but probably there is some kind of cargo compartment as well.)

Fran couldn’t help but smile in pride for Lulu’s strength. Her light still shone through despite reliving bittersweet memories. Her resolve was uplifting. She’d nod along with affirmation as everyone sung her praises. She did deserve it. 

And when Magie would give her run down, Fran was all ears, doing her best to do her part to commit her advice to memory. And as Ordrag and Polly brought up very important questions, she’d keep her attention focused. The artificer would give Brutus a pat. 

(Can Fran make a modification on the vehicle for Brutus? Lol side buggy? XD)

THe four seat one had a 500 lb cargo area so if the 6 seater is the same then we should be okay.

"Soul coins," Choir mutters softly to herself, and decides not to think about it. She hopes her soul will not ever become a coin. It does not make the machine sound happy. "Go through the devils territory...through the demons. Choose," she calls out to the party, adding, "Six of one, half a dozen of the other."

(To keep machine aerodynamic - may be a back-baggie, but feel free to modify the device any way Fran wants. Chukka and Clonk will be delighted to explain every part of the mechanism to make it easier)