Adray was surprised that the griffons were the mode of transportation.  He'd not seen one before this moment and shared some trepidation of getting on one.  They looked large and fearsome but a moment thinking of what would face them in hell and he couldn't let this stop him, so he rode and it wasn't nearly as bad as he had thought.  

Upon arrival he took some time to stretch out his muscles before the meeting and took a moment to double check that everyone was well.  The meeting with Traxigor was odd but he had always thought most mages were odd, and Lulu even more so.  He remained silent during the story and thought about it all.  "Lulu, if you are to join us, can you tell me what you can do to assist?  I"m assuming magic of some sort?"

Choir probably had eagles for the relatives - to spot one relatively ordinary barely described thing in that mess one had to be very attentive. But she did it - at least that was the closest thing around resembling a fork, though with a short handle, long prongs and very shiny.

Meanwhile Lulu, attentively listening conversations around happily announced to the crowd, not a bit scared by her past: "I can protect! And I can attack too. Feel it!" She flew right to the Adray and he indeed suddenly felt as if someone strong and wise wrapped his arms around him, protecting from the outside danger - a very comforting sensation, only kids raised in good families are familiar with. Whatever weapon little elephant had she did not demonstrate, but the very look of her - sparkling and radiating happiness as sun radiates light - send the clear message, that this being and any kind of evil can not coexist at one space, someone would have to leave, and would not be Lulu.

Choir remembers that, without the fork, they can't be sent to Hell, and almost decides to try to sneakily drop it out a window of the sky tower....but she does want Elturel back, and Lulu seems so excited to be going with them.   She sighs, and hands the tuning fork over to the old man.

"Ah, here it is, thank you my feathery friend. Eyes and memories - very unreliable things, very. Well, now I fully understand, that you are eager to go and would not want to waste a second here but let me make some final tuning. Science can not be rushed! Never! Feel free to look around, I will call you the moment I am ready."

Choir passes the time poking around in the museum of clutter, and uses the facilities, because she has a feeling the toilets in hell are probably disgusting.

After feeling the presence that Lulu was taking about, Adray was satisfied.  "Yes, I feel that you will be helpful now.  Then you ware welcome to come."  With that he will slowly walk about the room, still stretching his legs after that long flight.

After Lulu's demonstration of her abilities, Ordrag has to remind himself that there is more to power than strength of arms, and that he himself has committed to seeking out that power for the sake of the mission.

Happy to delay the inevitable for a little while longer, Ordrag has a look around as Traxigor suggested, trying to avoid the books and instead look for anything else of interest, especially related to the Nine Hells. Perception: 13

((Giving Polly time until tomorrow to join first meeting with Lulu, and then we continue)

There was a lot so see, but nothing to particularly hang on - indeed, the museum of clutter, where a bright green feather and a mystically looking glass orb filled with moving smoke, were mixed with  a pair of old socks, and a beautifully crafted fan with a picture of a sleeping cat was laying on top of a glass jar containing a weird bit of flesh floating in pickling fluid. Really, all king of things. Most likely the wizard have forgotten about half of them. 

The view from the tower's windows could be more interesting, though cloud, keeping the tower afloat, obscured the land (or water) right under it. Still, endless water to the horizon from one window and faraway mountains from another - it was spectacular!

Polly stood silent through the entire meeting with the weird elephant and the wizard. The realization that they were actually going to hell had finally set in. Hell! Of all the stupid place once could end up this was probably on the top of the list.

She whispered to Owis on her shoulder “Are we really doing this? There is still time to back out.. “ “I know.. we promised, but this is actually the hell. With demons and monsters.” Owis start to squeak and run from shoulder to shoulder.  “What do you mean with that? I’m not a coward” more speaks  “yeah you are right as usual...- So what do you think about this hollyphant? Good idea, I’ll ask her.” 

she turns to holly “Excuse me Holly, you said you traveled with Zariel to hell right? What can you tell us about her?” 

"My name is Lulu," answered hollyphant "it's easy to remember, though I know how hard some things can be to remember when you need them. But try a little every day and you get it!" She obviously did not want (or could) talk about Zariel, but eventually she said “The Zariel I knew is gone, replaced by a devil with a halo of fire and vengeance. ‘This is who I am,’ she told me. ‘When demons die, they cry out my name in terror.’ Those were Zariel’s last words to me.” Elephants ears droop in sadness, but at that moment Traxigor called everyone in the next room.

The room was more like a wide balcony with a big elaborated circle drown on the floor. The wizard placed everyone inside, pointing each space personally. And when it was done, Traxigor taped the tuning fork on the floor and cast his plane shift spell.

When first dizziness went off, hot, stinging air assaulted your senses. The city street in which you stand now 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.

"Elturel... Yes, yes, still standing I see... Have to tell Sylvyra." Traxigor gazed up at the black orb nervously, uttered a few arcane syllables, and disappears in the blink of an eye.

WELCOME TO HELL!

Choir stares up at the ball of blackness and lightning which had replaced the Companion. It was actually quite cool, in a dark sort of way. She liked lightning better than blinding white light, anyway (as long as she wasn't being hit by it.) But that red, smoky sky had to go.  Skies were meant to be blue with fluffy clouds, or sometimes grey and thundery, or pink and orangey just around the edges, or dark and filled with stars...

She looks around.  If Traxigor is right, and this is Elturel....she ought to be able to find the temple of Akadi, and maybe her High Priestess and other friends, or at least one of the other temples or shrines to the gods.  Does this street look familiar? (Perception? 11 Investigation? 22 Survival? 11 )

 Judging by the remaining shape of the buildings - this mast be eastern part of the city, that much Choir, Adray and Fran (may be even Polly) can tell. For the moment you do not see a single person on the streets. The "crumbled fortress" afar must be The High Hall - a grand alabaster castle dedicated to Torm.

Adray nearly stumbled with the disorienting shift from there plane to her.  The heat didn't help.  It was like stepping into a sauna with the heat to high.  once getting his bearing he looked around.  At first he thought maybe it was an ancient city but Traxigor's comment made him do a double take and sure enough he was right.  

"Gods, we mad it...  it's Elturel, east side.  And it didn't survive the trip well," Adray said.  He spun his head about.  "I don't see anyone and I don't think we should announce our presence..  I think if anything, we head toward High Hall.  Its the most defensible position here."

The travel to Hell was a lot more pleasant than flying, but not by much. It's like she was just tossed into the belly of a forge. Heat was supposed to be comforting, but this heat was brash and wild. Fran would be lost for words. She'd try to open her mouth a couple of times to say something but just couldn't find the words. The artificer would look down to Brutus, and then back out to scan the city. "Aye..." Was the only thing that left Fran's mouth as she'd follow behind the others, purposely keeping herself close to their fluffy Hollyphant.

As they walked, the artificer's curiosity would eventually bubble out her lips. "Lulu, I know yer struggling to remember. But, now that yer here, has it jogged anything?" The more Fran reflected on Lulu's story, the more her heart would sink for the little bundle of sunshine. First Reya, now Lulu. These mighty, passionate individuals wronged and their loyalty betrayed by none other than the people they looked too...

"I do! I do remember something!" With that Lulu touched the small rock on the ground with her trunk and it begun to shine with bright light, comfortingly sun-like, as the opposite of the blood-red colours around (the light was obvious even to non-magical Ordrag and Adray). At first Little elephant was very excited, making a few soft trumpet like sounds, but then the noise of cracking lightnings, exploding rocks and burning smell made her quiet again. "I do not know that place, yet I do remember the smell, and colours. It is Avernus, the plane where I lost my friend. I was her companion for centuries. I used to be able to shapechange into a golden mammoth. In this form, I served as Zariel’s war mount. All gone now.” 

Ordrag had never been far from the sea, but coming to this place made him start to wonder whether the ocean ever existed. It was like being plunged into a darkness so profound you couldn't remember the light, except instead of the absence of light it was the absence of water in all its forms - ocean and stream, rain and cloud, even the moisture in the air. Ordrag felt that given just a few hours here his very blood would boil and evaporate into nothingness.

Yes, let's find some cover, he said agreeing with Adray, though as much to find shelter from the oppressive atmosphere as defense from harm

(I will assume you did move in the direction of High Hall or the bridge leading to there)

The party did not went too far along the narrow street full of debris, with burned and half destroyed houses. Around the corner of a still-standing structure you saw a running woman with two toddlers, one on each arm. In her wake amble three infernal monsters with glaives and snakelike beards (you vividly remember the devilish guard in the Vanthampur's prison). The fiends were laughing darkly, obviously playing with their prey, like a bunch of cats with the mouse.

"Damn and Double damn," Adray cursed as he saw the three demons chasing the woman and child. Not 10 minutes of being here and evil rears it's ugly head, he thought.  "Ordrag, Fran, with me, we draw them to us.  Send Brutis, Chior and Polly around to flank and surprise them.  Holly, I know not what you can do but do what you can." 

With that he cracked his knuckles, rolled his shoulders, and then rounded the corner and rushed at the three.  "Bearded bastards, Get Out of My City!"

OOC: not sure how far away they are but depending the answer he would either move and whip a dagger or if possible move and attack.

Fran would snap too, nodding to Adray. She'd command Brutus to follow with Choir. The artificer would look over her shoulder to Lulu, "You do what feels most natural teh yeh." She'd offer encouraging words to their hollyphant, ready to follow Adray's lead.

Choir will try to use some of the cover of the rubble to sneak around to a flanking position...armor jingling all the way.  (Stealth 14